I remember the first time I entered into the plaza de Armas in Cusco, Peru. I was riding a taxi from the bus terminal and I asked the driver if he would pass through the plaza on the way. As the car entered into the square I felt as though I was stepping back in time. Finally I was setting my eyes upon a city that I had read so much about in my history books and school textbooks. I remember looking up at the hills and thinking that is where the Inca leaders must have once held camp preparing to try to retake the city. I remember looking at the church and knowing that great pre-Colombian temples sit below it. I couldn’t help but bear a feeling of “wow, I’ve finally made it.” I’ve been to Cusco about 10-12 times now, but for whatever reason this photo always brings me back to that moment of feeling so awe struck by the fact that “I am really in Cusco, Peru.” For that, I love this picture as much as any I’ve ever taken.
The Shot
The photo of the plaza in Cusco was taken from my old 100$ point an shoot camera which lends proof that you don’t need a great camera to get really good images. It’s more about the eye and the effort. I mentioned a couple of photos ago that on of the most important photography tips you can learn is to change the eye level of the shot. I showed the image before which I had taken from very low. This is the opposite. I went up to one of the restaurants and ordered a beer while I took pictures from the great vantage point. Regardless of whether you shoot from low or high, you’ll notice good results shooting from eye levels not seen by the naturally wandering eye.