Potala at Dawn, Tibet
Photograph by Randy Krieger This is my favorite picture from Tibet. I had scouted this shot out the previous evening, but when I returned before dawn there were fires burning up on the stupa I had planned to shoot from. Not understanding what was happening, I climbed up anyway and learned the local people come out every Wednesday to pray for the Dalai Lama's return. They burn grasses and spices they buy down on the street. While the sun never came out properly to light the palace, this shot has far more. —Caption by Randy Krieger
Flags on Rooftops, Gyangze, Tibet, 2000
Photograph by Maria Stenzel Prayer flags adorn the rooftops of houses in Gyangze, Tibet, during Losar, the Tibetan New Year. The flags are printed with the images of deities, prayer texts, or symbols of good fortune and placed where the wind will move through them and carry their blessings across the land. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Tibet Embraces the New Year," January 2000, National Geographic magazine)
Smoke and Prayer Flags, Lhasa, Tibet, 2000
Photograph by Maria Stenzel Incense smoke clouds the air as sun streams through strings of prayer flags during New Year celebrations in Lhasa, Tibet. The fragrant smoke of juniper and artemisia is thought to be pleasing to the spirits of land and sky. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Tibet Embraces the New Year," January 2000, National Geographic magazine)
Stone Buddha, Lhasa, Tibet, 2003
Photograph by Galen Rowell A tourist admires a brightly painted Buddha etched into the rock of a pilgrimage site near Lhasa, Tibet. The statue shows the Buddha in the earth-touching position with characteristic elongated earlobes and holding a begging bowl. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "275 Miles on Foot Through the Remote Chang Tang," April 2003, National Geographic magazine)
Buddhist Pilgrims, Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet, 2000
Photograph by Maria Stenzel Pilgrims pray outside Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet. Inside this massive temple are some of Buddhism's most important icons, including the famed Jowo Rinpoche statue—a seated Buddha installed when Buddhism was adopted by Tibetan royalty in the seventh century. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Tibet Embraces the New Year," January 2000, National Geographic magazine)
Ritual Dancers, Tsurphu Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet, 2000
Photograph by Maria Stenzel Tibetans believe both the negative and positive things done during Losar, the Tibetan New Year celebration, reverberate through the year to come. Here, Buddhist monks from the Tsurphu Monastery near Lhasa chase away bad spirits with a dance honoring the dharmapala divinity. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Tibet Embraces the New Year," January 2000, National Geographic magazine)
Chiru Expedition, Chang Tang, Tibet, 2002
Photograph by Galen Rowell An expedition member hauls a custom-built ricksha laden with supplies across the desolate Chang Tang alpine steppe in northern Tibet. A group of elite mountaineers put together the expedition to witness births at the remote calving grounds of the elusive chiru, or Tibetan antelope. The expeditioners chose to use lightweight rickshas instead of four-wheel-drive vehicles, which would get stuck in the mud and spook the chiru with engine noise. (Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Walking the Chang Tang," April 2003, National Geographic magazine)
 Prayer Candles, Lhasa, Tibet, 2003
Photograph by Galen Rowell Built in 1416, the Drepung Monastery outside Lhasa, Tibet, was once the largest monastery in the world, housing up to 10,000 monks. Here, candles illuminate one of the giant building's chanting halls. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "275 Miles on Foot Through the Remote Chang Tang," April 2003, National Geographic magazine)
Buddhist Temple, Lhasa, Tibet, 2003
Photograph by Galen Rowell Pedestrians walk near a temple on the famed Barkhor promenade in Lhasa, Tibet, with the grandiose Potala Palace sprawled atop nearby Red Mountain. Once a spiritual epicenter, the Barkhor is in the midst of a Chinese government-led modernization effort that many believe has stripped the ancient neighborhood of much of its unique Tibetan culture. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "275 Miles on Foot Through the Remote Chang Tang," April 2003, National Geographic magazine)
Mountains and Climber, Tibet, China, 2004
Photograph by Jimmy Chin A climber looks over the peaks of the Kunlun Mountains in Tibet's Chang Tang Reserve. This forbidding range in the Northern Tibetan Plateau is buffeted year-round by strong winds, bitter cold, and scant precipitation, suitable habitat for only the hardiest of plants and animals. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in the National Geographic book The Big Open: On Foot Across Tibet's Chang Tang)
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