The Church Mountain

This was one of those sunrises for the books.

Having arrived in Grundarfjordur in the Snaefellsnes peninsula during the eaves of dusk, I really couldn't perceive the beauty that this place had beholden. Nevertheless, I strove to wake up just a few hours later for sunrise, with no expectations of what this peninsula had in store for me.

The sky was still grey as I pulled into the parking lot. With only the early twilight illuminating the serene shapes ahead, I quickly gathered my gear and headed to the shore overlooking the bay across from Kirkjufell, the Church Mountain.

It was a scene unlike any other. And even though I had seen it plastered on so much marketing materials about Iceland, the sight of it in person just took my breath away.

I watched as the light of dawn slowly made its way down the graceful curves of Kirkjufell (Church Mountain) and as the shade of pink in the clouds made its way from the horizon to the foreground. I watched as the absolutely still waters of the bay slowly rose up with the incoming tide, all the while reflecting the beautiful scene in front of me. I watched as this everyday occurrence of nature enlightened and rejuvenated my own soul.

And that bliss is what I tried to capture in this image.

Kirkjufell
Iceland

Rise of the Rundle

It wasn't until my 3rd morning at Banff that the clouds really parted for sunrise. The cloudy and gloomy days prior had put a damper on my spirit and a camera had shot nary a scene. Yet, on this lucky day, when the clouds finally parted, it was setting the stage for a spectacular scene.

I made a beeline to the famed Vermillion lakes in the town of Banff, where all the photographers gather to try their hand at shooting the beautiful range of Mt Rundle rising steeply from the long valley beyond. Thankfully, this early in the summer, I had to share the stage with just two others, providing plenty of peace and quiet to save the slow warming of colors in the sky.

Positioning myself on the pier, battling mosquitoes and the cold temperatures alike, I got to work. Being my first time at the scene, I had to improvise quite a bit based on the lighting, the topography and the amount of place I had to work with. The biggest challenge was trying to get the floating pier steady long enough to capture a sharp scene.

In the end, this composition was one of my favorites, showing the line of clouds lit brightly by the morning sun rising slowly from beyond the peaks.

Banff National Park
AB Canada

The Beauty and the Bay

Over the last few weeks, I have had chats with several people about their summer experience in the Bay Area of California, mainly to get an understanding of what they thought of this vibrant region. That led me back to my own attraction to this place. Sure, the thriving career prospects, the people, the food are big draws. But beyond that is the unique combination of the beauty and the bay.

In order to capture this beauty, I had ventured to Treasure Island, offset from San Francisco by a mile-and-a-half of the Bay, on a beautiful spring evening. Here, I could capture the glittering skyline of the city, and the graceful arches of the Bay Bridge. Twilight represented the perfect time to capture a smooth long exposure of this scene without worrying about the sky getting over-exposed. This was the scene that resulted.

And for me, this scene represents the unique juxtaposition of civilization and nature in the heart of a thriving cityscape. And it brings back wonderful memories of my time in the Bay spent exploring the nooks and crannies of the region!

San Francisco
CA USA

Sunrise spectacle at Lake Tahoe

A early fall weekend found me on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Being the tail end of the travel season, the tourist crowd had all but melted away, leaving behind the place of solitude in what was once a throbbing hub of outdoor activity.

As I woke up for sunrise, my eyes spied the correct features in clouds, along with the break in the eastern horizon, thereby setting up for a very colorful sunrise. And I dashed over to Eagle falls, where I had hoped to capture the gush of the falls glowing deep red in the morning light.

The one thing I did not realize was that waterfalls don't exactly gush in fall - they dwindle to a trickle. I hence had to settle for the next best thing - capturing reflections in the small pools remaining behind. And despite that compromise, I was awestruck by the colors and the unique landscape in front of me. The transition from deep reds to orange to yellow as the whole scene lit up was a landscape photographer's delight.

Lake Tahoe
CA USA

The dance of the aurora borealis

The night started out ordinary. Ordinary for Iceland, that is.
In reality, I was in a remote hostel in the northern part of the country, winding down from a long day of hiking, driving and sightseeing, by relaxing by body and soul in an open-air hot tub, socializing and waiting for the skies to darken.

It was at that moment that I started to see the faint glow in the nearly cloudless sky. At first, I could not believe my own eyes, before the realization that I was witnessing an auroral display. And as fast as my hands and legs could carry, I was out, drying myself up and getting my gear ready for capturing the display.

