Out of the Colca Photo

Photographer’s Note

Eventually the sun went down and we found ourselves settling in for the night with the miners. We had carried sleeping bags with us, as they didn't have room for us in their accomodations, so we cleared a sandy patch of ground and threw out our bags, sleeping in the sand (with the fleas... fun!) under the stars. It was a pretty incredible experience, at the bottom of the second deepest canyon in the world, a short distance from the Colca River, completely exposed to the elements, but with such as tremendous light show.

"Civilization" would require hours and hours of travel to attain--likely it was unreachable from here by any practical means except through Choco, which was a three to four hour hike out of the way. From Choco another four hour hike would bring us to the nearest road, which was a three hour drive from the nearest city, which also featured the nearest car, as nothing provided need for automotive traffic between Cabanaconde and the end of the road except for the supply deliveries for the store that occured three times a week.

We woke up the next morning with the intent of getting back to Choco as quickly as possible, before the cold of the high desert night gave way to the heat of the high desert day. The first section of the journey back to Choco, which had taken us two and a half hours from Choco to the Colca, consisted of picking our way up the myriad rough trails that seemingly randomly and aimlessly weaved up the canyon side. The ground was loose sand/gravel that gave way in three steps forward, two steps back fashion.

A short time into our return trip we drained the last of our water... A long, hot hike awaited our dehydrated bodies... and as the leader of the group, i had silently sacrificed my right to any of the water, allowing the others to finish it off. Needless to say i was slightly irritated by their complaints of thirst, even if they were legitimate... but somehow managed to keep my irritations to myself, fortunately.

Irritibality between the three of us who were given the opportunity to visit the mines notwithstanding, the return trip did offer up its share of beauty. This is shortly after we left the mines. i had stopped to adjust my backpack, allowing the others to go ahead, when i turned the corner of a switchback. The sun had hit a distant section of the canyon while a nearby rib kept us in shade. i pretended to be taking pictures of the river beneath us, and when the others weren't looking, i captured them tackling a section of the trail that went straight up the loose gravel. i also considerably underexposed (-2.0 EV) to bring out saturation in the background and to black the silhouettes completely.

sanalytis, pboehringer, Elaine_Blath, Ulishna, chicken, Angelillo, leo61, euryan, terimakasi74, GLEM, singuanti, inuit66, devimeuxbe, siolaw, pilpel-adom, john_c, KevRyan, arnabchat, delkoo, gabrielpat, riclopes, capthaddock, bigboroboy, banyanman, crisnique, touristdidi, Mistral has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

sanalytis (1634) 2007-01-17 22:56

Hi Sam,

Very nice mountainering image. Composition is excellent, the contrasting colors work very well together and the sky is a nice deep blue. I like the way you captured the trekkers looking up at the task ahead of them. The left upper corner of the picture (sky) looks a little too dark.

Spiros

partha (13677) 2007-01-17 23:11

Hi Sam,
Nice shot. Excellent fill of frame with light and shadow effect.Human inclusion must upgrade it a lot.
Regards.
Partha

pankajbajpai (374) 2007-01-17 23:16

hi sam,
nice capture,
well composed with fine pov,
the shadow gives nice effect to the shot,
tfs & regards
pankaj

vesalius (857) 2007-01-17 23:33

Hi Sam,

Beautiful photo. The composition is excellent and colours are nice and rich.

Don

PJE (19575) 2007-01-17 23:46

Hello Sam. Well I think I always carried enough water with me, or hiked in areas where there was a stream along the trail. I could feel the frustration knowing exactly what you were going through. Amazing time and certainly a memorable one. And most of all an amazing shot here. Seems one guy is carrying a much larger load than the other. The upward climb certainly adds alot of drama to what is ahead....esp with no water left. Thanks for sharing!

pboehringer (770) 2007-01-18 0:31

Hi Sam, sharing your experience in your detailed note gave even more value to this outstanding picture. I barely can imagine what it meant to your companions and you not having water anymore in the bottles and having that steep slope ahead. The silhoutte against the iluminated rocks is great.
Regards, Peter

Elaine_Blath (6170) 2007-01-18 2:09

Hi Sam,

great shot...the silhouettes against the sunlit mountain are fantastic, and the overall atmosphere of this photo too...oh I know this feeling only too well, when you how much you have ahead and no water left...but then, when you make it and drink at last, what a relieve!

