Landscapes

Misty Mountains

'Far over the Misty Mountains coldTo dungeons deep and caverns oldWe must away, ere break of dayTo find our long forgotten gold'As I watched the misty fog roll over the steep ravines of the mountains yonder, this ode to the dwarves popped into my he…

'Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day
To find our long forgotten gold'

As I watched the misty fog roll over the steep ravines of the mountains yonder, this ode to the dwarves popped into my head, and I was instantly transported to Middle Earth. I imagined the ragged valleys through which the orcs would attack, the meandering rivers over which the elves and the dwarves would team up to defend, and the distant peaks from which the nazgul and the great eagles would watch the entire show.

Then the seemingly out-of-place picnic bench came into view, transporting me back to reality. Nevertheless, I spent many an hour mesmerized by the motion of the clouds and entranced by the soothing sounds of gurgling water. And to this day, photos like this made me realize why it was so hard to bid adieu to the land of Middle Earth.

Lake Tekapo
Canterbury, New Zealand

The Blue Yonder

I had climbed high above the small notch of land that stood between two glaciers. The land stretching out in front of me was flat, providing unhampered visibility into the far blue yonder. From here, I could spy one of the glaciers slowly melting out onto its own lake, with fragments of ice slowly making their way to the other end. Tiny tributaries drained the murky waters into dozens of windy rivulets that meandered their way to the distant shores of the Atlantic a dozen miles away.

Meanwhile, the clouds marched in the opposite direction - a mixture of rain-bearing cumulus and strato-cumulus clouds drifted in from the south, threatening rain for the latter half of the day. Nevertheless, I continued forward on this trail in Skaftafell National Park, which climbed up and over this notch of land, making its way from the lip of one glacier to the remnants of the other glacier, over rocky scree, velvety-soft green grass, and slushy swamps. And all along that 10 mile hike, I got to witness a beautiful untouched landscape in this geologically young island, a landscape that lent well to amazing photographic opportunities.

Skaftafell National Park
Iceland

Windowed Dolomites

It was day 4 of the rifugio to rifugio hike in the Dolomites. I ducked and crawled through a rocky tunnel high up in the heart of the rocky mountains. Through the small openings, I could garner glimpses of craggy peaks reaching for the clouds, and of forested valleys reaching down to lush green meadows.

I pressed on. I had been promised a vista of epic proportions as I neared the location of the famed Rifugio Lagazuoi. I had learnt about a number of tunnels that were dug through the Dolomites during the peak of World War I as the Italians fought the Austrians in rather difficult terrain. These tunnels, and other structures, kept changing as the line of battle shifted through the war. But now, during times of peace, these edifices were places to study the history, and to admire the beauty of the harsh terrain all around.

Eventually, the views opened up. One such window provided a grand view of the tumultuous landscape all around: ridges of endless peaks reaching for the sky, rockfalls and avalanches pockmarking the landscape criss-crossed by innumerable trails switch-backing to the high mountain passes, and puffy white clouds making their way across and over the spine of the continent

Lagazuoi
Cortina Italy

A Different Bliss

As I was looking through my archives for images that portrayed the theme of bliss, I realized that the perfect location was the lush green rolling landscape of Palouse in eastern Washington. I often describe this location as a place known by only two kinds of people - farmers and photographers. In fact, during my 3-day exploration of this place a few years back, those were the only living souls I met in this blissful landscape.

I spent many an hour exploring lonely dirt roads winding their way along and up curvy hills carpeted with green, and dotted with the occasional oak tree, a rustic yet colorful barn, an old farmstead, or even the infrequent windmill rusting away. This dilapidated shack was awaiting me at the end of one such dirt road. But perhaps what captivated my attention then was the blissful combination of lush green landscape and the puffy white clouds suspended in the robin egg blue sky. That was a scene that became etched in my mind as the ideal pastoral landscape.

The transient lighting conditions necessitated quick photography to time the exposure correctly. This was one such exposure showcasing the beauty of the wheat bowl of USA

Palouse
WA USA

California Greens

The Golden State has a remarkable ability of turning green during spring. Rolling landscapes take on a green sheen as the winter turns to spring, paving way for the black oaks to sprout new leaves, and for colorful wildflowers to paint the landscape with a palette of pink, purple, blue, red, yellow and white. With a bountiful winter rain this year signaling the end of the drought, the parched landscape has once again renewed its cycle afresh.

Seeing images of the California greens brought back wonderful memories of a hike I took a couple of years ago in the hillscapes of Pacheco State Park nestled amidst the Diablo Range near Central California. I still vividly remember the journey as the trail wound its way around the parks' many geographical features. Every turn brought surprising delights, whether it was a small rancher's pond, replete with quacking mallards and dancing dragonflies, or a small gorge filled with multi-colored shooting stars glowing in the warm afternoon sunlight, or ridge-top vistas of the vast rolling scenery landscape with budding oak trees as far as the eye could see.

Here was one such vista taken in the late afternoon light, as the the slowly setting sun lengthened the shadows the oak trees cast on the green meadows all around, while patches of wildflowers colored the landscape yellow, orange and pink.

Pacheco State Park
CA USA

Winter Solitude in Yosemite

It has been 4 years since the magical winter weekend under the towering walls of the Yosemite Valley, yet I remember it as though it were yesterday. I remember wandering through the pine forest, the scrunching sounds of snow, ice and pine needles breaking from the solitude of winter in the valley. As I approached the riverbank, I ran into familiar faces from the California photography community, with the clicks from their camera shutters signaling their intent to capture the glorious scene that you see above.

Yosemite National Park holds a special place in my heart, partly because it opened my eyes to wilderness that most people see, but not observe. By spending more time in this National park over multiple seasons than any other, I was able to explore and re-explore some of the innumerable nooks and crannies in every valley, meadow, crag, gorge, and mountaintop that abound in one of the most photogenic sections of the Sierra Nevada. Over this long period of time, it exposed me to the true impact and learnings of life in the outdoors, and to understand and appreciate the rekindling of the spirit that comes about from just spending time outside normal creature comforts.

This image captures the quintessence of what makes that step outside into nature so powerful. I look forward to spending more time reconnecting with the outdoors in Yosemite, as well as the innumerable other National Parks of this land.

Yosemite National Park
CA
USA

Ray of Light

The Black Forest of Germany, while not wild uninhabited wilderness like the grand forested regions of Canada and Russia, is still a picturesque, bucolic alternative to the densely populated urban regions of the country. And in a way, its beauty is enhanced, not diminished by gentle anthropomorphic changes, whether it be rustic villages scattered on its many hillsides, tiny barns with serene ponds or flower-strewn meadows on rolling landscapes.

I looked forward to every turn on that windy mountain road that brought about new vistas, and for every cloud that added to the shimmering ephemeral glow of the grassy meadows and reflective ponds. I yearned for all the hiking paths that I could see disappearing into the clouds of the Schwarzwald.

As I made my way from one village to another, I was enthralled by the pastoral nature of the landscape. One such spot between St. Peter and St. Morgan was lit by a fleeting ray of light, highlighting an old barn set amidst a green meadow thereby riveting my attention to this beautiful scene. I realized I had to stop and capture the moment before it was gone, hence freezing that instance of time.

Sankt Morgan

Baden-Wurttemberg Germany

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

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