Mister! Mister! One photo, one photo, please.
- Nepal is a world-class destination for mountain scenery, boasting eight of the world’s fourteen highest mountains.
- Below the heights of the great Mount Everest, Nepali people are usually happy to have you take their photos.
- This speaks volumes to the general attitude about visitors and the natural ability of hospitality that defines the Nepali people.
If you love capturing candid photographs of people, architecture or unique streetscapes, then you will love the photographic opportunities of Nepal. The former Himalayan Kingdom, now a democratic republic is a world-class destination for mountain scenery, boasting eight of the world’s fourteen highest mountains including Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth. But down from the heights there is a world of wonderful and unique photographic options that rival photos of the eight great ones.
Nepali people are among the most accommodating people on Earth and normally happy to have you take their photos, provided of course you show them on your camera, they love that. Around some of the temples the holy men known as Sadhu (sometimes Saadhu) may ask for a payment of 100 rupees, the equivalent of a US dollar to pose for you but regular people you may meet on the street probably will not ask you for anything. It only stands to reason that the country where for many years at the entrance to Dashrath Rangasala Stadium, the largest multi-purpose stadium in the country, there was a sign that said “Guest is God” or in Sanskrit verse, Atithi Devo Bhawa. It speaks volumes to the general attitude about visitors and the natural ability of hospitality that defines the Nepali people, making Nepal one of the top “bucket list” destinations.
In addition to candid “people” photography, there are streetscapes in Nepal that are exotic and unique. As a photographer working in Nepal, I never run out of places to photograph and even after many years photographing Nepal every time I turn a corner it seems there’s another scene waiting to be captured. There are so many nooks and crannies waiting to be discovered in places like the capital city of Kathmandu where unexpected, and unplanned growth, has created a veritable maze of streets to wander. So charge up your batteries, format your camera cards and get ready for a street photographers dream come true in Nepal.
Street photography is all about putting shoe leather down and walking the beat, but, while I did mention the streets can quickly turn into a maze, there’s no need for concern and you can stride forth with confidence as the vast majority of people in Nepal consider your well-being to be a personal obligation, even if they just met you. Several years ago a young woman who was staying in our home figured out after an hour or so that she was walking in circles, and she became confused as to which way to go in order to reach our home. She called us on her mobile phone and my wife, a Nepali herself, instructed her to go to the nearest shop and hand the phone to anyone there. Following a five-minute conversation the shopkeeper closed the shop, put the wayward guest on the back of his motorcycle and delivered her to our front door. That is the kind of hospitality you’ll find in Nepal. It’s a place where people don’t just give you directions, they will walk you personally to your destination.
Among the many photographic opportunities in the capital city of Kathmandu be sure to visit Asan Market, where the locals shop, Swayambhunath which is commonly called “monkey temple,” Boudha Stupa, the iconic stupa built in the 14 century and featured on many tourism advertisements for Nepal, and of course Pashupati, the common name for Pashupatinath Temple, one of the most important Hindu Temples in South Asia. All of these locations offer a plethora of opportunities to the traveling photographer. There are many tourism agencies that will organize a street photography tour, or you can just grab a map and venture out by yourself. Kathmandu is a city filled with culture and scenery unlike any other place on Earth and there are really unlimited opportunities for photography there, and frankly throughout Nepal from the heights of Everest to the Terai, the flatlands of Nepal where the birthplace of Buddha is located.
One photographer said of street photography in Nepal that it was “Chaotically Cool” and that’s a fitting description of one of the most unique places left on Earth.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- Among the many photographic opportunities in the capital city of Kathmandu be sure to visit Asan Market, where the locals shop, Swayambhunath which is commonly called “monkey temple,” Boudha Stupa, the iconic stupa built in the 14 century and featured on many tourism advertisements for Nepal, and of course Pashupati, the common name for Pashupatinath Temple, one of the most important Hindu Temples in South Asia.
- Street photography is all about putting shoe leather down and walking the beat, but, while I did mention the streets can quickly turn into a maze, there's no need for concern and you can stride forth with confidence as the vast majority of people in Nepal consider your well-being to be a personal obligation, even if they just met you.
- Around some of the temples the holy men known as Sadhu (sometimes Saadhu) may ask for a payment of 100 rupees, the equivalent of a US dollar to pose for you but regular people you may meet on the street probably will not ask you for anything.
