August 2022 was all about the theme Contrasts.  And much to our pleasure, we spent the month looking through a few of the greatest photos! 

The photographers played with textures, highlights, shadows, colours and clarity. From colourful sunsets to stark silhouettes against snow clad mountains, we saw it all!

Composing such shots is not easy. Timing is everything! Being at the right place at the right time, with a little bit of luck. 

On the other hand, it could be purely your skill as a photographer and masterful editing. 

That’s why, going through over 600 photos was a delight. Yet, choosing the best 14 was hard. 

So here, we announce the Winners of the Trek Photographer of the Month in August 2022.

Winner

Akshay Upadhya - Gaumukh Tapovan

This is an absolutely spectacular sunrise image. Golden light falling on Mt. Shivling. Mt Shivling is one of the most beautiful peaks in the world. Maybe only once in a lifetime will you get to experience this scene right in front of you.

Everyone is curious about close up views of a mountain. Here’s where the benefits of using a telephoto come in. It captures everything. The photographer also has used his experience to bring all the elements of the mountain out. 

Congratulations Akshay Upadhya! You have won the First Prize, a Trek Voucher of Rs 5,000 along with this great backpack by Adventureworx!

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/500 , Aperture - 2.8, ISO - 100, Focal length - 400mm. 

First - Runner up

Sangharsh Lohakare - Pin Bhaba Pass

Mudh is a beautiful village that you see in the heart of Spiti Valley on the Pin Bhaba Pass trek. When you see Mudh, you feel like you are walking into an ancient civilization. The photographer here plays with the light and shadow to make the village look ancient. He has shown depth not only in the background but also the foreground. It’s a picture worthy of a postcard!

Congratulations Sangharsh lohakare! You have won the runner up prize, a Trek Voucher of Rs 3,000 along with this wonderful Paany Water purifier bottle.

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/580, Aperture - 2.2, ISO - 100, Focal length - 6mm. 

Trekkers Choice Award

Ravi Gupta - Gaumukh Tapovan Trek

This is a beautiful sunset image of Mt. Bhagarathi 1. When the sun rays hit the white snow capped mountain, the mountain takes in the colour of the rays changing its colour entirely. 

The photographer has successfully used his telephoto to centre the focus on Mt Bhagirathi 1 to make this photo even more breathtaking than it is! 

Congratulations Ravi Gupta! You have won the Trekkers Choice Award, gathering over 34.2% of the overall votes! You have won an Indiahikes Trek Voucher of Rs 2,000 along with a surprise gift from Indiahikes.

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/160 , Aperture - 5.6, ISO - 500, Focal length - 208mm. 

Nominations

Marek Sevcik - Hampta Pass

Chhatru on the Hampta Pass trek is a lovely campsite where you get glittering views of different mountain ranges. The views come to life especially during the starry nights like this picture. 

We absolutely love this picture because not only is it a beautiful picture but also a hard one to capture. Firstly, it's hard to set up your camera at night. Secondly, the shutter was open for 51 minutes to get this star trail! For those of you who have spent time outside your tent in the bitter cold night in the Himalayas, we’ll let that sink in. 

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/ 51minutes, Aperture - 11, ISO - 320, Focal length - 29mm. 

Neeraj Bisht - Kuari Pass

A lot of trekkers come to Kuari Pass to be in the vista of the big mountains of India. This close up picture of Mt. Neelkanth shows you why. 

We loved this sunrise portrait of Mt. Neelkanth. It is a well composed shot and despite the surroundings, the centre focus is directly on Mt Neelkanth, making the image even more attractive. 

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/250, Aperture - 6.3, ISO - 500, Focal length - 180mm. 

Megh Naik - Pin Bhaba Pass

Another picture of Mudh Village in this nomination! For the right reasons as well. It is a special village.  The harmony of the village is stunning. All houses face the same direction — east —, every house is similar in design and colour. No house is split over the boundaries of the village. Farmlands surround the village in an exact perimeter, and a clear stream always runs through the centre of the village, making it a lifeline. If this is not modernity, then what is?

