Tick. Click.
One is the sound of a watch keeping time. The other is the sound of a camera capturing a moment.
For Stéphane Monard, both are part of everyday life. He’s a professional watchmaker and a photographer, two passions that might have more in common than you’d think. Both require patience, a keen eye for detail, and a good sense of timing. The main difference? A watchmaker tries to keep every second in place, while a photographer tries to make one last a little longer.
At Asia Travel Photography, we love photographs, of course. But we also love the stories behind them: the people we meet, the conversations we share, the traditions we discover, and the little details that reveal something about a place and its inhabitants.
And sometimes, the best stories begin with a single click.
That’s exactly what happened with Stéphane Monard, who first joined one of our photography trips in Cambodia as a client many years ago. Today, he’s becoming part of the team, bringing us somewhere that holds a very special place in his heart: Nepal.
From 6 to 19 December 2027, Stéphane and I will explore the country together, combining his personal connection with Nepal with our shared passion for photography, meaningful encounters, and discovering the world through the people who live in it.
From Client to Collaborator: A Shared Passion for Travel Photography
When Stéphane first joined one of our trips, we were impressed by his photographic eye, the quality of his images, and, above all, his respectful approach to photographing people.
At Asia Travel Photography, we believe great travel photography starts with curiosity and observation. It’s about understanding what’s happening around you, finding the right background and light, and recognising the moments that tell a story. Stéphane shares this philosophy naturally.
Beyond his photography, he’s passionate about sharing his knowledge and brings strong organisational skills to the team. As a professional watchmaker, he’s used to dealing with tiny details and making sure everything runs smoothly. So we’re feeling pretty confident about the organisation of this trip — although we might still ask him to check that our watches are all running on Nepal time!
Jokes aside, Stéphane brings a valuable combination of photographic talent, patience, practical thinking, and attention to detail. He’s someone who understands that a great experience isn’t made by one big moment alone. It’s built from hundreds of little things, each finding its place.
Of course, when it comes to photography, even the finest watch can’t tell you exactly when to press the shutter. For that, we’ll have to trust Stéphane’s eye.
Nepal: A Second Home and a Source of Photographic Inspiration
Some places are a passing moment. Others stay with you.
Stéphane spent more than six months of his life in Nepal and returns regularly to a country he now considers his second home. That experience gave him a personal connection that goes far beyond its landscapes and famous landmarks.
Nepal is a fascinating destination for photographers. Its cultural diversity, vibrant streets, traditional craftsmanship, spiritual traditions, and extraordinary mountain scenery offer an incredible variety of subjects and stories.
For Stéphane, returning means reconnecting with a place he knows and loves. For the photographers joining us, it’s an opportunity to discover Nepal through his perspective while developing their own photographic vision.
A familiar face, a craftsperson at work, a quiet moment in a sacred place: sometimes, it’s the smallest details that bring a destination to life. And sometimes, a single photograph can take you straight back to a moment you thought you’d forgotten.
We asked Stéphane to tell us more about his connection with Nepal and why the country continues to inspire him.
Why Nepal? Stéphane Tells Us More
I first travelled to Nepal in 2006, never imagining that twenty years later, I would have the opportunity to bring other photographers to a place that has become so important to me. The timing feels almost symbolic. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate these twenty years of connection than sharing a slice of Nepali life with others, through my passion, meaningful encounters and the everyday moments that first made me fall in love with this wonderful country.
My first visit was part of an organised tour, towards the end of the ten-year civil war. It wasn’t until 2018 that I began to develop a much deeper bond with Nepal. My wife and I were travelling as part of what would become four years of nomadic life, and we decided to spend an extended period in this Himalayan land.
We spent several months on a tea farm, where we developed a strong friendship with the family who welcomed us. From there, we travelled across the country, from West to East and from the lowlands to the high mountains. Wherever we went, we found ourselves connecting with people. We never got tired of the warm welcomes, genuine smiles and simple kindness we encountered along the way.
Human relationships hold a special place in Nepali culture. There is a saying that guests are like gods, and we often felt the spirit of this expression in the way people welcomed us into their homes and their lives. This warmth wasn’t limited to the places we visited or the people we already knew. It was something we experienced repeatedly.
I also admire the way people approach life. They see a glass half full rather than half empty. When something goes wrong, there is always a solution. Your bag ends up on the wrong bus! No problem! Someone knows someone who knows someone, and somehow, that bag finds its way safely back to you!
I admire this resourcefulness, optimism and genuine willingness to help. It’s inspiring.
Yet my connection with Nepal goes beyond these experiences. There is something about the country that keeps drawing me back, something I still find difficult to put into words. I don’t fully understand where this feeling comes from, and perhaps I don’t need to.
