The Frame Before the Shot

Gautam Dhimal photographing from a helicopter over the Himalayas – aerial photography Nepal

I never planned on becoming a photographer.

In fact, I did not plan on becoming anything at all. Life just unfolded like the film roll I loaded as a kid into my father’s camera. He was one of the first filmmakers in Nepal, part of the original generation that built the Nepali film industry from scratch. I was born into chaos and cinema: light meters, tripods, location scouts, and late night arguments about story arcs over steaming tea. While other kids played with toys, I played with 16mm film reels.

Photography found me before I knew how to spell it.

At first, I saw it as an extension of the world I grew up in. But over time, it became my voice, louder and more honest than anything I could ever say in words. That voice has taken me from the highest Himalayan ridges to the burning deserts of Africa. I have hung from helicopters with the door wide open, trudged through snowstorms, followed wild elephants through tall grass, and whispered with monks in remote monasteries. I have photographed celebrity influencers in couture during Himalayan Fashion Adventure shoots, and barefoot children with stories in their eyes. I have been on the cover of magazines and also behind the scenes where no one notices.

Why start a blog now?

Because behind every photo I take, there is a story untold. Not just about the subject, but about the moment, the emotion, the ridiculous logistics, the unpredictability, the failures, the people, the joy, the pain, and the humanity that holds it all together. Sometimes it is about film shoots gone wild, sometimes it is about a storm ruining the perfect light, sometimes it is about that one portrait that changed the way I see people. And sometimes, it is just me rambling about why a shadow made me feel something.

We will talk gear. We will talk hustle. We will talk about why photography still matters in a world that scrolls faster than it feels.

If you are a photographer, filmmaker, traveler, artist, NGO worker, brand builder, or someone who simply loves visual stories, I hope you will find something here that resonates.

Welcome to the blog.

Gautam Dhimal

Visual storytelling has always been the beating heart that drives Gautam Dhimal's professional career; and also his life. Primarily, working as producer, line producer and assistant director for films while lending his photography skills for fashion, advertising and nature & wildlife, Gautam blends his sense of humanity with his love for nature and travel. He has conjointly worked with numerous local and international production teams. Some of the acclaimed International studios that he has collaborated are BBC One, FOX, and Disney along with global brands like Red Bull, Nestea, Coca Cola, Panasonic, Vicks, Nippon Paint, Samsonite, Doosan, Kellogg's and many others.

Gautam maintains that the key to his success is to simply see life as a fun adventure and that we must make the most of it. When he is not on the lot filming with his crew or in a studio, lighting and snapping away fashion photos, he spends most of his time in the wild outdoors - shooting rare footage and pictures of animals, plants, flowers, insects, reptiles and birds to accelerate his experience and portfolio. Exploration has always been a passionate hobby for Gautam - who believes that the further you explore outside your small bubble, the humbler you will get and the more appreciative you will be of the unknown wonders around you.

https://www.gautamdhimal.com