HERCUL

ES
PHOTOQUEST
2010
Category 1- SPIRIT OF SPORT

PHOTOQUEST
1st

w(h)iping-off
 
Profession-Student (College of art, New Delhi)
Passion- Photography
Life's philosophy- Be happy, Live happy
Favorite photographer- Sumit Sond , Amit Sond
Favorite style of photography- Silhouettes and nature
Dream place to click- Ladakh
Why MTB Himachal- A solid platform to showcase one's talent

The experience of MTB Himachal

It was a awesome trip for me and learned a lot with some experienced photographers.
Enjoyed the experiments with nature and sports. I found MTB Himachal a nice platform to
show my talent and the 8 days were unforgettable. My "W(h)ipping off" photo depicts the
spirit of sports the rider shows how the rider tames his mean machine in the middle of the
stream to get the rotation of pedal right.. salute to that spirit and not to forget to mention I
got lucky with the light, colour and contrasts nature to give that amazing feel to the whole
picture. I will love to come  on this adventurous trip again.

ANKIT SOOD
2nd

the never setting sun

Profession- Translator &Teacher
Passion- Photography, Movie, Art, Culture, Travelling
Life's philosophy- God helps those who help themselves
Favorite photographer- Helmut Newton, Mario Testino, Diane Arbus...
Favorite style of photography- Landscape, Macro, Self portrait, Nude
Dream place to click-the world in my lens

The experience of MTB Himachal

Adventure packed, Beautiful landscapes, high spirited participants, just awesome.
The Hercules MTB Himachal is an unforgettable adventure tour. Every place of the route has a flavor
and its own character which excites the photographer in me.
There is a strong emotion and spirit that the picture talks about, off course it’s about a race and there
has to be a winner at the end of the day . Yet at sunset the racers were very exhausted, many were
sweating, and still straining every nerve for the arduous uphill, yet no one gave up. That moment Peter
(Peter is a racer who is in my photo) looked exhausted and I felt like he will give up.. we all kept
motivating him to keep on moving, don't stop keep move....i was trying to capture that moment of
surrender. But I realized that Peter hadn't stopped, and was out of the view finder!
Thus the thought of the picture was a perfect divergence between
the setting sun and the never setting spirit to complete the race..
I'm happy that this photo is selected, because it has a nice little story. :)

JIMSEE BOLD
3rd

anonymous
Profession- Brand Communication professional with a Masters Degree in Business
Management and Communication.
Passion- I have always been intrigued by nature and the great outdoors. My attachment with the camera started with curiosity
about things and people around me and the desire to record some of them. Taking photographs became an instinctive, at times
almost primitive urge. Over time this urge has evolved into a form of enjoyment and creative perception, opening up a door of
non-linear thinking and visual storytelling.
Life's philosophy- You are unique..just like everyone else
Favorite photographer- Photo Journalists and Wildlife Photographers for their tenacity to capture emotions and reactions of
life.
Favorite style of photography- Outdoor – nature and life.
Dream places to click- South America, Africa, Sunderbans
 
The Experience at MTB Himachal-
There is no better joy than capturing instinctive reactions and random moments in nature. MTB Himachal presents a wonderful
opportunity to experience firsthand the emotions and passion behind the superhuman effort all riders make to compete in this
event. It is an excellent outdoor platform for photo enthusiasts to portray action and adventure photography in a scenic
landscape setting.
while capturing the emotion and spirit of participants in MTB, who together with their mean machines compete in extreme
conditions, hiking and biking their distance to the finish line.
This blur of a passing cyclist encapsulates that spirit of every rider and the courage, determination and the energy that travels
along with him in pursuit of that moment to be called a champion.
The treacherous terrain takes its toll, on both man and his machine. This circuit tests the resilience of every participant to
compete and complete 8 days of relentless cycling across various kinds of courses. However, one needs to be present to capture
the perfect image and emotions along the trails. MTB Himachal organizers provided the camera crew a wonderful logistics
support, often in the most unassuming places to help capture and freeze these moments.

