Sunday, October 25, 2009

Back from South America!


We've returned from three phenomenal weeks in Chile and Peru! We're still processing the thousands of photos we took of Chilean and Peruvian flora and fauna but here is a sneak peek of some.

We had a photo request from a US publisher for images of llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and guanaco (all of the llama family) so traveled to a farm outside of Cusco. Not only did we photograph so many of them in their native habitat, we also got an extensive collection of images of traditional Peruvian dyeing and weaving techniques, including a detailed demonstration of the various natural plants used to dye the spun yarn and create the incredible colors of Peruvian handicrafts. (See full photo story)





And, a dream come true, we spent two days at Machu Picchu! We splurged and spent the night at the Machu Picchu Santuary Lodge – expensive but worth every penny – and were up and at the ruins in time for the most glorious, clear sunrise! Absolutely breathtaking and a once in a lifetime experience.


The gardens at the Sanctuary Lodge are lush with exotic native orchids, hummingbirds and other birds, none of which we'd ever seen before.

Here are two VERY happy photographers!

We'll be posting more images from the trip on our travel blog and will post a link here when we do!