"Fotu La mein Photo liya (Took a Photo at Fotu La)"

It was a cold and windy night as we left our homestay in Lamayuru and drove towards Fotu La for a Milky Way shoot. Deep in the snow-covered mountains, we found a scenic viewpoint with a lone gazebo—perfect as a foreground with the Milky Way rising right behind it.

Setting up was a real struggle. The sky was filled with stars—so many that spotting Polaris for polar alignment was tough. The freezing winds made things worse. I had to take off my thick gloves to operate my gear, but within seconds my hands would go numb and start burning from the cold. I kept switching between wearing and removing them, making setup painfully slow.

To add to that, truck headlights from the highway constantly disrupted our long exposures, forcing us to wait and repeat shots. What made the foreground glow red wasn’t light painting—it was a red light from a nearby mobile tower that ended up giving the scene a unique and beautiful touch.

After hours of battling the cold and interruptions, we finally captured the shot. My hands were burning as I rushed into the car to recover, but seeing the result made it all worth it.

Gears Details
Sony α7 IV
Sony 14mm f1.8
Skywatcher Star Adventurer 2i Tracker
Leofoto 365C tripod

Processing Details
Stacked in Sequator
Processed in Photoshop