Ancient cultures, festivals, towering mountains and some of the most spectacular views on our planet. These things have become synonymous with Peru for me after almost 3 years of being here.
Ayacucho region
My introduction to the Peruvian Andes began with a pretty spontaneous trip to Ayacucho. A place recommended by a friend in Lima, because his family was from there.
The children above are a common sight along the Lima-to-Ayacucho road. They and others like them, sell homemade cheese to passing-by cars.
Ayacucho is a relatively large town. There’s a central market, which is colourful and picturesque. I’ve visited Ayacucho several times since that first trip and, every time I go the market.
“I wandered around and before I knew it, I ended up in the kitchen where more of the soup I had just eaten was being prepared. This beam of light coming in through the darkness was spectacular, so I made a few exposures. ”
During my first trip to Peru, I took a lesser used road from Ayacucho to Cusco. The road went through countless traditional settlements and villages. It was around June and this time in the Peruvian mountains is the time for celebrations.
As I was passing through one of the larger villages along this road I came across a gathering. I got out of my car and tried to get closer to the action. I was immediately given a bowl of soup and a plastic cup that contained a local fermented drink called “Chicha de jora”. The villagers were surprised to see a foreigner in their remote village, but they were very welcoming and happy to share their culture.
I wandered around and before I knew it, I ended up in the kitchen where more of the soup I had just eaten was being prepared. This beam of light coming in through the darkness was spectacular, so I made a few exposures.
Towards the Sacred Valley of the Incas
On a totally different trip on another side of the Andes, I traveled with my family towards Cusco, through the region of Apurimac and its capital - Abancay. There was a viewpoint of the city not far from the main road, so we went.
I never expected to photograph anything interesting here, but when I saw this man in his cowboy hat walking down a path, I thought there was potential. I saw him again at the main part of the viewpoint. That hat, the cross, the mountains - these were all ingredients for a photo that said something about where we were.
“The only way get to the celebration was via a narrow, crumbling 8km mountain path, around 4,500m above sea level. The camping grounds that I stayed at were crammed with people. At night, I froze in my small tent and worn-out sleeping bag. ”
On my first trip to Peru, I heard about Quyllurit'i, a syncretic religious festival high up in the Andean mountains around the Sacred Valley. The festival blends Catholicism and ancient Inca traditions and gathers tens of thousands of people from all over the Cusco region. It was sure to be an unmissable event!
The only way get to the celebration was via a narrow, crumbling 8km mountain path, around 4,500m above sea level. The camping grounds that I stayed at were crammed with people. At night, I froze in my small tent and worn-out sleeping bag. Those were the coldest nights I can remember in my life. But the experience was worth it.
I felt like I had gone back in time or entered a different dimension. The pilgrims' weathered faces, their costumes, and the look in their eyes all seemed to belong to a different world. It was fascinating to be an observer here.
“Once we reached a wide flat area below the glacier, the pilgrims looked for spots where they could stop and light their candles. It was truly magical to watch dozens, maybe hundreds, of candles being lit in the dark.”
The second-last morning of the Quyllurit'i festival was very special. Well before sunrise, I, along with hundreds of pilgrims, started my walk towards the glacier. The walk would take us through a narrow, rocky path. We would ascend from about 4,700m to 5,000m above sea-level.
The incline wasn’t very steep, but every muscle in my body could feel the changing altitude. It was like a heavy weight was attached to each limb. Even the simplest movements were challenging due to a lack of oxygen.
Once we reached a wide flat area below the glacier, the pilgrims looked for spots where they could stop and light their candles. It was truly magical to watch dozens, maybe hundreds, of candles being lit in the dark.
While driving in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, I saw a gathering of people and some commotion to the side of the road. I couldn’t make out exactly what they were doing, but experience has taught me that in this part of the world, gatherings in rural areas—typically fairs, markets, or celebrations—usually have photographic potential. I was right.
Even some of the highest Peruvian mountain passes have villages nearby, and where there are villages, there are inevitably dogs. The canines don’t necessarily belong to anyone, but people occasionally feed them. Many have learned that cars stop at certain points of the road, such as this beautiful viewpoint of Abra Malaga, and may toss out their leftovers.
While passing by, we too had some leftovers. The dogs, as if expecting this, approached us. In exchange, I received this special photo opportunity.
Ancash and the high, high mountains
One evening we had to break up our journey to the town of Huaraz and stopped in a beautiful valley in the Cordillera Blanca.
