We’ve received some incredible entries for our in-house photography contest!

To give you a background, on 9 February 2022 we announced a photo-contest exclusive to team members of Indiahikes. This thought came from something that we have noticed for many years. 

Almost every day, we witness great photos being shared within Indiahikes. On Whatsapp, over emails. Unfortunately, these fantastic photos are lost in a blur of messages and updates. 

We initiated this photo contest to create a platform where brilliant trek photos find place and rightful recognition. 

Here we announce the Winners and Nomination of our In-house photography contest!

Winner

Anil Singh Bisht – Kuari pass

If there was an image we had to sample as “good composition,” this would be it. It follows all good photography practices — the rule of thirds, leading lines, well-balanced land vs sky — it is an ideal frame. We must admit, the setting adds a lot of drama to the photograph too, virgin snow, floating clouds, clear winter sun views of Mt Hathi Ghoda. It’s a calendar-worthy photo.

| Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/2000, Aperture – 1.9, ISO – 150, Focal length – 5mm. (Captured in mobile)

First Runner up

Tirth – Sandakphu Phalut

Most people think about snow when they think about winter. This is a strong reminder that winter can be these striking oranges and reds on the Sandakphu trek. This is another photograph that is masterfully framed, with enough focus on the foreground, yet not taking anything away from the magnificent background of the Sleeping Buddha.

| Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/1250, Aperture – 7.1, ISO – 200, Focal length – 24mm.

Second Runner up

Munendra Rana – Dayara Bugyal

Here’s a rare setting so beautifully captured in a photograph. Most photographers miss out on capturing photos during the summit climb. Your hands are freezing cold , you’re struggling with your breath, or in Munendra’s case, you’re even managing a team of trekkers. But he has managed to compose this shot to perfection, not only capturing trekkers’ ascents in the dark, but also capturing the break of dawn.

| Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/15, Aperture – 1.7, ISO – 200, Focal length – 10mm. (Captured in mobile)

Congratulations to the winners!

The first prize wins a water purifying Paany Bottle, which you can use on your treks to purify water.

The first and second runner up entries, win vouchers worth Rs 500 from Decathlon.

We wish you luck for our future photo contests!

Nominations

Mankuneg – Deoriatal Chandrashila

When we talk about the Deoriatal-Chandrashila trek, most of us focus either on the Deoriatal lake or the Chandrashila summit. The Tungnath temple often goes ignored by trekkers. But this photo showcases the temple exactly as it is — one of the highest Shiva temples in the world! Weathering the lowest temperatures, snowfalls, rainfalls, and yet standing tall at 11,500 ft, it is a photograph that captures the Tungnath temple at its hardest best.

| Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/1500, Aperture – 1.7, ISO – 100, Focal length – 24mm. (Captured in mobile)

Diptarka – Brahmatal

Here’s a picture that captures an important aspect of life in the mountains. It’s not easy to do a Himalayan Trek without the support of mules and muleman. They play a huge role in making it possible to camp at a higher altitude. It’s a picture that tells a story and that’s what we appreciate in this picture the most.

| Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/950, Aperture – 5.6, ISO – 400, Focal length – 55mm. (Captured in mobile)

Ravi Ranjan – Har Ki Dun

This picture depicts a beautiful winter setting of a remote Himalayan village. We love how the photographer has captured this picture with a lovely composition of various elements — the temple and a lone tree at the heart of the village, snow-covered slated rooves, the endless snow-covered forests in the backdrop. It makes it easy to imagine yourself being a part of such a setting.

| Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/342, Aperture – 2.2, ISO – 400, Focal length – 10mm. (Captured in mobile)

Santosh Rawat – Kedarkantha

Everyone loves a cute mountain dog. But we often forget how resilient they are. Which is why we loved this shot by Santosh Negi of a mountain dog braving the winter snow on the Kedarkantha trek.

| Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/125, Aperture – 5.6, ISO – 100,Focal length – 10mm. (Captured in mobile)

Upendra Rawat – Kedarkantha

Another terrific shot of the Kedarkantha summit! The vastness of the 360 degree view from the summit is beautifully captured in this shot. Yet, we wish it was cropped a bit to reduce the skyline a little. That would have made it a prize-winning shot.

| Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/1500, Aperture – 2.2, ISO – 100,Focal length – 10mm. (Captured in mobile)

Rahul Daima – Kuari Pass

We really liked the composition of this shot, following the rule of thirds. What we liked more, though, is the striking scale that you can see in the picture. The trekkers walking on the trail at the base are mere ants in comparison to the trekker who looks on. It gives you a wonderful sense of gratification to be on top!

| Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/1250, Aperture – 1.9, ISO – 51, Focal length – 10mm. (Captured in mobile)

Here are the rest of the Top Entries we got for the contest!

Thank you for participating. We’ll be back with the next contest soon!