Capturing History: Mohd Noor Recalls Developing Photos In Everest’s Extreme Conditions

By Mohd Azrin Muhammad

SHAH ALAM, May 26 (Bernama) -- As Malaysia celebrated its historic triumph of conquering Mount Everest in 1997, few realised that behind the iconic moment stood a photographer who was also battling extreme weather, exhaustion and the constant risk of failure - all to ensure the country could witness history unfolding from thousands of kilometres away.

Facing temperatures plunging between minus 19 and minus 36 degrees Celsius, Mohd Noor Mat Amin, 59, who was then attached to Utusan Malaysia, carried the immense responsibility of capturing and transmitting the historic images of M. Magendran and N. Mohanadas hoisting the Jalur Gemilang atop the world’s highest peak on May 23, 1997.

Recalling his experience covering the Malaysia-Everest ‘97 Project nearly three decades ago, the Kuala Terengganu-born photographer said every stage of recording and transmitting the images had to be carried out entirely by hand, without the convenience of digital technology that exists today.

He said the greatest challenge was ensuring that every film negative was processed flawlessly so that authentic and accurate visuals could be published for Malaysians to witness the very next day.

“At that time, the authenticity of a photograph meant everything because we worked entirely with analogue systems using single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, which allowed no manipulation or technological shortcuts like those offered by artificial intelligence (AI) today,” he said.

“The entire process was carried out at Everest Base Camp, situated about 5,000 metres above sea level. Every negative that was captured had to be carefully placed into a dark bag before being manually rolled using specialised equipment to ensure the original images were not damaged by exposure to light,” he told Bernama..

With more than 30 years of experience in photography, Mohd Noor said he had to carry nearly 50 kilogrammes of equipment - including cameras, a scanning machine, a satellite phone, a laptop and film-processing tools - all of which had to be transported from the town of Lukla with the help of three porters.

The father of five explained that manually developing photographic negatives in such extreme conditions demanded extraordinary precision, particularly in controlling water temperature and chemical reactions, as unstable temperatures - especially in freezing weather - could easily damage the negatives.

He said hot water at around 38 degrees Celsius had to be used to soak two key chemicals, namely the colour developer and bleach-fix solution, to ensure the temperature remained stable between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius.

“Once the chemical reaction was complete, the negatives had to be washed in water between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius for about three minutes to stabilise the emulsion. If the temperature shifted drastically because of the weather, the entire process could fail and had to be repeated from the beginning, placing tremendous emotional pressure on the photographer,” he said.

Mohd Noor said the processed negatives would first be dried before being scanned using a special machine to convert them into digital format, after which the images were transmitted via satellite connection - a process that could take between two and four hours depending on signal strength.

“All scanned images, including iconic portraits capturing the faces and physical exhaustion of the climbers as they struggled through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall route, had to be completed with captions before being sent through a satellite phone connection.

“There were times when I failed to transmit the images because the computer modem speed available back then was extremely slow compared with the internet and satellite network facilities we have today,” he said.

Mohd Noor said his experience at Mount Everest not only tested his skills as a photographer but also forged his mental and physical endurance, eventually inspiring him to pursue numerous achievements in the world of mountaineering.

He later earned several recognitions from the Malaysia Book of Records, including for completing 111 solo climbs of Mount Kinabalu in 2010.

Currently based in Pokhara, Nepal, Mohd Noor married a Nepalese woman at the end of 2022, and together they now operate a tourism and mountaineering company in the country.

Having retired from the world of photography in 2018, he expressed hope that the spirit of field journalism (on-the-ground reporting) and the values of integrity in delivering information would continue to be strengthened in line with the theme of National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA) 2026, ‘Media Integrity Strengthens Credibility’, which he described as highly relevant to the challenges facing journalism today.

“I hope young journalists and photographers will not become overly dependent on the speed of technology to the extent of neglecting the importance of going into the field themselves to obtain truly authentic information and visuals.

“The spirit of field journalism, together with a strong commitment to professional ethics, must continue to be upheld, especially at a time when the world is flooded with information and visual manipulation brought about by the rapid advancement of digital technology,” he said.

-- BERNAMA