Travel through a lens: Cat Vinton's best photograph – Sonam braves winter in Tibet

Our new series of travel photos that tell a story starts with a nomadic young girl who herds animals on the high-altitude Tibetan plateau

We rattled over the rugged peaks of a wild, remote landscape of the high Himalaya – in a truck open to the biting wind. After a few long days crossing this frozen land, we reached a small Tibetan camp of yak-haired tents wedged in between jagged peaks. One side India, the other side Tibet (or the Tibet Autonomous Region, as the Chinese call it).

The first morning, out early, I met Sonam, collecting water at the frozen river. Her eyes sparkled, wide and inquisitive. She seemed compelled to watch my every move across her frozen landscape. With every glimpse of each other, our smiles connected in mutual fascination.