The National Geographic Magazine has called the Atacama “the driest place on earth…where the dead live forever and where hope never dies.” I spent a number of memorable days visiting this desert – a place where it never rains and nothing rots. Artifacts such as this old car are everywhere. I did not choose to shoot the whole car. Instead, I got down on my knees in the dust to make this picture because of its detail – a wheel, coated in dusty brown rust, a tire embraced by the sand, and a twig without a hint of life. But the details that struck me most were the thorns on that twig. They are as nasty and unforgiving as the Atacama. If we came back in 100 years, it will all still be here.