Nepal Photo Workshop
September 22 to October 7, 2023
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Itinerary
The workshop, and your Nepal adventure, will start upon landing at Kathmandu airport. You’ll be picked up by our staff and shuttled to our staging hotel to meet your fellow photographers. The next morning we’ll board helicopters for the flight from Kathmandu to Namche Bazaar, the commercial hub of the Khumbu. Once settled at the Panorama Hotel & Tea House we’ll get to know everyone and your goals for the trip.
September 22 - Kathmandu (KTM) Arrival
September 23 - Flights to Namche Bazaar. Check into Panorama Hotel.
September 24 - Explore Namche.
September 25 - Hike to Thame
September 26 - Explore Thame
September 27 - Hike to Khumjung
September 28 - Explore Kunde / Khumjung
September 29 - Hike to Phortse
September 30 - Explore Phortse, the Khumbu Climbing Center & hike to Pangboche
October 1 - Explore Pangboche.
Visit monastery for a private Puja and meet the Lama.
October 2 - Hike to Lobuche
October 3 - Hike to Everest Base Camp and overnight in Gorak Shep.
October 4 - Hike to Thangboche
October 5 - Hike to Namche
October 6 - Flights to KTM
October 7 - KTM departures home.
Partner
Q: How is this photography workshop different?
The experience level of the staff is our greatest asset for you. Emily and Axel live and work in the Nepalese culture and specifically the Khumbu region. Mark is a globally recognized expert on Sony and Adobe products. His workflow information alone is worth the trip! Bill has experience across a number of photographic genres, businesses, and camera systems along with 6 different Olympic experiences. And Doug, our fearless leader has traveled the globe with Olympic sport supporting athletes and teams for over 30 years.
We are going in the early part of the fall season in the Khumbu. The weather could be a bit “changeable” (or could be fine) so good rain wear and layering will keep us shooting. Challenging weather equals amazing photos. We‘ll visit the Khumbu Climbing Center in Phortse, three Buddhist monasteries, the regional medical and dental clinics and have special photo opportunities at each location. Portraits, story telling, epic landscapes, travel and astro photography are all available along with experienced instruction and unique points of view.
We’ll be helicoptering into Namche Bazaar bypassing the 10 hour round trip bus from Kathmandu to the regional airport. We are the only workshop offering this type of access and as a bonus you’ll get amazing photographs of the mountains from a very rare vantage point.
Questions? 719-492-9359 info@nepalphotoworkshop.com
Looking back over the Khumbu glacier.
We are super proud to announce the American Himalayan Foundation (AHF) is partnering with the Nepal Photo Workshop!
Participants in the workshop will have some amazing opportunities to visit and photograph the work being done in the Himalaya by the AHF.
Nepal Photo Workshop will also be donating a portion of all the participants workshop fee to the American Himalayan Foundation so they can continue to bring shelter, safety, education, health and opportunity to people across the Himalaya.
To learn more and directly support the AHF click here: https://www.himalayan-foundation.org
Staff
Doug Ingram
Team Leader. Doug summited Everest in 2013. He has summited six of the “Seven Summits” highest peaks on every continent. A 24 year collegiate and Olympic team swim coach, he served another 25 years as a Director with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Doug has supported Team USA athletes and coaches at 9 summer and 7 winter Olympic Games. Lifelong climber, trekker and adventure seeker, his enthusiasm for connecting with people is second to none. He loves the Khumbu region and has a kinship with the Sherpa people.
Emily Polar
Accomplished professional adventure and travel photographer. Emily views photography as an opportunity to explore what connects us and how we engage with the world. She has spent extensive time in Nepal photographing the landscape, people and culture. Widely published, Emily’s partial client list includes: National Geographic Travel, Outside Magazine, Patagonia, Alpinist and San Francisco Magazine. https://www.emilypolar.com
Emily is in Nepal now. Catch her daily images and posts at:
https://instagram.com/emilypolar
Bill Baum
Professional photographer, trekker, educator and former US Olympic Team Alpine Ski Coach. Passionate about connecting with people and their cultures, Bill currently conducts workshops and photographs Olympic sports for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the new United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum. In addition to photographing Summer and Winter Olympics, he’s covered a wide range of events from Formula One to Americas Cup, as well as our 2019 Nepal Everest Trek. https://www.pixlproject.com
Mark Galer joins the team!
MARK GALER is a well-known and respected photographer, educator and world traveller. He has a commercial background in editorial photography and has published 30 books for Focal Press (before switching to online delivery of educational resources). Mark circumnavigated the globe on a motorcycle in his youth and has continued his passion for adventure travel ever since. He was Program Director and Senior Lecturer of photography at RMIT University in Melbourne and now uses his wealth of experience, as both a photographer and educator, to support the photographic community. Mark was appointed a Sony Digital Imaging Ambassador in 2012.
https://www.markgaler.com
We are beyond excited to have Mark join us for what is to be a once in a lifetime (really) photographic experience. Sony users no doubt know of Mark’s extensive writing and video coverage of Sony cameras and the photographic arts. Mark has a strong belief in the power of an image to tell a story. Join us to learn from the very best!
