Vasiq Eqbal - Eye in the sky- Czech scientist captures the beauty of K2 peak
Pakistan’s northern
areas are very rich in terms of mountains and scenic beauty, and with some of
the highest mountains in the world such as the three great mountain ranges of
Hindu Kush, Himalaya and The Great Karakoram, it’s a mountaineer’s dream. But what drew Petr Jan
Juračka, a Czech scientist at Charles University of Prague and a professional
photographer, to the country’s rich landscape was the chance to break a world
record in altitude photography.
Photo by Petr Jan Juračka
Petr has worked in
South Africa, Lesotho, Egypt, Uganda, Mongolia, Greenland, Cuba, Russia and
Germany for various photographic and film-making projects. What he is really
passionate about, however, is using cameras attached to drones to capture the
beautiful scenes at some the world’s highest places.
As Petr explains, he
had flown his drone in places such as Uganda, South Africa and Lesotho but
there was always something missing. “I should be satisfied with all of that but
I wasn’t. I have been waiting for something bigger and higher. I wanted a big
project, as big as a project can be, and the project came to me.”
Photo by Petr Jan Juračka
The way Petr tells it,
it was fate. Czech climber Klára Kolouchová called him one day to ask if he
would like to be part of a climbing expedition to K2. It didn’t take long for
the photographer to agree to the project and he is really glad he made the
journey to Pakistan.
“K2 is the mystic
point attracting all of us. I have to admit that I had some doubts about
travelling there, but my experience was really great! I really appreciate the
hospitability, kindness and charisma of the Pakistani people. I would like to take
my family there to see it with their own eyes.”
