I was revving up the engine of the tiny Hyundai up the inner edge of a sharp hair-pin bend, struggling to time the gear change just right so that I wouldn't lose momentum and stall on the steep ascent. This was my first solo road trip in a foriegn country with chaotic traffic in a car with manual transmission (aka a stick shift), and this location which looked intimidating from the air, was a place where I was pushed to the limits of my driving skills.
I had spotted this sinuous segment of tarmac years ago while scouting Google Earth for strange places on the planet. I had parked this location in my mind, not giving it a second thought until I was planning a trip to the very location, the Dades Gorge. The drive up to it had been fairly smooth, and apart from dealing with the unpredictable traffic, with pedestrians and animals using the road as their personal highway, wasn't too challenging.
But once the vertical walls of the canyon closed in, leaving no room for the road to straddle the fast flowing river, it was forced to climb up the red sandstone to higher grounds. And that was where I found myself on that fateful day. Thankfully, I pulled through, praying that my path downhill wouldn't be so nerve wracking.
When I did reach the top, I turned back to capture the scale of this deep scar on the earths surface, with the tiny remnant of human civilization winding through it.
Dades Gorge
Morocco
An Ode to my parents
The blooms of Skagit Valley, are still a major attraction in the spring. Every year, thousands make their way to the wet and muddy fields of the various flower gardens to admire rows and rows of neatly planted tulips and daffodils.
It may be trite and banal, but I do visit it every year. But my last visit was a special one, as I got to take my parents to this beautiful location. Ever since they first saw photos of this array of flowers, they had expressed their desire to come here. And in the spring of 2019, I got to satisfy one of their many dreams. It is not easy, for they live on the other side of this planet, but in doing so, I felt more elated that I could have ever felt in simply taking photographs of this oft-visited destination in the Pacific Northwest.
To my parents, I thank you for all you have done to make me who I am, and for setting me on a amazing journey. I hope I get to meet many more of your dreams.
Skagit Valley
WA USA
The Women of my Life
There have been many incredible women who have been part of my life, women who have struggled and succeeded against many odds. But perhaps one person I continue to admire every single day is my partner, whether it be her zest for life, her curiosity to travel, her openness to new adventures, or her passion for social causes. Every single day, I get to learn new stories about her past, and the challenges she has faced in getting to where she is today.
This is dedicated to her tenacity to see and set the world right, and to the other women who have endeavored to do so in their own way.
White Sands National Park
NM USA
Hoodoos of Cappadocia
The sandstone formations of the Cappadocia region are as unique as they are varied. Hoodoos of assorted shapes and sizes dominate the landscape, with each river valley characterized by varied formations of different color. This has led to various imaginative names such as the Love Valley, Pigeon Valley, Rose Valley, Red Valley, Monks Valley, and many more.
This particular group is from the Rose Valley, though the rose color was nowhere to be found in the mid-day sun.
Cappadocia
Nevsehir Turkey
Wedding at the Theater
TurkeyThe last thing I had expected to see in the ruins of an ancient Greek theater in the heart of the Ephesus, was a wedding couple getting a photoshoot done. I tried to envision what the life of the largest theater of the ancient world would have been like during its heydey in 200BC: 25,000 spectators watching riveting Greek dramas and later, when the city came under the control of the Roman Republic, gladiatorial combat, with the sounds of throngs of spectators going around this massive openair arena egging the gladiators.
Times certainly have changed, and it was somber to witness this lovely couple spending a moment, being the center of attraction of an empty arena. Nevertheless, this scene was a delight to shoot as the couple tried various poses, and it added a sense of perspective to the scale of the theater.
Ephesus
Izmir Turkey
A Village in Sandstone
This entire week is going to be a series of photos from Turkey. One of my dreams had been to explore the unique geological formations that dominate the Cappadocia region of Turkey, both from the ground and from the air. And as I explored this region, I was fascinated not just by the colorful rock formations of various shapes and sizes, but the fact that this is a living museum which has been inhabited since 6th century BC.
Amidst the sandstone formations lay hidden multiple churches carved into the fairy chimneys ubiquitous in the region, as well as tiny towns that blend both in color and shape with these sandstone formations. Walking through narrow trails that wind through the area provided a unique perspective into this amalgam of earth and life.
Cappadocia
Nevsehir Turkey
Basking in the waves
When I hiked to this remote beach in the Virgin Islands, I wasn't expecting much. Barely a couple of hundred yards long, this small beach sandwiched between the a tropical forest and the gentle waves wasn't much to look at. But being a mile away from the nearest road meant that I had the place to myself for a while.
Walking on the soft white sand while listening to the soothing sound of the waves, and basking on under the warm sunlight instantly made me forget about my worries and just enjoy a grand vista of puffy white clouds and azure blue waters. Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.
Virgin Islands National Park
USVI
Pillars of Winter
The winter leaves precious few opportunities to get out into the wilderness, especially during the severe winter storms which kicks avalanche dangers up a notch. This frozen lake is probably one of the few that are still accessible. But when I set out to this frozen lake under overcast conditions and gloomy skies, I wasn't expecting much. But nature can sometimes through a surprise.
The frozen lake was a white winter wonderland. Fresh snowfall had layered all the trees with a thick coating of wet snow, which were now drooping down with this new weight. And even though the granite peaks that normally tower over the frozen lake were obscured by a thick layer of clouds that absorbed all the color from the sky, the snowscape was pristine. And just as I was ready to turn around and head back, the low clouds slowly lifted, revealing the three pillars of rock so characteristic of this place.
Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA
Desert Silhouettes
After a mere 4 hours of sleep, I thought I was seeing things when the eastern horizon started glowing in a pale shade of orange. But I wasn't, and dawn in Joshua Tree National Park was shaping up to be very colorful. The small gap on the horizon meant that it wouldn't last too long, and as soon as I got a chance, I pulled over to capture a silhouette of the classic Joshua Tree landscape. The pale orange slowly changed to a deep shade of pink that framed the spiny shape of the desert cacti. The moment didn't last long, but for those few moments, the scene was sublime.
Life is full of such fleeting moments that you have got to seek out, else they don't wait for you. And this is never more truer than it is for a photographer, where you have to be at the right place at the right time. After all, the object of art is to make eternal the desperately fleeting moment.
Joshua Tree National Park
CA USA
Coral Dreams
When I first stepped on cobblestone shoreline, I was greeted by an amalgam of blue beach stones. But as I kept walking down the shore, I spotted a few white ones in the mix: a composite of different types of wave-smoothened coral rocks. It took me a while to realize the scale of this: a vast beach littered with thousands of these corals, and that meant I was seeing the remains of a rich coral reef ecosystem that over the years had slowly died off.
It made me realize the fragility of this ecosystem, which, over the last few years has slowly died off due to the direct and indirect effect of human activities. While snorkeling in different parts of the Virgin Islands, all I encountered were dead and dying reefs, and except for a few stragglers, the ocean floor was fairly barren, and sad. Seeing this all over the island, I wondered if this region would ever recover.
Virgin Islands National Park
USVI