And it was quite a show. The dance of the auroras that night was so hypnotizing that neither the freezing winds, nor the numbness in my hands and feet, or the tiredness from the day's activities could deter me. While the initial display was primarily in green, the later ones showed bands of purple and blue. This was one such later exposure, capturing the majesty of the dance of the auroras.

Saeberg
Iceland

Happy Centennial Birthday

Happy 100th Birthday National Park Service. Thank you so much for providing such amazing opportunities to connect with nature and for preserving the wild beauty of this vast country in your many forms and facets.

I still remember my very first National Park visit - a camping trip undertaken in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. I remember gathering firewood, lighting a warm campfire and discussing stories, and spending a night with the stars as my roof. It was also my very first foray into the activity of hiking, and served as an inspiration to take up photography in order to capture the epic beauty of the National Parks

As a commemoration, here is a wild primeval scene from the nation's first National Park, Yellowstone. Gushing geysers, steaming nozzles and aquamarine thermal pools all play host to a dynamic and active sunset scene at Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone.

I have visited many, but I have many more to go, and I am looking forward to visiting each and every one of the 59 parks.

Yellowstone National Park
WY USA

Framing a tree

The nooks and crannies of Bryce Canyon National Park are a veritable treasure trove of photographic delight, with trails winding their way along steep red sandstone walls and strange hoodoo formations. There, amidst the layered geological formations and a dry clime, one can find intricate natural structures of memorable beauty.

It was many years ago when I set first foot on the trails on a cold spring morning. Every turn on the trail brought about new surprises and new compositions to photograph. As the sun rose higher, the red color of the rocks started to stand out against the deep blue sky.

One such trail took me through a tunnel directly leading to a gnarly tree striking out on the dry and poor soil. Nevertheless, the outlet of the cave framed the tree and its contrasting background perfectly, as this image shows.

Bryce Canyon National Park
UT USA

Bird's Eye Cologne

Moving on from the cityscape of San Francisco to the cityscape of Cologne, two cities that couldn't be anymore different from each other. While San Francisco is known for a modern cosmopolitan atmosphere set within the beautiful geographic confines of the Pacific Ocean, Cologne is a city steeped in culture and history, with a structure rivaling the Golden Gate in popularity.

I had a chance to visit this place earlier this year, and its characteristic vista with the Dome and the Hohenzollern Bridge set the stage for a cold but beautiful day of touring the city's intricate alleys, exploring the old-town magic, and savoring its multi-cultural cuisine. As evening approached, I headed up the Köln Triangle that rises straight up across the river from this memorable scene. It wasn't until late in the evening that the Dome actually lit up, leaving me waiting for a arduously long time in that freezing weather. Nevertheless, the wait was worth the reward of this scene

Cologne
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

 

The City by the Bay

There are many reasons why the City by the Bay (San Francisco) is as popular as it is. Perhaps it is the location, at the confluence of rolling landscape and the calm oceans, or perhaps it is the beautiful architecture and cityscape that makes it quite distinct from any other city, or maybe it is the jobs, industry, and people, which make it a dynamic and thriving destination to live, visit, or explore.

Whatever it may be, there is no doubt that the city by the bay is a stunning city, especially when viewed from outside. As I was hiking in the Marin headlands north of the city on a rather smoggy winter day, I turned around and this beautiful blue silhouette came into view, highlighting the distinct skyline, the many rolling hills, the beautiful Bay bridge in the background, and a smattering of ships making their way to the Port of Oakland.

These are the views that enamor me to come back to the city by the Bay.

Marin Headlands
CA USA

On the Alsace wine route

My very first acquaintance with the Alsace Wine Route was when I watched an obscure episode of Rick Steve's Europe a long while back. I had shelved that memory since I had never imagined I would ever go here. And when I got an opportunity to visit this area this year, I went back and re-watched the entire episode and figuring out the best way to check out this amazing area.

Armed with a car and a few choice recommendations of the villages to visit, I made my way on the windy country roads, making my way from village to picturesque village along the aptly named Rute des Vins, the Wine Route, of Alsace.

It was everything I had expected, and even more. Imagine the beauty of Napa Valley combined with the charm of the rustic and well-preserved French villages, all tapestried over a rich history dating back to the 16th century.

And while the villages themselves thronged with crowds rivaling Disneyland, as soon as one stepped out of them, the crowds seemed to disappear, leaving you to enjoy the view in peace and solace, as intended.

Riquewihr
Alsace France