Market Day

Market day in Urubamba. Beautiful, delicious, organic and oh so colorful. Always so much healthier here.

Chonta Morning

Mornings in Chonta. Wake up to the sounds of roosters cackawwwing, the songbirds dancing across the flowers, the fresh, cool dry mountain air tickling your face, and the faint sounds of baaaaah as the sheep are shepherded to the fields for a day of grazing. It's a daily scene in a small mountain community in the Peruvian Andes. Life is simple here. To many of us, it’s lackluster. It's difficult. It's connected. Here, a family heads out in the early morning taking the sheep to the pampa. The boy kicks his soccer ball, the girl plays with the dogs and mom chugs along stoically but with intention. Soon after I captured this photo, they sat down to eat soup...and before taking a bite, they brought it over to me and offered me some first. Whattt? A family that has very little offering what they have to a gringo riding his fancy mountain bike down the road. I happily obliged and enjoyed a 20 minute conversation with them about their animals, life and teaching a few English words to the children. Remarkable how generous and connected with the land these folks truly are. It's spiritual and special. We should all take note.

Llamas In The Mist

This is one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. The story behind it is rather fortuitous. Photographers just get lucky sometimes! I was looking for a place to use the bathroom around 5:30 a.m., and I found a beautiful rock to go behind. As I started doing my business, I looked up and was blown away by the lighting and llamas peacefully resting in front of me. I dashed back through the soggy field and grabbed my camera knowing I had almost zero battery life left. I quickly dialed in my settings and hoped it worked knowing I would only get 2 or 3 shots before the battery crapped out. Then I checked my LCD screen after taking the shot and saw that I luckily had captured a bit of the magic and spirit of the Peruvian Andes

Hands of History

You don't always have to capture someone's face to tell their story. Hands reflect a life lived. Here, Vasillia organizes the various lisa potatoes into several piles. One for her soups. One for seeding and one for feeding the pigs.

Delicate Balance

Delicate balance. A butterfly perches on a tortoise's head to consume the rich minerals off of its face on Lake Sandoval in Madre Dios, Peru. Planet earth at its finest.

Vasillia

Vasillia, 83 years old. Grandmother of my second family member Carolina. A powerful soul who lives by herself in Chonta and takes care of everything on her own. She still rides a horse to go check on the cows, takes the sheep to graze, maintains a garden, tends to the chickens, weaves beautiful tapestries, makes chicha (corn beer), cooks and is almost completely self sustainable. Remarkable. An encyclopedia of ancient traditions and true connection with the land.

Keeping Tradition Alive

Demonstrating traditional weaving techniques in Chinchero at the Center for Textiles. Stunning work and mesmerizing work. Each weaving incorporates a story, utilizes natural dyes, completely hand woven and an incredible homage to a fascinating and intricate tradition.

Pacchanta

Cascading glaciel streams tumble in the community of Pacchanta at the base of Apu Ausangate, the highest and most sacred mountain in the Cusco region. A very special place for me that always grounds me and provides space to really offer gratitude for a place that has given me so much.

Mother's Day

Mothers take a break from working in the fields to drop by the school to watch their children show their appreciate and love for them on Mother's Day in rural Peru. It was truly special and humbling to be invited by the head of the school to enjoy the festivities. I absolutely adore how inviting the Andean culture is and how systems of reciprocity (ayni) and community are paramount. It doesn't matter what class, gender, creed or color you are....they welcome you with open arms and love. In our current political climate here in the US, it is a poignant reminder that we all share this planet together, we all deserved to be loved and being truly human and kind is beautiful. If only some of us had the ability and/or willingness to travel and push our comfort zones, our perspectives would shift, and we would be a lot more tolerant. I am infinitely grateful for what I have been exposed to and am lucky to have a brother and dearest friend in Peru...Yieber

Urubamba Market

One of best ways to experience a place....visit the market. Urubamba market in the Sacred Valley.

Shepherd's Life

Daily business in Misminay, Peru. Taking the sheep up the mountain to graze. Life is slower, quieter, more difficult yet intrinsically connected with the land...and that is pretty damn special.

Twirl

Weekends in Cusco are for dancing, music and color explosions in the streets. Slowing the shutter down a bit to capture some of the energy and motion.

Swallow Tanager

A Swallow Tanager perched and alert along the Madre Dios River in the Peruvian Rainforest. The males shiny turquoise coat seems like it would attract the females when breeding but actually it's the other way around. The female approaches the male with a fine curtsey and bobbing motion. In return, the male will also curtsey. The female then quickly flies off, and if the male follows, then they will breed and become a pair.

Colorful Siesta

Campeon finding a nice spot for a siesta at the house in Limatambo among the maiz and fallen bougainvillea leaves.

Pensive Hope

Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future. This picture was taken in the small Amazon community of Asuncion de Quiquibey in Bolivia. This little girl's face intriguingly illustrates an arduous life, but her eyes reflect a pensive sense of hope.

Siula Grande

Evening light on Sarapo near the base camp for the famous book and movie Touching The Void. I am so so fortunate to call this my office. Never will I take it for granted. I hope it inspires everyone to slow down, get outside and just appreciate the natural beauty around.

Morenada

Weekends in Cusco are always magical. The streets are shut down to cars and dancing and music ensues. A way to celebrate, remember and share culture. This dance comes is called the Morenada and comes from Bolivia. It's believed to stem from a mixture of African and indigenous roots. Similar to the United States, Africans were enslaved in the silver mines in Potosi. These dances were created as forms of expression and to sustain through incredible hardship.

Powerful Gaze

Life is too complex to ever pretend to capture in a singular frame but when trying to catch a glimpse of the story, I really try to take my time, observe and FEEL before clicking the shutter. I focus in on the subtleties, behaviors and what draws me in. It's one thing to look into someone else's eyes, but it's all the more powerful when you reach for the soul and connect in a more poignant way. Photo taken in Cusco while wandering the streets.

Bird of Paradise

The wonderfully beautiful Bird of Paradise flower deep in Manu along the Hospital River. Nature is so incredible when we stop and pay attention.

Last Dance

The sun's last dance for the evening in the Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru.

Nature's Hopscotch

Nature's hopscotch. Take it all in stride..until you misstep. First one to sink knee deep into the mud and water loses. Well, I lost...and it wasn't all bad. We all had a good laugh, and were serenaded by the squishy shoe orchestra for the next few hours...oh, and those mesmerizing views....my reason for the blunder. Time in the mountains with good company has always brought out the silliest of games. It's one of my favorite things. Your brain stops stressing and your inner child comes out. Language and cultural differences fade away. You skip rocks, you see who can last longer in a frigid lake, you see who has the best pterodactyl call, you race dried out llama poo down a stream, you scan to be the first one to spot a condor...and you laugh...you connect...with yourself, the land and others. There really isn't a better feeling!

Moray

The amazing Inca ruins at Moray. This site was used as an experimental greenhouse. Each terrace was a different temperature and able to grow different types of crops. From top to bottom of the biggest pit, it is roughly 100 feet and the temperature difference can be as much as 27 F from bottom to top. Remarkable.

Wild Mountain

Salkantay making a brief appearance before absconding behind the clouds. It's easy to see why it's called the Wild Mountain.

Resilience

Life is tough in the high Andes. Weathered faces, resilient and oh so generous. This family lives around 14,500 feet. You don't just run to the market when you need food. You raise and grow it. This family offered my shelter in a makeshift thatch hut when mountain biking and caught out in the rain and snow. We hunkered in and shared a few laughs and a bit of food they offered. I admire people who endure in such hostile yet stunningly beautiful geographical fringes.