Blog Archives
Women of Mustang
From the outset it was the women, and their lives, that fascinated me. There was an obvious connection – the relationships, routines and responsibilities that make up our daily lives, as mothers, grandmothers, teenagers… In many ways they are different, in many ways the same. Doing the washing, making tea, scolding, teaching, working, gossiping and […]
Scale
As a photographer, it was the scale of this Himalayan landscape that posed the greatest challenge. For me, mountains against the sky speak of Swiss postcards, monasteries on distant crags echo guide books and nestling villages are all too quaint. I wrestled with clichés and lenses and the skyline. In Pokhora, the view across the […]
First Light over Annapurna
Dawn was my favourite time. I’d wake in the dark of night to take a path out of the village, each time in a different direction. Sometimes there was a moon sometimes not, but it was always quiet. When the first faint light appeared I would stop, look up and wait. I’d try to guess […]
Fire & Water
Cremation at the ghats of The Pashupathinath Temple On arriving in Kathmandu I headed to the ghats at Pashupathinath Temple . Dazed from my journey I found a quiet spot on the far steps and there before me unfolded this drama like a dream… A body in orange was brought upon a stretcher and placed […]
Pilgrims
Every year bands of pilgrims, Hindu and Buddhist, travel to the sacred site of Mukinath, high in the Himalayas of Nepal. On their journey they pass along the Kali Gandaki river, famous for its sacred ‘saligrams’ – black ammonites worshipped as Vishnu, the god who turned into stone. The village of Kagbeni, on the banks […]
Dry Land
On a wall in the remote village hall of Pangling I found a local map denoting land cover change between 1999 – 2010. The speed and extent of this change is incredible and everybody here in Mustang knows it. The tree line and the snow line are retreating dramatically , ‘walls’ of wood are stacked […]