Heading to Peru, need help with filter selection

[kzphoto]

Hi Guys! I'll be headed to Peru for 2 weeks and I'm planning on shooting some black and white photos while there. I normally use an orange filter to separate skies from clouds, and for additional contrast. Photographically speaking, I am not sure what to expect while on the Inca Trail which leads into Peru. From the photos I have seen, there appear to be many trees, dense foliage, etc. I do not shoot much black and white film with other colored filters, but I would like to add one more to my bag, specifically for Machu Picchu. I'll be shooting Across 100 and some Delta 400 along with Ektar 100 for color.

What would you recommend?

Also, I am heading to Cusco and Arequipa for a few days each. is there anything off the beaten path that is worth investigating?
https://www.google.com/search?clien...a=X&ei=6z0zUu7nPITu2wWk8oCgDQ&ved=0CCoQvwUoAA

 

[KenR]

My wife and I did the Inca trail several years ago; I took B&W with 2 Bessa bodies and she took a digital P&S. Sun was kind of rare for our stay, so I don't think that I used many filters. I had yellow, green, orange and red with me, but they mostly stayed in the bag. Several ruins were in fog and mist which came out amazing in monochrome. We first went to Machu Pichu in late afternoon which had great light and then in fog, the next day. So I think it will be weather dependent - its not like southern California where you can expect sun most days - but you may get lucky.

 

[kzphoto]

Ahh good to know! I was expecting sunnier skies with mixed clouds, similar to CA weather. Maybe I'll just skip the filter and shoot the film.

 

[jcb4718]

We did the Inca Trail a few years ago and like KenR, found it quite overcast. The ruins were lost-and-found in the mist. The following year we trekked to Choquiquario, the remote sister city of Machu Picchu. On that occasion it was sunnier and, at altitude, the main problem was high contrast. If you are taking photos of people and you don't want faces in deep shadow, you will need fill in flash.