Series description
Great Salt Flats is a series of photographs taken in the province of Jujuy, on the Argentinian side of the Atacama Desert. It explores the concerns of the Indigenous people of the area as the Argentine as corporations seek to take over the land, for the extraction of lithium. The fight to preserve these paradisiacal areas has led to increased tension, with ongoing demonstrations and complaints from local communities in an area that is popular with tourists from around the world.
Biography
My name is Javier Martín Parejo, but everyone knows me as Javi Parejo. I was born in Extremadura in 1969, but I have spent most of my life on the island of Formentera, in the Balearic Islands. I am a Diving Instructor and Photographer, which allows me to stay constantly connected with nature. I dedicate my summers in Spain to running my diving school and center, and my winters to photography projects.
Jujuy: Great Salt Flats
The landscape of the Atacama Desert is as desolate as it is beautiful – it is a difficult place to live, but at the same time hypnotic. The heat almost doesn't let you breathe, and the air has less oxygen than we are used to, but what a beautiful feeling! ‘I left the desert feeling small in the face of this planet that we are determined to destroy,’ says Javi Parejo about his experience in Jujuy.
© Javi Parejo, Spain, Shortlist, Professional competition, Landscape, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
Jujuy: Great Salt Flats
The landscape of the Atacama Desert is as desolate as it is beautiful – it is a difficult place to live, but at the same time hypnotic. The heat almost doesn't let you breathe, and the air has less oxygen than we are used to, but what a beautiful feeling! ‘I left the desert feeling small in the face of this planet that we are determined to destroy,’ says Javi Parejo about his experience in Jujuy.
© Javi Parejo, Spain, Shortlist, Professional competition, Landscape, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
Jujuy: Great Salt Flats
The landscape of the Atacama Desert is as desolate as it is beautiful – it is a difficult place to live, but at the same time hypnotic. The heat almost doesn't let you breathe, and the air has less oxygen than we are used to, but what a beautiful feeling! ‘I left the desert feeling small in the face of this planet that we are determined to destroy,’ says Javi Parejo about his experience in Jujuy.
© Javi Parejo, Spain, Shortlist, Professional competition, Landscape, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
Jujuy: Great Salt Flats
The landscape of the Atacama Desert is as desolate as it is beautiful – it is a difficult place to live, but at the same time hypnotic. The heat almost doesn't let you breathe, and the air has less oxygen than we are used to, but what a beautiful feeling! ‘I left the desert feeling small in the face of this planet that we are determined to destroy,’ says Javi Parejo about his experience in Jujuy.
© Javi Parejo, Spain, Shortlist, Professional competition, Landscape, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
Jujuy: Great Salt Flats
The landscape of the Atacama Desert is as desolate as it is beautiful – it is a difficult place to live, but at the same time hypnotic. The heat almost doesn't let you breathe, and the air has less oxygen than we are used to, but what a beautiful feeling! ‘I left the desert feeling small in the face of this planet that we are determined to destroy,’ says Javi Parejo about his experience in Jujuy.
© Javi Parejo, Spain, Shortlist, Professional competition, Landscape, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
Jujuy: Great Salt Flats
The landscape of the Atacama Desert is as desolate as it is beautiful – it is a difficult place to live, but at the same time hypnotic. The heat almost doesn't let you breathe, and the air has less oxygen than we are used to, but what a beautiful feeling! ‘I left the desert feeling small in the face of this planet that we are determined to destroy,’ says Javi Parejo about his experience in Jujuy.
© Javi Parejo, Spain, Shortlist, Professional competition, Landscape, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
Jujuy: Great Salt Flats
The landscape of the Atacama Desert is as desolate as it is beautiful – it is a difficult place to live, but at the same time hypnotic. The heat almost doesn't let you breathe, and the air has less oxygen than we are used to, but what a beautiful feeling! ‘I left the desert feeling small in the face of this planet that we are determined to destroy,’ says Javi Parejo about his experience in Jujuy.
© Javi Parejo, Spain, Shortlist, Professional competition, Landscape, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards