Neowise was perhaps one of the few comets that appeared in the right place at the right time: visible fairly clearly from where I was living, and at a time when technology had advanced sufficiently to capture its feathery elegance with my camera. My previous comet sighting was the Hale-Bopp in 1995, which while bright, was not amenable to capturing with a digital camera.
So when this two week window opened up to see this stranger from a strange land, I didn't say no to it.
Here is one such visual of Neowise from Edmonds Harbor, with its NW-facing shoreline providing the perfect viewpoint to shoot the comet framed by the distant peaks of the Olympic range.
Edmonds
WA USA
Last of 2019
As the last light sets in some parts of the planet, there are others celebrating the turn of the decade. And it has been a tumultuous decade with rapid changes in economy, politics, science, technology and art. Parts of the planet which were previously politically and economically unstable are now new frontiers to explore, while others have turned the opposite way. Travel and exploration, which used to be an fulfilling activity of discovering new places, immersing in new cultures, and getting inspired by new art, have now transformed to a social-media fueled hunt for the next glamorizing place to broadcast to the world.
The broadening of the mind and the sense of respect that used to be the essence of travel, has now been thrown to the wayside, replaced by a fleeting five-second window of the predictive highlights of a location. Perhaps it is time to slow down, and travel for the sake of travel. Will the new decade bring a reversal of these trends. I would hope so, but I fear not.
My 2 cents as the decade winds to a close
Haleakala National Park
HI USA
For Nature
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
Swirls of the night
After a long rainy day, it was a pleasant surprise to see moonlight glazing over the glaciated peaks of the French Alps. And at this remote refugio deep in the heart of the alps, I thought I had found the perfect location to capture the swirls of foggy peaks. But what I didn't expect, and grew tired of, was the incessant barking of a guard dog from a nearby farm. And for the next hour, nary did a minute pass without interruption, leaving me wondering when I was going to get bitten by a guard dog in the middle of the Alps.
Tour du Mont Blanc
France
Jupiter Descending
Some nights are not meant for sleeping; they are meant for talking to the stars!
Ever since moving to the Pacific Northwest, the short summer has meant that observing a clear night sky at high altitude has been more challenging. So I treasure every I night I get to spend in the mountainous wilderness praying for a jeweled night sky.
Here, the setting Jupiter catches the icy summit of Rainier on a clear night in Mount Rainier National Park, while the glow from a fire lookout reminds me that I am not the only one enjoying this beautiful sky.
Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA
A Sea of Clouds
The trail ahead disappeared into the fog barely a few yards in front of me. The moving clouds of mist clung to the slope, marring any views of the surrounding landscape even as I approached within striking distance of the fire lookout that was to be my abode for the next few hours.
I was ready to give up, turn back and go home, but I decided to wait the fog out. And barely an hour before sunset, the fog finally did give in, as it slowly dropped below the lookout, exposing a vista of endless clouds.
I waited until twilight to capture the serenity above the tumultuous clouds swirling all around.
Mt Rainier National Park
WA USA
Night Time Surprises
Sometimes the night sky can put up a show.
After 36 hours of watching nothing but grey clouds meandering slowly above the wilderness campsite in Garibaldi Provincial Park in British Columbia, I had given up hoping for a clear night sky. And hence, when the clouds finally parted revealing the beautiful night sky, I couldn't resist the opportunity to capture a timelapse. And While mild auroral activity was predicted, I wasn't confident I would capture it this far south. I was certainly surprised when one of the frames turned up a bright red display of colors that lasted ~30mins.
The northern arm of the Milky Way crosses the frame to the right of the North Star, with the bright disk of the Andromeda Galaxy in the upper right corner.
Garibaldi Provincial Park
BC Canada
The Way of the Night
Perhaps one of the rarest sights for someone living in the city is the arch of the Milky Way. With the light pollution that exists in cities, it takes effort to seek out those dark skies where one can catch sight of this. I remember every clear night I have spent in the backcountry waiting for my eyes to get dark just to tracing the line of stars arcing across from horizon to horizon, with a brilliant gaseous center straddling a multitude of galaxies and brilliant nebulae.
And so, when I was in Bryce Canyon National Park during a New Moon, I sacrificed sleep in order to stay out and watch the night sky turn from dark to bright under the brilliance of starlight.
Bryce Canyon National Park
UT USA
Through the wormhole
The glow in the night sky transcended reality: green shimmers and pink glimmers glinted and gleamed against a dark starscape. Eventually, thick bands swept their way over the mountains, across the fjord and onto the next valley deep in the Westfjords of Iceland, until one settled right atop me, albeit just for a moment.
Clear winter nights in the Pacific Northwest make me yearn for the Aurora spectacle that I had witnessed in the northern reaches of Iceland. And I hope to visit that magical display in the sky once again.
Flateyri
Westfjords, Iceland
