Kedarkantha winter 2011

It wasn’t easy picking the top three. All the 12 photos were so good. After much consideration and many rounds of discussions between the judges we have finally arrived at the top three photographs of the Kedarkantha trek photo contest. Here are the results. Please post your comments below.

Third prize:

Krishna Teja

Second prize:

Harish Kumar

First prize:

Amit Moghe

These were the three top picks. However, the other submissions were quite good too except for minor improvements here and there. As a general guideline, it is okay to enhance an image in Photoshop but the work should be subtle so that it doesn’t look too obvious. Image No 10 by Rahul Negi could’ve been a splendid capture if the blurring effect was achieved through use of DOF or if the Photoshop work had been less obvious. Images no 3, 7 and 8 have to be mentioned for the beautiful compositions that they are. Watching all the 12 submissions it is quite evident that our trekkers are keen observers and have captured the essence of the trek beautifully! Congratulations all!

A note from Indiahikes:

The response to the Kedarkantha trek photo contest was very encouraging. To fuel this we have increased the value of the prizes of the winners.

First prize: Rs 5000 trek voucher from Indiahikes (can be redeemed on any future trek of Indiahikes). Plus a trekking pole. Plus an Indiahikes T-shirt.

Second prize: Rs 2500 trek voucher from Indiahikes. Plus a trek headlamp. Plus an Indiahikes T-shirt.

Third prize: Rs 1000 trek voucher from Indiahikes. Plus a trek headlamp. Plus an Indiahikes T-shirt.

Photographers who were not in the top 3 but were chosen in the list of final 12 get an Indiahikes T-shirt each.

Those who have commented on Facebook and have got one of the finalist right, get an office pin up of the winning photo sent to them by post.

Kedarkantha Photo Contest 

Here are the shortlisted 12 best photos of the Kedarkantha winter trek photo contest. Trekkers were asked to submit their best photos from the trek for the contest. We received 63 entries – and these are the shortlisted 12 with our comments.

The judges, Saurabh Chatterjee and Neelima Vallangi, will now run through these 12 photos and choose one among them as the winner. Before the judges choose, tell us which of these photos deserve the best photo award (use the comments box below). If your choice matches the judges, you get a special print of the best photo sent to you by post.

The photographs selected here are in random order. The numbers attributed to the photos are to identify the photographer and does not denote any ranking by Indiahikes. Use the number and the name of the person to make your comments.

The photograph of the setting sun on a snowy landscape was taken by Amit Moghe. It was shortlisted for its vibrant capture of the late evening colours.

Dusk over the winter mountains was again brilliantly captured by Amit Moghe. The mist hanging on the hills lends a fairy tale charm to the scene.

Ramkumar captures the serenity of the Juda Talab camp site. The subdued tones of the photograph reflects the stillness and the chill in the air. The reflections of the pines and the mountains on the still water of the lake adds to the quietness of the camp site.

The picture of mules grazing on patches of green showcases the desolate nature of the winter trek. The abandoned hut adds to the isolation of the location. Picture by Drumil

The night sky over the Juda Talab camp site by Harish Kumar shows brilliant low light technical skills of the photographer. The glow of the camp fire on the trees, the illumination of the tents and the star studded sky add drama to the picture.

Hanging huts on the trail is a common feature of life in the hills. The mood of living life on the edge is captured very well by Nikhil Narayan.

Sometimes a picture tells a thousand words. The sight of miles and miles of blue rolling hills is a sight every trekker itches for on a trek. Pankoj Das brings it alive with a perfect blend of light to create a picture of serenity beyond words.

A sunny camp site with a grim reminder of the snowy conditions by Rahul Negi captures life in tents on a trek

The stillness of the bells in the backdrop of a still winter in the hills adds a sense of mystery to the setting. The picture by Rahul Negi is an example of brilliant use of inherent light.

Dogs follow trekkers everywhere on the trek, sometimes being with them on the entire stretch of the trek. Trekkers leave the dogs with a heavy heart. The picture throws in a wonderful perspective of the feelings of our canine friends. Photograph: Rahul Negi.

The picture of trekkers huddling around a camp fire with a lone trekker oblivious to the warmth of the fire but engrossed in the beauty of the setting captures the essence of the trek: nature is sometimes beyond anything.Photograph: Krishna Teja.