WHEN NATURE CALLS Photo

Photographer’s Note

First of the Gurudongmar Lake after having shared the stretch of land just before with a snow capped peak and a barren one within a needle of separation...

and the one where i had to Follow The Trail .

Gurudongmar Lake (also known as Gurudogmar Lake) is one of the highest lakes in the world located at an altitude of 17,100 feet (5,148 m).

The Sacred Lake lies on the North side of the Khangchengyao Range in a high plateau area contiguous to the Tibetan Plateau. The stream emerging from the lake is one of the source-streams of the Tista River. - Wiki.

The circumstances under which i had made it here are worth sharing..hence the title.

The trip from Lachen to Gurudongmar is the standard one..all tourists take this. The day i had started the roadtrip was an unfortunate one..there was snowfall all night..storm..the roads were blocked..the vehicle i was on was skidding all the way making it unsafe to 17100. Yet i kep the vehicle pushing till 15000..on icy tracks..what is this.. Stupidity or Love for Nature.

We had to backtrack and call it off that day. There was a few hours of sunshine the foll day..this lake was off my schedule for good..but after a long negotiation and arguement with my driver over dinner..we headed for the lake at 3am..we were taking a risk..my driver was reluctant..there was no alternative.

The roads had opened up all the way till 17100 and we were greeted with this view and more.

One should never give up..especially when Nature is calling !!

You have to believe you can get there..dont think that is being stupid !

One query..we were asked by the army to return before 12 noon after which the wind speed becomes so strong it can even blow away army trucks. The deadline is 12 noon. What winds are these..something to do with the altitude..solar winds..i need to know..ANY CLUE ??

F29;1/25

Have a great Sunday.

Cheers.

holmertz, jhm, Floydian, Silvio1953, worldcitizen, pauloog, Clementi, akm, ribeiroantonio, alainh, lestans, Philippe, avene, Cricri, trekks, PixelTerror, aurora_borealis, Wanda1, subhendu_bagchi has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

lousat (15302) 2009-05-03 1:51

Hi Sayeed,a very beautiful place.....it's easy to make great pics whit this lanscape under your eyes...ehehe...but your work very well for a perfect result,the colors,the lights and the sharpness are really fantastics!!Thanks for the note too,have a nice Sunday,LUCIANO

holmertz (9564) 2009-05-03 1:57

Hello Sayeed,
This is a lovely view and your picture is very well balanced between the layers of ground, water and sky, as well as dark against light. Very fine colours and sharpness.
Best regards,
Gert

dta (4960) 2009-05-03 2:08

Hello Sayeed ,
A gorgeous mountain landscape , with a wonderful clarity , and a nice reflection .
Thanks for the share .
Regards

jhm (82297) 2009-05-03 4:46

Hello Sayeed,

Lovely quiet place and a wonderful mountain landscape.
Also the contrast of the relections in lake are very well.
Composition and presentation are superb.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice sunday,
John.

janusz2054 (799) 2009-05-03 4:55

Hello Sayeed
Wonderful view of this mountain and lake.
Very good composition .
Well done.
Janusz

Floydian (30970) 2009-05-03 5:19

Hi Sayeed,

An impressive landscape were also your composition adds a lot to this breathtaking scenery. Love those patches of snow in the foreground, they give a nice touch to the image but also the clarity and the fresh crisp colours add a lot to lift this picture up to a higher level....excellent.

Regards,

Henk

Silvio1953 (41533) 2009-05-03 6:16

Ciao Sayeed, fantastic mountain landscape with fascinating reflections, splendid light and colors, very well done, have a good Sunday, ciao Silvio

MarcT (21097) 2009-05-03 7:44

Hi Sayeed,
Very nice high altitude lake.
Beautiful light and mountains in the background.
Cheers
Marc

pauloog (6406) 2009-05-03 8:35

Helolo Sayeed,
A beautiful view from your country, brought crystal clear with fine soft and natural tones of grey, blue and white. Really a finer place well captured with its reflections on the ice and the water.
Regards,
Paul

moonbasu (20) 2009-05-03 9:04

Hi Sayeed,

It is a beautiful view of Gurudongmar Lake.
Contrast of ur picture is good. Thanks for shared with us.

Moon

marietom (31802) 2009-05-03 9:20

hello sayeed,

Magnifique composition, avec ce beau reflet. Les couleurs sont superbes.
Bonne soirée
Marie

mvinagre (285) 2009-05-03 13:35

Ola Sayeed

Very beautiful landscape and great picture, very good light and composition.

miguel

Clementi (43757) 2009-05-03 13:46

Ciao Sayeed,
a true natural paradise , from the very vivid colors and with some very beautiful reflexes,
good job
Giorgio

akm (664) 2009-05-03 19:35

Hello Sayeed,
I'm glad you survived the adventures involved in finding and capturing this wonderful image!
Regards,
Mary

ribeiroantonio (21885) 2009-05-03 19:41

This is an excellent picture with remarkable colours, clarity and impressive reflection.
Antonio

darek1978 (11165) 2009-05-04 12:54

Hello Sayeed,
You play excellent with depth and perspective.
A fantastic composed and very well captured. This view is really gorgeous. Well done!
Best regards,
Darek

sacimar (7381) 2009-05-04 13:24

Hi Sayeed,

beautiful picture and interesting note, I like the reflection of the mountain, colours and sharpnes are excellent, good perspective, great work!

