This photograph is part of a larger body of work, put together during a visit to Ladakh and Bhutan in April 2026. On leaving Leh to drive over the Khardungla Pass to the Nubra Valley, we viewed and photographed this monastery from different angles and in changing light. I chose this photograph because it places the monastery very much within its barren landscape, and calls to mind the isolated life adopted by the hundreds of monks who have passed through its sacred halls since it was built in circa 1530 CE.