By Dave Wise
Not everyone enjoys being half naked on a beach for their entire honeymoon, so with an urgency and passion, we sweep you off to Argentina.
Being the origins of arguably the sexiest dance on the planet, the Tango, Argentina has so much to offer a couple seeking to spend their new beginnings around all things beautiful. From its humble immigrant beginnings to the gangster frequented brothels to what we know today, the Tango blends male sexuality and the surrendered female form. Ultimately delivering a dance that is erotically charged and completely immersive to watch. Some would say it’s voyeurism with clothes and an all-consuming rhythm.
For the rest of the world, Argentina is noted for its first lady, Eva Perón, both beautiful and intelligent—filled with passion. Unfortunately taken from her people at the tender age of 33 by cancer. Her spirit definitely lives on; upon visiting her adopted home of Buenos Aires, you will find her presence is everywhere. It is said that Eva first travelled to Buenos Aires with the Tango singer Agustin Magaldi, but this is just conjecture. We suspect that her unfaltering passion drove the invention of this rumor. Decades after her passing and the streets are littered with shops and stalls of memorabilia. With a visit to the Eva Perón museum by the Botanical Gardens, you can see and feel that passion in person.
When you’ve had your fill of the bustle of Buenos Aires and you’re looking for somewhere to unwind. Forget the beach, Argentina has yet more to offer. The awe inspiring Iguazú falls will leave you breathless, the falls are banked by both Brazil and Argentina, but Argentina claims most of the falls and Iguazú City is only 25 kilometers from the airport, making it very easy to get to. Access through the Argentine side is via the Rainforest Ecological Train, which takes you to the entrance of Devil’s Throat. There are also boat services that will take you right into the falls themselves. The falls are impressive, even more so when you know that Eleanor Roosevelt exclaimed “poor Niagara” when she first laid eyes upon them.
So you’ve seen and experienced the warmth, passion and power of Argentina, lest not forget, if you travel south into Santa Cruz Province you will be greeted by the Perito Moreno Glacier. This is one of only three glaciers in Patagonia that is still growing. It benefits from a large visitor centre and there are tours ranging from one to five hours.
So you may want to check with your travel expert and leave your worries behind as you make your way to total ecstasy.
The strange reality of the world around us is that everything we see within it is merely the reflection of light. Without the play of light bouncing to and fro between objects then back to our eyes, we wouldn’t perceive any of the beauty, any of the delights, which cause our emotions to react.
Dave Wise has been at home behind the lens for 38 years, shooting images in one form or another. Since the tender age of 5 when his grandmother gave him his first camera, Wise has found a sense of freedom and happiness in taking pictures. His many years of observation have solidified what he has always known of the beauty in the world of reflections, and ever since he has made it his life’s work to still them in the art of photography. In Wise’s mind, his work of passion is an on-going negotiation between himself and the world so as to allow him to capture—even briefly—every one.
Dave’s path has been varied and it’s that variety that shows in everything he does. He has an old East End, London soul and his passion for photography and life is obvious from the very first moment you meet him. “Continuing to wake up breathing is great,” he says. “Everything else achieved is just the icing on the cake.” It is his passion for his craft that inspires him from day to day. “The thought of tomorrow is so exciting, a new project or venture on the horizon, being one step closer to the next endeavor, where you are ready to start all over again.”
The producers of the hit TV show ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’ has described Wise as “Part of the fashion elite.” The compliment is proof of the success of his journey in taking photography from a quiet obsession to where it is now—his sole purpose of being. He does not forget nor take for granted how far he has come.
Dave’s list of clients spans editorial work, campaigns and celebrity portraits, including Vogue, FIASCO, S Magazine, MTV, Ralph Fiennes and Gillian Anderson. He has also appeared on national and international television as an expert in his field.
There is a British saying, “Away with the fairies,” to describe an artist losing himself in the surreal space of creativity. When Dave isn’t experiencing this paradigm of artistic context, chasing reflections or dreaming up images, he spends his time with his family, as a proud father of two beautiful children and a devoted husband.
