Eleven days, 7 hotels, countless flights, and enduring altitudes of up to 5,200m – that’s what it took for this couple and their photography crew to create this most incredible engagement album. Here, we rely on the captivating prowess of Metrophoto to fully appreciate a couple’s bold declaration of love as they stood in some of the most spectacular locations in the world, such as Peru’s Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain. Well done, Metrophoto, and thank you for sharing this brilliant album!

Believe it or not, this is only the first part of this couple’s engagement portrait series. Don’t forget to check out Part 2 of their adventure, which took place in Bolivia.

For the first part, the couple explored the remote Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, which is set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, navigating the dry-stone walls and intriguing buildings. “We were able to shoot in two separate areas, which provided an excellent visual of the place from many angles. This also allowed us to gauge the types of activities the guards would allow so we could adjust accordingly,” says Oly Ruiz of Metrophoto.

At Rainbow Mountain, their pursuit of beauty came at a price as the symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness took a toll on the couple and their photography crew. Yet they persevered and emerged with the most remarkable set of images. The couple maintain their poise as they stand in the colourful mountainside striped with brilliant shades of turquoise, lavender, maroon and gold.

The altitude was gruelling – at 5,200m, Ruiz says, that almost put them in a coma. The plan was to breeze through the shoot at Rainbow Mountain and continue in Cusco in the afternoon. “But at 3am, my head was pounding already. The next several hours were the hardest of my life,” Ruiz recalls. “I really had to ask myself if it was worth it. But shooting in Peru and Bolivia was my ultimate dream so we persevered.

“The pursuit of our craft brought us to the ends of the world and almost to the end of our mortal capabilities. This experience served as a lesson to me, and I hope that it will serve as a guide to others on how we achieved the extraordinary.”

MAUREEN & MARK {South America}

Photography by Oly Ruiz of Metrophoto / Hair and Makeup by Mark Qua / Location Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain, Peru

{Read more about this in the magazine}