Landscapes

Last Light

I made my way on the mound of soft snow, hoping to catch a peek of the snow-capped peak before last light. My feet sank in in the loose snow, and I was unsure of my footing, but I trudged on. I was determined to not miss what was about to happen.

I had driven up to this mountainous wilderness in the northern part of Washington hoping to cash in the fabulous weather. Two days of heavy snow was followed by a weekend of glorious sunshine and bluebird skies, and I was ready to flex my new camera in this winter wonderland. I spent the day trudging up steep trails to spectacular vista points whose panoramic views were unforgettable. Mt Baker stood valiantly under the bright sun with an thick coating of white, while on the other side, photogenic Mt Shuksan's glaciers were indistinguishable in the snow.

I hurried back down the 3 miles of trail, hoping to get back to the trailhead before dark. And just before the last turn, I spied Mt Shuksan again, ready to catch the last light. I stopped on that mound, waiting for the colors to turn, the alpenglow to appear, and the belt of venus to rise. And when they all did, the result was this beautiful image of the last light on Mt Shuksan

North Cascades National Park
WA USA

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Magical Galapagos

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The vista stretched endlessly. The blue calm waters of the Pacific wrapped around the tiny island I was atop, while in front, right below the setting sun, lay volcanic cones of various shapes and sizes. The landscape was barren, almost a moonscape, save a few pieces of vegetation: the volcanic soil with its poor nutrients and the harsh windy weather aren't kind to flora and fauna.

And yet, Galapagos is one of the best wildlife hotspots. Phytoplankton thrive at this unique confluence of warm and cold ocean currents, resulting in a region rich in biodiversity. Between the unique avian dwellers and visitors, including the blue and red-footed boobies, the magnificent frigatebirds, albatross, and even penguins, the lush and colorful aquatic life swimming everywhere, the giant iguanas and tortoises, and so many more, you can easily lose track of how amazing this destination is.

The Bartelome island, home to this amazing vista, wasn't originally in my itinerary, but due to scheduling issue, I ended up at the top, and enjoyed this expansive view during the afternoon, with the warm sunlight setting aglow the landscape around. And I was glad I made it

Galapagos
Ecuador

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The Land of Waterfalls

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Iceland, the land of foss - the land of waterfalls. This windswept island nation in the arctic is home to some of the most spectacular waterfalls thanks to its unique geology and climate conditions. Its huge glaciers and ice-caps, combined with plenty of rain and snow in the central highlands lead to a massive outflows of melt-water. Its volcanic geology, with rugged terrain and plenty of highlands results in some spectacular waterfalls, often located in absolutely breath-taking surroundings.

The country has its share of hypnotizing waterfalls, and other graceful ones such as Seljalandsfoss, which empties out onto a vast plain facing west, and this sets it up for some memorable sunsets. And while this particular day started out cloudy, it cleared up towards the evening, and I was blessed with great lighting and red-tinged clouds to complement green landscape. Climbing up behind the waterfall, I searched for this composition to capture the sun and the mesmerizing flow of water.

Seljalandsfoss
Iceland

 

The Whites of Winter

I had barely expected rain, let alone snow, in the dry Eastern Sierras during a Memorial Weekend a couple of years ago.

And so, when I driving up the steep incline towards North Lake in Bishop Creek Basin, I was rather surprised to see this beautiful dusting of pristine white as soon as I climbed above 7000ft. I had just hiked on a nearby trail the previous day, drenched in sweat and slipping in slushy snow patches along the way, and to experience the vast mountain range coated in this beautiful white was extra-ordinary.

I pulled into the parking lot and made my way on that freezing dawn towards the still shores of the North Lake. And as I came out of the clearing in the trees, the vast valley opened up; the still surface of the lake lay in front of me reflecting the long mountain range dusted in but a mere few inches of snow. And even that was sufficient to transport me to a winter wonderland, and have a completely different experience from just 24h prior.

I captured this beautiful panorama while waiting for the sun to strike the peaks (it never did). I adjusted the color temperature to reflect the frosty dawn I was experiencing.

Bishop Creek Canyon
CA USA

Mountains to the Sea

The Pacific beaches of Costa Rica were special in one sense - tropical rainforests that descended right from the mountains onto the golden sands. Perhaps one of the best places to witness this was the beautiful surf of Playa Uvita in Parque Nacional Marina Belleno. From the shore arose multitudes of ridges, ranges and valleys topped by the rain-bearing clouds swept off the warm Pacific that provide life-giving water to the dense rainforest.

