Of Barren Landscapes...

Exactly a year ago to the date, I was captivated by the breathtaking moonscape that was speeding by the window as my car hurtled along desolate landscape in the northern regions of Iceland. The smooth blue tarmac of the Ring road cut through a range of old glaciated peaks that were but mere bumps on a map, but in reality seemed a lot higher. The sweeping curves of this highway that stretched for miles ahead, formed the singular imprint of humancivilization in this forlorn and bleak surroundings, where even vegetation struggled to grow on the loose volcanic soil. I struggled to capture the essence of its beauty, and this image, shot at F9, ISO 800 at 1/200s with a telephoto lens, only barely manages.

I will never forget the sheer sense of isolation I perceived in the landscape there (barring the dozens of other tourists passing by every minute), with my mind constantly wondering about how so much diversity existing in this one single island. Iceland brought about new surprises with every turn of the road or the trail, and each moment renewed the sense of excitement I was experiencing. Whether it was being awestruck by the Northern Lights, mesmerized by the shifting fog in the landscape, hypnotized by the sheer size of Dettifoss (waterfall), or even lost in this desolate landscape, Iceland was perhaps one of the most adventurous outdoor destinations I had been in.

Here is my 1-year tribute to this amazing island.

Myvatn
Iceland

Parting clouds

While crossing Tioga pass in Yosemite National Park late one summer evening, I noticed the parting clouds after an afternoon thunderstorm meandering over the pass. I stopped the car and made a beeline for a group of vernal ponds right on the saddle, hoping for something magical to happen. And it did.

As the sun started slowly sinking behind the granite ranges around, the winds died down, and the nearest pond took on an eerie stillness. The dynamic shapes and patterns on the clouds were perfectly reflected in nature's mirror, while, in the distance, the lingering thunderstorm cell started to catch the warm rays of the setting sun and turned to a shade of burning yellow. I captured this scene with 3 exposures at F/11 and ISO 400, merged with HDRfx.

I had recently remarked to a friend that Yosemite National Park was perhaps one of my most favorite photography destinations. And looking back at the beauty of the high alpine landscape of Yosemite through photos I had captured in the park, I truly stand by that claim.

Yosemite National Park
CA USA

Endless Mountains of the North Cascades

It is not particularly easy to get a bird's eye vista of the North Cascades mountains. Unlike the Sierra Nevadas or the Rockies, where several high-altitude roads provide easy access to trailheads, one must really work to climb high up and get those airy vistas. Or head to the trails of Mt Rainier National Park that snake upwards from the Sunrise visitor center.

While hiking along the Skyline trail on a late summer afternoon, I turned back to take a glimpse of the Nisqually valley with the river cutting through the rocky tree-covered slopes of the lower Cascades. Through the summer smog, one could glimpse the silhouette of a series of endless mountains making up the horizon view, each one hiding new vistas and new opportunities to explore. I tried to capture the grand beauty of the scene, but a camera can only do so much. This was shot at ISO 1600, at F/11 for 1/1500 (the only reason for such a high ISO was that I forgot to change the settings)

Mt Rainier National Park
WA USA

The Mighty Milford

As the cruise boat rounded the corner and revved up for its final sprint back to the dock, the mighty mountains that lined up the Milford Sound came into view. From sea level, the vegetation-encrusted rugged slopes reached upwards of 4800ft into the sky. While snow-capped peaks smothered with clouds beckoned me in the distance, the glistening blue waters of the fjords and the glowing slopes of the fjord caught my eyes.

And at that opportune moment, another tourist boat floated into view, putting the entire scene in perspective - the boat was but a tiny speck of dusk against the backdrop of the mighty mountains of the Milford sound. And it was then that I began to appreciate the sheer size of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and the desire to return back and shoot this beautiful fjord under differing light conditions increased exponentially. Hopefully I get to revisit this unforgettable fjord once again.

This was shot from the deck of the cruise boat at F11, at 85mm and 1/160s at ISO 800.

Milford Sound
Southland NZ

Fall back to Spring

A spring a very long time ago, I wandered onto the rolling landscape atop Table Mountain in the heart of California Wildflower country. And here, I experienced what it would have been like before California got cultivated: acres of beautiful green grass draped by a patchwork of yellow, purple and orange blooms gently swaying under a warm afternoon sun. Puffy white clouds floated in gently from the horizon, making for a great backdrop for the few farmsteads dotting the scene.

Every nook and cranny I explore atop that butte had wildflowers of varying shapes and sizes, from tiny goldfields on the green meadows to giant irises and poppies in the shade. While the park played host to hundreds of people on that weekend morning, it was easy to get away from the crowds and find my own place of solitude. As I wandered around, the scattered oak trees provided great points of focus in this beautiful pastoral scene that spring morning. I shot one of those oak trees at ISO 400 for 1/60s at F11, with a polarizer helping to add contrast to the scene.

