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Last light at Jahuacocha

Cordillera Huayhuash is a remote mountain range in northern Peru - the location of the infamous "Touching the Void" incident. The full circuit is roughly 100m a...
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Cordillera Huayhuash is a remote mountain range in northern Peru - the location of the infamous "Touching the Void" incident. The full circuit is roughly 100m around the range, and this was our reward on our night near Lake Jahuacocha. The range has become increasingly popular in recent years, both with travelers and mining interests. The local population has recently closed the main range to commercial mining which was taking a heavy toll on the pristine habitat.
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NIKON D200

settings

Aperture f/3.5 ISO 100 Shutter 1/40 Focal Length 18/1

upload_date

Feb, 2015

Views

168

Likes

+10

Awards

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Curator's Selection

Legendary Award

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Superb Composition

+20

Absolute Masterpiece

+15

Outstanding Creativity

+12

Top Choice

All Star

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Behind The Lens

Location

The photo was shot in Cordillera Huayhuash, a remote mountain range in northern Peru, and the location of the infamous "Touching the Void" incident. All but inaccessible for decades during the height of the Shining Path movement, it is being rediscovered by trekkers/mountaineers and mining interests.

Time

This capture was taken on the last night of our seven day, 100 mile clockwise circuit around the mountain range. We were dead tired after climbing two passes, and I would have missed this altogether if not for leaving our tent for a bathroom break. Seeing the lighting on the mountains, I ran back for my camera, and set up work by the local stream from the lake (we ate trout from the same stream that night). By the time I got my gear it was a few minutes to 7 pm, and I was able to get in a few captures before the light disappeared entirely.

Lighting

The lighting on the range spoke for itself, but it was a difficult scene as I also wanted to capture to valley and stream below, which had long since giving up the light. I put priority on the blue of the glaciers, but gave enough exposure to ensure detail in the valley below. At this time of day the eastern side of the range was likely experiencing rain / snow (as we had a experienced a few days before), but viewing from the West, we were greeted with fantastic pastels.

Equipment

Back in 2012, I was still shooting with my D200, and trusty 18-200MM VR that I had first purchased in 2007. I had no tripod, and for difficult lighting situations like this capture, I would generally set my camera on the ground, or a sturdy rock. While I have since moved on to different equipment, for travel, I sometimes miss the simplicity of my D200 setup; it survived 2 bad falls, numerous bottles of water, freezing temperatures, and a major sandstorm in North Africa!

Inspiration

Travel to Cordillera Huayhuash was largely inspired by the Touching the Void documentary, and my love of South America and Peru in particular. While no one can ignore the majesty of the Huayhuash range, I wanted a scene that was personal -- our mules feeding in the final light of the day provided contrast and perspective to the scene.

Editing

I used D-Lighting in CNX2 to bring back some of the foreground, and slight tonal contrast from Color Efex. Post processing can be very powerful when done well, but my goal is always to get as true to scene as possible.

In my camera bag

These days I've moved on to a D800, which I've found to be as resilient as my trusty D200. I pair this with a 24-120MM, and recently acquired the 14-24MM. I also have a gitzo/RRS head that carry everywhere. I have other lenses and primes, but I rarely bring these along -- a not so small percentage of my favorite shots would have been missed had I been head down in my camera case reaching for the perfect equipment.

Feedback

Get off the beaten path and just shoot. Bucket list destinations are popular for a reason, but you're often playing at long odds with locals, and folks with better equipment. Go explore a new mountain range, visit a tiny island, or just take a walk through a nearby neighborhood that you've never been to; so much of the world is beautiful and still relatively untrodden, and you'll be seeing it with a fresh perspective. Be ready and calculate, but don't obsess if something isn't working out -- while you're staring ahead / waiting for the perfect moment, an unforeseen one may be opening behind you.

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Last light at Jahuacocha

Cordillera Huayhuash is a remote mountain range in northern Peru - the location of the infamous "Touching the Void" incident. The full circuit is roughly 100m a... Read more

Behind The Lens

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Cordillera Huayhuash is a remote mountain range in northern Peru - the location of the infamous "Touching the Void" incident. The full circuit is roughly 100m a...
Read more

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