High in the Sierras

High in the Sierras, there exists mythical places where the skies are red and the water is a turquoise blue, where rugged granite behemoths were carved into graceful shapes, where glistening lakes and gurgling streams wind their way down mountains, valleys and canyons. Some of these mythical places are hard to reach, while others, including this one, are just a day's hike away from civilization.

It is perhaps that these beautiful destinations are such easy escapes that make living in California a photographer's and outdoor adventurer's dream. For some, they are the perfect respite from the humdrum of mechanical life, whereas for others, they are a way of life. It was the former for me, and I managed to escape away to these destinations as much as possible.

It was one such weekend during the peak of California wildfire season that I found myself at Thousand Island lake in Ansel Adams wilderness. I decided to color up the moody grey skies and dull waters of the smoky sunset with the Singh Ray Blue and Gold Polarizer to accentuate the hues of that evening. This was a single image exposure at ISO 100, 5s and F16

Ansel Adams Wilderness
CA USA

Shadow of a Giant

Dawn broke on the shore of Lake Trillium like a slow firework. The muted greys slowly gave way to warming colors in the sky, while the lifting mist off the lake started to catch some of the morning light. The sun hadn't crested yet, and neither had it's warmth, leaving me and a few other intrepid adventurers freezing on that spring morning.

As the mist slowly wafted, I spotted a lonely racing boat peering through the mist and breaking the still surface of the lake. Eventually the mist lifted, and the huge prominence of Mt Hood made its appearance. Rising 7200 ft above the lake, the snow-capped volcanic behemoth was a sight to behold as it formed the backdrop for this tranquil scene.

I captured this one frame of this boater while waiting for the morning light to strike the peak, but weather patterns ensured that the light never came. Hence I decided to hold on to image to remind myself of that beautiful morning.

Trillium Lake
OR USA

Shooting for the Trees

The blue lake glistened in the morning sun. The signs of fall seemed far away - warm conditions, bluebird skies, a sunny disposition and green meadows, but the golden leaves on the nearby trees gave away the season I was in. I wandered around, hoping to find the famous willow tree, and after asking a few locals, I was pointed in the right direction. And when I arrived, I found the crooked, precariously balanced tree rising out of the soggy shoreline, sprouting a frazzled few leaves on the last of their lives.

The famous Wanaka Willow has made many appearances on many travel brochures highlighting the beauties of New Zealand. And so, when it was my own turn to visit and pay home, I was sorely disappointed. The low water levels of the lake meant that the tree was no longer a denizen of the lake, but of the shallow shore nearby. While that was great for the tree, it's photographic appeal had certainly come down.

Nevertheless, I scouted around for opportunities and captured a few images, including this starburst image

Wanaka
Otago New Zealand

Alsatian Delights

The sinuous road wound through the patchy forests of the Vosges range in eastern France, a region so similar to the Black Forest that, were it not for French road signs, one would be hard-pressed to find a difference. In the gentle afternoon light of the late spring, the rolling green meadows interspersed with the young deciduous forests and rustic farmsteads, connected by a patchwork of roads was a sight for sore urban eyes.

I had arrived there after a couple of days of exploring the beautiful old towns of the Alsace Wine Country. While the quaint timber-framed medieval towns were a delight to explore, I longed for the green spaces, and the mountains behind the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg was the perfect respite. I spent an afternoon driving through and around the rolling hills, passing beautiful open spaces and charming cottages, passing many a fork in the road to places unknown.

Along the way was a vista that captured the quintessential scenery of the beautiful region.

Ballons des Vosges Natural Regional Park
Vosges France

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2017 in Review

2018 was an amazing year. Between traveling to seven amazing destinations around the world, completing my second graduate degree and settling down in the Pacific Northwest, this year has been a whirlwind of changes. Here is to hoping that 2018 will be as adventurous as the last for all of you.
From upper left, the locations are
1. Holiday lights in Cartagena, Colombia
2. The blue alleys of Chefchaouen, Morocco
3. The Torii way at Fushimi Inari temple in Kyoto, Japan
4. The Shah-i-Zinda mausoleum ensemble in Samarkhand, Uzbekistan
5. Summer Jailoos in Songkol, Kyrgyzstan
6. The unique rock formation sof Cappadocia, Turkey
7. The misty forests of British Colombia
8. Solar eclipse in Madras, OR
9. El Capitan at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX

Its never too late to get my 2018 Calendar. All proceeds go to NRDC and WildAid, two non-profits whose missions I wholly support.

On Top of Bogota

Rising high above Bogota is the Monserrate, topped by an ancient shrine that atracted many pilgrims for decades. While they had to endure a strenuous climb to the top, a modern tramway whisked me to the top in a few minutes, and the view from above was something else.

