August 16, 2003 - Masters of Photography: Peter Grote lived for two years in Nepal during the early 1960s, working with the Peace Corps and spent his free time hiking, climbing, filming 16mm documentaries, and pursuing his growing interest in still photography.

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Nepal: Peace Corps Nepal : The Peace Corps in Nepal: August 16, 2003 - Masters of Photography: Peter Grote lived for two years in Nepal during the early 1960s, working with the Peace Corps and spent his free time hiking, climbing, filming 16mm documentaries, and pursuing his growing interest in still photography.

By Admin1 (admin) on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 11:48 am: Edit Post

Peter Grote lived for two years in Nepal during the early 1960s, working with the Peace Corps and spent his free time hiking, climbing, filming 16mm documentaries, and pursuing his growing interest in still photography.



Peter Grote lived for two years in Nepal during the early 1960s, working with the Peace Corps and spent his free time hiking, climbing, filming 16mm documentaries, and pursuing his growing interest in still photography.

Peter Grote

Peter G. Grote was born in Germany in 1939. With parents working in the U.S. Foreign Service, he attended schools in Switzerland, Colombia, and Cuba until finally settling in Boston for the duration of his education. Grote lived for two years in Nepal during the early 1960s, working with the Peace Corps. He spent his free time hiking, climbing, filming 16mm documentaries, and pursuing his growing interest in still photography.

Grote's Peace Corps experience was particularly significant, as it was the first group invited by the Nepalese government to enter the country and teach hight school and college students. At that time, Nepal was still an isolated kingdom, to the extent that the term "foreigner" applied to anyone living outside of the Kathmandu valley.

Peter Grote photographing K2 climbers on summit day. (Background: the north, Chinese face of Broad Peak.)

Like other mountainous areas of the world, the land beyond the first foothills of the Himalayas had been inaccessible to all but those who were adventurous enough to face them on foot. The political, economic and cultural center of Kathmandu was surrounded by a wall of such impenetrable hills. This fierce geography ultimately cultivated a unique culture within the secluded area. The valley was a busy network of paths linking fields and medieval villages whose rich culture could be found in the bazaars, shops, and temples.

This distinct culture underwent significant changes after the mid-1960s when Nepal was accessible by air and an infrastructure was developed. New roads furthered communication with neighboring regions to the east and west, including India and China. While these projects elevated the valley's material growth and well-being, major structural and environmental changes began to take place.

Almost 40 years later, Grote got the opportunity to explore the mountainous region of Wyoming. He describes his arrival to the area: "As the weather cleared, a side road near Moran Junction offered a partial view of the Tetons...Scrambling up a slope, I spotted an open view and returned at 5:00 the next morning. With cameras set on two tripods, I made a series of photographs as the sun rose and the fog began to lift." Grote was continually awestruck by the mountainous architecture of the American West, investigating the Big Horn Mountains, Elk National Refuge, South Red Canyon, and Yellowstone.

Peter Grote currently lives in Franconia, New Hampshire, and maintains a studio in Boston, where he operates Mountain Architecture Photography. Grote continues a long tradition through his mountain photography of using large format cameras. He believes that such equipment is essential to control perspective of massive vertical structures. A large film format also helps to illustrate the detail, depth, and quality of mountain landscapes. Grote also strives to record the changes in these areas over the years. He explains: "Several years ago, for example, the Hinku valley, which drains numerous glaciers in eastern Nepal, supported a modest farming community. When a huge, 400-foot moraine at the base of Sabai Lake was no longer able to contain a growing volume of glacial melt, it ruptured. The subsequent flood washed out an entire river valley together with its culture. My photographic images of this destruction tell only part of the story."



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Story Source: Masters of Photography

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Nepal; Photography - Nepal

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