Leandro Pérez
I'm a self-taught landscape photographer specialized in astrophotography and time-lapse. I started shooting in 2010 thanks to my good friend Karim Ayame. After a while, what was back then a hobby became a passion that made me look at photography with a professional perspective. I got my degree as filmmaker (the career is called Tecnicatura Superior en Comunicación Audiovisual) in Córdoba, Argentina on May 2019.
In 2011 Karim and I made our first time-lapse film called Tinogasta (verano 2011), in which we tried to show a bit of our city to the world. After that we created Proyecto Tinogasta, followed by some photography exhibitions with local photographers.
By 2012 I perfected my craft and went full time on independent photography. I produced, directed and photographed a film called Norte Argentino, later that year declared of Parliamentary Interest by the Catamarca province House of Representatives. It was during that production that I realized how important photography is to me as a way to express myself and also the reason why I started studying filmmaking a few years later.
My passion for astrophotography started before making the short film, but during that production I got interested in astronomy. By looking at my pictures I noticed there was more to what I could see, I realized I needed to understand the magnitude of what I was capturing and observing during my nighttime shootings that went beyond the artistic side.
I used everything I learned about astronomy to get better at astrophotography and time-lapse, in which I try to show the emotions those natural and desolated landscapes make me feel. During that time I changed on a personal level, because every time I go out to shoot at night, I feel a bit more connected to the vast universe around us. Just being in the middle of nowhere below a star filled sky is a completely amazing experience I think everybody should at least try once.
After finishing with my filmmaking classes, I decided to share all my knowledge via Internet in my personal blog (the Spanish version has way more articles) and my YouTube channel; by teaching photography and editing workshops and video courses as well.
I approach almost all my personal projects just by myself to avoid distractions during the shoots, also because I truly enjoy the solitude those remote landscapes I photograph make me feel. But sometimes I get lucky to find people willing to come along with me to those beautiful places with extreme weather and temperatures, which never cease to amaze me, no matter how many times I go back.
Photography for me is something I can really use to communicate the way I feel and how I see the world, that’s why it’s a big part of my life and thanks to it I’ve been able to visit places I would have never visited otherwise.
A bit more about my photography work...
- April 22, 2011 – Group photography and audiovisual exhibition Lo mío, lo tuyo, lo nuestro – Tinogasta, Catamarca
- July 16, 2011 – Group photography and audiovisual exhibition Lo de acá, lo de allá y lo de más allá organized by Artistas Visuales de Tinogasta – Tinogasta, Catamarca
- December 22, 2012 – Group photography and audiovisual exhibition – Viaje a los sentidos – Tinogasta, Catamarca
- January 10, 2013 – Solo photography and audiovisual exhibition – Entre mundos in La Sala – La Puntilla, Tinogasta, Catamarca
- July 26, 2013 – Solo photography exhibition – Entre mundos in La Antigua Bodega – Tinogasta, Catamarca
- September 24, 2014 – Solo photography exhibition – Entre mundos organized by Casa de Catamarca – Teatro Nacional Cervantes, Buenos Aires
- September 11, 2018 – Group photography exhibition – Mo(nu)mentos en el aire organized by La Fotosfera Producciones – Radio Nacional Córdoba
- October 25, 2018 – Solo photography exhibition – 24 años inadvertido organized by Allpa-Súmaj – Tinogasta, Catamarca
- October 9, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Played at Festival El Héroe (archival image)
- November 11, 2012 – Article in ISO1200 (archival image)
- November 30, 2012 – Article in ALTFoto (now Hipertextual) (archival image)
- March 14, 2013 – Digital magazine Canonikos #8 (archival image)
- May 12, 2014 – Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) (archival image)
- January 10, 2018 – Bex Magazine #39, Catamarca – Online - Print (archival image)
- March 10, 2018 – Article in Xataka Foto about Norte Argentino II (archival image)
- March 12, 2018 – Article in Time Lapse Network about Norte Argentino II
- March 12, 2018 – Article in Voy de Viaje about Norte Argentino II (archival image)
- March 16, 2018 - Article in El Esquiú about Norte Argentino II (archival image)
- November 3, 2018 – Article in Xataka Foto about Anemia (archival image)
- January 25, 2019 – Article in Voy de Viaje about En sombras (archival image)
- January 26, 2019 - Article in El Esquiú about En sombras (archival image)
