Tips for Taking High-Quality Photos of Ruins

By Peter Carey, Hidden Creek Photography

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a fair number of ruins around the world. From old churches and broken down graveyards in Ireland to hillside enclaves in Nepal to the wonderful sandstone dwellings in Arizona.

But nothing prepared me, photographically, for what I’d experience on a five day trek along the Inca Trail in Peru. I learned a lot those five days, not just of the “main attraction” Machu Picchu, but also of lesser known ruins such as Runkurakay, the hillside terraces of Patallacta and Winaywayna and Intipunku, otherwise known as the Sun Gate.

I’d like to share now some tips I’ve formulated for getting the most out of your camera when photographing ruins in the Andes.

Why Twilight Is The Best Time for a “Large Shot.” First, arrive early as possible to get the best light. If you’ve studied any photography, you’re probably familiar with the “Golden Light” concept. It’s the hour or so before sunset and after sunrise. It’s a time when the light is best, creating a soft impression on your subject and balancing out the contrast.

This time of day is best for large shots, shots where you’re attempting to capture and entire village. While it is possible to capture excellent shots during midday, the colors and saturation will suffer as the light is harsh and directly overhead.

Window off center creates mystery about what's beyond.

Photo by Hidden Creek Photography

Up Close and Personal. Second, get up close and personal. Everyone has that one shot of Machu Picchu, from up on the hill with Wayna Picchu in the background. I now have that shot too and while the weather is big factor in how that shot compares to others, it doesn’t really tell the story or express the feel of the location.

Even smaller ruins like Winyawayna, with its beautiful terraced fields and waterfall for a backdrop, have more than meets the eye when looked at closely. The fit of the rocks in some cases is nothing short of amazing and there are windows all over the place, perfect for framing your shot. Look for the obscure or obtuse after you’ve taken the postcard shots.

A very grey day helps keep the shadows to a minimum in this mid-day shot

Photo by Hidden Creek Photography

A Frame Up. Speaking of windows, I love them! Doorways too, especially the those for temples or city entrances with their double beveled architecture and lack of mortar work. You can either frame a family member or use them as a hint to what’s beyond.

They also help to draw the viewer to a particular point of reference and you can decide what that is. A picture of a llama standing in front of you? Not so exciting. A picture of a llama as see peeking in a ancient window? Engaging.

Faking a Wide Angle Shot. Next, go wide. And if you don’t have a wide angle lens, fake it. There is a lot of software out there, such as Autopano Pro, that will help you stitch together multiple images into a panorama. A fair number of the ruins can’t be captured properly with just one shot, especially those with terraced fields.

Underexposing the shot help retain cloud detail and a bit of post production dodging brought out the ruin's color.

Photo by Hidden Creek Photography

Set your camera on manual so it doesn’t change shutter speed or aperture, and then click away, overlapping each shot by about 30%. The panorama you see of Winyawayna you see in this post was put together in that manner and it’s really quite easy. Hold your hand up and take a picture of it before the panorama pictures and when you’re done. This will make finding the series of photos much easier when you return home.

Cloudy Weather’s Silver Lining. Lastly, don’t complain when the weather turns gray. It’s the Andes, for one thing, wait a bit and it’ll probably change. Grey weather is actually very good for photography as it is nice and even and lacking in harsh shadows. If you’re including a gray sky or clouds in the picture, you’ll want to underexpose the shot a bit to make sure the cloud doesn’t come out as a huge white mass.

It's cloudy, it's Machu Picchu. A little more saturation would make this nice.

Photo by Hidden Creek Photography

When you get home, you’ll be able to play around with the contrast and saturation more in the photos shot on a gray day more so than a cloudless day. While clear and sunny is great for large shots and some panoramas, cloudy gray days are excellent for getting mood into your photos while forcing you to take a closer look at the subject in front of you.

Don’t be afraid to get your camera out and walk through the ruins looking for those close up shots mentioned earlier. The pictures will come out better on a gray day than a harsh, sunny day at noon.

Taking 12 shots and combining them in the computer with panorama software can create some great shots.

Photo by Hidden Creek Photography

You Can Have Fun and Take Seriously Great Photos. Bringing back fabulous photos of the Andes, and specifically of the many, many ruins found amongst them, doesn’t need to be a chore. Any camera will do if you keep in mind the few simple tips I’ve outlined here.

Most of all, have fun and take the time to really get a feel for what life must have been like for the previous inhabitants of the ruins you pass through. Listen to what the location has to tell you.

Photo by Hidden Creek Photography

Let the spirit of the place move you and guide your photography. And you’ll be sure to come back not only with great photos, but great stories for your friends and family back home.