While traveling and shooting in intense locations, a pre-dawn wake up alarm typically brings about a combined feeling of dread and excitement. Dread to dive into the crazy mix but anxious enthusiasm for what might be found. While neighboring India is almost overwhelmingly intense, Nepal is India-Lite, yet India like as well. The culture is visually rich for image making and the people some of the kindest, gentlest we have met anywhere. Where India assaults your senses, Nepal simply welcomes you.
Dan making the very photo, above
At the beginning of the winter, Janine and I realized we had little interest in ski touring 100+ days as we normally do. We decided to skip winter and tick off some life list destinations. On the top of our list for the last twelve years was Nepal. But, for so many reasons we had never gone. Seemingly the ideal destination, it combines what we love to shoot for work, mountain sports and lifestyle, with what we are most passionate to shoot for ourselves, a foreign culture.
Nepal proved true for all the things we hoped for. While tromping around the Himalaya we were able to put our mountain sport images alongside the culture we so love. And within Buddhism and Hinduism, we could disappear into another world to explore and study everything in the hopes of finding that magical image. For us, nothing is so stimulating as wandering countless hours only to come across what we are so visually intrigued by, then successfully getting it into our camera. We were each lucky to have several amazing finds in Nepal, we’re pretty thrilled with the results. Below is a sampling of our favorite images, a mix just as we experienced it, our life walking through the mountains and a few interesting things we saw along the way.
Swayambhu Stupa prayer wheel
Janine hiking along a mani stone wall
Man praying, dog sleeping. Boudhanath Stupa
Lung burning acclimatization run, Namche Bazar
A Hindu family watches a family member’s cremation at Pashupati Nath
Gokyo Valley
Best to let the Yak put the track in
Wandering Namche Bazar
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Comments 11
Absolutely awesome photos guys! This kind of thing is really inspirational.
So great as always to see your images and, after all the places you’ve been, your unique take (visual and otherwise) on such a well-traveled but still confounding country. Great work!
Ohmygoodness wow!
Love these shot as it brings back my memories of my trip in the region. Getting the itch to go back in 2013 around Kanchenjunga. Keep the inspiration flowing.
I love the joy of the colors and the plentyness of their content. They almost seem to speak and to tell you about traditions and cultures of these people.
I’d say: beautiful and so complete.
heidi
I love the joy of the colors and the plentyness of their content. They almost seem to speak and to tell you about traditions and cultures of these people.
I’d say: beautiful and so complete.
heidi
I particularly like the “making of” combo. The boy’s image feels timeless, but the photographer reminds us it’s a passing moment. Gets one to think in a different way about exactly the same event.
Author
I really like that combo as well. When I saw the kid photo I loved it, then I found the shot Janine took of me and just couldn’t believe she got me making the photo I like most. There is something very interesting about backing away and seeing the whole scene of an intriguing image. There he sits, no big deal, but isolated, he is pretty special.
Thanks John – and thanks everyone for the nice comments.
Dan & Janine
You guys have captured some incredible images! Thank you so much for sharing and holding the photography bar up so high.
Clear theme of throughout these great images. No cell phones, dedication to the inner self, feeling of contentment… even with the pups. You can even feel the patient investment in the chiseled stones along the paths. Nice work, DP!
your photos are beautiful – I can see you had a great time,regards Sabine