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