Award-winning wildlife photographer Ben Osborne is well known on the Artsreach circuit for the stunning photographs that formed part of the Jurassic Journey exhibition in 2012. Having worked on David Attenborough’s BBC natural history programmes such as ‘Life in the Freezer’ and ‘Planet Earth’, Ben’s captivating live shows reflect his extensive stills photography work.This autumn Ben returns with a new show, taking audiences on two winter journeys to Ladakh and Zanskar.
“Off the beaten track doesn’t even begin to describe how remote these places are” says Ben. Lying on the edge of the Tibetan plateau behind the main Himalayan ranges, these two ancient kingdoms are effectively cut off from the outside world in winter by heavy snowfall and temperatures down to -30C. They are also politically sensitive, lying on the border between China and India.
“Our plan was to look for snow leopards and other animals which live in these remote mountains. In winter the weather is so extreme that even these tough species leave the high mountain slopes and head to the valleys where they are easier to see. To find them, we trekked up frozen rivers, crossed lung-busting mountain passes, travelled through uninhabited valleys, camped in caves and visited ancient monasteries, much to the surprise of the resident monks. We skied into areas that were completely cut off for 6 months in the winter and even strayed (not entirely by accident) into military zones, which were out of bounds to foreigners. Here we stayed with some of the wildest, toughest people who I have ever had the privilege of meeting.”
“If these journeys are so tough why did we do two of them? Well, the first didn’t go entirely according to plan and I’m not the kind of person to give up on a challenge because of a bit of snow and a rapidly melting river” says Ben. So four years later he and his team set off again to finish the job.
Himalayan Journeys tells the story of the two expeditions with stunning images and entertaining commentary from Ben. Join the adventure at a village hall near you this autumn:
Sat 15 Nov, 7:30pm. Morden Village Hall. 01929 459431
Wed 19 Nov, 7:30pm. Shipton Gorge Village Hall. 01308 897562
Thurs 20 Nov, 7:30pm. Chetnole Village Hall. 01935 873555
Sat 22 Nov, 7:30pm. Bourton Village Hall. 01747 840057
www.artsreach.co.uk | www.benosbornephotography.co.uk