Have a nice week!

Sergio

alainh (35359) 2009-05-04 21:34

hello Sayeed
the good tittle for the good picture !
nice place and avery quiet, salvage and natural composition.
you live in a great contry.
friendly, Sayeed
alain

lestans (15448) 2009-05-05 0:43

hi Sayeed!! This one is amazing! I love color layers, reflections, and sharpness, I feel high mountain air in this shot! Nice to be a tourist here, bravo, beautiful landascape!
Livia

Philippe (11771) 2009-05-05 12:00

Hi, Sayeed. A very beautiful mountain landscape. A good composition with the rocks in the foreground to give depth to the image. Good reflections on the lake surface. And the rocks on the other side of the lake against which the top stands out very well.
Have a nice day,
Philippe

gilou530 (35066) 2009-05-05 13:25

salut sayeed
une vue des montagnes d'inde magnifique, je n'y suis pas allé j'ai fait que le rajasthan, une région que tu mets en valeur avec ce lac d'altitude et ces neiges éternelles, photo trés bien composé
amitiés
gilber

avene (10944) 2009-05-05 20:41

hi Sayeed,
I've always thought that layers work really well in landscape shots, and your prove me right :) I like a lot the strong horizontal lines that always create a feeling of harmony, but also a feeling of large space, and I guess that's exactly what you were looking for in this composition. I read your discussion with Henk, and even if I see his point about sunset/sunrise time that would give warmer colours, I think your version here works even better to convey the crisp air of high altitude. great shot, my compliments.

best,
Kristine

Cricri (43030) 2009-05-05 23:09

Hi Sayeed
Vraiment belle cette image, pleine de clarté, un bel effet de miroir de la montagne, un avant plan intéresant avec les quelques plaques de neige, très jolie
Friendship
cricri

delpeoples (5858) 2009-05-06 2:35

Hi Sayeed, I love the title of your photo, it gave me a giggle. But now...for the photo itself - what a wonderful shot. At f/29 I can't believe how beautifully sharp the DOF is all the way throughout. The colours are really crisp and the reflection is superb. Great job, Lisa.

trekks (14262) 2009-05-07 5:29

hi Sayeed

A beautiful landscape scenery! Sikkim!

You have done a great job in this capture of such a lovely view with superb light and contrast. Very good sharpness at f/29.

Good work.

tfs, bill

PixelTerror (86038) 2009-05-07 13:51

Hi Sayeed,
Very nice mountain image, including the foreground shoreline was a good idea contributing to image depth, the reflection is troublled by the wind but still present, excellent snow highlights.
Have a nice day JY

everlasting (10898) 2009-05-08 0:52

An impressive composation Sayeed, we see the snow in three layers, the foreground the reflections and the top of the mountains, nice work.

aadilj (17950) 2009-05-08 4:19

This sayeed, is worth a million!!! I love the way you have composed this extremely serene and wonderful scene

COSTANTINO (22551) 2009-05-08 9:34

Hello Sayeed
Your useful notes describe in detail everything we wish to know,the view is amazing,the place splendid and the reflections offer a great result.
..Everything in this shot is well composed,nicely balance between the layers of the ground,water and sky
have a nice week end
Costantino

aurora_borealis (309) 2009-05-08 12:00

Hi Sayeed.

What a stunning and beautiful landscape. Would've so liked to go to Gurudongmar Lake, but as foreigners it isn't possible to go farther up than thangu. Which we as well couldn't visit because of the heavy snowfall (which occured to you as well I see), the jeeps tires were just too run down and wouldn't get enough grip on the icy roads.

What a reward to get through all this bad weather and then be greeted by such a stunning sky and sight!

As to your question about the heavy winds...in mustang we experienced quite the same thing. The air above the tibetan plateau heatens up during morning and the air starts to rise into higher elevation, whereas it acts like a giant vacuum cleaner, sucking up all the air from the lower valleys.
In Mustang we encountered that phenomenon exactly the same time around lunch always blowing from south towards the north.
Hope that helped.
Have a nice weekend
Cheers,
Laura

Wanda1 (10923) 2009-05-08 22:18

Hi Sayeed,
It is so splendidly beautiful, and a nice crisp scene. Great depth all the way through and I like the various layers from the foreground with the dark stones and bits if snow which is echoed again with the snow on the mountain in the distance. Lovely!
Regards
Wanda

jafadabret (39441) 2009-05-12 5:10

Hello Sayeed.
C'est un paysage de rêve que tu as photographié avec ce sommet qui se reflète dans ce lac si bleu. Les conditions de vie dans ces endroits ne sont pas toujours idéales mais le spectacle par moment est d'une beauté irréelle.
Jacques

dkeus31 (26144) 2009-05-16 9:27

Hi Sayeed,
nice landscape, this mountains are impressive!
good reflection too
regards
didier

vmukherjee (395) 2009-05-18 20:05

Magnificient shot of a calm and serene place. The beauty of this place is breathtaking. I specially like the cool colours. Thanks for sharing.

subhendu_bagchi (2976) 2009-10-22 9:58

Hello Sayeed,
what a presentation of this beautiful lake! Nice atmosphere. Light is very good. Depth, colour and sharpness all are great. Your point of view is so good that provides us such reflection of this peak. We are planning to visit this very place. What will be the best time after january to april? Anyway superb capture. Tfs.
Have a great time.
Subhendu