In photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary
David Bailey
It cannot be said that I found anything in Nepal ‘ordinary’. But at the same time I know what David Bailey means, and it’s something that fascinates me about travel photography. I always want not just to capture the big ‘sights’ but also the tiny details. I often photograph something that perhaps could be found anywhere: a leaf, a stone wall, a ripple on the water. But I found it here in this place so I want to capture it.
This week Jude asks us to look for texture for our Lens Artists challenge posts. So I hunted through the photos I took on our recent Nepal trip to find some that hit the brief. Many of these things could be anywhere but they weren’t, they were in Nepal. And each therefore is as much part of my memories from that holiday as any temple or mountain view.
Some of these photos may appear again, in posts about specific destinations in Nepal, for which I apologise in advance! I’ve edited them in Nik Silver Efex Pro for this post, as I like the way that monochrome throws all the emphasis on shape and texture rather than colour. So I’ll also share these, belatedly, with Bren for her Mid-week Monochrome challenge.
Detail of a tiled temple roof in Durbar Square, Kathmandu
An ancient wood carving in a house in Bhaktapur
Dried noodles in a shop in the ancient mountain town of Bandipur
A typical house in Bandipur
Banana tree leaves at Temple Tree Resort, our hotel in Pokhara
Tree trunk at Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge, Chitwan National Park
Retired riding elephant at Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge, Chitwan National Park
(the lodge stopped offering elephant-back safaris some years ago and retired their elephants; one reason why we chose to stay there)
Tiger footprint, Chitwan National Park
(no, we didn’t see any tigers, unfortunately)
Marigolds in the temple town of Manakamana
Leaf reflections on Fewa Lake in Pokhara
I visited Nepal in October/November 2022
52 Comments
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wetanddustyroads
So much texture here Sarah … I can almost feel my fingers running over some of these photos. The dried noodles, the elephant’s skin (that’s a beauty) and the marigolds are all favourites!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – I think those three are the most popular, with the elephant the outright winner!
rkrontheroad
Lovely. The banana leaves are my favorite.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ruth 🙂 I think you’re the first person to single them out – isn’t it fun how we all like different things?!
pattimoed
Stunning, Sarah! What a great post! I love your textures, highlighted in b & w. The elephant is amazing. What a great capture.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Patti 😊 Everyone seems to love that elephant!
Wind Kisses
I love that you decided monochrome was the choice bring bring the contest to textures in Nepal. And that you are reminded of your trip by some little things is the best thing about photography. While the expression of the elephant is priceless. I do love the dried noodles. Such a great trip.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Donna 🙂 I smile when anyone mentions the noodles as I know the colour version will surprise you all when I get around to my Bandipur post!
Wind Kisses
I’ll be look forward to that.
SoyBend
Lovely choices to show in black and white, Sarah. I especially liked the elephant picture.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Siobhan – it seems the elephant is the clear winner here 😀
restlessjo
I loved the marigolds and the ellie, Sarah. Margaret sent me scurrying here, and yes I agree, but I’ll reserve judgement on the leaf reflections till I see them in colour. You must be having a fantastic time looking back through the trip.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jo 😊 You’re probably right to reserve judgement on the reflection shot – I like this B&W version but the colour is better! No doubt it will make an appearance in a future blog 🙂
I. J. Khanewala
Beautiful. Loved the dried noodles
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 As I said to someone else, wait till you see them in colour!
gsilvosa63
nice detail, Sarah
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂
grandmisadventures
beautiful pictures. I think the black and white really brings out the depth and texture of each picture 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much 🙂 Yes, I feel B&W works best for this sort of shot, glad you agree!
