OK, can this place be any more magical?!?   Maccu Picchu is one of those bucket list travel destinations for me, so when I found out I was going to Argentina, I signed myself up for an extra week in Peru.  

To get to Maccu Picchu, you have to fly into Lima, Peru (I suggest staying a while!) and then fly into Cusco, Peru.  From Cusco you take a car to Ollantaytambo, located in the Sacred Valley, and the board a train to Aguas Calientes.   Here are some of the photos from the trip up. 

Hope you enjoyed these photos!  Make sure to check out my print store over at www.LindseyO.com where these will be added soon!

On a last note, visiting Maccu Picchu during rainy season was indescribably lucky.  I was there with a handful of people as compared to the 10,000/day that visit during most of the year (the dry months) who are only allowed to stay for 2 hours and must go with a guide.  It took a few hours for the clouds to break and rain to stop but I can't image having seen this place any other way.  

On my recent trip to Latin America we visited a variety of business in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay.  Here's a little description of each!

Acindar produces steel used in agriculture, civil construction, the automotive, railroad, and mining industries, as well as many other industries.  Acindar was founded in 1942, and is based in Buenos Aires, employing over 2600 direct employees at 5 sites across Argentina.    Since 2008, they are a part of ArcelorMittal, the number 1 steel producing group in the world, operating in over 60 countries with around 300,000 employees.    Acindar Grupo Arcelor Mittal has a 60% market share of long carbon steel in Argentina, making them the leading producer.  

Acinder was founded in October of 1942 in response to the steel shortage caused by World War II.   Their first plan was in Rosario City, Santa Fe and had around 450 workers, producing 3500 tons of steel during its first year.  After many years of growth, the plant upgraded in size.  Following this, Acinder acquired the Santa Rosa company and merged with the Germendi firm.  They also opened a new plant in Villa Mercedes, San Luis producing steel mesh and nails.    All of this put Acinder in a great global position allowing another merger with the Brazilian Belgo Mineira company (part of the Acelor group).   Acelor and Mittal companies, both leaders in steel production, constituted AcerlorMittal which is not the #1 steel producing group in the world, manufacturing over 100million tons per year (10% of the world production).

Acindar has five plants in Argentina located in Rosario, San Luis, Villa Constitucion, San Nicolas, and La Tablada.  They produce a range of non flat steel products including wires, cables, and tubes.   Other examples include billets, beams, cold drawn and hot-rolled bars, welded meshes, and wire rod.   Thy also produce cut rebar and nails.   Acindar has an annual capacity of about 1.3 million tons.  They mostly operate in Argentina, but have a manufacturing facility in Brazil, and a commercial office in Uruguay.  Their production is mostly exported to South American countries, and they have about 38% domestic sales. 

Axion is in the oil & gas industry.  45% of their business comes from retail sales like gas stations.  They have lots of business to business sales such as licensing to produce Mobil (Exxon)'s  and Toyota motor oil.  Recently, the goverment has called for non conventional energy supplies.  Axion currently uses about 15% from other sources such as hydraulic but are still very 85%) dependent on fossil fuel in Argentina.  

They are always looking for new ways to turn their waste into cash producing materials.  They were the first company to come out with paying for your gas via an app, so the driver never has to exit their vehicle at the gas station.

Bragging point: They have a 2% better consumption rate than Shell via the additive they add to their gasoline.  

Capital Markets is a firm that invests their customer money globally.  This is a huge deal in Argentina right now because inflation is so high (40% last year).  This means, if customers don't invest their money, they are loosing money each year (equal to the effect of inflation).  So their savings account is worth less year after year.  This is why Capital Markets chooses to invest on the global scale.

Globant is an IT consulting firm, and their office was decorated with video games, fun colors, a meeting room in a ball pit, and ping pong tables.

They moved from being just consultants to actually providing full solutions.  They work with companies like National Geographic, FIFA, Southwest, American Express, Coke, and Disneyland.  They have offices all around the globe including the United States and are similar to companies like Deloitte and Accenture in terms of their niche. 

