The first official day, April 11th, we will discuss process, history, creativity and technique. It is a relaxing day as we adjust to the altitude, the surroundings and the culture. We will orient ourselves to the central market, Cusco’s unique back streets and the main Plaza of central Cusco.
Beyond the norm, we explore outside of the traditional Sacred Valley tourist stops, taking a short trip to the ancient fortress Saqsayhuaman, the sacrificial site of Q’enko and the Temple of the Moon in the Zona X all on the immediate outskirts of Cusco. This second day is walking and understanding some gorgeous evening light on the periphery of this special land.
The next two days will be short journeys to explore the Sacred Valley and Cusco itself a little more. You are free to create your itinerary in small groups as our Cusco expert Weintraub offers ideas for each taste - markets, valleys, treks, shopping or lounging, there are plenty of distractions for our lenses and visions. We will reunite each evening to discuss some of the issues we face – working with locals, exposures at high altitude, too much beer….
April 15th (pay your taxes before you come!) we will take a ’74 Land Cruiser journey to the Salt Terraces of Maras and the natural crop terraces and amphitheatre at Moray, with a visit to the town of Maras itself and its fabulous church and famous hat-maker. This is one of our favorite journeys off the regular itinerary of your standard tourist. But for a photographer, these are precious geometrical phenomenon which offer many unique sightlines and compositions, contrasts and abstractions.
April 16th we will embark early for an overnight trip to Machu Picchu! We will capture some of the essence of this spiritual place and perform our own photographic services with respect to the ancient culture that once thrived in this remote section of the Andes. On the way we will also stop at Ollantaytambo for one of the most unique sections of the Sacred Valley – the last surviving Incan village, still comprised of Incan stone work, water canals and square blocks.
On the last day, after returning from Machu Picchu, we will share our understanding and context for these images - from Incan stone-work to the salt terraces or a crowded street scene.
