' In the brilliant distance he waits. A lonely angel silhouetted in a vanishing world. Immortality cast in granite. Head raised, Eyes flaring. Wings spread out....
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' In the brilliant distance he waits. A lonely angel silhouetted in a vanishing world. Immortality cast in granite. Head raised, Eyes flaring. Wings spread out. Rain streaming down his dark jagged tips. Fast flowing rivulets of molten silver. Streaming and colliding. Collecting into pools of eternity at his feet." ~ Prabir C. Purkayastha
In the Zanskar region of Ladakh, I trekked for 4 weeks with my Ladakhi guide-cook, donkey-man, plus six donkeys carrying our food, tents, camping gear. This was one of many high passes ranging from 16,500 to 18,000 feet.
In August 2016,
Nikon D810, Nikor 14-24mm @ 15mm, ISO 100, f-11. No filters.
4 images blended for sky and stars, water motion. Shutter speeds from 1-10s, 1-5s, 1-2s, 2s
Stars 5s @ f-2.8 ISO 1600
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In the Zanskar region of Ladakh, I trekked for 4 weeks with my Ladakhi guide-cook, donkey-man, plus six donkeys carrying our food, tents, camping gear. This was one of many high passes ranging from 16,500 to 18,000 feet.
In August 2016,
Nikon D810, Nikor 14-24mm @ 15mm, ISO 100, f-11. No filters.
4 images blended for sky and stars, water motion. Shutter speeds from 1-10s, 1-5s, 1-2s, 2s
Stars 5s @ f-2.8 ISO 1600
Read less
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Moments In Time Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Night Sky And The Stars Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Water And The Night Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 7
Contest Finalist in Around the World Photo Contest By Discovery
$500 Cash Prize
Contest Finalist in Lakes Or Rivers Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
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Virtuoso
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danieljamesgreenwood
June 19, 2015
good job with this one Hillary, Loving the tonality from the bottom up
andrewfuller
June 26, 2015
Magnificent light in the pre-dawn and the stars provide a lovely counter-balance to the rush of the water. Beautifully crafted.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken when ascending Nigutse La, an 18,000 foot pass in the mystical himalayan region of Zanskar in Ladakh, northwestern tip of India ( bordering China and Pakistan). Flying into Leh, Ladakh, one arrives at an altitude of 11,500 feet in a complex environment of himalayan peaks and ranges. Trekking for 4 weeks across Zanskar involved crossing 9 high passes, all around 18,000 feet in altitude. Nigutse La was the third such pass on a seldom trekked route.Time
This image combines two frames, the first taken several hours before dawn, when the stars were out in a dark sky. The second taken with the very first hint of dawn light.Lighting
The evening before this was taken, a storm raged around me. I was pelted with hailstones while scouting for this image. Amazingly, the storm cleared during the night and when I shot, the sky was almost clear, and the soft tonality of pre-dawn light illuminated the mountain and river.Equipment
I used a Nikon D810, Gitzo tripod, Nikon 14-24mm lens and circular polariser filter.Inspiration
The journey through Zanskar was inspired by a long-held connection with the himalaya , both the landscape and the people and culture. Many years a go I spent a year living in Nepal, and heard about Ladakh but never went there. But the desire to explore 'Little Tibet' as it is sometimes called, stayed in me. The trek through Zanskar was the second of two trips ~the first was in 2010 for six weeks in the east and north of the region. Each time with ponies or donkeys to carry the gear and food, a guide/cook and ponyman. No other westerners. My own little expedition. Coming up the Nigutse La, this scene presented itself, and conveyed, for me, the rugged power of the high altitude desert around me. The only water from glacial meltwater. And this is is one of the tragedies of climate change ~ that the glaciers are retreating from the mountain icefields of the world at such a rate that the millions of people and ecosystems depending on this water supply, will find their ways of life impossible within my lifetime. Photography can communicate their plight, and my reasons for returning to photograph this area again and again will be to illuminate this reality, as well as document an imperilled place.Editing
Post processing involved blending two images together : one for the stars, taken several hours before dawn. The other in the first light of dawn. These images were combined in Photoshop. The tonality of the image was then enhanced using luminosity masks and some advanced burning and dodging techniques.In my camera bag
My eqipment these days consists of a Nikon D810, Nikon D800E, Nikkor 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens; Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens; Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens; Fotodiox Wonderpana filters, Singh Ray filters; Really Right Stuff Tripod; Remote release; hot shoe bubble level; Sunway foto nodal rail; disposable shower caps, lens cloths.Feedback
Get out, regardless of weather; scout locations if possible; work with the light; don't restrict yourself to your expectations; be patient; connect with the landscape ~ develop your own relationship with the land, the place, and let your feelings direct you to the image that speaks powerfully to you.