They focus on providing a "digital journey" which is a series of interactions based on dependencies.  They don't want to just provide an application, but a journey of these inter dependencies and interactions that work seamlessly to meet customers needs that they may not even know they had.  

We visited the Volkswagen factory in Buenos Aires where they produce 3 different vehicles including a cute little Volkswagen truck that is very popular, however not available in the United States. 

Their factory produces the cars very quickly, and was very clean.  We got to see the entire process from assembly to testing, to painting which only takes about 2 days. 

OK, this was my favorite stop :) 

We visited the Bodegas Carrau family winery and it was VERY impressive.  We got to see the entire process from harvesting grapes to making and bottling wine and champagne.  

Most impressive was their ability to keep their business in the family, as that can bring many complications.  They have had 10 generations now, over 260 years of wine making.  They started in 1752 in Cataluna, Spain, and in 1930 in Uruguay.    They export about 50% of their wine to Brazil and 25% to the United States.

I bought a bottle of the Tannat Reserve.  Tannat is a rare grape that has a ton of antioxidants, super good for you! 

In South America, Uruguay...

• #1 transparancy index (good for doing business)
• #1 education index  (They have plenty of skilled resources, many speaking multiple languages)
• They only country considered a "full democracy" - The economist

Free trade zones in Uruguay offer..

• No national taxes
• Duty Free
• No time restrictions to store goods
• No change to employee income tax, however, expatriots wont have to pay twice, they will continue to only pay for their home country

They have these because Uruguay is a small market, so free trade zones encourage companies to come set up offices in Uruguay in order to promote jobs and their economy.  A limitation is that the companies cannot sell or service to Uruguay consumers, as this would be unfair the the companies operating outside of free trade zones. 

Zonamerica is a private free trade zone.  They house companies working in idustry as well as global & logistic services.  They are 1 of 11 free trade zones currently in Uruguay.  

Their profit model is that they built an entire community of roads, buildings, parks, etc and lease spaces, with the infrastructure companies need to operate.  They also can help companies with their IT, data centers, and HR.  

The next 2 company visits are both located in and realizing the benefits of Zonamerica.

Costa Oriental is a logistics company who store their customers items while they are going through the processes involved with importing goods across South America.  They coordinate with distributors (they don't actually distribute themself) and also can do value added activities such as customizing products to a specific country destination by installing the correct power cords and including the proper language instructions.   Products stay here for about a month while their companies (ex. Loreal, Estee Lauder, Nike) wait to be cleared to import their goods to South American countries.    They are located in the Zonamerica free trade zone in Montevideo.

Sabre is a technology company in the travel industry.  They first started as a joint project between American Airlines and IBM when the 2 CEOs sat next to eachother on a plane ride.  They were the first company to do online airline bookings.    Currently, they help corporations manage corporate travel, help travel agents, etc.  

They are headquartered in Dallas Texas (about 4,000 employees) and we visited their office in Montevideo which focused mostly on customer support but also works on things such as business intelligence. 

We stayed in the historic district of Lima for 2 days before heading out to Cusco.  Definitely not the "tourist" part of Lima as we later found out!  So glad that we saw the city, the beautiful architecture, and the way the people of Lima go about their days.

Miraflores is the "tourist" area in Lima where all the hotels are, lots of restaurants, beaches, surfing, etc.  It definitely does not compare or represent the rest of Peru but it was a beautiful way to spend our last day in Peru (long layover).

Visiting Home for Christmas in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  I did a 9 mile hike in the snow with some friends to natural Hot Springs in Snoqualmie, WA.  I also headed up to Snoqualmie pass (Gold Creek) with one of my best friends and her fiance to take their engagement photos!  Check out some highlights below of Washington covered in Snow!

​Photos by: Lo Photo, LLC - photographer of Lifestyle and Love!

This is my first time putting a video together.  The clips are from my recent trip to the southern regions of Africa.  Hope you enjoy and that I hope to continue to explore this as a new hobby when I travel :)

Two of my good friends from Seattle (and one of my favorite couples ever!) had a destination wedding in Riviera Maya, Mexico.  

