Photography

There are a lot of things to see and do both in KTM and in the Khumbu on our trek.

Our visual senses will be bombarded with possibilities. From the crowds in KTM to the animals and landscapes on the hike to Namche Bazaar, we’ll be working with you to achieve your photographic goals. Mark, Axel, Emily, Doug & Bill will be available to talk about all aspects of photography, travel, trekking, etc. so come ready to ask questions and learn something new.

Kathmandu. A spectacular opportunity for street photos and environmental portraits.

Khumbu Valley

Namche Bazaar offers amazing landscape and village photo opportunities. It is the economic hub of the Khumbu and there are a lot of shops, open markets, animals and foot traffic.

Upper & lower Thame villages are amazing due to the vast geometry of stone walls that outline homes and grazing pastures.

Khumjung - American Himalayan Foundation Hospital. Sir Edmund Hillary School.

Phortse - Khumbu Climbing Center & portrait photos. Dramatic sunrises are possible and great astro photography. The village offers up endless photo opportunities for landscape, architecture, animals, macro, people and environmental subjects. The first of the National Geographic weather stations is here and they reach all the way to the summit of Everest now. Check it out at: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/perpetual-planet/everest/weather-data/

Pangboche monastery. Axel’s hometown and where we will have a private Puja to bless our trek. Then portrait opportunities with the monks.

Dingboche. Great landscapes including the Khumbu glacier and views of Everest. This is a good time to back up cards, review images and rest at 14,400 ft. (there is a great bakery in Dingboche!)

Lobuche to Everest Base Camp overnight in Gorek Shep. A few options here depending on group health and desires. The landscape gets pretty dramatic and opportunities for Astro photography are very good.

Sunrise photos of Everest from Kala Patthar peak 18,519 ft. Then descend to Periche and visit the Himalayan Rescue Center. We’ll be on the other side of the river from our ascent. Really cool old stone shepard cabins along the way, and more stone walls!

Descending from EBC is much faster than going up!

We’ll stop in Tengboche to visit the Buddhist monastery and take in the dramatic landscape. (They also have one of the best bakeries and coffee shops on the trek.)

Back in Namche we’ll have a coffee at Sherpa cafe. Discuss post production strategies and ideas for sharing your one of a kind images. Take stock of what we’ve done and where we’ve been and ask those questions or things you’ve thought of regarding your photography.

Fly to KTM via helicopter.

Along the way make sure to chat up our Sherpa guides. With over 25 Everest summits between them and many more 8,000 meter peak summits they have amazing stories to share.

You do not need a fancy schmancy digital camera with lots of lenses. On the contrary, you should bring a kit that challenges you. A phone is fine. A film camera is fine. Want to limit yourself to one or two lenses? That’s fine too.

We’ll help you get the most out of what you have and what you bring along. The important thing is to see and pay attention to what is around you. If something makes you stop and stare, or stop and think, or just stop, it’s probably a good start to a great image.