Take care, Ivana

vapours (7957) 2007-01-18 2:46

Can be hard sometimes to get some original and graphical type shots when hiking, but you've succeeded perfectly here Sam. Love the layers and the colours presented, great stuff.

chicken (1781) 2007-01-18 3:00

That's a big backback :-) I like the composition, tells a story (and your great notes do even more so).

Angelillo (9067) 2007-01-18 3:13

Hi Sam,

Very interesting note, about the human circunnstances of this beautiful shot. It's a help to see with new eyes the image. I like really the compo, the strain given for the strong slope, and friends of you like silhoettes pasted in a very beautiful landscape. The visual impact is amazing! Best wishes,

Angel.

Rycho66 (408) 2007-01-18 4:22

Hi Sam
Splendid composition
framing and the colors,light are superb
regards Richard

cimcim (3706) 2007-01-18 4:23

Hello Sam,
Very good captured! Very well POV.
The dark and the light side of photo makes good contrast. The climbers silhouette seems so beautiful.
TFS
Aycin.

boeboe-fiel (42) 2007-01-18 5:04

Hi Sam,
Great shot. The diagonal and the contrast do the job, as well as the silhouets.
Camillo

entrelec (8342) 2007-01-18 5:57

very nice image, Sam..like the contrast between the foreground, all dark and the sunny background...reminds me my alpinism years..
regards

joel

vagabondtravels (6115) 2007-01-18 6:17

Hey Sam

A classic mountaineering shot. Great comp and colors. Nice silhouette of the trekkers. Good pov. Well done.
Ben

mrcrow (3989) 2007-01-18 15:10

diagonals it is...and an interesting lead in and out..
silhouette and sharp detailed topography
sky is a winner here..pola?
cheers
geof

leo61 (44118) 2007-01-18 15:21

Hi Sam!
This view upwards I had during my stay At colca cannyon(Pinchollo).We were hiking upwards to get used to high attidude,because we wanted to climb the Chachani.But finally I failed because I got sick.
This is a great shot with the silhouettes at a perfect position.I like there view to the point they want(have ) to reach.Good composition with the diagonals and a great contrast with the sky.
Best regards,Leo

euryan (8355) 2007-01-18 18:31

Hi Sam,
Your story is just as impressive as this photo. Running out of water can be a scary thing. Your choice of exposure is perfect. I love the silhouettes of the climbers against the rocky background. The composition is perfect as well, with the climbers at the bottom left of the photo looking up at the long ascent that awaits them.
Take care,
Ryan

greecelightning (284) 2007-01-18 21:11

Excellent work with parallel lines. The colors are amazing, as well. Great job.
Taso

terimakasi74 (283) 2007-01-19 5:35

Hi Sam,

I love the diagonal color shade division. Stunning colors and contrast. Good note as well
Thanks for sharing!

Terimakasi,
jürg

Photo65Net (43106) 2007-01-19 13:43

Bonsoir Sam,
A great picture, with interesting contrast between shadows and the amazing landscape.
Very nice,
JB.

