Descent from Kilimanjaro

Posted on Fri, 8 May, 2015 by LensScaper

Today is a milestone day for several reasons. It’s VE day, the UK election results have produced an unexpected result, and on a personal level this happens to me my 600^thpost.

So today’s image records a milestone too – the highest point on earth that I have reached (5,895M or 19,341ft) – Kilimanjaro, one of the world’s Seven Continental Summits. I did harbour hopes that I might exceed that and get beyond 6,000M, perhaps in the Himalayas, but as the years roll by that seems to be unlikely.

This is another image that has been converted in Nik Silver Efex. The original was shot on a film SLR camera and scanned with a Nikon Coolscan. The exposure of the transparency was not quite right, the highlights were blown and the colours did not look good. One of the points in favour of the B&W medium is its tolerance of contrast and white Whites and black Blacks. This image, perhaps more than any other, encapsulates the feeling of being ‘high’, touching Heaven: sunlight on the clouds swirling around and the ground, far below, out of sight.

About LensScaper

Hi - I'm a UK-based photographer who started out 45+ years ago as a lover of landscapes, inspired by my love of outdoor pursuits: skiing, walking and climbing. Now retired, I seldom leave home without a camera and I find images in unexpected places and from different genres. I work on the premise that Photography is Art and that creativity is dependent on the cultivation of 'A Seeing Eye'. I'm not averse to manipulating images to produce derivatives that may sometimes be far removed from the original.

View all posts by LensScaper →

This entry was posted in Black & White, MountainScape and tagged Black and White Photography, Kilimanjaro, Nik SIlver Efex Pro 2, Photography. Bookmark the permalink.

25 Responses to Descent from Kilimanjaro

Norma (Through My Eyes) says:

Fri, 8 May, 2015 at 14:29

Congratulations on your 600th post and in particular for reaching the highest point of Kilimanjaro. That’s very impressive Andy. Love the photo. It looks like you can touch heaven 🙂

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Fri, 8 May, 2015 at 15:32
  
  Thanks very much Norma. You feel you can almost touch it when you are that high – and see the curvature of the earth
  
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Donna Catterick says:

Fri, 8 May, 2015 at 14:37

Congratulations on your 600th post – please keep them coming! I really enjoy your blog.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Fri, 8 May, 2015 at 15:37
  
  Thanks very much Donna – for your visit and for your comments. I see you’ve been to Kilimanjaro too. The altitude beats a lot of people. We did an acclimatisation climb to the summit of Meru first and I am sure that made a lot of difference – we were fitter and our bodies had had time to adjust to altitude.
  
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oneowner says:

Fri, 8 May, 2015 at 15:07

The image is a great black and white conversion. I’ve had some luck using Photoshop to correct older film problems but it can be a bit of a struggle. The conversion is a nice alternative for those files.

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smackedpentax says:

Fri, 8 May, 2015 at 17:57

600! Congratulations Andy 🙂 Shame about not getting to the summit – but is a massive achievement getting to 19 thousand – 16 thousand higher than I have been 🙂 Well done for both 🙂

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Fri, 8 May, 2015 at 20:22
  
  Thanks James. Oh yes, I made the summit OK, but a couple of people in our party didn’t – altitude problems meant they were turned round in the middle of the night back to the high camp.
  
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Sue says:

Fri, 8 May, 2015 at 18:19

Marvellous shot, Andy – very evocative.. And well done on your 600th post, keep ’em coming!

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shoreacres says:

Fri, 8 May, 2015 at 21:41

What wonderful experiences you’ve had. I’m so glad you’ve chosen to share them with us. It’s one thing to see such a photo in National Geographic, taken by a photographer who’s only a name, and quite another to enjoy the work of someone whom we “know” — at least a little!

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Sun, 10 May, 2015 at 08:12
  
  I’ve been very fortunate, Linda. It’s ‘connections’ that provide context and a sense of sharing. And that is one of the unexpected consequences of being part of the blogging community.
  
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seekraz says:

Sat, 9 May, 2015 at 17:46

Fascinating image, Andy…and congratulations on both accounts, having been to such a height, and for reaching this milestone with your posts. It’s been an enjoyable experience on this side watching the blog develop. Thank you for sharing as you do.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Sun, 10 May, 2015 at 08:14
  
  Thanks very much Scott. The blog has been a little sporadic recently and my reading of other people’s blogs has suffered as a result of planning for a move and all that goes with it.
  
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  - seekraz says:
    
    Sun, 10 May, 2015 at 16:55
    
    You’re welcome, Andy…and I know how the “sporadic-ness” of the blogging goes…have suffered a bit with that myself. Wishing you at least another 600 Andy.
    
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lisakimmorley says:

Sun, 10 May, 2015 at 11:39

Congratulations on both ‘summits’ 🙂

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Tue, 12 May, 2015 at 20:44
  
  Thanks very much, Lisa
  
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Frank King Photos says:

Sun, 10 May, 2015 at 13:38

Excellent processing of a very epic scene. 🙂

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Tue, 12 May, 2015 at 20:45
  
  Thanks Frank. Epic in many ways. Leaving high camp at 11.30pm and arriving at the summit at 6am was quite a night! And greeting the sunrise was very special
  
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ShimonZ says:

Sun, 10 May, 2015 at 17:14

First of all, congratulations on your achievement. That’s A lot. And since you address your interests with a seriousness that inspires thought and attention in your readers, it is truly worth a celebration. Having only heard and read about Kilimanjaro, it’s a great pleasure to se a bit of the mountain through your eyes.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Tue, 12 May, 2015 at 20:55
  
  Thanks very much Shimon. I posted at least three ‘Posts’ on Kilimanjaro at least two years ago. If you wanted to see more then just type ‘Kilimanjaro’ into the search box in the Rt sidebar and the relevant Posts will appear.
  
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Len says:

Mon, 11 May, 2015 at 10:58

Congrats on your 600th post Andy. Only other bloggers know how much time and effort goes into a blog. Great photo to hot 600 with. Terrifically shot and processed.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Tue, 12 May, 2015 at 20:57
  
  Many thanks Len – If I counted up the hours spent I think I would be astonished.
  
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Jimi Jones (@JimiJones) says:

Mon, 11 May, 2015 at 15:15

Congrats on the 600th! 🙂
Reaching those dizzying heights is also quite an accomplishment, Andy. Very nice photo conversion work, sir.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Tue, 12 May, 2015 at 20:58
  
  Thanks Jimi.
  
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Chillbrook says:

Sat, 23 May, 2015 at 09:38

A very dramatic shot Andy! Fabulous photograph!

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Sat, 23 May, 2015 at 11:07
  
  I suspect (remember?) that this was a quick grab shot on the move
  
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