My first trip to Easter Island was back in 2009, several years before I became interested in photography and started the apart project.  It was one of the strangest and wildest places I had ever seen, and after leaving, I was immediately convinced that I would need to return some day.  Nine years later, in May of 2018, I went back, this time with my camera in hand, to include it as a chapter of the apart project.

Self-portrait, 2009

On my second trip, I flew first to Santiago, Chile, where I visited the city for a few days before catching a flight out to Easter Island with LATAM Airlines, which offers the only direct service there, either from Santiago or Papeete.  After several hours of flying over nothing but ocean, the plane came down hard on the runway, which is extremely short and spans the southwestern tip of the island coast to coast.  I stepped off the plane, and was immediately greeted by a cool humidity and a beautiful fragrance in the air, noticeably different from the scent of the air when I boarded in Chile.

My stay was in the lovely Aukara Bed & Breakfast on the outskirts of the main (and only) town of Hanga Roa.  I rented a small car in town so I could explore on my own schedule over the six days that I was there, which was a great decision, as it allowed me to respond quickly to the weather, carry my photography gear with me wherever I went, and pull off the road to take pictures as I liked.  In the evenings, I was able to try out some of the restaurants in town, many of which were very enjoyable, and to walk around the harbor and along the coast.  Spanish (which I speak) is the primary language used with non-locals, but English is also widely spoken in hospitality in town, so communication was rarely an issue for me. 

Rapa Nui is bordered by jagged rocky shores and steep volcanic sea cliffs, and there is no surrounding reef to take the edge off the ocean swell.   As a result, the thundering sound of waves pounding against the rocks was always present in the background.  I was quite struck by the light and colors of the island; the sunlight had an ethereal quality to it, as the clouds were always shifting, forming, and disappearing, and the contrast between the brilliant yellow-green grass, the black volcanic rock, and the cobalt ocean was sharp and beautiful.  The clouds themselves are incredibly expressive, and cast shadows and colors across the landscape that change minute by minute.  My favorite part though, was the rain.  As on many remote islands, the weather could turn on a dime, and go from blazing sun to a heavy, warm downpour and back again in only a few minutes.  Needless to say, Easter Island was a photographer’s paradise, and I was quite pleased with what I was able to capture in the few short days I was there.