BEHIND THE LENS
HORCON, CHILE BY DIEGO GALAZ
Chilean photographer Diego Galaz began experimenting with photography while in high school. Feeling anxious about the future, he was driven to capture each moment of his youth and freedom. This discovery became a passion which led him to study the art at the Instituto Profesional Arcos in Santiago de Chile, and eventually pursue a career in fashion editorial and documentary photography. His work has been published in titles such as Vanidad (Spain), Vein magazine (Spain), Cake Magazine (USA), Fuuckingyoug (USA), Vogue Mexico and Latin America, Cap74024 (Italy), FgukMagazine (London), Galio (Chile) and Nylon Indonesia.
An appreciation of the human figure is his main source of inspiration, yet it is frequent connection with nature that continuously fuels his creativity. On a recent trip through Chile’s coastal region, he rediscovered Horcón, a town he’s frequented since childhood, and through his lens, documented the magic it inspires within.
Instagram: @galazdiego
What brought you here?
Connection with nature. These places, in particular, provoke a state of complete peace, learning and testing my own limits in one of my favorite places.
What does Horcón smell like?
A mix of sea breeze and eucalyptus trees.
What does Horcón taste like?
A combination of fresh fish, freshly baked bread and burnt wood.
Best discovery?
The interesting paths between one beach and another, but in particular it has the first and only nudist beach in Chile.
If you had to pick one favorite thing from Horcón, what would it be?
Walking amongst the mix of pine and eucalyptus forests while enjoying the view of the Pacific Ocean.
What was your first impression of Horcón?
It’s a place I’ve visited since childhood and it gives me a sense of nostalgia. Over the years, each visit becomes one of the most pleasant experiences and sensations around nature.
If Horcón had a soundtrack, what songs would be included?
23 by Rejjie Snow
Losing My Religion by R.E.M.
Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap
El Bosque by Niño Rohete
Upside Down by Jack Johnson
Santa Maria de Feira by Devendra Banhart
Alone Again (Naturally) by Gilbert O’Sullivan
When traveling to Horcón, you can’t miss____.
The opportunity to take a look at the bottom of the sea in the summertime.
A typical food or drink?
Fresh products from the sea and fresh pippin fish sautéed in butter and olive oil.
Something that everyone should know before visiting Horcón.
It’s a small town, compared to all others on the coasts of Chile, but very interesting because of the magic it provokes while there.
What is most unique about Horcón, something you haven’t seen anywhere else?
The most special and unique thing to me is how you’re immersed in the enveloping atmosphere of its landscape, its people and its traditions, as if time had not passed. To this day, history continues to be built in this place.
What do you define as beauty?
Beauty, for me, is to encounter the ocean in the middle of the forest with its aromas, its colors, its textures, in a perfect whole, which during long work days, I think of that moment, and, in some other way, it makes my life more beautiful.
