The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. And up here, high in the alpine terrain of the Canadian Rockies, where large icefields give birth to glaciers, spring starts in July, and summer only lasts a month. Yet, plants thrive in this harsh environment, albeit barely. And reward us with beautiful pastel colors on a soft green carpet.
Canadian Rockies
AB Canada
The wind was incessant and unrelenting. The tiny flowers struggled to hold on, dragged by the breeze that blew up the rolling hills. It was a battle that the flowers would eventually succumb to, but not yet. And until then, these tiny balsamroot blooms would grace the green hillscapes with their colorful blooms, lending a brief bit of yellow to the otherwise brown and dusty slopes on the Columbia River Gorge.
The sun had't crested the distant range, and in the shadow of the morning light, I spied a dusty rustbucket nestled in a field of balsamroot. I was still contemplating how it made its way down here, far away from the nearby roads and ranches, when the sun slowly appeared, blooming with a vibrant sunstar over the eager balsamroot.
Columbia River Gorge
WA USA
The long halcyon days of summer have begun. And that means it is time for a trip to the eastern half of the state to once again to experience the beauty the Palouse region has to offer: rolling hilly terrain with a velvety carpet of freshly sprouted wheat and soybean, rustic farmhouses in a bucolic countryside with colorful barns peppered amidst the pastoral landscape. It also means shooting during the longest days of the year, with 4 am wakeups for photographing this divine landscape bathed in morning light, and staying awake till 10pm for capturing the last of the golden light. And driving around in dusty farmroads to find that one unique perspective of the Palouse.
So who wants to join me on this magical, albeit tiring, journey in June?
Palouse
WA USA
If spring is the season of love and new beginnings, then fall is the season for mad lust. The fresh burst of the colorful flowers and pleasing greenery is replaced by the vibrant yellows and burning orange, a final attempt at living before the long, cold, and dreary winter.
And yet, like clockwork, every new year heralds such a cycle of change in the flora across the planet. And as a photographer, I am grateful both for the beautiful blooms in the spring, and the colorful hues of autumn. This was is of a beautiful maple tree in the Japanese Garden in Portland.
Portland
OR USA
From the distance, it appeared as though somebody had taken a giant brush and painted the green hillsides yellow. Vast swathes of grassy meadows were covered with millions of balsamroot, a relative of the sunflower, all blooming in unison and creating this beautiful annual spectacle. And with the spring weather holding up relatively well, the conditions were ideal for photographing this remarkable event.
After a day of exploring this beautiful park, I drove along the road to find the promised land for sunset - a vast meadow blooming balsamroot with the unmistakable cone of Mt Hood soaking the last light of the day. And here, high above the gorge, the wind had picked up, gusting up from the gorge below and rolling over the vast open plains. The tiny little blooms were putting up a brave fight against the strong gusts, but it didn't seem they'd last more than a few more days. I, for one, was glad to be able to capture the last of the yellow spectacle.
Columbia River Gorge
WA USA
The tulip festival in Skagit certainly seems to have underestimated its popularity. Over the last few weekends, crowds have thronged the handful of accessible tulip farms of Skagit Valley, turning the highways into accident-prone death traps and access roads into immobile parking lots on weekends. Driving just a span of 15 miles on the way back, I encountered at least 3 accidents stalling traffic for miles.
As the season winds to a close, I hearken back to the start of the season, where a early morning trip to Skagit to see the early blooms proved far more memorable. I made my way at dawn along bucolic farmlands and sleepy homesteads mired in mist carried by the nearby Skagit river, and witnessed a beautiful sunrise by the blooming daffodils with the company of just a few photographers.
Skagit Valley
WA USA
Two years ago, I found myself in Japan in the heart of its Golden Week, a week-long extravaganza of cramped train stations and buses, standing-room-only shinkansens, crowded parks and jam-packed restaurants. And I wanted to get away from it all.
And I found it on the lush greenery and rustic scenery in the Kumano Kodo, a multi-day trek through the verdant forests in the heart of the Kii peninsula of Japan. The moss-laden path wound its way through leafy glens and quaint villages, with views of beautiful cloudscapes and misty valleys. And along the way, tiny shrines, artfully preserved, welcomed weary travelers to seek solace and zen after tiring climbs.
One such shrine was this, set amidst towering eucalyptus and pine trees rising into the foggy landscape. It was an unforgettable journey set in a memorable destination.
Kumano Kodo
Kii Peninsula, Japan
While passionate lovers and marketing experts for large retail firms will claim that February is the month of love, for the vast majority of species on the planet, March and April, in the heart of the spring, truly represents the season of love. Millions of flowers from hundreds of plant species bloom in an extravaganza of colors hoping to attract pollinators, and pass on their gene to the future generations.
This visual spectacle, under the right weather conditions, can transform a dry and dusty landscape into drapery of contrasting colors; vast fields of yellow, pink, orange, purple and blue stretch on and onto the endless horizon of the vast desert landscape. While such displays were much more common in the past, changing weather conditions and human impact have definitely reduced the scale of such a tableau. Witnessing such a bloom can definitely make one marvel at nature's creation, and instill a sense of conservation.
Table Mountain State Ecological Reserve
CA USA
Spring has arrived, but the Pacific Northwest hasn't been informed of it. Cold damp conditions continue to persist, and sunlight barely manages to peek out through the dense cloud cover. The long halcyon days of warm sunshine that took over a few weeks ago seems to have gone back to hibernation mode, a cue that up in the mountainous Northwest, cold unpredictable weather is always around the corner.
I went around in search of colorful tulip fields of Skagit Valley opening up their buds to the embracing grace of morning light, but that was not to be. The reversal of the weather fortunes seem to have delayed the opening by a few more days. This image from last year was what I was hoping to find this year, but I never made it.
Skagit County
WA USA
While a part of my weekend time is spent looking at my photo archives for jogging my memories, a part of it is also spent gathering inspiration for future travel. And sometimes, looking at my archives can motivate me to seek new destinations.
This was one such archival set - a backpack I did into the coastal range of British Columbia into the heart of Garibaldi Provincial Park. While exploring opportunities to shoot by the lake at sunset, I found a small patch of fireweed catching the fire of the last light. This inspired me to start booking backpacking trips in this beautiful part of Cascadia.
Garibaldi Provincial Park
BC Canada