​Here's a little video I put together of the few days we spent exploring the areas up and down the coast around Tulum while in town for Mike & Kami's wedding, followed by a few photos :)

I think my favorite parts were: swimming with sea turtles in Akumal (not in the public beach area.. avoid!)
and sailing and getting caught in a massive rain storm

We got away from the crowded tourist areas of Cancun and headed down towards Punta Allen in a rental car.  The beaches here were empty and felt untouched except for a few (amazing) homes along the beach.

One thing you see when you get away from the resorts (who clean their beaches multiple times a day) is the amount of plastic that washes ashore.  I'm a firm advocate in reducing our use of plastic, particularly when it comes to things that we use one time. 

Plastic is something that can never be broken down, it never goes away, yet we are constantly using it for things that are instant garbage (water bottles, hotel shampoo bottles, etc).  Take a look at the below photo to see what is washing ashore in this beautiful ocean, and getting in the environment and bodies of animals. 

I stopped by Manchester on the way to Africa this June and took some photos downtown.  What a cute little town!  Not a ton do do downtown but i managed to get in a ton of shopping and stop for tea and breakfast at a local tea cafe.

On our last day we visited an entrepreneurial work place for women in Zambia where I was so inspired at what they are doing and what I want to do in life.  The center helped women with small businesses (i.e. selling tomatoes streetside) think bigger and grow their business to support their family and grow an economy.

To end the trip, we spent an afternoon at Chaminuka Lounge where we took a safari, walked cheetahs, and stumbled upon some baby lions and white rhinos.

The Cheetahs had to be walked on leashes because they are the fastest animals in the world.   They had a huge area to run but knew the workers who took care of them.

We stumbled upon the baby lions on accident and could not seem to leave their sides!  Here are some photos of the babies and the Cheetahs!  Enjoy!

What to say about South Africa... I spent a couple days in Capetown with some other girls before meeting our classmates in Zambia and we did all the site seeing and bar hopping!  On my way home I also went to Johannesburg for a day and a half alone.   Overall, South Africa feels more like Europe than Africa and definitely feels a lot more dangerous than what I'm used to in America.  Uber is a thing here and we were told to always use it, even if we were only going a few blocks for our safety.   Capetown itself is gorgeous.  We checked out winerys and amazing restaurants for so cheap!  The coastline is also gorgeous.  I think i'm calling this the "San Diego of Africa"

Me and the other 3 girls each did a deluxe tasting (mine had 6 wines and chocolates), shared a giant charcuterie board, and each bought 2 bottles.  The bill was $14 USD! 

The most south western point of the African Continent

I am so blessed to have gotten to spend a week at Victoria Falls.  This was the total "Vacation" part of my trip to Africa.  Victoria Falls is on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe and is the largest waterfall in the world by volume.  There is a bridge that separates the two countries and I bungee jumped off of it!  There are several resorts on the waterfall area and on each of them are giraffe, zebra, monkeys, and baboons greeting you.   A quick hike to the falls everyday made this the ultimate vacation spot. 

Spent a day in the Chobe National Park which is in neighboring country Botswana, from my stay in Zambia.  The day consisted of a water and a land safari.  

Tourism is one of the ways African countries can use their resources to benefit their economy while also protecting them.  Check out these animals! 

I visited Chief Mukuni Village in Livingtone, Zambia (Africa) with some of my USC classmates.  We got to see how they live in the village, buy locally made crafts, and hang out with the cutest kids! 

They raise goats and chickens for food, have gardens, hang dry clothes, have separate huts for sleeping and for cooking, and even sprout seeds to make yeast for beer.

Took a roadtrip from the Sacramento area to Lake Tahoe.  We checked out both South Lake Tahoe (California) as well as the entire Nevada shoreline.  

Photos taken on a Canon 5D Mark iii with a Sigma 24-70 f.2.8

My cousin Amy and I made the 4 hour drive from Auburn, CA to Yosemite and back for a day trip.  Wish we could have stayed ALOT longer.. but I will be back!

