Winners Announced - Trek Photographer of the Month November 2021

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Winners Announced - Trek Photographer of the Month November 2021

Category Contest Archives;Photo And Blog Contests;Photo Stories

By Jothiranjan

2022-01-03

November in the mountains makes for stunning shots of landscapes. The grass is a magical sun-baked golden and is sprinkled with fresh frost every morning. You can also see the sudden colour changes from Autumn to Winter.  For the November 2021 Trek Photographer Of The Month contest, we received over 200 photographs. Each photograph was unique in its own way – an interesting frame, great perspective shots, Emotion photographs, and never-before-seen photographs of some of the world’s highest summits.

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

Winner

Prajna Pujary – Sandakphu Phalut 

The Molley campsite on the Sandakphu trek. Picture by Prajna Pujary

This is a picture that made us go “wow!”, not for the location or the composition. It’s purely for the colours and the morning light that’s been captured at the right moment. It’s hard to believe that this is a shot from a Himalayan village in India and not from any European setting. Congratulations Prajna Pujary! You have won the first prize, a Trek Voucher of Rs 5,000 along with this great day pack by Adventureworx!

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/1800, Aperture – 2.8, ISO – 200, Focal length – 10mm. (Captured in mobile)

 

First Runner up

Swati Gavde – Sandakphu Phalut

A panoramic shot of the Sleeping Buddha. Picture by Swati Gavde.

The Sleeping Buddha is perhaps one of the most photographed landscapes in the trekking world. Yet, here’s a vast panoramic shot that took our breath away. We love the colours of the sunset captured in this picture, the sharpness of the elements and the depth of field in the photograph. Congratulations Swati Gavde! You have won the first runner prize, a Trek Voucher of Rs 3,000.  

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/80, Aperture – 5, ISO – 400, Focal length – 66mm.

Second Runner up

Amith Sreedhar – Deoriatal Chandrashila

Trekkers watching the sunrise falling on Mt Chaukhamba. Picture by Amith Sreedhar.

For us, just to catch a sight of Mt Chaukhamba from the shores of the Deoriatal is worth doing the entire trek. Many trekkers capture the majestic mountain during sunrise or sunset from the Deoriatal lake. However, it’s rare for us to see a story unfolding in a photograph. This is what we love about this shot. We love the composition of this picture as it captures the exact emotion of beholding this view in front of our eyes. Congratulations Amith Sreedhar.! You have won the Second runner prize, a Trek Voucher of Rs 2,000.

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/60, Aperture – 4.3, ISO – 100, Focal length – 35mm.

Trekkers Choice Award

Harshal Mehta – Sandakphu Phalut

A horse meanders around a freshly snowed landscape at Sandakphu. Picture by Harshal Mehta.

This is a rare composition. There are a lot of spellbound colour combinations on a trek but the way this picture shows the combination of a brown horse & the white winter snow makes it class apart. Congratulations Harshal Mehta! you have won the trekker choice award.

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/320, Aperture – 4, ISO – 1250, Focal length – 70mm.

Aditya Ram – Kuari pass

The first viewpoint of Mt. Dronagiri from the Akhrotghetta campsite. Picture by Aditya ram.

As you step into Gorson Bugyal, you get a terrific view of Mt Dronagiri and Mt Nanda Devi. You don’t get to see this view anytime before this point. We love how this photograph captures the very first sight of this grand mount Dronagiri. From a photography perspective, we particularly liked the composition and framing of this photo, using the withering tree in the foreground. It made for a very rare shot of the mountain we have seen so many times.

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/2500, Aperture – 6.3, ISO – 200, Focal length – 45mm.

Siddharth Jain – Har Ki Dun

A trekker takes in the view of the Swargarohini massif from Har-Ki-Dun. Picture by Siddharth Jain.

Most trekkers go on summit climbs to get good views and a sense of accomplishment. Yet, here’s a trek in a valley that gives you as big rewards, and this photograph captures that beautifully. The composition, following the rule of thirds, the leading lines, with the trekker’s placement leading to Mt Swargarohini, the dramatic clouds, they all make for a stunning shot.

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/2000, Aperture – 2.8, ISO – 200, Focal length – 5mm. (Captured in mobile)

 Vedant Talnikar – Kuari pass

A spectacular view of mount Dronagiri. Picture by Vedant Talnikar.

Capturing scale on a trek is not easy. It often requires the photographer to climb heavily off the trail, go to a vantage point to get a perspective. And the photographer has done exactly that in this shot. It is one of the best photographs we have seen that captures the scale of trekkers against the backdrop of Mt Dronagiri. Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/1435, Aperture – 1.7, ISO – 100, Focal length – 4mm. (Captured in mobile)

 Harshal Mehta – Sandakphu Phalut

A resident on the Sandakphu trail looks on from his window. Picture by Harshal Mehta.

Sandakphu Phalut is a trek that exposes you to the culture of the Indo-Nepal border and the life they lead. Yet, it’s an aspect of the trail that is rarely spoken about. Which is why we loved this photo. It’s a simple portrait photograph, which can tell you a thousand stories and run you through so many emotions.

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/100, Aperture – 4, ISO – 2500, Focal length – 36mm.

Dharun Viswanathan – Phulara Ridge

Alpenglow as seen from the Bhoj Gadi campsite on the Phulara Ridge trek. Picture by Dharun Viswanathan.

This picture tells you how underrated the campsites of Phulara Ridge trek are. Here the Bhoj Gadi campsite is shown in such a marvellous setting. Simply for the novelty of this photograph, and the alpenglow on the mountain ranges in the backdrop, we love this shot.

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/60, Aperture – 4, ISO – 400, Focal length – 24mm.

Nikhil MG – Har ki dun and Ruinsara tal

A view of Maninda Tal from the Har Ki Dun trek. Picture by Nikhil MG.

Maninda Tal is a not-so-well-known part of the Har Ki Dun trek, but it feels like this picture finally positions it on a pedestal. We have never seen a picture of the lake flowing out into a stream from such close proximity, and with such a lovely composition.

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/4431, Aperture – 1.8, ISO – 125, Focal length – 7mm. (Captured in mobile)

 Ravichandra – Sandakphu

Sunrise at as viewed from Sabargram on the Sandakphu-Phalut Trek. Picture by Ravichandra

Silhouettes are not easy to capture. But here’s a photographer who has done so with aplomb. It’s not just the colours, but also the composition of the shot, which captures the sunset from Sabargram so beautifully. It almost looks like a painting out of an art gallery.

Camera Settings: Shutter – 1/200, Aperture – 6.3, ISO – 100, Focal length – 24mm.

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.