On one side of the divide, there lay an endless array of rolling mountains draped with lush forests, with nary a sign of civilization. And on the other, the forests gave way to a concrete jungle - towering skyscrapers, gleaming glassy high-rises, and an endless ocean of humanity. And straddling both of these was the unique environment of the Monserrate

As I lay at the top pondering this juxtaposition, moisture-laden clouds rolled in from the mountains, accompanied by increasing gusts of wind. Crepuscular rays streamed from the sky highlight patches of the cityscape below, while a foreboding grayness took over the rest. I didn't stick around long after, just enough to capture this beautiful scene of the clouds unfolding over the cityscape of Bogota

Monserrate
Bogota Colombia

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Greys of the Pacific Northwest

It was one of those grey Pacific Northwest days, where the moisture-laden clouds from the Pacific blanket much of the landscape here. I had been hiking through a dense foggy temperate rainforest, hoping for a break and the clouds. But it wasn't until the very top did I break out of the clouds.

Up from that rocky vista point, I spied a beautiful amalgam of the rocky peaks floating above the clouds which had settled in the valleys below, permeating the dense carpet of conifers. The mesmerizing motion of the clouds put me in a trance on that rocky outcrop, and I let time go by despite the long day that was ahead of me. I closed in on one of the rocky slopes that showed the beautiful line of trees indulging the moisture-laden mist.

Garibaldi Provincial Park
BC Canada

Check out my 2018 Photography calendar. All proceeds from the purchase of this calendar go to NRDC and WildAid

Lost in the Rockies

The trail was long and hard. It wound its way through the dense coniferous forest, rising with slow certainty towards an as of yet unseen vista. I was laboring heaving with the weight of my camera gear, wondering how much further the destination was. And after more than an hour of uphill slow, the vegetation thinned out, and the views expanded. I turned around, and the entire vista of Maligne Lake expanded in front of me.

There is perhaps nothing more exhilerating that seeing the endless cascades of the snow-capped mountains rising up from a velvety green forest floor. And I have been fortunate in being able to visit and pay homage to the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies, perhaps the most beautiful of them all.

It was as though the stereotypical mountain landscapes that we drew as a kid came to life, except it was far more majestic and awe-inspiring. Bare sedimentary rock faces were alternately in light and shadow as the clouds cast dappled light on the rugged landscape, while towering peaks with glacial remnants shone in pearly white. Maligne Lake slowly tapered off in the distance towards its source, lost in the multitude of canyons.

As I watched this scene slowly transpiring, an old quote from John Muir popped in my head: "We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us."

Maligne Lake
AB Canada

You can find more of my photography in my 2018 calendar, available here: https://goo.gl/Nd7p9G. All proceeds go to NRDC and WildAid, two non-profits whose missions I wholly support.

Hidden in the Mountains

I almost didn't make it here. Between a kerfuffle caused by lack of information about road conditions, and my own planning overzealousness, I was about to make the choice of not hitting this destination. But I changed my mind at the last minute. And after two days of hiking in absolutely serene surroundings in an alpine landscape, I absolutely fell in love with this place that I almost missed going to. This place was Arslanbob, a hidden village nestled in the shadow of snow-capped peaks reaching to 4000m and above.

The magic started right with the drive to Arslanbob. The sight of mountains all around as soon as I left Osh behind calmed my rattled min. The rolling green hills that seemed to stretch endlessly, dotted with a few oak trees and scattered farmsteads, reminded me of the Palouse in USA, except for the backdrop of the snow-capped Pamir range in the distance. And this blissful scenery gave me company all the way through to my destination, and erased away any second thoughts I had about my destination.

One of the biggest lessons I learnt was just to follow your gut instincts while traveling, and make the best of what you are offered. Had I not, I would have missed this beautiful vista where the afternoon sun glinted on the snow-capped peaks rising above the village, while fast-moving clouds created ever-changing lighting conditions on the grassy slopes.

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Arslanbob
Kyrgyzstan

The Wall

The Wall
A physical symbol of a divide between two regions. There exists many famous walls, the Great Wall, the Berlin Wall, the West Bank barrier, and the proposed addition to the border wall along the 1989 mi long border between Mexico and the US. But it was this wall, or lack thereof, deep in the heart of Big Bend National Park, that perhaps took me most by surprise.

The hike into Santa Elena Canyon, formed by the Rio Grande river as it cuts through a sandstone mesa, is a spectacular one. The beautiful narrow slot canyon with towering walls and a cooling breeze was a welcome transformation after hiking through a hot desert.

As I continued inwards, the walls narrowed in, and towards the very end of the trail, I spotted this smoothed piece of rock jutting out onto the river, with the other side mere feet away. The sandstone walls here rose hundreds of feet into the sky, opening up a only a quarter mile away. But right where I was, I could almost jump across onto Mexico.

The other side felt no different than where I was, and yet, the symbolism of this divide was powerful. The juxtaposition of the openness of landscape, and the purported urgency to close border, as conveyed by the leaders and the news media, was stark. I spent quite a bit of time contemplating why the nations are so different, and yet share the same piece of land. But all I could take away from this place was this image of the wall, or lack thereof, that I shot at F9, 1/400s at ISO 1600

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Big Bend National Park
TX USA