LADAKH: through the eyes of a native photographer

Ladakh is more than just a tourist spot, it is a journey to cherish. Its beauty is definitely beyond the capacity of words but it is the trip to Ladakh that is more alluring. There are a lot of things to keep in mind when one is planning a trip to Ladakh – you must always be prepared for the freezing temperature, acute mountain sickness or being stuck due to road blocks. The challenging terrain and shortage of oxygen will test your limits, as it is situated in the crown of India in Jammu and Kashmir. The area comprises of breathtaking scenic beauty of the snow capped mountains, the beautiful waterfalls and the holy Buddhist Monasteries which fills one's mind with peace through the holy chants. Bordered by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalayas and the Karakoram, it is a land which has no match.

Isaac Tsetan Gergan is an artist, photographer and designer from Leh, Ladakh who also describes himself as curious, adventurous and psychologist. The camera, to him, is one such tool, which allows him endless experimentation – like an artist with a paintbrush or a writer with a pen. Isaac says that it is a tool, which with constant use allows him to grow steadily and keeps surprising him upon his captures. When he started travelling through the mountains of Ladakh and its surrounding regions over the last eight years, photography was not a big focus for him; rather, it was a result of the journey. But over the last three years, photography has become his passion; from experimenting with countless point and shoot, early mobile phone cameras and manual film cameras, he has come to understand capturing his experiences is a consequence of a unified beauty.

For Isaac Tsetan Gergan, photographing Ladakh has been one of the most rewarding experiences so far. It is a story of his travel through the mountains of Ladakh and its surrounding regions. Be it taking the cameras on a walk, a trek or on a drive, the ever-changing Himalayan light has been constantly communicable to the eye and memory. In such a landscape, he still struggles to know that one special image. Isaac says, "While on long journeys through mountains in cars, the world passes by very quickly. As our brains like to freeze movements and we see better in stills rather than in motion, one must be a wayfarer as every now and then there is something you see in a split moment that gets etched in memory."

"It is an easy job to take a good photograph in Ladakh if you are ready with your camera, and your mind and body are in sync to capture the scene ahead of you," said the photographer. He believes that an investment made in travelling, listening, researching or learning about what we are photographing, gives photographs an extended life and weight. The artiste is on a constant journey to define a style and find new methods of photographing his experiences – mundane or extraordinary; and to look for the in-between moments, for that elusive light which marries what it touches in perfect harmony.

The exhibition of portraits and landscapes of Ladakh by Isaac is on till July 11 and is open for public viewing 11 am to 7 pm daily at the Art Gallery, IIC Annexe.