The next morning, some cows were grazing nearby, the golden morning light was beautiful and the view was stunning. Such photo opportunities are a huge reason behind why I’ve chosen to travel in a camper.
As photographers, we tell stories visually by combining certain ingredients. When distinctly dressed people and geographical features convey information about a particular environment, you've found the right ingredients.
One day, I was driving past a rye field when I noticed the two hats popping up above the crops. Mountains, hats, rye - I had everything I needed for an image with a sense of story and place.
This woman and her granddaughter were herding their pigs. When I noticed the pair, I stopped my car and we started to chat. By this point, I had already learned that the people in this particular region were very friendly.It was also very rare for an outsider to pass through. The locals even joked that coronavirus hadn?t come to their area because it was too cold and inhospitable for anyone but them.
One morning, I was driving down a rural road with my family. Since villagers go to their gardens in the morning, we passed a few traditionally dressed groups and I made some images.
Of course, costumes alone don’t make a great photo. I knew that I didn’t have anything out of the ordinary. At least, not yet. As we kept driving, we entered a little tree alley. Suddenly, out of the growth, I saw a little girl, beautifully dressed, atop a donkey. Behind her were women dressed in costumes typical for the region. Since I noticed them from afar, I stopped the car, got out, and started making images.
It was a bit of a gamble to start shooting immediately. But knowing that people in Peru are very proud of their children and usually consider them to be cute and photo-worthy, it was more likely that they’d be happy for me to make frames than not.
“One elder told me that this was the first official celebration since the beginning of the pandemic. ”
When I drove past this tiny village near the town of Pomabamba, I saw a gathering and couldn't help but ask the residents. One elder told me that this was the first official celebration since the beginning of the pandemic. They were commemorating an anniversary of their church.
Family members from other provinces had come to celebrate and the people were very open. It all felt normal, just as before the pandemic. I was assured that it was fine to make photos, so I walked around the looked for opportunities. The sun was getting lower to the horizon. The smoke from the pot of hot soup caught my eye. I rushed over to make a photo of the woman pouring it for the visitors.
From Colca to Lake Titicaca
Our visit of the famous Colca Canyon in the Arequipa region, coincided with the carnival season (end of Feb). Most of the villages in the canyon were celebrating. It seemed that the carnival followed us, which, of course was amazing for a photographer.
The major village of the region - Chivay seemed to have the most extensive celebrations. It was raining that evening, but that didn’t bother the dancers or the many villagers who came out to celebrate.
We drove from Colca canyon to Lake Titicaca region. Though the carnival was finished, the communities around the lake had other celebrations in mind. There was a local traditional dance competition. Colorful costumes against the blue lake made for some amazing photo opportunities.
On another trip to Titicaca, we made it to the far Western side of the lake. This wasn’t a place where many foreigners ever came. We camped for a couple of days and observed everyday life by the water.
Villagers would come by daily, to let their animals graze on the grass. On our way out, I saw this woman with her cows, sheep and pigs. I asked if I could make a photo. She smiled shyly, but she didn’t object, as people do around the more frequented parts of the lake. I made a few exposures and was happy to end up with this one, an illustrative shot of everyday life by Titicaca.
North Chile
Before the whole Covid thing happened, and before I got my camper, I had to do a visa run. I thought “Why not visit Chile?”
The distance was far longer than I expected, so I didn’t make it too far, but I did manage to explore the north a little bit.
My first area of exploration apart from the coast was Salar De Maricunga. A nature reserve at high altitude. The place was inhospitable. The winds were insane. The altitude was hard to tolerate, but… it was otherworldly. Above I’m in my old car next to a salt pan, which could only really be appreciated from the sky, so I flew my drone to make this photo.
I drove a bit down the coast and decided to visit San Pedro De Atacama. Allegedly the driest place on earth and one of the most fascinating areas of Chile.
My visit coincided with the local carnival celebrations. The people who have indigenous roots here take the carnival very seriously. I was lucky enough to be a part of these celebrations and to document them.
The geography around San Pedro De Atacama is incredible. You have the high desert around the town of San Pedro, then, you have towering mountains, marshes and geyzers just over 90km away.
One famous place with geyzers is called El Tatio. In the morning, the hot air from the boiling geyzers hits the cold morning air and creates a fog-like vapor that envelops the whole place. Figures mysteriously appear out of this vapor. An amazingly photogenic sight that I couldn’t resist.
This concludes my 2 part blog series of my best photos from South America. If you want to learn how these photos were made, or if you want to grow as a photographer in general, then definitely check out the Powerful Photos Pack.