- March 23, 2019 – Article in Time Lapse Network about En sombras (archival image)
- July 20, 2019 – Article in Xataka Foto about A la sombra de la Luna (archival image)
- July 21, 2019 – Article in Revista Express about Recuerdos de un viajero – Edición online – Edición impresa (archival image)
- July 22, 2019 – Article in DIY Photography about A la sombra de la Luna (archival image)
- July 23, 2019 – Article in PetaPixel about A la sombra de la Luna (archival image)
- August 7, 2019 – Article in Motion Arts Pro about A la sombra de la Luna (archival image)
- August 22, 2019 – TV news in Telediario (RTVE.es) about Recuerdos de un viajero (minutes 3:16 and 29:46)
- November 11, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film featured at the front page of ABC.es (archival image)
- August 31, 2018 – Radio interview for Papel para armar
- September 16, 2018 – TV interview for Canal 7 Catamarca (starts at 01:02:25)
- April 9, 2019 – Interview for Casa de Catamarca (archival image)
- July 5, 2019 – Radio interview for Radio Guayacán (Chile)
- September 12, 2019 - Radio interview for Radio Enlace Tinogasta
- January 31, 2020 - Interview for the Festival Internacional de Cine de las Alturas
- October 12, 2021 - Radio interview for Locos por la radio en la T 97.9
- October 23, 2012 - Norte Argentino short film - Official selection - Chronos Film Festival (archival image)
- November 14, 2012 – Norte Argentino short film – Declared of Parliamentary Interest by the Catamarca province House of Representatives
- June 3, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Official selection - First-Time Filmmaker Sessions June 2019 (archival image)
- June 14, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Best Mini Documentary - The Legendary Doc Film Festival (archival image)
- June 14, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Audience Award - The Legendary Doc Film Festival (archival image)
- June 19, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Official selection - Festival Internacional de Cine de las Alturas (archival image)
- August 26, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Finalist - International Timelapse Festival (archival image)
- October 3, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Special Mention – Arte Non Stop Festival (archival image)
- November 13, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Finalist – IX Festival Iberoamericano de Cortometrajes ABC - Certamen de I-Cortos (archival image)
- November 27, 2019 – Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Official selection – Festival de Cine de Fuenfria (archival image)
- February 24, 2019 - Recuerdos de un viajero short film - Official selection - Premis Miquel Fàbregues (archival image)
- March 19, 2020 - Recuerdos de un viajero short film - Official selection - Contra el Silencio Todas las Voces, Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable category (archival image)
- June 22, 2020 - Recuerdos de un viajero short film - Official selection - Maine Outdoor Film Festival (archival image)
- August 2, 2020 - Recuerdos de un viajero short film - Official selection - Festival Internacional de Cine de Montaña Ushuaia Shh (archival image)
- August 13, 2020 - Recuerdos de un viajero short film - Official selection - Finisterra Arrábida Film Art & Tourism Festival (archival image)
- November 17, 2020 - Recuerdos de un viajero short film – Official selection recognition - Contra el Silencio Todas las Voces, Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable category (archival image)
- December 3, 2020 - Recuerdos de un viajero short film - Official selection - Cortomontagna (archival image)
- February 14, 2021 - Recuerdos de un viajero short film - Official selection - European Spiritual Film Festival (archival image)
- June 29, 2018 – Talk at Foto Club Córdoba – Córdoba
- September 2, 2018 – Talk at Chakana Hostel – San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca
- September 16, 2018 – Puna, discourse at the Expo Ambiente, declared of Parliamentary Interest by Congress – San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca
- November 17, 2018 – De 1250 a 4350, discourse at Primer Foto Encuentro Tinogasta – Tinogasta, Catamarca
- February 23, 2019 – Workshop-Talk at Copina for the members of Foto Club Córdoba and Foto Club Comechingones – Córdoba
- July 26, 2019 – Talk organized by Cofel about astrophotography and time-lapse – La Serena (Chile)
- May 15, 2020 - Online talk with Moma Fotografía - Instagram live
- June 26, 2020 - Online talk with Foto Club Quilmes - YouTube live
- August 27, 2020 - Online talk with Cofel - Google Meet live
- June 12, 2021 - Online talk with Grupo Elemento - Google Meet live
- September 27, 2021 - Online talk about astrotourism with IEST - Google Meet live
- November 26, 2021 - Online talk about astrophotography at high altitude for Federación Argentina de Fotografía - Zoom live