Evan Pantiel: Discovering Nepal

Hetauda, Nepal.  A small town about 4-6 hours outside of Kathmandu, of which Lonely Planet says the only reason to stop is to change buses. This gave Sweden-based portrait photographer Evan Pantiel a good laugh. After traveling to Nepal to shoot two different projects for NGO Care, Evan stopped in Hetauda and lived as a local, documenting their everyday lives, saying that the people and the landscapes in the area are a photographers dream.

Evan gives us a look at the people of Hetauda, describing the Nepalise as the kindest people he has ever come across.

Hetauda Industrial District, although one of the biggest industrial districts in the nation, continues to shrink due to political events. Industries are moving to other countries or shutting down. However, most of the youth from the city are from overseas, in Hetaudan to work and send money back to their families to live on.

Evan described what led him to Nepal:

I am a firm believer of paying it forward in life, and seeing the social and economic situation in Nepal, I decided to see if there was any NGO work to participate in. My best friends mother worked at an NGO in Nepal, and he put me in contact with her. She referred me to her old colleague who works at the NGO Care in Nepal, and he referred me to a woman working at a local regional office there. After many weeks of emailing back and forth, she offered me two projects to document. I took the photos when I finished work and had a few days to myself to explore.

There are multiple reasons photographers shoot personal work, Evan’s being that he can flex his creativity and get up close and personal:

I believe it’s important to be close with the subject, as it has a different feel to the photos rather than if you shot someone with a long lens halfway down the road. That’s why I use a 28mm or a 50mm. It forces you to enter their world.

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