VINEET CHOPRA
Category 2- EXPERIMENTS WITH NATURE

PHOTOQUEST
1st

element of surprise
Profession-As per Delhi University a STUDENT of Applied Arts ( College of Art).
But if u ask me Im an artist, a freelance photographer & a designer.
Passion-my work my way.
Life's philosophy- Journey is the ultimate destination.
Favourite style of photography- automobile & adventure in all possible ways.
Dream place to click- Spiti Valley- Himachal
Why MTB Himachal- adventure, photography, mountains. What more can a wandering soul ask for!

The experience of MTB Himachal

Each & every moment…was an experience in itself… The travel, camping, photography..
Adventure came in handy.. New faces, new places.. A trip of a lifetime…
In short.. waiting for the next MTB Himachal..!!
While I was busy  capturing the stars. I noticed  the smoke and couldn’t resist capturing it..
The result came as expected…the element of surprise, the smoke the colors the stars and a lot more
that makes the picture intriguing and thus A piece of art, a moment of colors and an element of
surprise was created in the experiment with nature.
 ..a sense of joy.. a rhythm to life.. a colorful paradise. That's what nature means to me…
So, I believe, I captured a part of life.. not just mine.. but lives of people around me..

SUMIT SOND
2nd

closer to god
Profession- I am a Software Engineer by Profession currently working with Adobe Systems.
Passion- Photography, of course. It has progressed from being an area of interest to a being a hobby and, finally, to
becoming my passion. Close association with products like Adobe Photoshop help me explore the many aspects of this
art.
Life's philosophy- I believe in giving my best to every task however big or small it may be. It makes every ounce of the
effort I put towards each task, count. My Favorite quote is "Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high
intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternative"
Favorite photographer- It is difficult to pick one photographer as my favorite. I follow many photographer and try to
learn as much as I can and normally its difficult for me to find out favorites.
Favorite style of photography- I keep my focus on the kind of composition and color that I like the photograph to
capture. Rest of the elements more or less fall into place
Dream place to click- A few amongst many are the Grand Canyon in Canada, the Great Wall of China and the Egyptian
Pyramids

The experience of MTB Himachal

Himachal is my hometown and, therefore, very close to my heart. The event was very well organized and all participants
and contributors were well taken care of. I got to meet people with similar interests and have made some great new
friends on the event. The mountain biking was fabulous and I was really amazed at the skills of all participants.
Nature and that temple in the hills, attracted me simply because of the serene setting and the gentle tinkling of the prayer
bells, can be, perhaps, the most enlightening sight to behold. Even though it was not possible to capture the rustling of
tree leaves and the prayer bells in a photograph, I thought that the sight of this picturesque little temple in the lap of the
surrounding hills, will help me capture and share
the gentle spiritual burst that I felt within myself and my experiment with nature had succeeded.
I think I have never felt this close to God before.

VIJAY KUMAR SHARMA

Category 3- Consolation (INTERESTING ABSTACT)

PHOTOQUEST
got the nerve
Profession- Consultant (Innovation & Design)
Passion- photography
Life's philosophy- you got one life.....make the most of it
Favrorite photographer- Steve Mc curry
Favorite style of photography- portraits
Dream place to click- Haridwar

The experience of MTB Himachal

It was wonderful to shoot in difficult terrain, being part of team overall.

in this particular image is wanted to capture the difficult terrain & showcase the
ruggedness of the ambience.      
Well the experience was truly delightful. Apart from testing my capabilities to constantly
think what to capture & how can my pictures truly reflect what's going on, the trip also
gave me a chance to discover beautiful interiors of Himachal & meet locals. It also gave
me a chance to meet fellow enthusiastic photographers & cyclists. I look forward to be a
part of next season also.

NEERAJ JAIN
cheers to the team!