For the past 12 years, I’ve been Visiting Katpana Sand Desert & photographing from past 6 years in Skardu, Pakistan. It’s one of the highest sand deserts in the world, sitting right between the stunning Karakoram Mountains. The sight of golden dunes against snowy peaks is something you have to see to believe—it’s like a dream. But every year, I come back and find more of this desert disappearing. Homes, resorts, and even a government hospital are being built, eating away at this incredible place.
I call this project The Desert Cry because it’s my way of showing both the beauty of this desert and the danger it’s in. I’ve spent years capturing its magic—the way the light changes on the dunes, the silence that feels like it’s from another world. I’ve also had to photograph the construction sites that are slowly taking over. It breaks my heart to see this happening.
Every year, I sit on these dunes and write about it on social media. I talk to people, trying to make them understand how important it is to save this place. We protect glaciers and rivers, so why not this desert? It’s just as special, just as fragile. I hope that by sharing my photos and my story, I can help people see what’s at stake. I can do more Exhibitions to raise awareness among masses specially with the higher authorities.
My dream is to see the Katpana Sand Desert recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I want the construction to stop before it’s too late. I don’t want to imagine a future where this desert is gone, replaced by buildings and roads.
This project is my way of fighting for this place. It’s my way of saying that some things are too precious to lose. Through my photos, I hope to show the world what’s at risk—and maybe, just maybe, inspire people to help save it.
This isn’t just a photo story. It’s a cry for help, a plea to protect something that can never be replaced.
Magical morning over one of highest sand desert Katpana, Skardu Valley. The Fog the Sand the Karakorams and the fall colors in the valley makes it like music of the mountain sand. One of most magical mornings i have ever witnessed.
– Рейтинг фотографов по странам и городам строится на основе 3-х лучших фотографий автора и их относительной позиции в каждой отдельной номинации. Рейтинг в номинации "Мобильная фотография" учитывается в меньшей степени для формирования рейтинга. В списке по странам и городам показывается одна фотография автора с лучшим рейтингом.
– В списке опубликованы только работы которые прошли 2-й этап голосования.
– В рейтинге лучших фотографий учитывается только одна — самая сильная — работа от каждого автора. Даже если у фотографа опубликовано несколько работ, в расчёте позиции используется только одна, с наившим рейтингом. Поэтому порядок фотографий в списке может не совпадать с итоговым положением автора в рейтинге.
– The rating of photographers by countries and cities is based on the three best photos of the author and their relative position in each separate nomination. Rating in the nomination "Mobile Photography" is taken into account to a lesser extent for rating formation. The list by country and city shows one photo of the author with the best rating.
– Only those photos have been published in the list that passed the second stage of voting.
– Only one strongest photo from each author is counted in the Best Photos ranking. Even if a photographer has several published works, only the highest-rated one is used to calculate their ranking position. As a result, the order of photos in the list may not match the author's final ranking position.
