Saturday morning was my only early morning photo opportunity at Machu Picchu and I woke at 5:30 to thick fog and rain. It made for a disheartening morning greeting, high in the Peruvian jungle, but afforded time for coffee and breakfast. The crowds arrived at 6AM, and I ventured out after them and long after supposed first light, which remained hidden behind the dense clouds.
This is what I woke up to, with high hopes for photographing the ruins at first light...
I did what landscape photographers do in situations like this–I sat and waited. I knew the chances for some intriguing light play loomed as an option in conditions like this and before too long the skies began to slowly brighten and the mist and fog dissipated sporadically. Machu Picchu all by itself is a sight to behold, but to watch it slowly take form like a print in dark-room developer solution was more than magical.
After about an hour of waiting, the sun eventually burned through and the fog lifted, revealing the Ancient site of Machu Picchu. Wow, I will long remember this morning. Taken with my Iphone.
I took lot of photos, some panoramas, a few exposure blends, but I won’t know which is best until I have a good chance to review. However, if my Iphone produced a shot like this, then I must have something worthy in the bunch. After 2 hours, it was time to run to the hotel, pack and catch a 9 am bus back to the train station, which departs from the village of Aguas Calientes, along the Urubamba River.
