For us, ground-dwelling humans, accustomed to our often claustrophobic eye-level view, a bird’s-eye view is a novelty. Rising up vertically to the vantage point of a bird, opens up sights that are just not visible from the ground, and thus offers new perspective to the earth we live in, and very often take for granted. Nepal From the Sky for starters is a novel concept, affording the reader a rare and interesting view point of Nepal - from the sky, and Captain Bed Upreti, being a pilot, makes accessible to the reader shots that span the length and breadth of the country.

Organised into 12 chapters, Nepal From the Sky starts with a general introduction of Nepal and then moves on to ariel shots of Kathmandu and its neighbouring towns of Patan and Bhaktapur on to Chitwan, Pokhara and ending with some close-up mountain shots. Flipping thorough the pages for the first time is an interesting experience with each new page revealing an unfamiliar facet of many a familiar sight. Height appears to add a separate dimension to any physical structure on the ground, and be it a humble hut on a hillside or the magnificence of Boudhanath, the sights just appear more pleasing and organised seen from the sky.

The mountain shots have been given space at the latter half of the book, possibly as the highlight, but having waded through the numerous cityscape, the mountains appeared just normal. This may perhaps be because there are numerous other photo-books on the mountains, with photos from the sky and otherwise, while the other subjects are rarely provided such ariel coverage. No major cribs about the photos as such - rarely does a photographer have such ariel access as Captain Bed Upreti did, to draw a parallel to. The point of view itself appears to be the photographer’s biggest asset and strength.

There are some issues on the printing front - despite being a 2006 publication, the pages have the pre-offset, old book feel. This is especially noticeable being a photo-book. It may perhaps be the paper used or the printing itself, but the pages are not crisp and feel soiled.

Overall the photos offer a rare perspective: a novelty, but expect nothing spectacular.

www.nepalfromthesky.com