Along the Stone Steps
A Flower Along the Steps to Machu Picchu
This photo was captured along the 1,600 stone steps leading to the summit of Machu Picchu Mountain in Peru. Unfortunately, I don’t know the exact species of this flower. I attempted to identify it using Google Lens, but nothing I found felt concrete enough to label it with confidence.
What drew me to this flower — and several others along the trail — was the way its vibrant colors contrasted against the overwhelming green of the surrounding jungle. I ultimately chose this image over the others because of how unique and almost alien it appears. The stem looks scaled, and the bloom itself feels as though it’s hatching from its casing. I’m also particularly fond of the angle of the photo — whether that was intentional or pure luck is up to you to decide.
Photographing With Intention for the First Time
This trip marked the first time I packed my camera with the intention of shooting as much as my heart desired. With little to no experience, my wife and I set out to capture anything we found beautiful or unique during our first visit to Peru.
I didn’t have my camera with me for every experience, but when I did, I was obsessed with trying to capture what I was seeing. It was fascinating — and challenging — to experience something fully with my eyes and then attempt to translate that moment into a focused, framed image. Our eyes take in so much through peripheral vision, and suddenly being limited to what the lens could see was difficult, and at times frustrating.
That realization pushed me toward capturing more focused, isolated subjects, much like this flower.
Learning Through Lenses
I began this trip using my Canon EF 18–55mm kit lens, capturing wide landscape images of Machu Picchu. Before long, I switched to my Canon EF 75–300mm zoom lens, and I immediately enjoyed the ability to capture sharper images of distant subjects.
The kit lens certainly has its advantages — especially for wide landscapes and close-up shots — but I noticed that wider images often made it harder to clearly identify a focal subject. I’m sure I’ll look back on this post and these photos someday with more experience and have a good laugh, but for now, these are the preferences I’m discovering along the way.
While researching lenses for nature and wildlife photography, I’ve frequently come across the idea that you’ll rarely have “too much lens.” While I can see why that’s often true, I’ve found it to be more of an issue than I expected — particularly when shooting at 300mm. I know there are several technical factors at play, and at this point, I simply don’t have the knowledge to fully understand them yet. For now, it remains a mystery I’m excited to learn more about.
Autofocus, Manual, and Lessons Learned
Speaking of features — and limitations — I shot most of this trip using autofocus (AF), bouncing between preset camera modes like landscape, portrait, and close-up. More recently, I’ve begun experimenting with manual focus, and I can’t help but wish I had practiced with it before or during this trip.
That said, autofocus was incredibly helpful as a beginner. It allowed me to point, shoot, and focus on observing the world around me rather than worrying about settings. However, AF also limits creative control and can make it harder to capture the image you truly envision.
Even as a beginner, I’d highly recommend taking the time to practice manual shooting. Live and learn, I suppose.
Looking Ahead
I’ll continue sharing photos from this trip and documenting my progress as I grow as a photographer. I’ve truly fallen in love with photography and am always eager to expand my knowledge and skills.
I’m excited to see what the future holds — and what I’ll be able to capture through my lens.
Until the next one,
Barrett
