Ode to the Tetons

The august days of August is the time of the year when I normally set forth on mountain adventures, heaving up and down winding trails through granite monoliths and grassy meadows while carrying enough weight to make my body complain for the rest of the year. This summer has been a bit different, and hence I have resorted to going through my archives and reliving memories of past summers spent in thin air.

One such undertaking was a grand backpack through the Teton Crest trail in Grand Teton National Park, a 32 mile gem that winds above, through and around the craggy mountainscapes of the Teton Range. Hiking it in August meant that I could catch the best of the short wildflower season filled with daisies, Indian Paintbrush, lupines and tidytips, while also getting the best of the summer weather. The sheer diversity and beauty of mountainscapes I witnessed in that hike was bar none.

Here is one such wildflower-filled scene in the Alaska Basin, a section of the trail outside the park boundaries.

Grand Teton National Park
WY USA

I had seen some impressive images of the Milan Galleria before: a beautiful 19th century neo-classical edifice with a palazzo-like facade and glass-vaulted arcades. However, it was not until I actually got to stand underneath the towering glass dome…

I had seen some impressive images of the Milan Galleria before: a beautiful 19th century neo-classical edifice with a palazzo-like facade and glass-vaulted arcades. However, it was not until I actually got to stand underneath the towering glass dome and get a 360 view amidst the throngs walking all around, did I get the import of this marvelous structure and its role in Milan.

Part of its allure was the rows of tastefully decorated luxury retail shops (whose lack of affordability stymies me), but the allure also stemmed from the symmetry of the architecture - the endless repeating yet complex patterns, the central atrium under the towering dome, the graceful lighting that fit the architecture and stucco artwork on the walls all around.

I stopped by for the second time at twilight, hoping to catch a deep blue through the glass dome when the inside was fully lit up. A 16mm wide angle lens enabled me to capture as much of the symmetry as possible.

Milan
Lombardy IT

Sunset at Bonsai Rock

Ever since I had first seen images of the Bonsai Rock in Lake Tahoe, I was taken away by the location and the context of where it was: imagine a granite boulder smoothed by eons of water erosion resting on the shore of a azure blue lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks. And then imagine tiny sprigs of life taking root on the nooks and crevices of this tiny boulder. That is the spectacle of Bonsai Rock.

At first glance from the road, it may not have been much, but as I scrambled my way on the rocky shoreline down to the water-level, the profile of the bonsai rock grew even more predominant and striking. While the scene and the setting was perfect, the sky, on the other hand, was just bland. I strapped on a Blue-and-Gold Polarizer to add some unearthly colors to this scene, resulting in this exposure above.

Surreal reflections and colorful sunsets will have to wait another day.

Sand Harbor State Park
NV USA

Orosi Valley morning

It has been more than 4 years since I made a visit to the tropical country of Costa Rica. And while memories of the actual events have faded away, the beauty and splendor of that place is still as strong and as fresh as ever. I still remember a gem of a village called Orosi, set within valleys formed of meandering rivers, the thick forested slopes of the Andes, and surrounded by volcanic peaks reaching for the sky. The vibrant orange bloom of the poro trees dotted the late-summer forest all over.

I fell in love with the place and while it was sad to be leaving it so soon, it did give us a parting gift: a view of the entire valley that this beautiful pastoral village was nestled in. Every part of me wanted to spend an eternity in this place, exploring its every nook and cranny, visiting every stream and mountaintop, photographing every sunset and sunrise, but I had to get back to reality of earning for a living.

Orosi
Cartago, Costa Rica

Sunrise draws photographers for a reason. The calm pre-dawn landscape slowly taken over by beams of red, orange, and yellow is a magical sight to behold. But it is in the mountainous landscapes that sunrises become really special.

