Ah…What can we say about December! It is the month when trekkers visit the Himalayas and fight the bitter cold nights. With frozen fingers, they say a silent prayer in their sleeping bags; a prayer to wake up to fresh snow.

From the pictures, it looks like our daredevils were graciously rewarded. These pictures blew our minds, proving once again that December is worth the wait. The snow looks absolutely untouched and fresh. These landscape pictures are the cream of the crop.

For this month’s contest, we have the nominations and winners chosen by our judge Anuja Gupta.

WINNERS

Trek Photographer of the Month – Jyotirmoy Paul

Kedarkantha

The composition of this picture is very good. It looks like the photographer has placed each human consciously in this picture. It looks like a moment truly frozen in time- the snow covered trees and the feathery clouds are just beautiful.

1st Runner Up – Sanjay Nargund

Sandakphu

The Sleeping Buddha has been captured a number of times, but just look at the colours in this picture. There are a lot of layers as well. I especially like how it looks like the clouds are snaking their way through the mountains to meet the Sleeping Buddha.

2nd Runner Up – Dan Alagarajah

Kuari Pass

Yet another wonderfully composed shot from the Kuari Pass trek. He has captured the light and the golden meadows of early December beautifully! You can see Dronagiri, the mountain that stays with you almost throughout the trek, right in front.

Trekkers Choice Award – Sayan Chawdhury

Deoriatal-Chandrashila 

A very well balanced picture, with a lot of clarity in the reflection. It is quite difficult to capture the lake this still. It looks like a mirror image! The shot is nicely composed and has great colours!

NOMINATIONS

Kuari Pass Trek – Santanu Sain

This is an outstanding picture of the mountains of the Kuari Pass trek. It gives you a sense of what a major portion of the trek is like. The placement of the trekker shows us how tiny we all are among the grandeur of the mountains. Good job!

Kuari Pass – Vaibhav Jain

Again, this picture is a great reflection shot. You see Mt Nanda Devi to the left and huddled up to the right are Trishul and Nanda Ghunti.

Kedarkantha – Sujay Ray

This picture has a lot of texture. As the mountain shoots upwards, you notice three trekkers, giving us an idea of the scale of the slope.

Kedarkantha – Jyotirmoy Paul

This looks right out of a storybook. There is  a lot of contrast in the picture. Look at how the colours shift from black to grey to white. The placement of the horse is a bonus, showing us that there is life in this harsh weather.

Kuari Pass – Sushma Honnappa

The Kuari Pass trail changes completely into a white wonder under snow. Look at how much space each trekker has the luxury to enjoy! This picture makes the trek look like a grand winter expedition. Great shot!

Kedarkantha – Sudarshan

There is a reason why this is my favourite campsite. Look at the wonderful colours and the clear, forget me not blue sky. The play of light in this photograph is particularly wonderful!

Kedarkantha – Kirthi KS

What’s not to love about this picture. The low angle shot makes the water feel like it could flow right off our screens. The silhouettes of the trees and the fog in the sky reminds me of the countless evenings in the mountains. Very beautiful composition!

Kedarkantha – Arjun Prasad

What a wonderful portrait! It follows the Rule of Thirds perfectly and the picture is marvelous.

Kuari Pass Trek – Santanu Sain

Another great shot by Santanu. The mules working hard trudging through snow. This picture can tell so many stories.

Which one is your favourite shot? Vote for it below!

• 1. Shlvaji Bandgar – Brahmatal Trek (30%, 384 Votes)
• 8. Priyabrata Sahoo - Brahmatal Trek (21%, 260 Votes)
• 4. Puneet Garg - Sandakphu Phalut Trek (19%, 237 Votes)
• 10. Vinay G - Kedarkantha (17%, 211 Votes)
• 5. Shriram Kondhawekar - Brahmatal Trek (5%, 57 Votes)
• 6. Siddhartha Paul - Kedarkantha Trek (3%, 42 Votes)
• 2. Deb Purkait  - Deoriatal Chandrashila Trek (3%, 40 Votes)
• 7. Vidya Sagar S R - Kedarkantha (1%, 18 Votes)
• 9. Amit Nandu - Kedarkantha (1%, 8 Votes)
• 3. Dileep Kumar - Dayara Bugyal (1%, 7 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,264

Voting ends on 31st January at 4:00pm

About our Judge Anuja Gupta