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Himalayan Griffons, with Ama Dablam behind, Khumbu, Nepal
Himalayan Griffons, with Ama Dablam behind, Khumbu, Nepal
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May, 2016Views
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occasionalclimber
September 22, 2016
Thanks :-) Sorry I took so long to reply. Sometimes I miss messages.
occasionalclimber
October 21, 2016
Yes they don't call it the Materhorn of the Himalaya for nothing. I have quite a few more of Ana Dablam and the Khumbu at occasionalclimber.co.nz if you're interested. Cheers
SerhiiDzheniuk
October 24, 2016
Done. Great places,fantastic Mountains,awesome photographs. Congrats!
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occasionalclimber
November 23, 2016
Thanks Charlene. Impressive birds - I think more than 2 metre wing spans.
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occasionalclimber
March 25, 2017
Thank you Barbara. It's gained the most notice of my entire Viewbug collection. I guess it's hard to beat nice wildlife images
Mayapan06
March 26, 2017
Fantastic shot and wonderful memories for me! I seen this mountain when i made the trek of the base camp of the Everest.
occasionalclimber
March 26, 2017
Thank you. Yes, Ama Dablam - the Matterhorn of the Himalaya. Very beautiful. You can see more at my website www.occasionalclimber.co.nz
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I was on my fourth visit to the Khumbu region of Nepal - one of the most beautiful places I've been. On my first visit way back in 1988 this mountain, Ama Dablam (6,856m) caught my imagination. This image was taken at about 3,900 metres, above Namche Bazaar, the main town in the Khumbu. This time was special because I was with my eldest son Ben, who had recently turned 15, so it was a buzz sharing such a lovely place with him for the first time.Time
It was afternoon - Ben and I were on a day climb above Namche Bazaar, up to 4,000 metres, to aid our acclimatisation before we trekked higher. We spotted several Himalayan condors, wing spans over 2 metres, circling on thermals, so quietly crept closer.Lighting
Being afternoon - it was still bright but not glaring. I needed plenty of light given the need to freeze the condor. And the sun was behind me, lighting all the details up.Equipment
A Nikon D70S with a 75-300 lens. Details not recorded - it was a few years ago now, but a fast shutter speed - 1/1250 sec ish.Inspiration
The mountain - Ama Dablam, was inspiration enough. People call it the Matterhorn of the Himalaya due to it's striking appearance. But to then have several gigantic Himalayan condors in situ - well, if you're a photographer it would be rude not to wouldn't it!Editing
Yes, this is actually 2 shots combined - that's how I have retained sharp detail on the flying bird plus the background. Using a fairly big zoom, just hand held with a fast shutter speed dictated a low F stop ie blurred background. So a second shot of the background with higher F stop and slower shutter caught the landscape.In my camera bag
I love the mountains, so as little as possible - at present a Nikon D7000 camera body, an 18-85 small zoom and the 75-300 bigger zoom, a spare battery and beaten up lightweight tripod - good for hiking. If I'm going for a summit then it's even less - a compact Nikon P7800 with mirrorless through the lens digital view finder, full manual operation and RAW file capture - absolutely great when you still want to control your photography but need to keep moving and can't afford to have stuff hanging off you.Feedback
Go to great places. For me photography has just enhanced what I already love - travel and particularly being in the mountains. Some claim that taking photos kind of pollutes the moment. I disagree. Taking photos enables me to see things I might have missed otherwise, and with photos you have the moment over and over again, and can share it with others who couldn't be there but would have liked to. And these days, with digital technology and the likes of Photoshop, the photographic moment is just one part of a creative journey.