Perhaps it is the mesmerizing movements of clouds kissing the snow-capped peaks as they slowly take on a coat of the morning colors, or perhaps it is the soothing sway of mist rising up from the mirror-life reflections of a lake, or perhaps it is just the sense of being connected with nature as you smell the fresh moist earth, hear the chirp of the morning birds, or witness the raw beauty of the landscape all around you.

Sure, I had suffered plenty of hardships in making this scene - a severe lack of sleep, a drive up windy mountain roads in pitch-black darkness, freezing conditions that I was not prepared for, and more. Yet, once I set my camera on the trip and started composing, I got into the zone of photography, forgetting the pain and the hardships, and focusing purely on the beauty of the scene around me.

Mt Rainier National Park
WA USA

Fall color cornucopia

Summer is in the air now, with warm temperatures, bluebell skies and warm balmy weather (save for the few wildfires sprouting across California now). But in a few weeks time, the sun will appear to sleep for longer, temperatures will drop and the sk…

Summer is in the air now, with warm temperatures, bluebell skies and warm balmy weather (save for the few wildfires sprouting across California now). But in a few weeks time, the sun will appear to sleep for longer, temperatures will drop and the skies will take on a dreary mood - the fall heralding the arrival of winter. And while many parts of the country don't actually experience the four-season weather cycle, there are some parts that do. And one of those is the dry Eastern Sierra region of California.

And nowhere are those colors as spectacular as the Sabrina Lake basin near the town of Bishop. As I drove higher and higher up the steep highway winding its way through the Sierra Nevada foothills, the colors started becoming more and more vibrant and spectacular. And while the colors pale in comparison to what one would experience in New England, it is the juxtaposition of the rugged mountain scenery with the contrasting colors that make this region a draw for photographers all around.

Here is one exposure taken while making my way down from the North lake on a narrow mountain road. The lingering fog added an extra dimension of peace to this scene.

Sabrina Lake Basin
CA USA

Dreaming Glory

Very many years ago, when I was still exploring the various parks in the Bay Area, I chanced upon one called the Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve, a vast reserve of young growth redwoods and large-leaved oaks, of gurgling creeks and moss-covered forests.

There was one particular trail that started off from the top of the ridge (part of the peninsular mountains) and descends into the valleys below as it it made its way towards the rugged Pacific coast. As the trail plunges through the summer-time fog, the dry world above it transforms into a photogenic wonderland of dreamy suffuse lighting.

I lucked out on getting good lighting, resulting in this dreaming glory where the morning light played hide-and-seek with the vegetation and the fog to create a very memorable scene

Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve
CA USA

Desert Survival

Every step was measured and calculated, carefully trying to use the least amount of effort in going up and down the rolling white dunes of sand while preventing sand from getting into my boots. And with the rise and fall of every dune, the views changed, horizons shifted, and features modified. The steady winds ensured that footprints disappeared as quickly as they formed. The mass swathes of tourists dwindled down to a steady few.

It was tough going in the loop at White Sands National Monument, dominated by dunes that gave this place its name. But thankfully, there was no real danger: even though visibility was reduced, the frequent and re-assuring trail-markers were ever present; the stewards of the park had ensured that no visitors would go missing.

Nevertheless, the surrealism of the place provided plenty of opportunities to gather some unique compositions against spectacular backdrops - backdrops of the sheer white-washed dunes. This is one such take where the hardy vegetation had taken hold in the tough dry environs that existed at the dunes.

White Sands National Monument
NM USA

Thistle Bloom

Normally, I wouldn't care too much for a thistle; their spiny stems are a menace while hiking and their prickles leave behind quite a nasty itch. However, as I was making my way through the vibrant spring wildflower patches of Hite Cove, I noticed a proliferation of the budding common thistles. Their beautiful pink inflorescence was quite a contrast against the drab dry-green surroundings.

I observed many such blooms that day, some filled with jeweled insects and bumbling beetles trying to get in on the pollen action, while others were withering in their last days. I found this particular thistle still retaining all its pink pollen-filled stalks, providing a burst of color for this macro image

Hite Cove
CA USA