"Sher Baano "

Julley....

Greetings from Ladakh..!

Two days ago I came back from a Photography Expedition to Ladakh. Was there for 10 good days. These 10 days have changed my perspective towards life and has indeed taught me to look at things from a different perspective all together as a Photographer. 

Ladakh is a region of India in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that currently extends from the Kuen Lun mountain range to the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. The culture is very similar to that of Tibet. If you visit this place as a 'Tourist', you get to see its beautiful Mountain ranges, you get to stay in comfortable and cozy hotels, a local guide will take you to places like The Leh Palace, Stok Palace, shopping for local jewellery in the market is indeed a treat for all the women out there. Being a tourist you get to admire the region, and as you move form one place to another you can take some 'snapshots'  of the beautiful time that you spend with your family and loved ones. Okay, so why am I emphasising the word 'Tourist' so much.! Whats the difference between between the regular tourist and the group with which I went?! We also stayed in some great hotels, we too enjoyed great food in some local hotels.! We too feasted on some great dishes like Momos & Thukpaa..! Then what made the journey different..! It was the intention behind the visit..! We landed in Leh as a group of Photographers and not just tourist.! We went to the extremes of discovering places and shooting the best in the best way we could.

In this post I am going to share the story behind  one of my best portraits that I clicked in the village of Turtok (pronounced as Turtuk). 

 Well technically, A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. In the early days of Photography this is what is taught to the budding chaps as they first need to learn the technicalities of Portraiture. But Portraiture is beyond this technical definition. It is an art, an art of capturing the soul of the person. The very existence of the person should be reflected in the Photograph that you click.  

So giving a brief idea about the village Turtok, it is a village 205 km from Leh on the banks of Shyok River. Turtuk gram panchayat is the northern most village of India. Turtuk was under Pakistan's Control till 1971, but later India got control of this strategic area. Predominantly a Muslim village, residents speak Baltistani, Urdu and Ladakhi Language. Turtuk, is the last outpost in India from where the Pakistan- controlled Northern Areas begin. Turtuk is one of the gateways to the Siachen Glacier. Travelling from Leh to Turtuk gives you a great opportunity to click beautiful landscapes. The road through Turtuk goes through Nubra Valley which is another wonder in itself about which I will be writing in the coming posts. 

The Route from Leh to Turtuk is not that easy at it seems to be. From Leh first we need to travel through the Khardungla Pass which is the highest motarable road in the world situated at a height of 18,380 feet from the sea level. The temperature there is freezing and the air is very thing. Low oxygen levels make it difficult to stay outside of your vehicle for more than 10 minutes. . 

According to our original itinerary we were suppose to reach Turtuk on 26th of June by afternoon from Nubra Valley where we were supposed to reach by 25th of June. However due to unexpected snowfall at Khardungla the roads were closed and we had to return back to Leh. We started off early in the morning on 26th of June form Leh and travelled straight to Turtuk. 

We managed to reach Turtuk by late afternoon. Without wasting any more time we took out our Cameras and started walking towards the village.  

The people in the village are very simple and welcoming. The children were amused to see our group as we walked through the village with our cameras and big lenses attached to it. Me being a slow walker was left behind from the group. I noticed one of my friend Supriya clicking some kids in front of a small house and having a nice laugh with them. Without any much clue I too thought of going there. I noticed this young boy sitting on the tractor and posing for camera. I was too over-excited. I just wanted to click an  Epic  Portrait. I just went there, pointed my camera towards the boy and started clicking. All the technicalities were right. I managed almost perfect exposure, the framing was just great. The pictures that I saw on my monitor of the camera looked great too, however I could not connect with the Images that I had shot. 

Personally I feel that there should be a connection with the Image that you shoot. The photograph that you have clicked might be technically all correct but if you can't connect with your own image then sorry you haven't clicked the best. So while all this was going on I turned behind to. I saw this young little girl with a Pink scarf looking at me. She dint say anything, I just looked at her. She had the most beautiful smile on her face that I had ever seen. It was Friendship at first sight  for me..! I just sat on my knees, without even knowing my camera came up and the very next moment I was admiring the little girl through my viewfinder, my fingers automatically moved the setting wheels and the camera was set with the Perfect exposure needed. She was still looking at me, there was no fear or hesitation between both of us. I dint even realise when I pressed the shutter button. My camera was down and still we were there exchanging the unbroken smile. 

"Aapka naam kya hai...?"

"Sher Baano"...

These few words were enough for us to make us great friends.! From there this little girl follwed us throughout the village. Everyone clicked this girl. 

S H E R    B A A N O

I still cant forget this image, and the little girl. This is one has a special place in my heart. I have got no words to express my gratitude to almighty to have given me the opportunity to click the beautiful young Girl. I could capture the soul of this little girl in my camera. I hope you all too can just connect with this image the moment you see it... Presenting Sher Baano, my friend from a small Village Turtuk....

With Love & Gratitude

Abhishek (AD)

Stay tuned for more from Ladakh. Its my humble request to all of you to share this post with your friends, family and loved ones. I would like to thank Lightchasers, my mentor Jasminder Oberoi for his support and guidance in my journey as a photographer. Thank you Supriya for unknowingly helping me to discover this beautiful girl. My Gratitude to all my fellow Lightchasers. 

Thank you guys...!