A pair of gauchos, cowboys of the South American pampas

The Traveler: Taryn Weum of Minnetonka.

The scene: A pair of gauchos — cowboys of the South American pampas — await action in San Antonio de Areco, Argentina, where the annual National Gaucho Festival took place. Rains had turned the rodeo grounds into a muddy stew, so many events had to be canceled. Instead, gauchos and spectators from around the world sat or stood, "unsure what the day would hold," as Weum wrote in an e-mail. "In the end, the skies brightened and everyone attended a wonderful afternoon barbecue and dance on the grounds of the festival in Criollo Park. The fun of that afternoon picnic saved what was otherwise a disappointing turn of events."

How she got the shot: Weum used a Nikon 5100 camera outfitting with a Tamron 13-300 lens that she had purchased for her adventure. "I loved not having to change lenses all of the time. We wanted to take candid shots and with the telephoto lens I could do that," she wrote, but added that, like many, these gauchos happily smiled for the cameras.

The Destination: The town of San Antonio de Areco is very picturesque and is a convenient day trip out of Buenos Aires, Weum wrote.

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