Generally speaking I am most attracted to wide landscapes with dramatic light. But on the 3rd morning of a 100-mile trek through the Cordillera Huayhuash in Peru I awoke to find a much simpler scene on display. Despite the cacophonous thunder and hail storm that battered our camp from sunset onward the previous day this morning had dawned clear and cloudless. Which meant the ruby light of sunrise could drench the peaks of Jirishanca and Rondoy in its warm glow.

That bright splash of light created a beautifully simple quality to the landscape that immediately caught my eye. What struck me was the clear graphic contrasts: this wasn’t a photo all about wild and crazy light. No it was about the juxtaposition of colors: reds on whites on blues on browns. It was about the contrasting details: clipped grass giving way to sharp ridges of rock and ice giving way to featureless azure sky. And despite the grandeur of the scenery on display it was about a more intimate view of these two giant Andean mountains.

It was a classic scene from a classic view and I strove to capture it in my own Peruvian postcard.