Nikon Net : On The Road Again : Jon Ortner

or more than 25 years, photographer Jon Ortner has been devoted to exploring the wonders of the most haunting and mystical regions on earth–spiritual Asia and the ancient lands of the Himalaya. His life has been divided between the demands of his studio in New York City and his adventures on expedition in the East.

He has published two books, Manhattan Dawn and Dusk, and Sacred Places of Asia. His Cambodia images will appear in Angkor, Kingdom of the Khmer due out in spring 2002, and he has just finished the photography for an upcoming book on Myanmar. When in New York he works for numerous architectural and corporate clients.

His images can also be frequently seen in magazines such as GEO, Travel & Leisure, and Architectural Digest. In addition to his extensive knowledge of eastern philosophy, Jon is a naturalist and skilled mountaineer. He continues to pursue his lifelong passion for the documentation of vanishing cultures, and his explorations of the most dramatically scenic and physically challenging places in the world.
Continued

"I've been drawn to Asia since I was a teenager, beginning my adventures in India and Nepal in 1971. The first realization that photography was my life calling came when I trekked into the Kashmiri Himalaya, and saw the spectacle of thousands of sadhus (wandering Hindu ascetics) on pilgrimage to the cave of Amarnath. Inside the massive cavern was a huge ice stalagmite, which magically grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon. This inspired me to want to share what few in the West had seen or experienced first hand. Since then, adventure travel has been a way of life. I have trekked thousands of miles through some of the toughest and most remote terrain on earth, from Everest, the highest mountain, to the Kali Gandaki, the deepest gorge in the world and from the volcanic peaks of Bali, to the banks of India's holiest river, the Ganges. I have searched for the last places where these ancient cultures still exist unchanged."
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