Mavic photography and nature filmmakers workshop

[Karakoram]

Hey guys! This might not be the right place to post this but no harm in trying I suppose. I'm based out of the Karakoram range of Pakistan (where K2 / Nanga Parbat are - also attaching some photos down below) - I get a lot of people who come out here and at times travel with me and a lot of them show up with a drone, almost always a Mavic/Phantom. Thing is, while some of them are absolutely amazing at aerial photography/filming, some (like myself) have a long way to go before mastering this art. I was wondering if there was a way to get some sort of a workshop going where anyone on here that's interested could sign up and travel out here, spend a few weeks in Spring/Fall and one of y'all could teach? I know I'd love to learn. There's a fine line between being able to fly the drone and being able to understand how to get the most out of your flight in terms of great shots, beautifully captured. Just thinking out loud here. Would love to hear your thoughts and see if this could actually happen post-COVID! Safe trails!! NaveedI

 

[THE CYBORG]

Great idea if you want to pay for my trip

 

[virtualphotographers]

My Dad climbed in the Hindu Kush back in 1970. Not right in your area but a neighbor. Then in 1996 at 68 years of age, he got to his high point on Everest at 24,500’
You live in an exceptionally beautiful part of the world. One day I would love to retrace his footsteps

Afghanistan 1970

Explore this photo album by Jon Buckland on Flickr!

flickr.com

 

[Karakoram]

Great idea if you want to pay for my trip

Haha, if only I could! Maybe one day... not there yet my man!!

 

[Karakoram]

My Dad climbed in the Hindu Kush back in 1970. You live in an exceptionally beautiful part of the world. One day I would love to retrace his footsteps

Afghanistan 1970

Explore this photo album by Jon Buckland on Flickr!

flickr.com

The 70s were so popular with the Hindukush and the Karakoram, even the hippy trail from Kabul to Karachi. I was born in the wrong decade, your dad was lucky!

 

[virtualphotographers]

The 70s were so popular with the Hindukush and the Karakoram, even the hippy trail from Kabul to Karachi. I was born in the wrong decade, your dad was lucky!

They were a bunch of hippie climbers back then

 

[virtualphotographers]

 

[virtualphotographers]

 

[Dale D]

Hey guys! This might not be the right place to post this but no harm in trying I suppose. I'm based out of the Karakoram range of Pakistan (where K2 / Nanga Parbat are - also attaching some photos down below) - I get a lot of people who come out here and at times travel with me and a lot of them show up with a drone, almost always a Mavic/Phantom. Thing is, while some of them are absolutely amazing at aerial photography/filming, some (like myself) have a long way to go before mastering this art. I was wondering if there was a way to get some sort of a workshop going where anyone on here that's interested could sign up and travel out here, spend a few weeks in Spring/Fall and one of y'all could teach? I know I'd love to learn. There's a fine line between being able to fly the drone and being able to understand how to get the most out of your flight in terms of great shots, beautifully captured. Just thinking out loud here. Would love to hear your thoughts and see if this could actually happen post-COVID! Safe trails!! NaveedView attachment 107344View attachment 107345View attachment 107346View attachment 107347I

 

[Dale D]

In 1991, I think, my wife and I signed up for a driving tour the Karakorum Highway. It was part of the original Silk Road route. We flew from New York to Karachi, Pakistan, then north to Islamabad, and then drove upon to the northern town of Gilgit. I don't know how the highway is today, but at that time it was a narrow dirt track with pot holes and rocks and a steep 1500 foot drop off to the river below and a rock falls from the sides.We never exceed 10 miles an hour. Two cars could not pass each other on the road without about a half hour of jockeying. The highway was built by the Chinese at the loss of hundred of lives. We traveled all the way to the Chinese border. The conditions were primitive, without any sign of TV, radio, telephone lines, hot water, etc. We camped every evening. The scenery was spectacular, including seeing K2 the 2nd highest mountain in the world, and the Baltoro Glacier.

