Finding Zen

I was seeking a place of silence, a moment of zen. But I was certainly at the wrong place and the wrong time for it.

I had landed in Japan the night earlier, right in the peak of its Golden week, when so many Japanese travel locally that even Shinkansens speed along with standing room only. I had made it to Kanazawa, on the western side of Honshu, and just like the capital city of Tokyo, Kanazawa was crowded as well. And to be able to find that solace in the thronging city of half a million would be a challenge by itself.

I was naturally drawn to the beautiful Kenroku-en gardens, hoping that a spot of greenery would provide respite in the concrete jungle. And after wandering around its narrow pathways with lush vegetation, mossy rocks and beautiful spring blossoms, I chanced upon a tiny pond, an archetype of a classical Japanese garden, replete with manicured vegetation, elegant cypress trees, a rustic stone lantern, and the gentle gurgle of a quaint waterfall. And I knew that at that moment, I had found my zen, and I just sat there, soaking in this lush scene hoping that it would never end.

But it eventually did, and before leaving, I captured this scene at F9, ISO 800, 1/125s

Kanazawa
Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

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

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

A Sea of Flowers

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The surface ebbed and flowed. A million particles of light and color glimmered with every gust of wind. Patterns of blue, pink, purple, yellow, and green lay awash on that rolling landscape, like the broad brushstrokes of a mighty painter with a colorful palette. That was the sea of flowers blooming on top of Table Mountain in Oroville a couple of springs ago.

Zooming in on the details, I spotted tiny poppies poking through a mass of Sierra primroses, while an amalgam of poppies, goldfields, blue dicks and lupines formed a colorful background. Rivers of purple lupine wound their way alongside lush creeks while masses of bright orange poppies stood guard along rocky ledges.

It is the opportunity to witness this diversity of colorful life that often motivates me to seek out amazing landscapes and thriving nature-scapes to shoot next. Table Mountain in Oroville, is just one of those multitudes of places on this vibrant planet.

Table Mountain Ecological Reserve
CA USA

Spring Blossoms in California

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As the winter turns to spring in California, the biggest signs of change would be the vast fields of wildflowers that would start to dominate the untouched wild-lands of the state. And with the bountiful rains this year, the wildflower spectacle is promising to be a good one.

One such location which I had thoroughly enjoyed visiting a few years ago was Knights ferry in the Sierra Nevada foothills, which was witnessing a California poppy explosion. Grassy, black oak lined slopes were carpeted by the blindingly bright bloom of the yellow poppies. Interspersed in between the mats of yellow were the ubiquitous bush lupine and the occasional blue dicks. But the overwhelming number of blooming poppies that had spread out across the entire river valley, made this vibrant display visible from a mile away.

Knights Ferry State Recreation Area
CA USA

Into the Maw

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The main entrance of Mammoth Caves National park is quite unassuming, and quite beautiful. I remember walking through verdant greenery, replete with melodious chirps of passerines and the soothing sound of gurgling waters. Time slowed down here, and despite the heat, the mellow atmosphere and the lush vegetation went a long way in cooling me down.

But beneath all this unassuming forest in central Kentucky lies hidden the largest cave system in this country, and I was making my way to the maw of Mother Earth, ready to descend down into her heart through sinuous caves, gargantuan caverns and some incredible geology. As I approached the entrance, all I observed was this hole in the earth, with a dark and damp staircase snaking its way down.

A sudden draft of cold air from the inside was a soothing relief to my overheating body, but it gave me a moment to pause and take in this surroundings, both with my eyes, and with my camera.

Mammoth Caves National Park
KY USA

PS: If you like this image, do support my work by purchasing a 2017 calendar (that features this image) at https://goo.gl/LGJYRk . All proceeds will go to NRDC and WildAid, two non-profits whose causes I am very passionate about.

Fall color cornucopia

Summer is in the air now, with warm temperatures, bluebell skies and warm balmy weather (save for the few wildfires sprouting across California now). But in a few weeks time, the sun will appear to sleep for longer, temperatures will drop and the skies will take on a dreary mood - the fall heralding the arrival of winter. And while many parts of the country don't actually experience the four-season weather cycle, there are some parts that do. And one of those is the dry Eastern Sierra region of California.

And nowhere are those colors as spectacular as the Sabrina Lake basin near the town of Bishop. As I drove higher and higher up the steep highway winding its way through the Sierra Nevada foothills, the colors started becoming more and more vibrant and spectacular. And while the colors pale in comparison to what one would experience in New England, it is the juxtaposition of the rugged mountain scenery with the contrasting colors that make this region a draw for photographers all around.

Here is one exposure taken while making my way down from the North lake on a narrow mountain road. The lingering fog added an extra dimension of peace to this scene.

Sabrina Lake Basin
CA USA

Dreaming Glory

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Very many years ago, when I was still exploring the various parks in the Bay Area, I chanced upon one called the Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve, a vast reserve of young growth redwoods and large-leaved oaks, of gurgling creeks and moss-covered forests.

There was one particular trail that started off from the top of the ridge (part of the peninsular mountains) and descends into the valleys below as it it made its way towards the rugged Pacific coast. As the trail plunges through the summer-time fog, the dry world above it transforms into a photogenic wonderland of dreamy suffuse lighting.

I lucked out on getting good lighting, resulting in this dreaming glory where the morning light played hide-and-seek with the vegetation and the fog to create a very memorable scene

Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve
CA USA

Thistle Bloom

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Normally, I wouldn't care too much for a thistle; their spiny stems are a menace while hiking and their prickles leave behind quite a nasty itch. However, as I was making my way through the vibrant spring wildflower patches of Hite Cove, I noticed a proliferation of the budding common thistles. Their beautiful pink inflorescence was quite a contrast against the drab dry-green surroundings.

I observed many such blooms that day, some filled with jeweled insects and bumbling beetles trying to get in on the pollen action, while others were withering in their last days. I found this particular thistle still retaining all its pink pollen-filled stalks, providing a burst of color for this macro image

Hite Cove
CA USA