About the Location: The small city of Leh, India is nestled into the foothills of the Himalayas in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, it sits at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. From there, a 1.5-hour drive will get you into the mountains near a small village called Rumbak, accessible only by foot. We camped about an hour’s hike from Rumbak in sub-freezing temperatures at about 14,000 feet. The terrain was rough and unforgiving. The rewards were unmatched.
About the Shot: I came out of my tent on the first night of camping and was in stunned silence at the scene above me. Quite literally, I had never seen stars like this – at that elevation, with almost zero light pollution, on a crisp cold night. I was in awe. So, rather that try and get warm, I got my gear out and stood in this location for about 30 minutes trying to capture the best frame. I’ll not soon forget the experience!
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