 

[Karakoram]

In 1991, I think, my wife and I signed up for a driving tour the Karakorum Highway. It was part of the original Silk Road route. We flew from New York to Karachi, Pakistan, then north to Islamabad, and then drove upon to the northern town of Gilgit. I don't know how the highway is today, but at that time it was a narrow dirt track with pot holes and rocks and a steep 1500 foot drop off to the river below and a rock falls from the sides.We never exceed 10 miles an hour. Two cars could not pass each other on the road without about a half hour of jockeying. The highway was built by the Chinese at the loss of hundred of lives. We traveled all the way to the Chinese border. The conditions were primitive, without any sign of TV, radio, telephone lines, hot water, etc. We camped every evening. The scenery was spectacular, including seeing K2 the 2nd highest mountain in the world, and the Baltoro Glacier.

WOW! My favourite reply so far! You came here long before most of us even realised what we had in our own country in terms of nature. The highway you talk about is no more the narrow dirt track with pot holes. It is now probably one of the most stunning, well-paved highways in all of Pakistan. There's constant rock-falls and slides and so there's almost always some sort of crew working on it but for the most part, it's a seamless journey from Islamabad (where I'm based out of) all the way to the Chinese border. I actually became the first person to ever walk across the country alone, from Khunjerab Pass (the China border at close to 5,000m) all the way to the Karachi coast - about 3,600kms on foot and then again the following year with National Geographic's Paul Salopek as part of his Out of Eden Walk - this time from the Wakhan Corridor to the Wahgah Border with India (about 1700kms). If you ever want to see what the region looks like now, please check out my Instagram feed @hunzaonfoot - you'll recognise a lot of the places you've just named, including the Baltoro Glacier, K2 and the KKH - it now has phone/wifi/tv/ and all those dang distractions!!
Also, would you care to get on an Instagram Live video with me at some point to tell your story from your visit in 1991? I'm sure my audience would get a big kick out of it!!

 

[Karakoram]

In 1991, I think, my wife and I signed up for a driving tour the Karakorum Highway. It was part of the original Silk Road route. We flew from New York to Karachi, Pakistan, then north to Islamabad, and then drove upon to the northern town of Gilgit. I don't know how the highway is today, but at that time it was a narrow dirt track with pot holes and rocks and a steep 1500 foot drop off to the river below and a rock falls from the sides.We never exceed 10 miles an hour. Two cars could not pass each other on the road without about a half hour of jockeying. The highway was built by the Chinese at the loss of hundred of lives. We traveled all the way to the Chinese border. The conditions were primitive, without any sign of TV, radio, telephone lines, hot water, etc. We camped every evening. The scenery was spectacular, including seeing K2 the 2nd highest mountain in the world, and the Baltoro Glacier.

Here's a photo of the Karakoram Highway now - this is the upper Hunza region, approx 120kms from the China border:

 

[Karakoram]

View attachment 107351View attachment 107352

Okay these are serious bada$$ photos!! Your dad was into serious climbing, that's amazing! Did you inherit this passion as well?

 

[Karakoram]

Haha I love Peter McKinnon - It's also really bad for me because I know I'm going to end up crashing my Mavic beyond recognition sooner or later following his style! Love his work!

 

[Dale D]

Here's a photo of the Karakoram Highway now - this is the upper Hunza region, approx 120kms from the China border:

Wow! I just cannot believe that highway photo! Travel , when my wife I were there, was a painful experience. We stayed in Gilgit, Karimabad, and then drove to the Khunjerab Pass and I had photos taken of me on the Pakistani-China border with a Chinese soldier and a Pakistani soldier, each holding AK 47's. We then turned westward towards Afghanistan and camped about 50 miles from the Afghan border before being forced to return in emergency, as fast as possible because our daughter was struck by a car and was hospitalized in a Los Angles hospital. We are notified by a runner from Gilgit! My daughter is ok now. We drove all the way back to Gilgit, flew back via Islamabad and Karachi, then New York, then back to Miami to re-pack and then out to Los Angeles!!! It was a nightmare journey. We could not even get an international telephone line at the Gilgit post office to find out what sort of injury she experienced. That was many years ago and she is now fine. (fractured hip, rib fracture and collapsed lung, chest tube, etc.).