Khumbu local photographer:
Axel Halbgebauer
Austrian / German Photographer , Alpinist and Adventurer has been living in Nepal for 7 years and is currently two years into a three year project covering the lives of the Sherpa people for Europe’s biggest magazine, “Geo.” He lives at an altitude of 14.000ft year round, just a day's walk from Everest Base Camp. His photography specialises in portraiture and won him numerous awards, amongst them the 2018 Sony Global Portrait Award with over 70.000 contestants
Our accomplished high-altitude Sherpa team is what distinguishes our trip from the rest. They are not a run-of-the-mill hiking service out of Kathmandu, but professional mountaineers who take the responsibly for people’s lives above 20,000 feet seriously. They live, climb, and guide in their native Khumbu region and surrounding Himalaya, sharing their world with great pride, joy and humility.
It is an honor to have them not only as our trekking guides, but as our friends.
High Altitude Climbing Sherpa
Phinjo Sherpa
Ten Everest summits. Two time National Geographic Team Sherpa. Nine other 8,000m summits. Phinjo is also a Buddist Lama who studied at the monastery in Tengboche. (We’ll be visiting the monestary.) He is a certified alpine guide and a senior instructor at the Khumbu Climbing Center. Phinjo is also the owner of the Khumbu Lodge and Restaurant Tea House in Phortse, Nepal.
Fura Sherpa
Eight Everest summits. Two time National Geographic Team Sherpa. Eight other 8,000m summits. Fura was the lead rope fixer on The North Face Ski Lhotse Expedition. He is an accomplished landscape artist and can help us see things that we might otherwise not notice. Fura earned the nickname “Turbo” on our October 2019 Trek. Join us to find out why!
Ang Kami Sherpa
Eight Everest summits. Two time National Geographic Team Sherpa. Eight other 8,000m summits and instructor at the Khumbu Climbing Center. Kami’s unique way of making trekking look easy earned his method of hiking to be called the “Kami Shuffle.” Follow in his footsteps the first three days of the trek. Kami has a great sense of humor and secret dance moves.
Opportunities
We’ll have amazing photographic possibilities not available to trekking tours and other workshops.
Street and travel photography enthusiasts will have a field day in Kathmandu. From the tangle of phone, electric and internet cables hanging in the street to the quiet cafes, expedition outfitters, money changers, scooter repair shops, and street vendors there will be subjects galore!
We are the only photo workshop that is flying participants into Namche Bazaar via helicopter. This gives you more time to be in the Khumbu and focus on your photographic goals. On the trek we’ll have fantastic opportunities to tell stories with images. The Sherpa people, porters, tea houses, animals, Buddhist culture and Himalayan peaks of the Khumbu provide a wide pallet of subjects to create compelling images.
Along the way we’ll be discussing all the things you want to learn and talk about. Whether that is back up strategy, post processing, using your gear, working in the business or how do you breathe without oxygen at 24,000 feet?
Trek from Namche Bazaar to Everest Basecamp and back with our Sherpa team.
We’ll fly from Kathmandu to Namche Bazaar the economic hub of the Khumbu region to start our adventure. Look at the map below. From Namche we’ll head to Khumjung and then off to Thame. From Thame we’ll take a “Sherpa Shortcut” to Phortse and on to Pangboche, Dingboche, Lobuche, Gorek Shep then Everest Base Camp.
FAQs
Do I need to be in shape?
Yes. It is important to be able to comfortably hike for 4 to 8 hours a day. We do not do huge distance but it is a lot of up and down so leg strength and cardiovascular endurance is necessary. Stair climbing, rowing, cycling, walking, and hiking with your gear are all great training methods.
Do I need insurance?
Yes. Travel insurance for any cancelations, interruptions, lost baggage, or illness is a must. Evacuation insurance is necessary in case of illness or a situation where you cannot continue the trek. Make sure your camera gear is covered on your homeowners or a professional insurance policy.
What is a typical day like?
Most days we are up at 6am and on the trail by 7:15. Lunch is usually about 10:30-11:00 for an hour or so. We get to our tea house and settle in around 3:00pm. Plenty of time to explore, take a nap, work on photos or just rest and take in the surroundings.
What kind of food will be served?
In Kathmandu pretty much anything is available from burgers to pizza and everything in between. In the Khumbu it’s mostly veggies, rice, lentils and potatoes. Dal Bhat is the famous Sherpa meal of lentils, rice and veggies. Eggs, fried rice, Sherpa bread, pizza, pasta and curries are popular along with the amazing dumplings. Most of the vegetables we’ll eat are grown right outside the tea houses and everything is made from scratch. You may want to bring along some of your own nibbles like mini Snicker bars, hard candy, granola bars M&Ms and such.
Is there special equipment required?
A water purifier (to reduce plastic bottle waste), a good sleeping bag and hiking boots are the critical requirements. We’ll have a complete list of recommended equipment. Camera gear is up to you but remember you’ll have to carry it! We’ll have some suggestions based on experience.
What about photography?
This is your trip and the photographic staff will take the time to understand what you want to get out of the experience. You’ll be on your own but with plenty of help if you want it. There will be lots of time for discussion and feedback. Storytelling is a big focus of the trip whether your own story or that of someone you meet along the way. This is not a workshop where all of us set up tripods to get the same photo. This is about YOU and what you want to get out of the workshop. We can discuss post production, workflow and gear, but would rather discuss seeing new angles, light, emotion and documenting your one of a kind experience.