Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: A Dream Photoshoot

I can still remember the first day rolling up to the Inca Trail entry point with a grin from ear to ear. I was cramped in a bus full of hikers and guides, bouncing off our seats with every twist and turn of the worn down rural-road. As we arrived I remember tossing my 30 lb. bag over my back and nearly sprinting off the bus with excitement with my Sony A7s II in my right hand and my Canon 5d Mark III in my left. I was quite literally watching my dreams unfold before me and it couldn't have been more obvious to all the hikers, I was smiling like a kid on Christmas. I couldn't believe that I was actually getting paid to hike Machu Picchu because I had grown up my whole life believing money had to be earned through hard work but nobody told me hard work could be so fun. I recall taking my first few steps and then pausing to take it all in, "I'm hiking to Machu Picchu and getting paid to do so, I've truly found my calling as a photographer and filmmaker."

You see I've always had an unrelenting passion for travel, adventure and the great outdoors but it wasn't until my freshman of college that I decided to run in the opposite direction of the crowd and pursue the impossible, get paid to travel and film. Fast-forward five years and I had my first big gig with Peruvian guiding company to capture the experience of hiking to Machu Picchu. My editing style focuses heavily on creating or bringing out vibrant colors that resonate the radiance of life so I went into this trip with the intention of capturing the raw emotion of this strenuous but amazing four-day hike along the Inca Trail.

The trip was everything I wanted and then some. I had the best Peruvian food I've ever had in my life. I still can't get over the fresh avocados and Yuca we were fed daily. Moreover, waking up and walking out of my tent to a vast mountainous landscape that stretches as far as the eye can see was a perfectly odd mixture of deeply calming and yet inspiring. It made me feel like I could accomplish anything and everything my heart desires and yet it made me feel so content with where life had brought me in the here and now. It was challenging and inspiring. It pushed me to my limits hiking up seventy-degree inclines with little to no oxygen and it rewarded me views above the clouds, literally. I had to lug two times the weight of all the other hikers and I had to spend the entirety of the trip focused on not only living in the moment but capturing it.

This trip truly reaffirmed that I was doing exactly what I was meant to do, share the miracles of this earth with as many people as possible. I wanted people to not just see that but FEEL IT so I really focused on creating dynamic contrast through multiple techniques: color, lighting, perspective etc. I edited all my images with the intent of creating captivating content that creates a spirited mood (either extremely bright or extremely dark). Moreover, I edited each photo with the intent of evoking an emotional connection through media that is inviting and eye-catching. You see I wanted my work to be more than just a visual experience I wanted my imagery to activate the mind of my audience. I wanted them to feel, to smell, to know the Inca Trail so I focused heavily on capturing the sights, smells, texture, contours etc. of the mountainous Peruvian landscape. I’m a life documentarian sharing my story one still at a time. The world is my studio. You can find me in the studio, on the next big adventure.

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