Landscape nominee

The Himalayas, arguably one of the most breathtaking landscapes on the planet. An environment which boasts a visual spectacle displaying the magnitude, beauty and brute force of the worlds highest mountain ranges. Before I began this project it had been 17 years since I had been in the mountains. Creating this series was a visual rediscovery, a reminder of what it is that seduces so many. Its easy to become lost in the gaze, but behind the beauty is a landscape which commands respect, an unforgiving and merciless arena where climbing them is an art and living amongst them is an endurance. I wanted to work creatively on this project and maintain an artistic aesthetic. Using discontinued infa red film (Kodak Aerochrome 120) was a way of magnifying this and presenting these landscapes with an almost ‘unseen before’ element. Visually stunning yet eerie, lonely and almost alien in presence. It enabled me to show off the raw and inspiring beauty the Himalayan landscapes offer in a unique visual format whilst simultaneously offering a conceptual insight into a darker side of this beauty.