Chasing Rainbows

Chasing Rainbows. Cusco.

Having just returned on our flight back from the rainforest, we dropped our crew off at their hotel and headed home to rest for a couple hours. I never made it to the front door. I saw this storm shaping up and decided to head up the nearest mountain. Literally...over 50 dogs tried to tear my legs off along the way. Not such a fun experience having to throw rocks and keep back 4-5 large dogs at a time snarling and charging showing teeth. Not trying to make this sound bravado, just setting the scene. I consider myself lucky that a few folks from the neighborhood stepped in to help fend them off. Finally, I make it past and head up the steep farm foot paths. I wait for an hour and a half as the rainbow gradually grew extending across the sky becoming more brilliant by the minute. I head down in the dark ( a different route), and then catch a taxi back up to meet the group for dinner.

Experiences and photography pull at me even when the easy route is to just go home and rest. Often, I'm asked how I am always in the right place...and my answer is....you have to seek these right places out. You must go that extra mile or 2 or 10 and oftentimes work hard and have an abundance of patience. Realistically...many times the scene never shapes up how you wanted it to. Through it all, it teaches me to listen to the world and appreciate the before and after moments. Sure, the rainbow is the climax of sorts, but the experience behind the photo really is equally important. It's not just a press of a shutter. It's a dedication, an insatiable curiosity, a willingness to battle the elements and environment, patience and feeling the world around you. It will continually teach me about true gratitude and presence for the rest of my life. Always seeking.

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