I had a chance to explore this beautiful place one early morning during my visit to 'Pura Vida' destination of Central America

Playa Uvita
Puntaarenas, Costa Rica

Back to the Bay

Thin wispy clouds arced around the sky as though drawn with a talented paintbrush. And from high above the plains, these masterful strokes of white seemed to stretch forever, hovering over the beautiful golden rolling hills east of the Bay Area of California, highlighting one reason why I was in the Golden State. In the distance I could spy the prominence of Mt Diablo and the other hills of the Diablo Range rising above the buckled terrain formed by the multiple faults cris-crossing the terrain, including the famous Hayward fault that was running just below.

The slanted evening light highlighted the rolling hillscape, bringing into view hidden features in dramatic scales. And even though I stood there and admired the view for a long time, I never got tired of the vast open space stretching in front of me. I can't wait to once again explore the nooks and crannies of the rolling hillscape dotted with vineyards, ranches, and the occasional windmill.

Mission Peak Regional Preserve
CA USA

The Rocky Road to Sunset

The weather progressively worsened through the day. What started out as a clear sky in the morning became cloudier and cloudier, and by the late afternoon, the sun had all but disappeared behind an overcast sky. I had very little hopes when I made my way through the dense coastal rain-forest. But when I came out of the clearing, what I saw made me realize that something special was going to happen that evening. But first, I had a hurdle of driftwood to clamber over before I got to the beach.

The first good fortune was the window in the clouds where the dipping sun was just starting to peek through and casting yellow light all around. Next was the low tide, which had left behind a long smooth reflective beach. And the final piece of good luck were the beautiful tide-pools that had formed in the small depressions reflecting the rugged sea-stacks juxtaposed against the cloudy sky.

And at sunset, they all came together: the sea stacks against the red sky, the reflection in the tide-pool, and the sun-star formed by the setting sun; and it made for a special sunset that I will not forget.

Olympic National Park
WA USA

Morning in the Jailoo

I woke up before the alarm finished ringing, layered up, and stepped outside into the cold dawn. The whole sky had opened up, a welcome contrast to the cold and damp evening the day before. The peaks nearby, with a fresh dusting of snow from the prior night's downpour, started to glow in the early morning light. And while it may sound like perfect condition for sunrise photography, freezing winds swept across the vast alpine pasture, and until the sun came through, it was a miserable experience.

Nevertheless, it was special, for what lay in front of me were the vast summer pastures (jailoos) at 3000m (10000ft) around the high alpine lake called the Songkol in Kyrgyzstan. And ringing this 270 sq-km (100 sq-mi) lake were mountains rising another 1500ft, making for an landscape like no other. This is terrain where the horses run free and cattle have a field day. And the only way to get here is on a beat-up dirt road, and the only place to stay is in the traditional yurts set up by the nomadic herders.

I had a field day photographing the awe-inspiring location, and this is one of the morning scenes where the cattle lazily graze in the backdrop of snow-capped peaks.

Songkol
Kyrgyzstan

 

Island in the Sky

I stood on the edge of tall sandstone mesa, peering down onto the undulating valley below. In front of me, the White Rim canyon cut a jagged scar on the dry plateau, while, in the distance, towering mesas rose a few thousand feet above the landscape. The evening light caught it all, adding red rimlight and dark shadows to the sharp features of this geological marvel. I was watching history in the various strata, dating back 320 million years ago, each with its own unique distinguishable feature.

To witness the immensity of the American Southwest landscape from this tower in the sky is perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring experiences. There are very few other places in this country that can inspire the same sense of grandeur one gets here: the vista from the Grand Canyon, the graceful U-shaped canyons at Glacier National Park, the never-ending tundra landscape of Denali. And that is what makes this place so memorable.

This is a panorama that captures about one-half of the spectacular vista from Green River Overlook in Canyonlands National Park, a lookout best visited at sunset. Coupled with a telephoto lens, I was able to capture intimate details of this rugged National Park

Canyonlands National Park
UT USA

The White Frost

I remember first setting sights on the Ahwahnee hotel, ahem, the 'Majestic Yosemite Hotel' on my second visit to this beautiful park. I stood in awe at the huge vaulted ceilings in the main dining area, at the towering chandeliers lighting the lounge, and the large native stones that were crafted beautifully into the walls. I listened in peace to the crackling sounds of the warm fireplace and the soothing music emanating from the grand piano while I took a breather from the cold outdoors in the cozy interior. This was my first winter experience in Yosemite, a memory that would bring me back to the Ahwahnee every visit just to rekindle those old feelings.

On one such winter outing, I chanced upon the park just as it was experiencing a heavy snowfall. The crowds were away, leaving behind a very quite and serene surrounding. The normally bluebird skies with Yosemite falls in the background was replaced with a moody grey sky pouring down wet snow. This was the white Christmas I experienced once, at the heart of Yosemite National Park. I made a few attempts at capturing this snowfall before I got drowned in the snow, and this was one attempt at photographing the White Frost.

Thank you Yosemite, for etching such wonderful memories.

Yosemite National Park
CA USA