“A photograph has picked up a fact of life, and that fact will live forever.” – Raghu Rai
My family and I don't vacation often, but when we do we like to go someplace new and different. We like to learn about the incredible world in which we inhabit. Our last few trips were when photography was purely just a hobby for me. Now that I have turned it into a business, my perspective has changed. While I am not counting on paying for my entire vacation selling prints from our Peru trip, I did go with a different attitude. I wanted to practice landscape photography as I have only done a little of it over the years. I'll share those later. But I really wanted to try my hand at street photography. It's something I've never done before.
My goal with the street photography was to capture the mood of the place. The people we met were absolutely wonderful. They are friendly and helpful, and really hard workers. In the countryside, they work small family farms without the use of heavy machinery. They work the fields by hand or with oxen. It must be grueling. I wanted to capture that.
I also wanted to capture the look of the cities we visited. The buildings and structures are very different than those to which I am accustomed. The houses and businesses are very rectangular, blocky and sparse. The churches are beautiful - many very ornate. And many of the buildings are built on Incan structures - the blocks are still intact.
The colors are fascinating - lots of yellows and other bright colors. During the current dry season, those colors really stand out from the browns and reds of the hills.
And the churches are phenomenal. In Cusco, they were built on top of Incan temples and you can still see the original stone blocks. But I guess the Spaniards decided they'd have more success converting the Incans to Catholicism if they put the churches where the people were already worshipping. If you ever have a chance, visit the inside of the Cathedral and get a tour. Unfortunately, cameras are not permitted so I can't show you the beauty you'll find.
There is such a mix of people - locals who are dressed exactly the way we would be and those wearing more traditional wear. Tourists from all over the world.
I could really use more practice with street photography, and I think it's a lot more fun to do it away from home. I guess that means we'll have to save up for another phenomenal vacation!
Reach out to me if you are considering your own trip. I'm happy to refer our travel agent, Travel with Monarch, and to tell you about the highlights of our visit.