That trip was 29 years ago. I cannot go on Instagram now. I have no images available of that trip (done on Kodachrome slides) and I am not in my home in Miami now, but on vacation out west in Montana now. The only memento I have of the trip is a DVD slide show I make with my old (PC software program). I burned a single DVD. I am only on Mac OS now. I recall the Hunza Valley, with sun dried tomatoes on the roof of every home.I recall the hotel in Karimabad with ice cold glacier water for a shower. I recall being stopped on the road for 3 hours to allow a Shiite ceremony of young men, whipping themselves with chains until blood flowed on the road, celebrating the birth of Ali. I think I was only Jewish man in the onlooking crowd. I think if they knew, I would have been in trouble. I recall Mt. Rakaposhi in Baltistan- so beautiful.

 

[Dale D]

Following up - I just spent a few minutes looking at your Instagram site. Fantastic videos , ski film, images of the KK Highway, etc. Wonderful. Wonderful stuff. I am going to share with my wife. Can't believe this conversation! You may want to check out my photography site. www.daledavisphotography.smugmug.com
On that site, go to "Browse" and check out my images of Mt. Everest.
also

Dale Davis,M.D.

Advanced amateur photographer, world traveler, and avid enthusiast of time lapse photography.Also, retired M.D. ophthalmologist.

vimeo.com

 

[Karakoram]

Wow! I just cannot believe that highway photo! Travel , when my wife I were there, was a painful experience. We stayed in Gilgit, Karimabad, and then drove to the Khunjerab Pass and I had photos taken of me on the Pakistani-China border with a Chinese soldier and a Pakistani soldier, each holding AK 47's. We then turned westward towards Afghanistan and camped about 50 miles from the Afghan border before being forced to return in emergency, as fast as possible because our daughter was struck by a car and was hospitalized in a Los Angles hospital. We are notified by a runner from Gilgit! My daughter is ok now. We drove all the way back to Gilgit, flew back via Islamabad and Karachi, then New York, then back to Miami to re-pack and then out to Los Angeles!!! It was a nightmare journey. We could not even get an international telephone line at the Gilgit post office to find out what sort of injury she experienced. That was many years ago and she is now fine. (fractured hip, rib fracture and collapsed lung, chest tube, etc.).

That trip was 29 years ago. I cannot go on Instagram now. I have no images available of that trip (done on Kodachrome slides) and I am not in my home in Miami now, but on vacation out west in Montana now. The only memento I have of the trip is a DVD slide show I make with my old (PC software program). I burned a single DVD. I am only on Mac OS now. I recall the Hunza Valley, with sun dried tomatoes on the roof of every home.I recall the hotel in Karimabad with ice cold glacier water for a shower. I recall being stopped on the road for 3 hours to allow a Shiite ceremony of young men, whipping themselves with chains until blood flowed on the road, celebrating the birth of Ali. I think I was only Jewish man in the onlooking crowd. I think if they knew, I would have been in trouble. I recall Mt. Rakaposhi in Baltistan- so beautiful.

My god that sounds like quite the journey Dale! I know you're not really into it, but I hope you can rethink about coming on that Live with me. You don't have to have any photos or videos of your travels, they're all in your head and knowing most of my audience follows my feed for the storytelling, we could just have an informal talk about your experiences when you visited, how things were back then, etc.

I'm glad your daughter wasn't injured too severely and was able to recover, I can only hope completely. I understand the frustration of having to handle an emergency without having a handle of how bad it is. When I was walking on the Nat Geo assignment with Paul Salopek, we entered Pakistan in what is completely remote, mountainous region of the Wakhan and the first thing that happened to us was we heard a lot of men shouting and screaming, and then they finally came into our view. We realised they were carrying a man who was covered in blood. Turned out they were constructing a new access road when they got hit by a rock slide and one big boulder took this man's entire leg from below his knee. Both Paul and I are trained in Emergency First Aid and I tied a tourniquet on him while Paul helped control his bleeding. We managed to help them find a car but the nearest hospital was about 3 hours drive from there (on a good day). After all that, we had no clue what happened to this man. We were obviously on foot and it took us nine days to reach the town (Aliabad, right past Karimabad where you were) and we finally found out that he had made it! He had been transferred to the main hospital in Gilgit city but he had left my tactical belt (I used to tie the tourniquet with) along with a thank you note at this med facility! Haha..

