CHRISTINA NOBLE first went to Kullu in 1969 to trek from Simla to Kashmir, following in the footsteps of the likes of  Isobel Savory (1907) who said “to roam about in the Himalayas in gypsy fashion, meeting with trifling adventures from time t­o time, is a complete change for an ordinary English girl”.

 

She pioneered a Himalayan walking holiday business that she ran with her husband Kranti Singh and lived in Kullu for the majority of the years from 1970 to 1990. Her Nikon always accompanied her travels with rolls of Ilford film that were sent home to be developed. Often she didn’t see the results for nearly six months.

 

She still makes regular trips to Prini Ropa, the house they built near Manali, which also houses an artist’s studio space for residential retreats. Her photographs in black & white and colour span nearly 45 years.

 

It is the clarity of the light, the scale of the mountains and the relationship they have to the domestic buildings that she is drawn to time and again.