Computer Darkroom

Unfortunately, internet access in Nepal is expensive and very slow. So, posting anything during the shoot didn’t make a lot of sense. That being said, I have prepared a small selection of images from the various locations we visited. The gallery can be located here.

Organised by Roger Reynolds at Photoventures, this shoot took me well out of my photographic comfort zone in that it was primarily about taking pictures of people rather than the landscape. Had it been the latter I would have had little to show for my time and effort as it was misty most of the time. Taking pictures of people isn’t something I’ve had much experience of, but once I got into the swing of things it was fairly easy. For the most part, people in Nepal love to have their photographs taken, although I’m not sure they expected the lens to be so close to their face (sometimes within 12 inches when using a 16mm lens).

Sadhu, Durbar Square, Kathmandu

After a day spent photographing various parts of Kathmandu and its people we headed off for a few days in Pokhara. The drive to Pokhara took us close to 8 hours and was probably the most unpleasant I’ve ever experienced. The roads, if you can call them that, are terrible, and the driving is worse again.

Bindhyabasini Temple, Pokhara

We also spent a couple of days in Chitwan National Park with the intention of photographing the wildlife. We did see the famed one horned rhinoceros and various species of deer during our elephant trip through the jungle. However, the birdlife along the Rapti river was much more in abundance and certainly more interesting to photograph. Chitwan is also home to the Tharu people (an ethnic group indigenous to the Terai region of Nepal). The local village (Badrahini) provided lots of opportunities for photographing village life. I suspect the people got as much pleasure out of our visit to their village, especially the children, as we did photographing them. 

Proud Grandmother, Badrahani, Chitwan National Park

Scarecrows, Badrahani, Chitwan National Park

From Chitwan we travelled to the mountain village of Nagarkot via another overnight stay in Kathmandu. Our visit to Nagarkot was to photograph sunset and sunrise over the Himalayas’. When clear, it is possible to see Mount Everest far off in the distance, but alas were wen’t blessed with such conditions. Instead, we were stuck with a heavy mist that made capturing a decent sunset or sunrise extremely difficult. 

Sunset Over Himalayas’, Nagarkot

Our last day was spent in and around the city and valley of Kathmandu. Again, the focus was on photographing people, although I did take quite a few pictures of the various temples and Stupa’s. The most interesting event of the day was a visit to the Pasupatinath Burning Ghats. The Burning ghats is used for cremating the dead adjacent to the Bagmati river bank at Pashupatinath. Male members of the family lay the deceased relative on the wood and straw funeral pyre, and ghee (clarified butter) is laid on the logs to help them burn. Obviously, we positioned ourselves across the river from the Ghats so as to ensure that we did not cause offence or upset to the families of the bereaved. 

Gathering Charred Wood, Pasupatinath Burning Ghats, Kathmandu

Tomorrow will see me heading off to Nepal on another photo shoot. Nepal, officially the Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 27 million, Nepal is the world’s 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the Peoples Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the India.

We’ll be spending a few days in Kathmandu (capital of Nepal) photographing the many temples, and of course taking in as much of the local culture as possible. Our next stop will be Pokhara, where we hope photograph locations such as the Davis Falls, Phewa Lake, the Seti Gorge, and of course views of Himalaya’s and in particular the Annapurna Range. From Pokhara we’ll travel over to the Chitwan National Park, home of the very rare one-horned rhinoceros, and if we’re really lucky we might even see a tiger. Our last couple of days will be spent in Nagarkot and Bhaktapur photographing rural activity and landscape together with people and street activity.

Most of of the hotels we’ll be staying at have internet service, but this doesn’t mean that it actually works. Nevertheless, I’ll try post a few images as I travel around the country.