GLEM (2998) 2007-01-19 15:23

hi Sam,
superbe image coupée en trois parties de couleur. J'aime beaucoup les ombres des deux personnes sur le flanc de montagne sous le soleil.
Bravo.

tfs

singuanti (15240) 2007-01-19 22:52

Hi Sam. I think this is one of my favorites of yours from your gallery so far. You're timing couldn't have been any better. The silhouettes play wonderfully against the rich colors of the rock. Plus you've shown a crazy steep hike that you had. Superb shot Sam.

bantonbuju (48858) 2007-01-20 2:55

three layers, each reduced in tones to minimum, human one: silhouettes of people, terrestial one: bronw rocks of the mountain, and extraterrestial: blue, intensive blue sky...
nice concept for the image...
best wishes, j.

inuit66 (659) 2007-01-20 6:10

Hi Sam. Beautiful shot. All dark silhouettes and foreground, and the details kept in the light background. I also think you have composed the photo very well with the diagonal lines. I tried some workshop to crop the dark upper corners but ultimately I thought the original was the best, and therefore I didn't upload the workshop. Very well done. TFS. Regards Jens

devimeuxbe (56536) 2007-01-21 3:49

Hi Sam
I like this beautifull picture for the great light on the mountain and the beautiful shadows in front. It's very beautifull.
Bertrand

siolaw (25914) 2007-01-21 7:29

Hi Sam
A nice diagonal compo with excellent light on the BG and great silouhettes in FG, good sharpness and superb framing
Well done
Laurent

sadeik (3187) 2007-01-21 9:50

I can just imagine what they are thinking (bugger we still arn't there and look how much more there is)
A very good silhouette here, very strong composition and an ok shot made into a superb classic shot with just an adjustment of the light level.

Simon

pilpel-adom (3016) 2007-01-21 12:35

Hey Sam!
What a travel log!
Your photo is impressive in it's graphics, it's sharp contrast and vivid colors...too bad the trip ended with such an emergency, but on the other hand, I am sure you learnt so many things about yourself...
Very good shot, with good timing, good planning and of course, good implementation...
A favorite!
Chen

sabyasachi1212 (19546) 2007-01-21 23:35

Hi Sam,
Excellent diagonal composition of the trekkers climbing up the mountain. Love the way you have used the light and the shadow.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

cessy (13647) 2007-01-22 14:00

Hallo Sam
I like the simple composition and the light and silhoutte really great
very well done

john_c (24635) 2007-01-23 11:07

Hi Sam,
A well composed, dramatic shot, nicely divided between light and shade in this diagonal fashion. The scene is almost surreal, with one wondering whether the viewer is observing silhouetted figures or shadows, yet the poses and expressions are discernible. A first rate note. You have a great portfolio...demain.
John

KevRyan (22426) 2007-01-23 18:09

Fantastic play with shadow and light here - the use of the gradient to bisect the picture plane with the diagonal and the excellent placement of the hikers makes this a very accomplished 'photography' in my book - such a simple image - just three bands of colour - but look how much there is to read - shapes, a story, textures and variations in hue.......wonderful!!

best wishes Kev

Luko (13902) 2007-01-24 15:30

I won't be the first one to write it, but this one is really great, and leave apart the good dense colors, because of two things :
- the sysyphe myth : the painful steep diagonal not even leading to the top, but to another steep hill to climb I suppose.
- a low tolerance to discouragment : just by seeing the two people at the bottom of the hill and looking waaaaaaaay high beyond the frame.
I know that moutaineering is not something for me, thank you.
Rather give me soothing water, give me depth, slow motion and a scuba attirement, will you. No hill to climb.

pady (4800) 2007-01-24 16:22

Excellent shot. Silhouettes give the dimension of the mountain.
I like this composition
Cheers
Pierre-André

s10001in (1487) 2007-01-24 22:35

Sam this is beautiful Photo.
Infact I like it for color & its strong contrast.
-Regards,

arnabchat (7058) 2007-01-25 3:22

very good work indeed. the shoadows have so little distortion that almost look real on the rocks. good compo using the diagonal element in the frame. love the colors.
Greetings,
Arnab

rbcy1974 (20746) 2007-01-30 8:14

Hello Sam
Very nice image
There is a filmlike quality to it, the two people in the photo seem to be emabrking on a long adventure, nice simple colours,
I like the diagonal lines here.
Well done
Regards
Daniel
PS Now that I am settled back after weeks of running around: paris Miami, etc, Ill see about your picture

delkoo (35058) 2007-02-01 4:56

hi sam
i took a look to your galery and i stopped on this one, I like the way how the trekkers looking to the top as well as the silhouettes and the shadow diagonal.

