Winners Announced - Trek Photographer of the Month September 2021

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Winners Announced - Trek Photographer of the Month September 2021

Category Photo Contest

By Jothiranjan

2021-10-29

September in the mountains is a month where seasons change. Our monsoon treks come to an end, and a colourful autumn season begins. Trekkers can see vivid hues of bright reds, oranges, and browns, punctuated by lively green grass. It is also the time when you get the best mountain views, and clear visibility in the skies. Our trek photographers have made full use of this.

We received over 200 entries for the Trek Photographer of the Month contest. Each picture had its own story to tell. From stunning night shots of the Milky Way overlooking campsites, raw colours of autumn, this month’s entries made us go weak in the knees.

With that, we announce the winners of the Trek Photographer of the month September 2021 and the Trekker’s Choice Award Winner:

Winner

Sooraj Kumar – Gaumukh Tapovan Trek

Gaumukh Tapovan_Sooraj Kumar_ the golden grasslands with Mt Shivling at the background in Tapovan.

Reflections in the Kedartal Lake at 15,485 ft.

One can never get tired of the Kedartal Lake and the astounding views of the reflections in it. Here’s one such shot framed beautifully, capturing a lovely play of light and shadow.

Second Runner up

Pritish Bhanushali – Gaumukh Tapovan Trek

Gaumukh Tapovan – Pritish Bhanushali – A shooting star passing near Mt Shivling.

Only photographers know the sheer effort that goes into shooting a night shot. The cold weather, the bone-chilling winds, the numb fingers… In such a setting, it isn’t easy to frame a good shot, capturing two of the most beautiful mountains in one frame, and managing to capture a shooting star! Just for the effort, this photo wins the second runner up spot!

Trekkers Choice Award

Aditya S Rao – Sandakphu Phalut Trek

Sandakphu Phalut – Aditya S Rao – Sandakphu and its best of sunset and long meadows.

Trekkers had a tough choice this time. So did our judges. Our judges chose Sooraj’s photo as the first prize, even though it had the maximum number of votes. Which is why we are awarding the second-most voted for photograph the Trekker’s Choice Award.

Very rarely do photographers capture texture so beautifully. Most trekkers who visit Sandakphu capture the colours of the sunset and sunrise. Most of them are long shots framing the mountains in the distance. Here is a rare shot of the grasslands of Sandakphu, glowing a golden shade during sunset. A rare shot and one we love.

Nominations

Rupendra Yadav – Deoriatal Chandrashila Trek

The beautiful Deoriatal Lake, with Mt Chaukhamba looming in the background.

 

Subhash Harkidun – Ruinsara tal Trek

The Ruinsara Tal on a cloudy day.

 

Rahul Jha – Kedartal Trek

Post-monsoon colours on the Kedartal trek.

 

Subhash – Har Ki Dun Trek

A mid-day view of the Swargarohini massif as seen from the Har Ki Dun Valley

 

Vinayak Oak – Deoriatal Chandrashila Trek

The Baniya Kund campsite set amidst lovely oak and rhododendron forests.

 

Ujjwal Hadial – Buran Ghati Trek

The meadows of Dayara on the Buran Ghati trek. “Windows XP Wallpaper,” writes Ujjwal.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jothiranjan

Head Photographer

About the author

Jothiranjan is a National Award Winning wildlife and landscape photographer with over 8 years of experience. He has spent several years documenting animal and bird life in the remotest forest reserves of India. He joined Indiahikes with a keen interest to document the trekking world like nobody has before. He has been successfully pursuing his thirst for adventure and trek photography since 2021, gaining the priceless skill of adventure photography as he grows.