What I do know is that twenty years after my first visit, I still want to return there. Being able to share this connection with others, through photography and the human encounters that make Nepal so special to me, feels like a wonderful way to celebrate it. Rather than simply discovering a place together, I hope to create the space for others to experience those small, meaningful moments that have made this country such an important part of my own journey.
A Nepal Photography Workshop: From Everyday Life to Himalayan Landscapes
Our Nepal photography tour is designed to take us beyond the familiar sights and into the country’s remarkable variety of people, traditions, and landscapes.
We’ll explore lively markets and historic Newari towns, discovering the craftsmanship behind traditional pottery, woodcarving, metalwork, and other skills passed down through generations. We’ll venture into the countryside, where farming activities and village life offer a different rhythm, with opportunities to photograph everyday scenes that reveal the character of a place.
Nepal’s spiritual heritage will be another highlight. We’ll experience the atmosphere of sacred sites and religious ceremonies, and spend time with Buddhist communities where centuries-old traditions remain very much alive. One particularly memorable experience will be an overnight stay in a monastery, with special access arranged to photograph the atmosphere and rituals of the early-morning prayers.
We’ll also have opportunities to photograph portraits, candid moments, traditional ways of life, and the details that might otherwise go unnoticed. And, of course, we’ll enjoy opportunities to photograph the spectacular Himalayan ranges in the beautiful light of early morning.
From intimate portraits and documentary scenes to traditional craftsmanship and dramatic mountain landscapes, this photography workshop in Nepal offers a rich variety of subjects to explore.
Developing Your Travel Photography Skills
A watch ticks away second after second. A camera clicks in a fraction of one. But the photographs we remember most often come from knowing when to wait, when to observe, and when a fleeting expression or gesture brings everything together.
Throughout the trip, we’ll work on the elements that make a photograph come to life: the background, the light, the subject, the composition, and the moment. We’ll exchange ideas, discuss our images, and explore different ways of approaching a scene.
No stopwatch required — although we do have a watchmaker on the team if anyone wants to time their exposures!
Our itinerary combines carefully selected locations, memorable encounters, and a rich variety of photographic situations. Some of the lesser-known places we’ll visit will remain our little secret until you join us. Even a watchmaker doesn’t reveal every little mechanism at first glance!
Our First Nepal Photography Tour Together: December 2027
For this inaugural departure, I’ll be joining Stéphane in Nepal. It will be a pleasure to share the journey, exchange perspectives, and bring our experience together to make the most of our time in the country.
And this first edition comes with a little extra time on the clock.
We’re offering 14 days at the same price planned for our future 12-day departures, with two additional days included at no extra cost.
The itinerary has been carefully planned, and travelling together on this first departure will allow us to experience it as a team, fine-tune the rhythm along the way, and enjoy the journey alongside our first group.
For future departures, Stéphane will lead the tour himself, supported by our trusted local team. His personal connection with Nepal, his photographic approach, and his eye for detail make him a valuable addition to our team. Combined with our local knowledge and experience organising photography journeys, these are the ingredients for a trip where the practical details are taken care of and you can concentrate on what matters: discovering, observing, and photographing.
We’ll look after the arrangements. You’ll bring your camera, your curiosity, and your enthusiasm.
As for punctuality, we’ll let the watchmaker take charge. Though we make no promises about what happens when a particularly good photographic moment appears just as we’re supposed to leave!
Beyond the Photographs: The Stories We Bring Home
A watch can tell you how much time has passed. A photograph can remind you what that time meant.
That’s what we hope this Nepal photography journey will offer. Not simply a collection of beautiful images, but a deeper understanding of Nepal and the people who make it such a fascinating place to photograph.
The conversation that changed the way you see a scene. The portrait you took the time to make properly. The ritual that helped you understand a tradition. The tiny detail you nearly missed, but didn’t.
These are the moments that stay with us.
Perhaps that’s the curious thing about photography: the moments themselves may last only a second, but the photographs can keep their stories alive for years.
Stéphane knows a thing or two about making small mechanisms work together to create something greater than the sum of their parts. On this journey, we’ll be doing something similar with photographs, encounters, and experiences.
One tick at a time. One click at a time.
Join Our Nepal Photography Tour | 6–19 December 2027
Join Stéphane Monard and Régis Binard for our special inaugural Nepal photography tour, from 6 to 19 December 2027.
Enjoy 14 days of photography and cultural discovery, with two extra days included at no additional cost compared with the planned price of our future 12-day departures.
Fourteen days. Countless encounters. And hopefully, plenty of clicks worth remembering.
The watch will keep ticking, the cameras will keep clicking, and somewhere between the two, we’ll collect the stories that make this journey special.
Discover our Nepal Photography Tour – December 2027
By Photographers. For Photographers.