Into the blue
A zoomed in view of the beautiful turquoise waters of Quilotoa Crater Lake 3800 metres up in the Ecuadorian highlands. The winding trail leading down to its sho...
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A zoomed in view of the beautiful turquoise waters of Quilotoa Crater Lake 3800 metres up in the Ecuadorian highlands. The winding trail leading down to its shores is easy going down but coming up is a different story which is why some people opt to return by donkey. When I visited, the trail was still under construction in a lot of parts - in one section they had strung a rope across a steep sandy slope that kept running away from under your feet (so to speak). In other parts, it was like slogging through snow. It was a challenging hike, but definitely worth the trouble - this natural treasure is still somewhat off the radar for many, but things are changing.
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Dec, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken from the path leading down to Quilotoa crater lake, located 3800m above sea level in the Ecuadorian Andes mountains.Time
This was taken early afternoonLighting
This is the natural colour of the lake when the sun hits it just right. It's a turquoise that rivals the great glacier lakes of the Rockies and the Alps.Equipment
I used a very basic bridge camera - a FujiFilm HX 20. I really don't like lugging extra equipment with me when I'm travelling, especially when hiking.Inspiration
This was a site I had researched and particularly wanted to visit in Ecuador. It really is a special place and at that time was pretty unspoiled.Editing
Minimal saturation and a little definition. Nothing more.In my camera bag
I pretty much stick to the FujiFilm Bridge camera (now an SL 1000) because really the 24mm - 720mm lens that is affixed to the camera really can't be beat.Feedback
In a place so high up, the weather is ever changing - so you need to be prepared for any conditions and be patient. If it's overcast, you will not see this colour, but it is likely you'll get a break of sun if you wait a bit. The weather changed several times over the course of our 4 hr stay in the crater. To get a more panoramic shot of the lake, stay at the top of the rim. For this shot, I was about halfway down the trail and zoomed in because I found the effect on the water created by the breeze mesmerizing and the yellowish ground with the hikers taking a break provided both a nice contrast to the blue of the water and gave a sense that you were at the end of the world.
