While I did not get the opportunity to shoot the larches in fall, I did have the opportunity to travel to Iceland and capture its breathtaking natural scenery. Driving around its vast windswept plains with nothing to provide a sense of scale, it becomes easy to misjudge the size of mountains or the distance to a particular place. In addition, the lack of a focal point in the composition becomes a serious hindrance to capture a captivating image.
Thankfully, Iceland has plenty of churches dotted around the island, with many situated outside of the villages and communities they serve. Like this one in the Snaefellsnes peninsula in western Iceland. See this large in my 2025 calendar, available for purchase at this link.
Olafsvik
Iceland
And vibrant cities
There is something unique about the urban life in many of the Western European cities. The activity and urban life I witnessed during my few brief jaunts to different cities left me longing for such a similar hub of activity. And I wondered what it was that created that feeling.
I realized that it really centered around exploring the old-towns in the country, replete with timber-frame housing dating back centuries, listening alternately to the harsh clanging of church bells and the melodious sounds of the choir, the vibrant street-music and colorful shops, and sipping on refreshing tipples in biergartens and wineries.
While not every place I visited had the entire gamut of experiences, most did. And Colmar, pictured here, came pretty close. And I was often torn between being a photographer documenting the scene, and enjoying the moment.
Colmar
Alsace, France
Church Mountain
Sometimes I like to revisit photos of places that I had visited in the past to help kindle that sense of nostalgia. And after California, I often go to my archives from Iceland. It has been one of the diverse landscapes I had visited, where glaciers and geysers coexist, where sheep-filled meadows end in a rocky landscape and where one can enjoy the northern lights from outdoor hot-springs.
Kirkjufell is perhaps one of the most iconic locations in the island nation, featured in every travel poster. I visited the peak during the tail end of my trip, and I still have fond memories of the beautiful sunrise I witnessed there.
Kirkjufell
Iceland
Seceda
Not many have heard of a place called Seceda. However, the moment one looks at this photo of this jagged peaks, they can immediately recognize this iconic formation. I was fortunately to arrive and witness this amazing scene just in the nick of time. The valley was socked in clouds until the late afternoon, and it wasn't until 3pm did the fog descend revealing this amazing landscape.
Alpine Meadows
The Italian Dolomit hold a special place in my heart. Its combination of rugged mountain landscape comprised of jagged peaks arising in subgroups without a pattern, interspersed by beautiful alpine meadows with cows still ringing about, and cute Tyrolean villages villages linked by scenic byways make it a haven for the hiker in me seeking better creature comforts.
And this scene from the Seceda area of the Dolomiti highlights the amazing landscape of the UNESCO World Heritage site. And this is one of the 13 photos featured in my 2023 calendar available to purchase at this link.
Val Gardena
South Tirol, Italy
Alley in Moonlight
Finally, in Ortigia, near the south of Sicily, we wandered through narrow alleys with ornate balconies adorned with tiny gardens. We cut through stately mansions and grand piazzas, and gobble up hot streetfood even if full from our afternoon meals. Such is a slow pace of life that we got to savor in Ortigia, a place we want to return back to sometime in the future.
Here is one such alley shining under the bright moonlight.
Ortigia
Sicily, Italy
Moonrise over the Mediterranean
Moving from the stark peaks of the Dolomiti to the azure blues of the Mediterranean was a jump in landscape, light and lifestyle. Here in Sicily, the pace was slower but richer. Every breath brought in a fresh and different aroma, and every sight was of a new vista of a village hugging a rocky coastline. The town of Taormina settles for the evening under a vibrant sunset and bright moonrise.
Taormina
Sicily, Italy
Dolomiti in Moonlight
A whirlwind of a trip to Italy took me to 3 diverse destinations. But throughout the trip, there was one constant, a bright moon, that proved to be a focal point for various photos I took during the trip. Here in the Dolomiti, the near full moon rose to prominence over the jagged peaks at twilight.
Dolomiti
Alto Adige, Italy
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