Can't believe I ran into you here!

 

[Karakoram]

My Dad climbed in the Hindu Kush back in 1970. Not right in your area but a neighbor. Then in 1996 at 68 years of age, he got to his high point on Everest at 24,500’
You live in an exceptionally beautiful part of the world. One day I would love to retrace his footsteps

Afghanistan 1970

Explore this photo album by Jon Buckland on Flickr!

flickr.com

The photos on Flickr are absolutely incredible!!! Is your dad still with us? If so, please send my Salam to him. There's a new movement taking place amongst this entire belt between Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan (the Wakhan Corridor) and there's real effort in bringing back the Adventure tourism to help regrow the regions' economy, bring some prosperity to these long forgotten places and people. Look up a travel video diary a few of my friends put up on YouTube called Zabardast - it'll show you what the region looks like and all that it is capable of.

Disney Plus is about to release their new series called Rogue Trip, watch out for their episode on Pakistan, I co-hosted that and was their local Producer.

 

[Karakoram]

Following up - I just spent a few minutes looking at your Instagram site. Fantastic videos , ski film, images of the KK Highway, etc. Wonderful. Wonderful stuff. I am going to share with my wife. Can't believe this conversation! You may want to check out my photography site. www.daledavisphotography.smugmug.com
On that site, go to "Browse" and check out my images of Mt. Everest.
also

Dale Davis,M.D.

Advanced amateur photographer, world traveler, and avid enthusiast of time lapse photography.Also, retired M.D. ophthalmologist.

vimeo.com

Just checked out your photos on smugmug, brilliant stuff! I was thinking of relocating to Nepal for a year or two, just because I wanted a change of scenery while I work on my writing, as well as maybe start some sort of a tourism exchange program with local companies based in Nepal/Tibet. Maybe next year, or the one after

You take very good portraits! Something I haven't really figured out. Do you have DJI content from your Himalayan adventures?

 

[Dale D]

Just checked out your photos on smugmug, brilliant stuff! I was thinking of relocating to Nepal for a year or two, just because I wanted a change of scenery while I work on my writing, as well as maybe start some sort of a tourism exchange program with local companies based in Nepal/Tibet. Maybe next year, or the one after

You take very good portraits! Something I haven't really figured out. Do you have DJI content from your Himalayan adventures?

Nepal is a beautiful place. We were there at least three times, either as a main trip, or passing through. Did a stay there for our Everest Trek, and a stay as part of an Indian Trip, and a further stay as part of a Tibet/China trip (crossed the "Friendship Bridge" between the two countries. . Terrible what happened to Durbar Square in the earthquakes.

One the greatest regrets I have is that drones were not even available throughout most of my life's travels. I am nearing, if not over, 100 countries visited. I only got my first drone (Mavic Air 1) 3 years ago, then got the Mavic 2 Pro last November. I have traveled all over the world, mostly with my wife, and often with my kids. Oh how I wish I had a drone for those trips.(Antarctica twice, Galapagos, every country in the lower 1/3rd of the African continent on 12 separate safaris, trek to Everest Base Camp 2001, Nepal 2 or 3 times, all of Asia (China x 3), Myanmar, Bhutan, Tibet, Thailand x 3, much of South America (rafting Bio Bio river in Chile) Peru, Ecuador,Argentina, Patagonia, India twice, Pakistan once, ...I could go on and on, all without a drone. I do have some good drone footage on my Vimeo site (Greece, Iceland, Madagascar). Spend some time and check them out- you need to keep hitting the "more" button in the bottom to get to these trips.

www.vimeo.com/user14373767