Table Mountain Ecological Reserve
CA USA

Storm in the Arashan

It was easy to see why this resort village, the Altyn Arashan, situated at the heart of the Central Tien Shan mountains, was purported to have restorative powers. It was partly the breath-taking surroundings of this pastoral camp, and partly due to the smattering of natural hot-water springs fed by the mineral rich waters of the region. But for me, it was the setting that took my breath away

Dramatic mountain ranges hemmed in V-shaped canyons draped with a patchwork lush green meadows and pristine coniferous forests that crept up the steep slopes on either side. A rough tumbling mud-track paralleled a narrow river carrying gurgling glacial-melt down the mountains, along which lay many traditional yurts and rustic lodges. Hiking and climbing opportunities were abound in this region, with every peak and every valley presenting new adventures.

It was indeed so breathtaking that I chose to spend an extra day here (and would have spent more time here exploring the beautiful landscape were it not for other constraints). And once I got out, I longed to go back to this paradise. And as a farewell, the sky presented this beautiful thunderstorm cell lighting up during sunset. I used a graduated ND filter in this single-exposure image shot at F11 at ISO 200 for 1.3s

Altyn Arashan
Kyrgyzstan

Hayfield in Twilight

It was 9pm in eastern Montana. Miles and miles of nothingness stretched all around me. And piercing through it towards the western horizon was the long silvery snake of pavement. Interspersed between undulating hayfields and cattle ranches were tiny farmsteads and rolling hills, gradually leading to the snow-capped massif of the Rockies, the spine of the country.

I had a couple of hours of driving left, but the sun was already taking its last glance at the landscape all around me. But as the road rose above a small hill, the scene opened up, and I finally reached a vantage point that captured the essense of the pastoral scene so characteristic of eastern Montana. A tight crop with a telephoto lens captured the rolling landscape with bales of hay randomly scattered on the fields. At ISO 3200 and 1/80mm at F9, it was a noisy shot, but it did allow me to capture the colors well.

Great Falls
MT USA

Wild Sky

The gentle breeze brushed against my face as I turned towards the eastern horizon. Down below, the sleep villages of Cappadocia had barely woken up on this cloudy dawn, and the windy roads that threaded their ways through the unique formations remained fairly empty. While up here, in the domain of the clouds, the beautiful vista of the still morning was occasionally interrupted by the gush of burning propane, reminding me that I had not transformed into a bird, but that I was merely a passenger in a giant balloon, drifting over the landscape and catching the directional winds.

Whilst past sunrise, the dense patch of clouds had obscured the sun, leaving behind silhouettes and shadows of the unique topography of the region. From my vantage point, I could make out volcanic cones, twisted canyons, ragged cliffs, and smooth farmland all set in a very complex and folded landscape. And all around, dozens of balloons swirled around and bobbed up and down depending on the vagaries of the present air current.

This experience was a dream come true, and I did not want the ride to end. But alas, all good things must. Touchdown was a mere 30 minutes later, but the hour-long sojourn into the sky felt like eternity. This image was shot with a 3-stop Grad ND filter at F11, ISO 1600 at 1/80s

Goreme
Cappadocia Turkey

Escaping the rain

Kyrgyzstan is a Colorado-sized country with mountains run amok, with giant lakes nestled wherever there is space. It is a truly unique travel destination with no other parallels.

One of the unique destinations I visited was the Song-kol lake, a 25km by 40km lake at 3000m surround by snow-capped peaks all over. Driving around the lake, I spotted a viewpoint that provided an eagle's eye view of a landscape, that rose from a steep river canyon that formed the outflow of the Songkol Lake, all the way to the 12000ft towering snow-capped peaks and glacier-carved valleys lined with just a carpet of lush green grass.

Standing on that vista point and admiring this jaw-dropping view with absolutely no sign of civilization anywhere sans the sinous road that made its way down, I felt lost in the sheer magnificence of this place. But I was snapped back into reality by a pelting hailstorm (whose beginnings you see above). This was ensued by a mad dash back to the car and a hair-raising drive down the sharp hair-pins to escape the brunt of impending storm. Nevertheless, that image was forever etched in my mind.

This was a single fram exposure at F11, ISO 800, 1/400s with a Graduated ND filter to control the exposure.

Songkol
Kyrgyzstan

Memories of Michigan

As I get ready to pack up and leave from the mid-west, I looked back to see what my photographic journey over the last 18 months has been. While the process of getting another graduate degree has occupied much of my time, I have realized that I have managed to sneak in a few photography trips in the Midwest, apart from the grand travel adventures that have spanned multiple continents.

Perhaps one of my most memorable ones was a trip to the Michigan Upper Peninsula during the tail end of Fall of 2016. While the foliage in many parts of the Upper Peninsula had progressed too far to make for worthwhile imagery, there were certain locations which would remain forever indelible, including a drive in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

As I drove around the curve, a long straight stretch of tarmac appeared, lined on either side by the vibrant golds and yellows of peak fall foliage. A gentle fog added a sense of aura and mystery to the colorful forest punctuated only by the blue tarmac and matching yellow lines snaking through the middle of the highway. While I never made the connection then, this long line of Yellow and Blue stretching to the horizon portends my long relationship with the maize and blue of the University of Michigan.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
MI USA