Photography and Words by Nicholas Leslein
This series of images was taken in Northern India in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir during a one-month solo photographic adventure. Initially drawn to India by the Himalayas and Buddhist culture of the extreme north, I traveled most extensively within the former kingdom of Ladakh, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh offered the perfect vantage point for much of what I desired. Treks into the Nubra Valley included travel to terminal tourist destinations, heavily fortified military installments, serene monasteries perched on mountainsides, and a venture across “The World’s Highest Road” at Khardung-La, a reported 18,380 feet of elevation. Although the Buddhist culture and the “roof of the world” were more fascinating than what I could have anticipated, I was equally impressed with what the rest of Northern India offered the intrepid traveler. I traveled by private vehicle, which opened up a wealth of opportunities for sight-seeing and exploration within the arid but colorful Rajasthan. In addition, I was able to explore Uttar Pradesh, where the numerous religious festivals along the ghats of the Ganges River provided some of the most vivid and memorable experiences of my life. After my month of travel through the vibrant country, the tourism slogan “Incredible India” made perfect sense.
For more of Nick’s work check out his Flickr and 500px galleries or contact him directly at leslein [dot] nicholas [at] gmail [dot] com
Nicholas Leslein is an amateur landscape and travel photographer based out of Portland, Maine. Nicholas graduated from medical school in 2011 and is now pursuing a career in medical imaging as a bridge between the scientific and creative backgrounds he has cultivated since childhood. His work has largely focused on remote and exotic locations across the globe. Inspired by his curiosity for adventure and decades of reading National Geographic magazines, Nicholas aims to convey the astounding beauty of a world few have the opportunity to visit through his photographs. His images have won awards in the medical literary arts community and been published in medical literary arts journals, featured on numerous blogs, and highlighted as “Travel Photo of the Week” for National Geographic Traveler magazine. His adventures abroad have taken him to nearly thirty countries on four continents and include scaling a 6,000 meter peak in Bolivia, searching for orangutans on a house boat in the Bornean jungle, being charged at by wild elephants in Sri Lanka, and exploring reef ecosystems from Thailand to Indonesia. When Nicholas is not traveling the globe in search of the next great adventure or scrutinizing the images that comprise his medical profession, he is an avid SCUBA diver, road cyclist, and aspiring sailor.
loved the details