I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them
Diane Arbus
I would never claim to be the only person to have noticed the things I photograph. But I do believe I often photograph things that not EVERYONE has noticed, or thought to photograph.
When I travel I of course photograph the famous sights, the landscapes, the architecture. But I also like to capture small details that, while perhaps not unique to the country, are part of my personal memories of it.
I’ve called this post ‘looking closely at Nepal’. But this isn’t really about looking closely at that country, if I’m honest. No, this is simply a collection of some of my favourite close-up shots from our time there, ones that probably won’t make the cut for posts about specific places because they could be anywhere. Most are flowers, a few are butterflies. Some I recognised, others I have named where I can, but one eluded my research. Please let me know if you can identify that one, or if I have any of the others incorrect!
I’m sharing these for Cee’s Midweek Close Up or Macro challenge.
Phanera
Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge
Pendulous Sleeping Hibiscus
Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge
Marigold
Temple Café, Patan’s Durbar Square
Hibiscus
Bandipur
Dhalia
Bandipur
Sulfur Cosmos
Bandipur
Calliandra or Powder Puff Tree
outside a roadside restaurant on our way to Pokhara
Morning Glory
near the Pokhara Peace Pagoda
Allamanda near the Pokhara Peace Pagoda
Growing in the hills near Pokhara
(can anyone identify please?)
Euthalia Nais (aka the Baronet)
gate-crashing our picnic in Bardia National Park
Bushbrown
Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge
Common grass yellow, on (I think) Acmella
Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge
I visited Nepal in October/November 2022
51 Comments
SoyBend
Loved the Phanera, Sarah! Also liked the hibiscus, one of my favorite flowers.
Sarah Wilkie
I love hibiscus too! I have so many photos of them but I can never resist another!
Amy
Beautiful, indeed! Wonderful to find beauties while traveling.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Amy, so glad you liked them 🙂
Teresa
Great idea to stop and appreciate the small details.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Teresa – it’s all part of absorbing the various aspects of a destination for me 🙂
Alison
Gorgeous gallery Sarah
They are all so pretty
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Alison, glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Aletta - nowathome
Gorgeous flowers!
Sarah Wilkie
Glad you liked them Aletta!
Leela Gopinath
That flower looks like Blue Mist .
You sure have an eye for detail and I have often felt that you click unusual pictures.
So what you said is true…
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Leela 😊 IJ, below, reckons the flower could be Ageratum (floss flower) – is Blue Mist another form of Ageratum?
norasphotos4u
Gorgeous collection of close up photos
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Nora 😀
thehungrytravellers.blog
Lovely stuff again, Sarah. But here’s a side issue….did you eat any morning glory on any of your visits to Asia? We had it in different forms in Thailand and Laos and it was absolutely delicious!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, and yes – we ate it in a super little restaurant in HCMC (Saigon). The restaurant was owned by a local businessman who’d set it up as a social enterprise, helping to train young people living on the streets to become chefs, waiting staff etc., thus giving them a leg-up. Not only is that great in itself, the food was excellent and the restaurant so popular we couldn’t get in the first night we tried and had to book ahead for the following night instead 🙂 Add the fact that it’s just around the corner from a fabulous micro-brewery and we really had super evening!
salsaworldtraveler
Outstanding photography Sarah! You always find great subjects for your photos and posts.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, that’s such a nice comment! I guess if you take enough photos you’re bound to find something to fit most themes 😆
Anna
These flower shots are stunning!!!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Anna 😊
bushboy
Wonderful flower macros Sarah and the bang here are some fabulous butterflies 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Brian. The ‘picnic’ butterfly was a gift as he hung around for ages, and the Bushbrown was quite easy to photograph, but although there were loads of those yellows they just wouldn’t keep still so that one took some stalking!
rkrontheroad
The Sleeping Hibiscus is my favorite of this bunch. I do so miss the fence entwined with beautiful blue morning glories that circled my yard when I lived in Denver.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ruth. I’d never seen a hibiscus like that before but at that lodge they had them all over the grounds. At first glance I thought they were regular ones that were dying!
starship VT
Sarah, while I love all the images you’ve captured for us here, and they certainly are beautiful, my favorite photos of yours are of larger animals and architecture. You take incredible photos of wildlife, and I love the architectural details in buildings you managed to find in places you’ve seen. Definitely a talent which I aspire to come close to some day but, its probably unlikely to ever happen!!
Sarah Wilkie
Ah, now that’s interesting Sylvia 🙂 While I enjoy taking these sorts of photos, they aren’t my favourites either! Like you I prefer wildlife photography, also details yes, and finally street photography. But these are fun too and a lovely way to brighten a dull winter 🙂 As for those kind words about my photographic capacities, of course you could do as well! Practice, a bit of patience and a lot of self-criticism to throw out (or at least not publish) any duds 😆
Cee Neuner
Each photo kept me inspired to take more flower photos. Awesome post 😀
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much Cee 😊 Sorry I haven’t engaged so much with your challenges recently, I hope to do so a bit more this year!
restlessjo
What a lovely bright collection, Sarah. I really like that unusual coloured Cosmos.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, it’s lovely isn’t it Jo? Such a ray of sunshine!
Rose
You do have a wonderful eye for detail Sarah. These shots are so pretty, and it’s amazing that they’re all in Nepal, yet could be anywhere in the world. They make the planet feel so much more connected. Which I think is a wonderful attribute to your photography, you make us all feel more connected.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rose – as always, I appreciate your thoughtful feedback and kind words 🙂
Sue
I think you are most adept at noticing the details, Sarah. 😊😊
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sue 😊 I think if you carry a camera for long enough you start to do so more and more.
Sue
I would agree!
Pepper
These are lovely macros.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – probably more close-ups rather than true macros, but I was happy with them 😀
Mike and Kellye Hefner
Your gorgeous shots just made my day, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Aw, thanks Kellye – I’m happy to have done so!
I. J. Khanewala
That looks like an invasive Ageratum (floss flower). It’s a butterfly magnet immediately after the monsoon
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – I had a feeling that if anyone could advise me it would be you 😀
I. J. Khanewala
🙂
Teressa Clark
Simply beautiful! I, too, am glad you shared these photos.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Teresa, I had fun taking and sharing them 🙂
grandmisadventures
Beautiful collection of the little details of Nepal 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks, I’m glad you liked them 🙂
Anne Sandler
Sarah, I’m so glad you noticed, stopped and photographed these small things and shared them with us.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne 😀
margaret21
I’m glad you found an excuse to showcase these magnificent shots. What a special moment with that sneaky butterfly!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Margaret 😊 Yes, he hung around for a while and I got several photos. Mind you, we were on a fruitless hunt for tigers that day, so he was only ever really a consolation prize!
margaret21
Works for me 😉