E V E R E S T . T R E K . In InfraRed

[Click on the above title to go into the post]

Seeing the Everest Panorama Trek through the InfraRed lens.

[This was originally posted in ClubSNAP on 15 April 2011]

Everest Panorama Trek, Nepal.
With SgTrekker 17-26 Mar 2011

Both SereneXMM and I joined this most unforgettable trek on Everest Country, Nepal. We had a great team of buddies and wonderful companions for this tough climb. Due to weight issue, we didn't bring our full load of equipment. Thus I only had my 535nm modified Canon 20D as my IR camera.
But I told myself, whatever it was, I was going to bring back some IR photos of the Everest Country and Mount Everest.


So here we are, my humble shots. Taken using the 535nm.
This 535nm is really much more colourful than any of the other filters that I have ever used, and the colours given are so easy to process. Originally I thought the 535nm was only good for portrait. But now I know I am wrong.
Here, I attempted several different style of post processing for various sections of the trek, using slightly different tones.

Bhaktapur, Kathmandu

A ancient city with cobblestone walkways and red-bricked wall buildings decorated with period Nepali wooden Veranda, we found the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur most alluring.



It has many Hindu temples with erotic wall sculptures and carvings.







Everest Country Trek

We flew a small 16-seater Dornier 228 propeller plane into the tiny airstrip high up at 2800m in a valley, the world most dangerous airport - Tenzing-Hilary Airport.
Fortunately, we survived despite three days of flight cancellation due to bad turbulent weather.
Finally we started trekking. The weather was nice and cool, and the sun aplenty on this apparently early spring period. The ups and downs of the trek was tough. But the scenery was lovely.

Chaurikharka Village






Cheplung Village

We walked and walked to Cheplung. And looking up I saw this lovely Sherpa stone house.



And looking afar, another row of rock fence leading straight to another Sherpa stone house, here in Cheplung. The landscape, the salla and rhododendron trees add to the flavour of the stone houses.



Chhathuwa Village

So often we would walk past cottages with their own land for farming...




Mount Everest View, Namche Bazaar

Finally, when we struggled up a series of steep ascends to Namche Bazaar, we brought ourselves up to 3550m to Everst view point to see Mount Everest (Chomolangma 8848m) and her surrounding neighbour peaks.



This was the sunrise shot of Mount Everest.





Conservatory Memorial Park, Sagarmatha National Park

We walked up to this Everest View point at 3am to shoot the milky way and star trails. Here is an anyhow rendered IR shot of SerenXMM in the park.




Namche Bazaar

And as we walked down from the Everest View Point, the lovely Namche Bazaar opened up in front of us with the peaks as background,