Wonder in a World of Clouds

Machu Picchu: A Wonder Worth the Climb

Rightfully named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu does exactly that — it inspires wonder. How was this massive structure, with its impossibly long stone staircases, constructed so long ago and so high in the mountains? The photos are incredible, but they truly don’t do justice to this breathtaking sanctuary. I cannot recommend a visit enough.

An Early Morning Arrival

During my trip to Peru, we visited Machu Picchu early in the morning and climbed Machu Picchu Mountain, located just south of the ancient city. When the historic sanctuary opens for the day, certain areas are temporarily roped off to preserve uninterrupted views and photo opportunities before crowds arrive. Many of my photos were taken before entry into the city itself was allowed.

There are several route options you can purchase, each offering different types of access to the city and surrounding areas. We chose Route 1, which allows visitors to explore the outer perimeter of the city and climb the stone stairs of Machu Picchu Mountain. I couldn’t have been happier with our decision — this route offered incredible, elevated views of the entire city.

While other routes may provide closer access to the ruins, I feel they would have limited photographic opportunities by being too close. Route 1 struck the perfect balance between access and perspective.

Climbing Into the Clouds

The sanctuary opens at 6:00 a.m., but the mountain trail itself remains roped off until 7:00 a.m. During that first hour, visitors are allowed along a short route that offers a beautifully elevated view of the city — and, in our case, without any other tourists in sight.

Once the mountain path opened, we began our ascent up roughly 1,600 large stone steps, climbing steadily into the clouds. Along the trail, you’re often enclosed by dense jungle plants and trees, with occasional openings that serve as lookout points. Each overlook revealed a new angle of the city, allowing me to experiment with composition, perspective, and lighting.

At the time, I was still using autofocus — which would have been great practice if I had known what I was doing! Still, it was a valuable learning experience, especially seeing firsthand how weather and cloud cover can dramatically affect a shot. The day was overcast, and we were literally climbing through clouds, which made for a unique and memorable atmosphere.

Beyond the City: Nature Along the Trail

In addition to views of the city, the mountain path provided fantastic opportunities to photograph exotic plant life. Several beautiful and unique flowers caught my eye along the way, and many of them can be seen in my portfolio.

The ancient city itself is stunning — don’t get me wrong — but I absolutely loved photographing the plants along the trail. If I’m being honest, from different elevations and angles, the city began to look fairly similar at each overlook. Machu Picchu is undeniably awe-inspiring in person, but with my limited photography knowledge at the time, my shots started to feel repetitive.

I was also hoping to spot some wildlife, but the only animal we encountered was a stray dog who climbed the entire mountain. He passed us about halfway up and was already at the summit when we arrived. I managed to get a photo of him at the top, gazing out over the edge — a pretty fitting moment.

Let me be clear, though: Machu Picchu is incredible. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, take it.

Finding My Direction as a Photographer

This experience played a major role in helping me narrow my photography style. I suspected wildlife photography would be a primary focus, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the nature and landscape aspects as well.

That’s the thing — you might think you know what you enjoy, but until you get out there and try it, you can’t be certain. I’m writing this now with several more trips and experiences behind me, and I’m trying not to let those cloud how meaningful this particular journey was. Each experience has helped shape my skills, my style, and my understanding of what works best for me.

I still enjoy landscape photography, and the images I captured of Machu Picchu from the mountains certainly fall into that category.

A Note on Editing (or Lack Thereof)

All of the photos of Machu Picchu — as well as the plant life — are unedited. At the time, I didn’t own any editing software or have the knowledge to use it. When I first shared these images on Instagram, they were straight out of the camera.

I’ve since experimented with editing some of these photos, but I didn’t feel the changes were significant enough to share. I genuinely enjoy the raw, unedited flower images, and with my current skills, editing didn’t add anything meaningful. I feel similarly about the photos of Machu Picchu itself.

Maybe one day I’ll revisit them with new techniques and knowledge that can add a bit of extra pizazz. For now, this excursion only deepened my excitement for what lies ahead and what I’ll continue to capture through my lens.

Until the next one,
Barrett