In just a few more hours, we are going to seen the finish line to a clusterf**k of an year. Physically, nothing changes. One day ends and another begins, just as it has been doing since time immemorial, but the end of 2020 will represent to many an end to a rollercoaster of an year marred by multiple globe-spanning events, including the innumerable trade wars, Brexit, the impeachment of the US president, and US elections and its chaotic aftermath, the oil price fluctuations, tensions in the Middle east, Climactic disruptions, the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, the murder of Samuel Paty, the projection of Chinese superpower, and last but not the least, the economy disrupting Covid pandemic.
I for one, can't wait to ring in the new year, and hope that the silver linings for the dark clouds that was 2020 do come to fruition.
Here is to new beginnings and new adventures.
Happy New Year
Feliz año nuevo
Bonne année
Felice anno nuovo
Frohes neues Jahr
புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்
Cappadocia
Turkey
The Eve of Spring
The winter in Pacific Northwest can get a bit moody, and the weather a bit harsh. This often leaves me homebound, where I sit and wait out for the change of seasons to spring, for when the snow slowly disappears, the icy lakes thaw , and the plants get ready to grow and regenerate again.
This scene from Sabrina Lake Basin in the Eastern Sierras of California captures just such a time during the change of seasons. In this early spring scene, a late afternoon thunderstorm paid a visit to the mountains still recovering from winter.
Inyo National Forest
CA USA
Into the Winter Wonderland
A brief respite in the gloomy weather allowed me to step outside into the winter wonderland. I found myself in a winter landscape replete with fresh snow gently glowing in the soft winter light. While the numerous lakes in the alpine terrain had frozen over, a few creeks were still flowing, adding a bit of contrast to the uniformity of the snow.
Who else is looking forward to escaping into such magical places to get away from the doldrums of the dark winter?
Mt Baker Wilderness
WA USA
The High Peak
There is a reason Mt Shuksan, the High One, is named as so. Even though it is not the tallest peak out there, it does tower over the snow-covered rocky landscape of the North Cascades. From this vantage point, one can spy the numerous blue glaciers descending its rocky slopes, and is one of the last peaks to catch the light of the setting sun.
Normally, a clear day like this usually ends with a beautiful alpenglow on the summits of the highest peaks of the Cascades. With that expectation, I waited out an entire day in the freezing cold hoping to catch alpenglow on this peak, but my luck ran out a few minutes after this shot was taken. And after I took a few moments to enjoy the last light, I had to rush back to the car (an hour of snowshoeing) before the early darkness set in.
Mt Baker Wilderness
WA USA
Life on the Dunes
The sand dunes of the Sahara desert represented a clash in anachronism: ancient nomadic Bedouin lifestyles adapted to modern living, the ship of the desert ferrying people alongside 4x4 zooming across the dunes, berber desert camps nestled side by side with modern hotels replete with pools and air-conditioning. It was, therefore, hard to capture the true essence of the desert that I had come to seek here. This scene was one such attempt at capturing that figment of a nomadic life.
Erg Chebbi
Morocco
Home is where you are
The concept of a domicile and a permanent abode is a strong fixture for the modern community. It anchors our present-day lives, and with the pandemic moving most work to home, the importance of the place of residence is higher than ever before.
That led me to wonder about the nomadic lives that many communities around the world practice, including the famous Bedouin tribes of Middle East, the Mongol tribes in Mongolia, Saami tribes in Scandinavia and numerous more in Africa and South America. And then there are also the digital nomads who work and live on the move, relying on modern technology to keep connected to society.
The nomadic herders I stayed with in Kyrgyzstan are certainly not digital nomads. Their calendar revolves with the seasons of the year, bring their herds of cattle and horses up to the high altitude meadows (jailoos) in early summer. They move and stay with the herd for half the year, in white yurts that pop up on the green landscape, and only move back down when winter calls and the weather turns harsh. A few of these herders set up additional yurts and welcome tourists to spend a day and experience the nomadic life of these herders. Modern technology has certainly eased some of the challenges and brought more income, but has not changed their lifestyle. I hope this tradition continues to thrive.
Tash Rabat Caravanserai
At Bashy district, Kyrgyzstan
The High Atlas
The descent of winter onto the Pacific Northwest brings with it short gloomy days often accompanied by rain. This would have normally been the time to socialize indoors, but it is our duty to be responsible and reduce social interactions to slow down the spread of the pandemic gripping the nation. That, however, does not come without consequences.
To help ease the stress of the dark winters, I use my photography to escape to the furthest places I have photographed. This time around, I relived my memories from driving through the high Atlas mountains of Morocco. While spending a night in the rocky spine of Morocco, I found a vast windswept plain between Lac Islit and Tislit, two surreal bodies of water surrounded by snow-capped peaks.
Life is harsh in this area, and even the arrival of roads, motor vehicles, electricity, and the internet, have only slightly eased the difficulty of living here. Subsistence living with meager livestock still remains the predominant form of sustenance. Two donkeys from one such herd graze on the sparse vegetation in the high Atlas
Imilchil
Morocco
The Wreck of the Iredale
The wreck of the Peter Iredale, a 285ft long steel sailing vessel that plied the Pacific Coast, has laid on the sandy beaches of the Oregon coast for more than a century. The unceasing action of the tides, the sun and the wind have taken its toll, reducing its steel superstructure to nothing more than a skeletal rib. And as time takes its toll, this too shall pass away into the sand.
But for now, it is here. I had heard of this wreck through a friend, and on my first visit here a decade ago, cloudy skies and high tide prevented us from getting close. This time around, low tides coincided with sunset, making for some spectacular photography under ideal conditions. Though with dozens of instragrammers milling around the structure, I had my work cut out.
Fort Stevens State Park
OR USA
The Blissful Coast
The reason the Pacific Northwest is notorious for its grey and gloomy disposition is the winter season, where short days and the inevitable rainy weather leaves many yearning for the summer sunshine. I put up with two months of seasonal depression just for the six glorious months of summer.
And yet, there are some days when a window of clear skies and balmy days open up even in the midst of a cold winter. A couple of years ago, I sought one such window and explored the scenic Olympic coastline. I was fortunate to hit the coast at low tide, which meant miles of glassy beach providing for amazing reflections of the rocky coastline glowing in the late afternoon sun.
Olympic National Park
WA USA
Calendar of 2021
With the pandemic restricting travel in general in 2020, I focused my photography on the amazing landscapes in and around my home in the Pacific Northwest. And even when constrained to this rain-drenched corner of the country , I found so much diversity, from rugged mountains of the North Cascades to temperate rain-forests in the Olympic Peninsula, and from dry volcanic terrain at Mt St Helens, to the lush farmlands of the Palouse.
And all of these are public lands preserved under the auspices of the National and State Parks, Wilderness Areas and National Forests that cover vast swaths of the PNW. By limiting my travel to this home range, I have come to realize what a treasure this region has to offer. And I am sure such outdoor destinations all over the country, including the 61 National Parks, have been a welcome respite from the harsh realities of the pandemic.
Having visited 45 of those 61, I have come to realize the vital importance of our National Park system in protecting and preserving nature, culture, wildlife, and landscapes for the future. The National Park Foundation helps safeguard our national heritage, ensuring generations of national park enthusiasts can enjoy the parks we love. Hence, this year, I chose to raise funding for this amazing organization.
Purchase the 2021 Calendar, and support the National Park Foundation
Seattle
WA USA