Naturescapes

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The Blue Zone

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The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

- Yeats

As the last light of the day withdrew from the cloudy skies, I noticed something strange: the turbulent waters churning to a shade of deep blue , reflecting colors that were present nowhere. All around, the sky was socked in clouds with nary a shade of blue, and yet, these waters in the northeast of Maui displayed a fascinating hue I hadn't seen before.

I thought that was the last I would see of these mystical blue waters, but in the early hours of the next day, the same shades showed up at a different beach whilst under cloudy skies and yellow morning light.

Maui
Hawaii

Colored Reflections

Every year, the Pacific Northwest gets blanketed by clouds like clockwork during the winter, leading to an long period of colorless grey skies. These unending gloomy conditions, coupled with the short days, can take a toll on personal happiness. My escape out of this is to reminisce the past by looking at my colorful archives of photography, and enjoying the play of light that I see for my images.

After all, as is often said, “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”

Here, I attempted a cinemagraph from an old clip I had shot in Acadia, during the peak of its fall foliage.

Acadia National Park
ME USA

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For Nature

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One of the many things that photography teaches me is a sense of love and respect for nature. And I strive to avail myself of the opportunities that allow me indulge in this love, as well as my passion for photography. This has taken me to diverse parts of the country, and explore the inner pockets of the Pacific Northwest. And wherever I go, I adhere to low-impact hiking by following Leave No Trace principles, and try to leave the place cleaner than when I arrived.

But one can only do so much. And that is why I believe in the work the various non-profit organizations around the country perform to preserve the present for the future. Join me in supporting the National Park Foundation and WildAid, two such non-profits whose missions I care about deeply.

Purchase my 2020 Photography Calendar here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/sathish-jothikumar/2020-photography-calendar/calendar/product-24355024.html. Order now to receive by the New Year.

All proceeds go to the National Park Foundation and WildAid.

Seattle

WA

Wildflowers of California

After the winter rains, the spring blossoms arrive like clockwork, covering the vast California plains with a colorful tapestry of yellows, oranges, blues, and whites. Against the backdrop of the rolling green hills, this nature's kaleidoscope of colors is a sight to behold.

Over time, such tracts of unprotected plains are few and far in-between, and these delicate plants are fickle-minded, requiring just the right amount of rain and sun at the right time. And I am hoping that this is one such year where nature puts on a unrivaled spectacle.

Central California

A fall in Japan

The art of stone in a Japanese garden is that of placement. Its ideal does not deviate from that of nature.

Every blade of grass, every branch of a tree, every stone lantern, and every curve of the pond, planned and placed ever so carefully to create a beautiful harmony of light, color and nature. After having experienced it extensively in Japan, I was delighted by the nostalgic memories a visit to Seattle's Japanese garden brought me.

And to witness the fall color diorama was a special treat.

Seattle Japanese Garden
WA USA


Forgotten Fall

The golden hues of last fall are a distant memory as winter sets in early in the Pacific Northwest. It has been barely a year since I had visited the this amazing region, exploring the rural countryside of New England, driving around rivers ensconced in forests, rolling hillscapes, petite pastoral communities and rustic farmland, in search of splashes of colors in nature.

White Mountains
NH USA

Fall is here

As the summer winds down, the mercury drops, the weather gets wetter, and the leaves start changing color, heralding the arrival of fall. And every year, I feel like retreating to a cozy log cabin out in the woods, wrapping myself in a warm blanket with a hot mug of coffee in one hand, and a book in the other, listening to the sound of a crackling fireplace.

Though the photographer in me would probably scream to get out and photograph the amazing colors outside.

Franconia Notch
NH USA

Palouse Moments

The beautiful green hills of Palouse are one of the largest producers of wheat in the country, producing 153.2 million bushels. The abundant rainfall, fertile volcanic soils and moderate climate help, but it certainly didn't get to this scale by practicing organic farming.

Here we see a crop duster on one of its many runs spraying insecticides on a field of wheat, getting dwarfed by the vast rolling landscape all around.

Steptoe Butte State Park

WA USA

The Star of Palouse

If this tree were a person, it would be a supermodel appearing on the cover of Vogue or Cosmopolitan. This non-descript oak, planted on the edge between two fields, transforms into a model every evening, with the sinuous curves exaggerated by the low sunlight close to sunset. And every spring day, dozens of photographers train their cameras and long lenses to get up close and personal with this supermodel of the Palouse.

Palouse

WA USA