Leya
Wonderful post, Sarah! Monochrome is perfect of course, and it is hard to choose favourites here. The hibiscus and the elephant maybe are the ones I came back to more than three times…!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ann-Christine, I’m so glad you liked them. More than three times is a real compliment, I do appreciate it 😊
susurrus
It’s a great idea to theme them. I loved the surprise (and the similarities) of the elephant after the tree trunk. The wood carving is amazing. It was interesting how I misread it for stone at first glance, and had to re-read the texture.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 😊 Yes, I saw the similarity between the tree trunk and the elephant so deliberately placed them together – I’m really glad you saw it too! The carings in that house were all amazing. The owner had amassed a collection and opened his home to visitors to see them. I’ll share more soon 🙂
Cee Neuner
Textures show up more in black and white. My favorite is the elephant close up 😀 😀
Sarah Wilkie
I think she’s the winner at present 🙂
JohnRH
WOW. Great photos. Noodles, brick, ‘phant, I like ’em all.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you John 🙂 Never seen elephant shortened to ‘phant before 😆 I think I’ll stick to ellie as the short version!
Heyjude
Monochrome is indeed a great medium for showcasing textures and patterns that could be easily missed in a colour version. I also like to use Nik Silver Efex Pro to convert my colour images. Hard to choose one out of these excellent images Sarah and I agree with you that we often take shots of things that can be found anywhere, but it’s the memories attached to a photo that makes it special. I adore elephants so that one is a star for me, but the tiles, the carving, the leaf and the reflections are all wonderful. And how exciting to find that tiger print. Sounds like you had a most memorable trip. And thank you for sharing these photos for the texture challenge.
Jude xx
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jude – it was a great choice of theme for a challenge! I’m sure I have plenty in my archives but as I’m currently still working on my Nepal photos it made sense to pull a few out from there for conversion 🙂 It was indeed a memorable trip!
Heyjude
I am glad you used photos from your recent trip. I’m sure you must have thousands to sort through!
Sarah Wilkie
Yep!!
Anne Sandler
Thank you for sharing these images, especially in monochrome, Sarah. The dried noodles are an excellent photographic shot, but what truly touched me emotionally was the elephant. And, don’t apologize for showing images more than once. I will never get to the places you travel and love to see them again and again.
Sarah Wilkie
Aw, thank you Anne 😊 I’m happy to take anyone along on a virtual trip, any time!
Amy
What an extraordinary texture selections, Sarah! The hibiscus is remarkable. I also love the elephant image.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Amy 😊 I’m a big fan of hibiscus and elephants and always looking for new ways to photograph them!
Amy
They grow well in this part of Texas. 🌺
Sarah Wilkie
But only under glass in the UK – one reason I love them I thin is that I associate them with travelling 🙂
Dougiepoobear
Oh my goodness Sarah! That tiger footprint 😲
Sarah Wilkie
So frustrating – we saw footprints in several places but no tigers!
Mike and Kellye Hefner
I love all of these, Sarah – even better because they are in black and white! My absolute favorite is the leaf reflections on Fewa Lake. It is a perfect piece of abstract art and it really drew me into the photo.
philosophy through photography
Great collection.
Love the ancient wood carving, noodles and Bandipur wall with windows
Extraordinary!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Kellye. I took several photos of those reflections and they great in the original green too so no doubt I’ll share them in due course 🙂 And Philo, thank you too 🙂
Tina Schell
I agree with Margaret Sarah, the monochrome was the perfect choice for this one. They’re all wonderful but forced to choose I’d be torn between the noodles and the leaf reflections. Wonderful choices for the week.
Sarah Wilkie
So glad you liked them Tina, and the monochrome treatment 🙂
thehungrytravellers.blog
They’re all terrific Sarah, but love the unusual shot of the dried noodles. Maybe because without a caption I don’t think I would have guessed correctly what it is!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – and wait till you see the colour version of that noodles shot, I think it will surprise you 😀
Bren
Oh Sarah, these are terrific images … I just love the elephant’s eye. Xx
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Bren – the elephant is emerging as an early favourite, it seems!
Bren
He’s sweet… xx
margaret21
Choosing to show these images in monochrome was an excellent idea. It does, as you say, highlight the texture. I a crowded field of characterful photos, I loved that detail of the elephant. Now I’m off to decide whether the images I’ve chosen for the challenge might be better served in monochrome!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Margaret, and I’m pleased if I’ve given you an idea for your own post 😀