I took a roadtrip with one of my best friends through the southwest region and I absolutely fell in love with the desert!  We started in Salt Lake City to celebrate St. Patrick's day and left the following morning on a 6 hour drive to Page, AZ home of Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, and Horseshoe Bend.  We then headed to Bryce Canyon for a day, and Zion National Park for 2 days, then back to Salt Lake City. 

Photos from a last second trip to San diego for a 3 day weekend!

La Jolla, Coronado, Point Loma, and more!
Also, quite a few beers in Pacific Beach ;)

I've been trying out second shooting this year when I'm not booked.  Last weekend I went to Beaufort for a wedding and stopped in Sheldon along the way.  Here are some photos from walking around both areas <3

A quick weekend in the sun to avoid the winter blues with 3 friends.  We hit the beaches, relaxed with some coconut drinks, and went parasailing! 

Overall, I would much rather go somewhere else tropical than back to the Bahamas, however the beaches were quite amazing and the price I paid for the entire trip was just too worth it!   Freeport + Nassau.

Photos taken with  canon 35mm L lens and go pro

From Paros, I took a ferry to the gorgeous island of Santorini where I spent 3 days exploring via ATV with all the wonderful people I met earlier in my trip.
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The photos from Santorini as well as Paros and Athens can be found for sale here in my print shop! 

Paros is a less tourist traveled island in Greece.  I am so glad I went here because everything was just perfect!

To start, the locals are SUPER friendly and love to hang out!  It is a relaxed lifestyle on Paros.

The streets are beautiful stone lined with pink flowering trees.  Just like every other part of Greece, there are plenty of cats and kittens to follow you around. 

There is plenty of hiking, different styles of beaches, and lots of things to do outdoors.   Take a look to see for yourself..

See a photo you like? You can purchase prints from my trip here.
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Photos taken on:
Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS with 1080p Full-HD Video Mode Digital SLR Camera (Body)

I started my tour of Greece off by spending two days in Athens.  I highly recommend spending 1-2 full days in Athens if you are headed out to the Greek islands afterwards.  I think you can see it all in a full day if you wanted.  Here are some of the areas I saw and things I would recommend:

• The Acropolis museum (5 euros) - go here before you go to the Acropolis.  Watch the video upstairs and then make your way through the museum.  You will learn alot about the history of the Acropolis.
• The Acropolis.  Buy this at the main gate below the Parthenon for 12 euros and you will get entrance into all of the areas.  See the Parthenon, ancient Agora (gardens and ruins) as well as various other highlights and temples. 
• Grab some food and do some shopping in the Plaka
• Head towards the temple of Zeus and national gardens.  There is plenty to see on that strip of road.
• Stroll in the areas around Syntagma square
• If you are staying a second day you could do a day trip to Delphi and see the ruins along the ocean

See a photo you like? You can purchase prints from my trip here.
Photos taken on:

I headed home to Seattle this summer for my brother's wedding and a photography workshop.  Along the way I did all the touristy things downtown that I never did while I lived there, stayed in the Olympic Mountains, hiked, ate Ivars on the water, went to Eastern WA and saw my family.  

Here are some photos from the trip!

Took a camping trip up to Lake Jocassee which was about a 5 hour drive from Charleston and so worth it!  Pretty much decided I NEED a lakehouse here :)

Photos taken on Canon 5d Mark iii with a 24-70mm and a 50mm, and on my go pro.

I spent a gorgeous August weekend in the hilltops of the Olympic Mountains at the Alpine NW photography workshop, lead by Jordan Voth, Taylor McCuthchan, and Noelle Johnson at beautiful Lake Crescent.

There were two shoots incorporated.  Check out my take on them!  
Brittni + Trent
Zane + Yela

I wanted to show a little behind the scenes here on my blog of the things I did and learned...

Photos (c) Lo Photo, LLC

My take on the editing we walked through was that Jordan's is very simple and to the point.  Taylor takes a different approach and likes to play around with different styles depending on the photos.