Getting inspiration at Cusco

Usually people who never created something new ask themselves how creativity and inspiration comes from and the answer is "from everywhere", I mean you might be traveling along a new destination, or perhaps you are reading a new book, visiting a new museum or even watching a new movie, that's how inspiration comes from.

Taking pictures in Cusco

Taking pictures at the Cusco region The best ideas can occur anytime, but now let me give a brainstorm of several possibilities when you travel to old cities like Cusco and take urban Photography:

•  Ancient Architecture: Take pictures of Inca walls, these stonework are scattered around the whole city especially in downtown near the main plaza; these amazing architecture most of the time is combined with the colonial and Republican architecture.

• Observatories: Take pictures from look out points like that one of the neighborhood of San Blas, Saint Christopher, or the site of Sacsaywaman or White Christ. Or if you are in the countryside as your tour guide if possible to get the top of certain mountains for you to take advantage of the scenery.

  

• Astronomical events: Figure out when astronomical events are about to occur, because they are great opportunities to take amazing photos like the winter or the Summer solstices, or full moons, but keep in mind eclipses, usually the weather changes dramatically during these circumstances.

• Rainy season: If you visit Cusco during the Summer season, you might encounter a lot of rainy days; however it may be a great opportunity to take pictures of rainbows which logically takes places in the afternoon due the inclination of the Sun light and the tendency to rain more in the late afternoons. Furthermore during the rainy season you can see all flowers blooming and you can captures occasionally lightning strikes usually in the late afternoon.

• Shadows and lights: Take advantage of seasons such as the winter solstice where we can observe the longest shadows of the year, in combination with the Sun light it can provide so much contracts to our photography like that one taken by the famous photographer Martin Chambi in the 20^th century who used the shadow projection generated by the tall and imposing Cathedral church.

• Colorful Countryside: Fields resembling tapestries, diversity of birds, impressive mountains and farmers are abundant in most Peru region, in the coast of Perú perhaps the most colorful are near rivers that comes from the highlands. Not to mention the towns and villages in the Amazon region where cascades, coffee, chocolate, trees and medicinal plants are abundant. After all the name of Perú comes from the quechua word “Pirwa” that means storage, granaries and therefore its relationship with the “ABUNDANCE”.

• Festivals, folklore and processions: Due the combination of christian religion and andean pagan believes, the traditions are melted and intrincated together giving the visitors the chance to observe and admire this hidden symbolism of the aforementioned ancient roots. Thus if you are arrive at Cusco near the Groundhog Day celebration taken place in Pennsylvania, you will see for sure processions and festivals in Cusco. Most of the Big festivals beside Christmas occur on April during the wholly week, on May for the beginning of the famous and old pilgrimage toward Ausangate, one of the two highest snow capped mountains in Cusco. This festival is now connected with a christian festival called “Corpus Christi” that it might take place in June, everything depends on the full moon in which the christian calendar is based on.

• Markets and food: This is another chance to diversify your perspective of Urban photography. Traditional markets such as that one of San Pedro or in little towns are open most of the time for you to take pictures of it.

• Sightseeing, Natural Attractions and ancient ruins: For sure one of the most interesting areas to take pictures are in the geography of Perú, where on can watch amazing geological formations such as canyons, plateau areas, cliffs, sedimentary layers tilted by tectonic plates, valleys in which old Andean cultures and kingdoms created the Andean civilization whose blueprint and signatures are scattered along the whole region of Perú.