Photography

It is amazing how difficult the photography is here. The sun has to rise quite high to break-out over the peaks and as it doesn‘t need to fall too far to set. This means that one can never access the soft tones that allow for some really nice shots unless you get above the nearby peaks. The haze makes taking scenic shots pointless. Kathmandu is equally challenging; take a close-up and you miss the real sense of the scene, take a step back for a wider shot and there is too much going on in the photo. It would be impossible to find Wally in such a shot.

In the countryside I have not quite got the nerve to use my DSLR. It feels wholly inappropriate to whip out something that is worth four times the average annual income of a Nepali. People are everywhere here so it’s unusual to be in isolation to stage a shot. I’m sure they are well used to it but for the moment the compact is a lot more discreet.

Of course, I arrived in the tourist resort of Pokhara and the white-man is everywhere. Funnily enough, the amount of camera artillery suggested I was at some sort of movie premiere. If those lenses were target finders there would be no hope for the Yeti. I can’t believe that people would trek the Annapurna Himalayas with kit that heavy but then when has the white-man ever made much sense. I would hate to see what size North Face duffel bag he expects his porter to carry up the mountain for him. I can only hope that he at least nails the shot!