Photographer Guide
Alejandro Sarage grew up on the Bolivian Altiplano, next to the Salar de Uyuni, world’s largest salt flat. For many decades, the town of Uyuni was known for being the central depot for the trains that carried minerals from the Bolivian mines to the coasts of Chile, south to northern Argentina and north to Oruro and La Paz. Today, Uyuni is the hub of 4×4 adventure tours to the salt flats and the Sud Lipez region and south to Chile’s Atacama Desert.
Ale, as his amigos call him, was surrounded by the awe-inspiring landscapes of the Andes, and developed a deep appreciation for the region’s raw natural beauty and the people there struggling to live in this high-altitude and wind-swept plain. This raw reality greatly influenced his artistic vision. His passion was fueled by the ever-changing faces of the salt flats but also by the foreigners that came and went through Uyuni as he was growing up, venturing off into distant lands, unbound by schedules or a guaranteed place to sleep. His dad and mom offer the best pizza on the Altiplano at Minuteman Pizza in the back of El Toñito Hotel, which they own. Ale has been known to sneak into the kitchen to make his own special pizzas when it’s closed.
He studied graphic design at the Universidad Privada Boliviana (UPB) where photography became a pillar of his studies and opened up a new world. Under the guidance of two esteemed mentors, Sergio Bretel and Sebastian Ormachea, he was inspired by them to develop visual storytelling and to evoke emotions through imagery that captivates the soul.
His studies took him to the dynamic streets of Bogota, Colombia and the hinterlands further into the Andes and Amazon basin with forays to the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Colombia provided a never-ending menu of photographic opportunities as he went deeper into his photographic career. His artistic journey continued beyond the shores of South America to Nepal and India where he ventured into volunteer work for Youth International with a team that contributed to building schools and teaching English to children, leaving a positive impact on their lives and fostering cross-cultural connections. This transformative experience deepened his understanding of the power of photography as a tool for storytelling and social change.
Ale leads some of the landscape and portrait tours in Bolivia and Colombia. His easy and friendly style helps people capture the spirit of the people in the streets, the raw landscapes, and makes important and impromptu connections so his guests can capture those moments of the human spirit. His goal is to help you tell compelling visual stories that evoke profound emotions.