This picture shows the lovely composition of the Mudh Village in the foreground. The famous Spiti mountains in the background bring out the contrast in both elements.

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/320, Aperture - 9, ISO - 100, Focal length - 52mm. 

Nikhil Varsolkar - Mahabaleshwar

It's rare to find a picture where the sunlight falls perfectly down on the forest.

This superiority is down to the photographer's technical skill. A lot of credit goes to the editing skills of the photographer as well. He has played beautifully with lights and shadows in this frame, leading to a well-composed picture. Capturing a low light in the forest and making the light the subject is not an easy task at all. 

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/250, Aperture - 5.6, ISO - 100, Focal length - 10mm. 

Atinderpal Singh - Kashmir Great lakes 

We know the Kashmir Great Lakes Trek very well for its lakes. But many don't know that you trek on 5 different green valleys over the course of 7 days. The setting of the meadows with its bright flowers and glacial waters flowing below is a set taken for endless wallpaper moments.

Even though this is a vertical picture, the photographer has done a terrific job to capture the grandeur of the valley, with perfect contrast of colours and lights in the foreground and the background. We love his perspective composition as well.

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/900, Aperture - 2.4, ISO - 40, Focal length - 8mm. 

Venkatesh- Kashmir Great lakes

The night sky on the Kashmir Great Lakes Trek is absolutely mesmerizing! 

We love the composition of this picture. The photographer spent a considerable time getting this shot. It shows the perfect contrast of the night colours as well the pine forests!

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/20sec , Aperture - 2.8, ISO - 2500, Focal length - 16mm.

Vani Shah - Kashmir Great lakes

This is a rare picture of Ganderbal campsite. It’s taken from an unusual angle. Trekkers usually pass through this place but don't take this shot. This picture is unique because it shows the various shades of the Kashmir Great Lakes Trek that we don’t usually see in pictures. The trekker has gone out of their way to show us the contrasts of the mountains, trees and meadows in this picture.

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/900 , Aperture - 1.8, ISO - 200, Focal length - 4mm. 

Srayan Goswami - Brahmatal Trek

This is a beautiful image of the Brahmatal Trek. If you notice, the image perfectly shows us the contrast between the mist, the sunlight, the trees and the shadow falling from the trees.

The photographer has used his brilliant editing skills to make the mist the centre focus of this image. There’s a certain art involved behind bringing attention to the mist. It’s a breathtaking image!

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/500 , Aperture - 5.6, ISO - 100, Focal length - 250mm. 

Arun Kumar - Sandakphu Trek

For almost every photographer who treks to Sandakphu, sunsets are their favourite. It’s not surprising! You witness different sunset colours all around you.

That's exactly what makes this picture so special. Contrasting shades of colour going from warm to cold. The silhouette of the trekkers in the foreground shows the perspective of the huge and wide landscape with the sunset happening right in front of them. The beauty of this image is down to the photograph's composition. Only a good photographer can get this. 

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/160 , Aperture - 5.6, ISO - 500, Focal length - 208mm. 

Atal Bajpayee - Brahmatal Trek

This a dramatic image from the Brahmatal Trek. It is extremely rare to get clear views of Mt Kamet and Mt. Hathi parvat in the same picture.

The photographer also has smartly edited this picture. The black and white colour gives us a stark contrast between the meadows and the mountains and also brings the main focus to the mountains. We also like how the contrast lighting makes this image so dramatic.

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/640 , Aperture - 8, ISO - 100, Focal length - 150mm. 

Satypramod - Kalpa

The village of Kalpa in Himachal is every photographer's dream. With good reason. The village is a perfect blend of Buddhist and Hindu culture with various ancient temples and huge mountains surrounding it.   

We love the composition of this image. In the foreground, you have the sun rays falling directly on the Buddhist temple. The image is topped off with terrific snow capped peaks of Kinner Kailash and Jorkanden.

With a tad bit of editing, the photographer has really brought the culture of the village to life. 

Camera settings - Shutter - 1/800 , Aperture - 5, ISO - 100, Focal length - 22mm. 

Thank you for participating! We’ll be back with more.