cheers
didier

RGatward (19751) 2007-02-02 1:44

Hi Sam, somehow I've missed you entries so far, and some real stunners there, like this one. Very well worked out, and must have taken some foreward planning, good use of the strong diagonal.

brevbrev14 (372) 2007-02-06 10:18

Hi Sam, really great image with amaing silohuette of the men!
the 3 lines of colours are beautiful!
woow!congrats!
ciao!
Valeria

sebcz (2345) 2007-02-08 18:17

"Up we go. And no-one stops us, that's for sure"
Great composition, I like the gradual change of the blue sky colour.
Really impressive.
Seb

scalerman (25787) 2007-02-08 23:28

Sam: somehow, but not surprisingly I've passed over this image. It's simple compo is classic and the heaps of compliments you've gotten on this one are well deserved. The silhouettes couldn't be sharper. Fine stuff. regards, c

gabrielpat (6557) 2007-02-11 14:13

Hi Sam,
really good work to show thoses people climbing hard!

riclopes (33159) 2007-02-14 3:46

Hello Sam, I decided to come for this featured one, not only because it's really good, but also because I feel much of what you wrote in your excellent note - I also did a trek of 3 days in Colca and I can feel the effort of those sillouetted guys in this image. And look and the inclination of that trail. That's really steep!! Love the strong contrasts and colors and the superb composition. A spectacular trek photo!
Tfs,
Ricardo

capthaddock (28640) 2007-02-14 19:42

Hi Sam - the diagonal layers work effectively here, and the perfectly placed silhouettes bring life, and yes, that is some load on the person's back.

cepekdong (3668) 2007-02-19 3:30

very good pic, those sillhousttes against the bright bg ! you got a lovely blue sky as well so i asume you took this pic in the morning !

daniel

bigboroboy (1009) 2007-03-05 16:29

Excellent. Very original shot. Did you plan it or was it just taken as the chance presented itself? Either way it is great. Very graphic with the strong lines, black shadows, the brown scar of stone and the intensly blue sky.

I went to the same area about ten years ago and have fond memories. Did you see many condors?

PHIL

paido (944) 2007-04-09 22:07

This is a great shot that brings so many memories back... thanks for sharing.

Feel free to look at my Colca Canyon picture here :

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/South_America/Peru/photo222288.htm

banyanman (7739) 2007-05-09 14:05

Fascinating background note to this photograph, Sam. It provides an insight to the thoughts of these thirsty climbers as they look up at the climb ahead. Great composition and your exposure was perfect for this shot, but pity about the vignetting in the top corners. Cheers . . . David

crisnique (857) 2007-06-21 11:54

Another great job here!
Make me feel tired indeed....but also satisfied because it seems that the peak is not that far!
Congratulations,
Cristian

touristdidi (8561) 2007-09-05 21:16 [Comment]

Show Comment

jowish77 (89) 2007-09-09 0:07

Excellent!!! This is definitely one of best I have seen in TE...
I liked the silhouette and the contrast in the background with blue and brown…ahh!!! Enough said…this goes strait to my favorite list…:)

regards,
jowish

konok (2006) 2007-09-12 11:15

As Wayne said in the Wayne's World: Excellent!
TFS
Janos

Dakota55 (392) 2007-09-20 1:04

Very nice compo and use of color! I cant quite figure out why the top right hand corner is so dark though? Im thinking mabey some thing wrong with the lens? Anyway a very good shot deserving if all the points its attracted.

All the best Rob

Stepan (27175) 2007-11-22 12:40

Excellent realization to have this amazing contrast. The shadow part vs the sunny moutain makes it really impressive. Very well seen and done.
Stéphane

Mistral (13852) 2008-10-25 5:02

Excellent shot and perfect note in the full spirit of TE!
A smile for your weekend!
Luca