ENTRY DESCRIPTION
on my photography/hiking trip to Nepal I wanted to capture the feeling of Nepali people. This was my third trip to the country and the most memorable through-line I have from all my trips has got to be the people. their attitude and sense of humour is captivating. my last trip was cut short due to the massive earthquake that occurred in 2015 and the people of Nepal have been in the back of my mind since then. during the pandemic I resolved to travel back as soon as I could. after a thirteen day hike through Sagarmatha park I returned to Kathmandu and spent four days walking Asan Bazar looking for faces and making portraits. Seeing life bustle all around me was a treat after the last three years of distance in Canada. shops team with traders and craftspeople, lassi stalls and cake shops are full of students and having it all whirl around me gave me an energizing feeling like we were getting back to normal. On one small lane just around the corner from the flow of people I found this woman sitting and resting with a bag as big as she was and she nodded when i asked to take her photo. she had a stern face on but after showing her the first frames I smiled at her and she gave me this face. A slight smile to a passing friend that said to me everything about Nepali people. all her years and hard efforts hung like jewelry in the form of wrinkles and her smile showed me all the kindness that I fell in love with on my first trip to the country over a decade ago. to me she represents the resilience and full heat needed to get through disasters and pandemics.

AUTHOR
Keith (Leo) Van Doormaal is a 29 year old photographer, based in Vancouver, just beginning their professional career. they were introduced to photography in Vietnam in 2011 and through a long process of self discovery and practice found an affinity towards travel and people. their practice is philosophically rooted in shooting democratically and hunting for organic compositions and tends towards seeking out spontaneous beauty and true personality. Keith aspires to master the documentary genre while discovering the commonalities in people from desperate cultures and landscapes.

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