How a Visa Setback Became a Turning Point for Nepal’s Mountain Photographer Sandip Sharma

Kathmandu. For Sandip Sharma, a resident of Baglung who was waiting for a visa stamp on his passport for foreign employment 10 years ago, the visa rejection turned out to be a historic turning point in his life. Despite continuous efforts to go abroad, when his applications kept getting rejected, he made a firm resolution: “I don’t need a visa to travel my own country, even if I couldn’t get one for going abroad. So first my own country, then abroad!”

At that time, he decided to document the places he traveled and share them with a wider audience. Sharma, who had been fond of traveling in Nepal’s Himalayan regions since childhood, bought a camera and began capturing photos and videos, which he started posting on social media. Recently, after Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen) shared Sharma’s promotional video of the Makalu Barun area across his official Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X accounts, his work has gained even greater attention.

The video shared by the Prime Minister, which also promoted Makalu Barun along with a travel itinerary, has drawn massive engagement on social media. By the time of writing, it has received over 400,000 reactions, more than 28,000 comments, and over 2.5 million views on Facebook alone, with similar engagement across other platforms. Sharma sees the Prime Minister’s endorsement as a significant opportunity for his work.

He said that when individuals with strong social media influence share content from official government pages, it can significantly contribute to promoting Nepal’s tourism sector. “When we work at an individual level, our reach is limited. But when the country’s top leadership shares such content, it reaches a much wider audience. Many people who had never even heard of Makalu Barun have now learned about these destinations through the video, and that is a big achievement,” he said.

Sharma’s journey, however, was not easy. With no family background in photography or videography, he initially considered going abroad for employment like many youths. But fate redirected him to Nepal.

“I was rejected several times while trying to go abroad. At first, I was very frustrated, but later I decided to do something here, so I bought a camera,” Sharma recalls. “I bought my first camera in 2016, started working in this field from 2017, and after 2018 I fully committed to photography.”

In the early years, traveling and working in the Himalayan region was financially difficult. To sustain it, Sharma adopted a dual approach—working as a wedding photographer for three to four months a year and using that income to fund his six to seven months of trekking and mountain photography.

“Wedding photography became my financial base. It helped me continue my mountain journeys,” he said. “Gradually, the photos I took during trekking started selling in the market. At first, I didn’t even know travel agencies would buy them. But after I started posting on Instagram, agencies began messaging me, which opened a new professional pathway.”

Working with leading travel agencies in Nepal, Sharma expanded his network and traveled from eastern regions like Kangchenjunga and Makalu to remote western Himalayan areas. During this journey, he identified a major gap in Nepal’s tourism promotion, noting that global attention remains largely limited to Everest and Annapurna while many other potential destinations remain overlooked. He particularly expressed a strong desire to promote Dhaulagiri, Dhorpatan, and Myagdi as major trekking destinations in western Nepal.

Sharing his experience on local governance and tourism development, Sharma said, “Since I was born in Baglung in western Nepal, my main concern has always been how to take this region to the next level. Dhaulagiri and Dhorpatan are excellent adventure tourism destinations. There are dozens of trekking routes in a single district, but many local governments have not been able to manage them properly. Local representatives often lack a clear understanding of tourism development, investment, and its importance. Even government bodies and the tourism board have not given sufficient attention.”

He added that despite institutional neglect, social media has recently played a major role in promoting tourism. According to him, lesser-known destinations like Dhorpatan have begun attracting domestic tourists after videos and photos went viral online, especially during the monsoon when the green landscapes of hills and mountains attract strong attention and boost local tourism.

Sharma also shared his experience with different social media platforms, saying each has played a distinct role in promoting tourism. “Instagram has been most effective in reaching foreign tourists. After I posted videos of Dhorpatan and other remote areas, many foreign tourists, especially Indians, showed interest. Most inquiries on Instagram are about travel seasons, trek difficulty, and accommodation,” he said. “On the other hand, TikTok and Facebook have been very effective in promoting domestic tourism. In Nepal, people often decide to visit a place immediately after seeing a viral video.”

He runs a Facebook page called “Sandip Photography,” which has over 52,000 followers, where his videos regularly receive millions of views. Content from locations such as Dhorpatan (1, 2, 3) and Ghorepani has also gained similar traction. His Instagram account, with nearly 40,000 followers, and TikTok account, with over 125,000 followers, also generate strong engagement, while he occasionally uploads content on YouTube as well.

However, Sharma said content theft remains one of the biggest challenges in the digital age. He claimed that his work is frequently copied and redistributed without credit. “At present, a large number of people steal and reupload videos. My account has content protection enabled, which shows detailed data on who used my videos and where. Around 200 to 300 videos are copied every day,” he said.

He also described unusual issues he faces. “Sometimes, videos I upload on my story are screen-recorded and reposted by others. Later, when I upload the original video, Facebook’s algorithm identifies the earlier uploader as the original source, and I end up receiving copyright claims,” he said. Despite this, he avoids strict copyright strikes to prevent harming others’ accounts. “We usually block the video instead, so their accounts are not affected, while our content remains protected,” he added.

Sharma currently uses a Sony A7 IV camera along with professional lenses and extensively uses drones to capture mountain landscapes from new perspectives. He said that despite risks such as equipment damage or drone crashes in extreme Himalayan conditions, he continues to adopt new technology.

Earlier, when he was fully dependent on agencies, Facebook monetization also provided some support. “YouTube pays better than Facebook or TikTok. The small earnings from reels cannot cover the costs of year-round travel and equipment, but they still help and motivate me,” he said.

He recalled that he initially received strong encouragement when pages like “Routine of Nepal Banda” began sharing his content with proper credit, helping his work reach a wider audience. Although the profession has become more financially viable now, Sharma said it required years of struggle in the beginning.

“I put my career, future, and everything into this field for 10 continuous years,” he said. “You have to stay active on social media. I’m lucky that things worked out for me, but it won’t be the same for everyone. If you stay focused and give full time, you can succeed.”

He further emphasized the importance of consistency. “You cannot expect big success immediately. Posting content today and disappearing for months will not work. Consistent original content is essential for success,” he said.

Having spent the past decade trekking across Nepal’s Himalayan trails, Sharma says the Nepal he has seen is very different from the one most people imagine. Today, he is satisfied with his work and considers the rejection of his visa a defining turning point in his life.

पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: असार ८, २०८३ १२:३९