 |
| A very happy guy enjoys the third day of 3-day wedding celebration along the Urubamba River in Peru |
"Happy Guy, Urubama Peru"
I was the fortunate recipient of an invitation to a wedding in Peru while working as part of film crew at the time. We were involved in shooting film of river rafting on the Urubamba River for a movie for Mountain Travel/Soebek Tours about rafting & trekking in Peru.
We observed groups of people on a foot trail on the other side of the river. Dozens of people walked single file -- many carrying chairs, and baskets. One even had a table balanced on his head. However, by far the most interesting were those carrying musical instruments -- like the person who carried a large stringed instrument resembling a stand-up bass. Some were dressed in colorful celebration clothes others were clad in their everyday attire. All of them had bounce in their steps and were visibly jovial. It was obvious they were headed to a party!
We saw this as an opportunity to get some footage of life in Peru for the film, so we abandoned our previous mission of shooting whitewater rafters on the Urubamba and attempted to get ahead of the line of people headed to a destination unknown to us.
We found a road to cross the river and attempted to get into position to photograph the serpentine group of revelers coming towards us. In the effort to get access to a photogenic vantage we were going to have to cross what appeared to be private property. Our guide and translator made contact with people in the yard of a house near the river. He was able to determine that serendipity was indeed on our team today. The winding troupe of people were fortuitously headed to this home for a wedding celebration.
We were given permission to walk down the trail to get our shots and invited to stay for the wedding celebration. What an honor to be asked to sit, eat, stand, and dance in addition to filming and photographing! Each table was given it's own 'gringo." When it came time to dance, we were asked to participate by donning a ceremonial cape and cap and dance with the bride.
This wedding was one of the highlights of my time in Peru.
The man pictured in this photo was one of the guests at a wedding celebration. I loved the honesty of his smile and his face -- but for the life of me cannot remember why he was so happy.
These images are copyrighted and may not be used, re-posted or reproduced without direct written permission. You may feel free to share this image on Pinterest.
Contact me at @JeromeShaw or Facebook
copyright Jerome Shaw 2006 / www.jeromeshaw.com
>>>
