The People of Nepal
In November 2014, we were looking for ideas about our annual holiday. Our plan is to combine our search for interesting wildlife, birds and animals with my interest in photography. In a random search on Google, Nepal appeared. In the past we have tended to travel to North, Central and South America, but there was something about Nepal that caught our imagination. Ten weeks later we were waiting for our luggage to arrive on the carousel at the Kathmandu airport. The random search on Google had brought us to one of the most interesting and special countries we have ever visited.
On past holidays my main focus for the photography had been the birds, animals, insects and plants, but Nepal was different. The difference was the people. It is difficult to define what made the people special, but on reflection it was their dignity, their colourful dress, their relationship with the rural landscape and the warmth of their smiles.
These photographs are an attempt to capture and illustrate some of the special sense of the people. It was a project conceived during my visit as I came to realise how often I was drawn to photographing the people. As I was about to make the selection of images to be included, the dreadful earthquake occurred at 12:56 pm local time on Saturday 10 April 2015. Fortunately news from the Teri area of Koshi, Chitwan and Suklaphanta, has reassured us that the people we met are safe. However, although I our guides in Kathmandu are safe, as I looked at the smiling faces in Kathmandu and Patan, I wondered who had survived and who have lost their lives. It is impossible not to think about the carefree girl, around the age of my grand-daughter, blowing bubbles in the precincts of one of the many shrines. I hope she and her family are safe.
This gallery is dedicated to the people of Nepal for allowing me to capture a moment in their lives and keep them as one of the strongest memories of their country.
