Sami Tokhais

On a Latin American Journey.  iPhone only

Self Portrait Torres del Paine, Chile

Sami T. or Tokhais is a photographer I worked with in Denver at my studio called Impact Images.  He's a wonderful travel photographer who has lived the last 10 months in Latin America, covering 28,634 km, crossing 17 countries.   His life is inspiring to me because of how he lives each day to capture his experience.  How many people would quit everything they're doing to document their journey through life as a nomad.

What inspires you as a photographer?

I really love to travel and explore new places.  For me, the unfamiliar opens my mind to new creative pursuits. When I am in a new place, my senses are heightened. Sight, smell and sound are all competing in painting a meaningful image.  The people I meet in my travels, and their stories, also influence my photography.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

I think my biggest inspiration in this respect is Henri Cartier-Bresson. He’s both a photographer, and more importantly, a traveler. I believe his travels influenced the way he saw the world, which reflected positively in his beautiful images.   It's all about experiencing life.

"You just have to live and life will give you pictures."  - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In many ways to me Sami defines mystery .  He's mysterious in his approach to photography where you can't always tell exactly what photo is going to pop up next in his Instagram feed.   He doesn't  fully expose himself within his relationship to his subject.  I've spent many hours with him discussing photography and shooting photos which is time I will value always.  He has a very natural approach to his photography by not interfering with the people or nature.  He's an iPhone journalist capturing life as it exists.  What impresses me is that he has almost 20K followers on Instagram.  He's not only an inspiration to me but many of his followers that can't wait to go on the next journey with him.  

This photo was taken in Torres del Paine in Patagonian Chile. It was a wonderful experience being part of this wilderness. I spent 8 days trekking through these beautiful landscapes and waking up in places like this campsite.

Sami is not quite done with his Latin America trip.  He still has two more months to complete this trip.  I titled this Blog about Sami after his title which appears on Instagram which is :

On a Latin American Journey.  iPhone only

The only photos that Sami has posted of this trip were shot on his iPhone.  He still has all of the video and stills he's shot with other cameras that he'll put together at the end of this trip.


"Travel is not simply a physical activity that represents going from point A to point B. While that may be a philosophy for some, many find travel to be the best way to fulfill a need for exploration and experiencing the new and the unfamiliar. Personally, I like it because it exposes my insecurities"
- Sami Tokhais 

This quote was taken from a blogpost he made for Banafsajeel titled To the End of the World.


Each artist that I introduce I would like to inspire just one person.

Sami T Instagram | Website