A few winters ago, I explored the Pacific coast of Olympic National Park on a rare sunny weekend. One of those days a colorful sunset which did its best to not betray the freezing gusts of wind hounding the coast.
Olympic National Park
WA USA
2022 Landscape Photography Calendar
With the pandemic restricting travel, I focused my photography on the amazing landscapes in the northwest corner of this diverse country. See my favorites from the varied locations in the Pacific Northwest, from rugged mountains to temperate rain-forests, including all the three National Parks of Washington, and wilderness areas that line the Cascades. Experience diverse scenes from the rugged mountains to the wild coast of the Pacific Northwest, a true treasure of diverse landscapes.
And remember, this calendar is for a good cause - all proceeds will get donated to Sierra Club Foundation. We are gifted to have such amazing public lands, and having visited 52 National Parks and many more wilderness areas, I have come to realize the vital importance of our public lands system in protecting and preserving nature, culture, wildlife, and landscapes for the future. The Sierra Club Foundation helps secure protections for public lands and waters, promote healthy ecosystems and communities, and fight for clean air and water, and build a diverse, inclusive environmental movement that reflects and represents today’s American public, and prioritizes important connections between environmental health and social justice
You can purchase this colorful 2022 calendar here. Thank you in advance for your support
Ray of Stars
The brilliant light of the Milky way makes an appearance on a rare smoke-free moonless night sky in Oregon
Wallowa Whitman National Forest
OR USA
Our Night Skies
Tonight, wherever you are, go outside and look at the sky. Can you see the wonders? Overhead are countless distant fires, stars upon stars in clusters and constellations, a natural darkness where the faintest colors and lights shine. For most of human history, wherever on the globe, this was the night we knew. This was the darkness in which all life evolved and which our body and spirit still crave. Art and science and religion all flowed from our experience of natural darkness and a starry night sky. This is where we came from, this is who we are.
– Paul Bogard, author of End of Night, 2019
I have been very privileged to live in places where I can access the backcountry where I can see spectacular night skies sparkling with the light of a 100 stars, and where the silence of nature is omnipresent. But ever so slowly, we are losing access to these places where we can appreciate our dark skies. With the work of the International Dark Sky Association, we are able to preserve the such dark places. But even then, there are no rules that govern the satellites that roam the sky above.
Here is one image of a perfectly good night sky polluted by the light from a satellite drifting across the arc of the Milky Way
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
OR USA
A Night Out
Unlike the previous one, which was a fortuitous coincidence of circumstances, shots of the Milky Way, like the one above, are far more planned. Having had an image in mind of a composition involving the galactic arm rising above the snow-capped volcanic cone of Mt Baker, just as the first rays of moonlight light up the east-facing slopes, I trudged up an appropriate viewpoint at sunset hoping to stake out such a location. But despite the planning, this too required quite a bit of luck: a cloud-free smog-free sky unaffected by the wildfires raging the Pacific Northwest, and snow-free access to a location where this shoot was possible.
Thankfully, the atmospheric conditions cooperated for the most part, and except for the light polution at the horizon, and the light haze from the fires, it was a blissful night for photography. I watched as the sky slowly transitioned from the orange hues of sunset to the deep purple of twilight, and small sparks of light slowly appeared in the sky, starting with the brightest planets (Venus and Jupiter) followed by the dimmer stars. Soon thereafter, the band of the Milky Way slowly made its appearance, first visible only to the camera, and then to the naked eye. The mercury dropped too, and I found it ever more harder to keep myself warm, but I persisted, waiting until the band slowly moved over to the summit of Mt Baker.
Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA
A National Parks Journey - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
This Park is a tribute to the mighty volcanic forces that created and sculpted this archipelago in the middle of the Pacific. Featuring ancient lava tubes snaking through verdant tropical jungles as well as rough undulating black masses of freshly solidified lava with still-smouldering vents, this Park contains enough features to satiate the appetite of budding and mature volcanologists alike. But perhaps what captivated me most was staring at the orange glow from the gaping maw of the active volcano: it was a chilling reminder of the geological forces that was responsible for these and many other volcanic islands, and of how quickly it can change the landscape around.
I returned back to the park that evening to see the scintillating night sky framing the rising smoke from the volcano, a memory I will never forget of the first volcano I had ever visited.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
HI USA
A National Park Journey - Yosemite National Park
There is no grander a cathedral of granite than Yosemite National Park. Stepping into its hallowed halls with walls of towering granite from whose ledges gush waterfalls, is like stepping onto another planet. And while its star attraction, the Yosemite Valley, carries all the trappings of modern civilization, the towering geological features put the human efforts to tame it to shame.
When I lived in California, I used to visit the park multiple times a year, enough to observe the sharp change of seasons. But the summer in its mountains holds a special place in my heart. In the summer, my favorite place in Yosemite, however, was not the valley, but the high Sierra terrain. Far away from the maddening crowds, the quieter pace of the delicate alpine terrain offers an opportunity to slowdown and admire the small flowering plants as well as the iconic granite peaks topping above the forests. And at night, the higher altitude affords an humbling opportunity to observe the night sky far away from sources of light pollution.
This image showcases the night sky during one such summer visit.
Yosemite National Park
CA USA
A National Park Journey - Kings Canyon National Park
The first National Park I had visited in the country was Sequoia National Park. Being a sister park to Sequoia, Kings Canyon was the obvious choice to visit after Sequoia. After the intimacy with gentle giants in the first park, Kings Canyon was a shift in scale. I gazed with wonder at the towering granite canyon walls where gushing waterfalls flowed into bubbling creeks that meandered amongst grassy meadows laid out along the South Fork of Kings River. I even gained my first hiking chops on one of the many hiking trails that climbed up from the valley.
That vast mountainous landscape would draw me again for many years after that. Since then, I have hiked and backpacked in many different parts of that park that covers a vast swath of the Sierras far away from any civilization. I have been blessed to have been given the opportunity to explore this spectacular part of California, and this wilderness nestled in Kings Canyon holds a special place in my heart.
This image was a night sky from one of the many backpacking trips to Kings Canyon national Park
Kings Canyon National Park
CA USA
Winter Lights
The Pacific Northwest, though known for its amazing landscape and inspiring outdoors, is a tough place to live in in the winter. As we approach the winter solstice, the prolonged conditions of short days that last only 8 hours, and the ubiquitous grey and gloomy skies can put anyone in a dank mood. This double whammy has been exacerbated this year by the pandemic restrictions on travel and socializing, and poor economic and social outlook. Many people have lost their loved ones or their livelihood.
But there is hope around the corner. The vaccines are coming, and after tomorrow, the days will slowly get longer. Our lives will slowly achieve a sense of normalcy, and we can soon look forward to traveling and experiencing the delights of the world we live in. Like this display of the aurora borealis from Iceland.
Bordeyri
Iceland
A Strike on the Galaxy
As part of the work to create my annual photography calendar, whose proceeds this year will go to National Park Foundation, I look through the archive of over 5000 photos I shoot every year. I don't ever get time to comb through every single one; it is a task which I have been failing miserably at. However, occasionally I chance upon gems that I often missed at first glance.
This is one such catch from a trip to the eastern half of the North Cascades in a remote wilderness region, far away from any light pollution. I visted this place early in the summer, far before devastating wildfires impacted visibility in these areas. As I was shooting a timelapse of the Milky Way, a bright meteor streaked the southern half of the sky. I had no idea if the camera had captured it, at least not until I came back and reviewed it on the big screen. I was lucky to catch this bright streak arcing across the band formed by the central disc of the galaxy.
Paseytan Wilderness
WA USA