Himalaya – An Everest Time Lapse Film

A time-lapse journey from the roof of the world.

3,408 still images stitched together to portray a single day in the majestic Himalayas.

The story behind the images:

Some of us are vocal and social when it comes to our pain, others suffer silently and quietly like warriors waiting out the storms of life. As I assembled these images, I was flooded with memories I had tucked away deep in the vault of my past, images in some cases I am only seeing for the first time after almost 5 years.

2014 and 2015 were devastating years on Mt. Everest with the highest recorded number of fatalities. I was there for both seasons. I got lucky in 2014 and was trapped above the avalanche that claimed the lives of 16 Sherpa men. In 2015 I was hit directly by the tidal wave of snow that took out EBC that claimed the lives of over 18 people. I was again, fortunate to survive. It took a long time to sort this all out emotionally and psychologically. I took a break for a few years while I constructed a new narrative and quietly dealt with the post traumatic stress. Leaving the footage alone on my hard drives was a part of that strategy.

You’d never know by watching the imagery, in particular the time lapse-pan at basecamp (1:35) by day with the low hanging clouds, what was really going on during that time. Focusing on the beauty rather than the devastation was the only way I knew how to deal with the situation at the time.

A bit of truth from the archives of my high altitude mountaineering/filmmaking career.

This collection is part of the unseen imagery from 2014-2015 seasons.

Assisted by my great friend, Pasang Kaji Sherpa.

Special thank you to Kancha Sherpa and his team of porters who tolerated and supported my late night camera antics in a world above the clouds. This is as much my hard work as it theirs. Namaste.

Hope you enjoy it. Be sure to watch in 4K.

Shot on Canada DSLR’s
1DC
2x 5D Mark 3’s
Canon 5Dsr
24mm 1.4
16mm 2.8 x2
11-24mm f4
70-200mm 2.8
14mm 2.8

*Special thanks to Canon Canada for lending me some of the gear.

Edited in Lightroom
Processed with LR Time-lapse
Edited in Premiere
All processing done in a tent on Mt. Everest at basecamp

Extra special thank you to my friend and camera assistant Pasang Kaji Sherpa. This is a reflection of your hard work and support as well. Thank you my friend. Thank you for your patience and never-ending support on the hill.

To license this video or individual images contact elia@eliasaikaly.com
Find me on Facebook at facebook.com/elia.saikaly.adventurer

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