Adventures in Travel

Wandering through the narrow and crooked cobblestone streets of a old city, with the Gothic architecture of the cathedral playing hide-and-seek with my camera, I began to wonder what is it that drives me to travel, and in search of new adventures. And after a lot of introspection, I realized that, it is not the popularity of the destination that draws me out there, but rather the journey I hope to have there.

I experienced this time and again, from the 4-day hike through the Colombian rain-forests in Parque Tayrona, to exploring hidden valleys and mountaintops in the Black Forest of Germany, and navigating the innumerable fjords in Westfjords of Iceland. As well as in the crooked cobblestone streets of Strasbourg, with the Gothic architecture of the cathedral playing hide-and-seek with my camera.

Strasbourg
France

Winter Solitude in Yosemite

It has been 4 years since the magical winter weekend under the towering walls of the Yosemite Valley, yet I remember it as though it were yesterday. I remember wandering through the pine forest, the scrunching sounds of snow, ice and pine needles breaking from the solitude of winter in the valley. As I approached the riverbank, I ran into familiar faces from the California photography community, with the clicks from their camera shutters signaling their intent to capture the glorious scene that you see above.

Yosemite National Park holds a special place in my heart, partly because it opened my eyes to wilderness that most people see, but not observe. By spending more time in this National park over multiple seasons than any other, I was able to explore and re-explore some of the innumerable nooks and crannies in every valley, meadow, crag, gorge, and mountaintop that abound in one of the most photogenic sections of the Sierra Nevada. Over this long period of time, it exposed me to the true impact and learnings of life in the outdoors, and to understand and appreciate the rekindling of the spirit that comes about from just spending time outside normal creature comforts.

This image captures the quintessence of what makes that step outside into nature so powerful. I look forward to spending more time reconnecting with the outdoors in Yosemite, as well as the innumerable other National Parks of this land.

Yosemite National Park
CA
USA

Into the Wild Jungle

Hiking out of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, the transient lighting that afternoon yielded beautiful vistas of sun-drenched farmlands and cloud-kissed mountains.

The going was tough especially withsteep climbs in sweltering heat and unbearable humidity, skeeters and midgets waiting at every junction to feast on your blood, slippery trail conditions to challenge even the most well-balanced hiker, and many more.

Yet, the rewards were plentiful. It was a natural detox after spending months in urban surroundings, and the sense of camaraderie one develops with fellow hikers and with the guides is unsurpassed. And, of course, the photographic opportunities were beyond par.

While I did not want to leave that beautiful scene on the way out, after 4 days in the jungle, I was ready to get back to civilization and enjoy the creature comforts of modern life.

Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona
Magdalena Colombia

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The Vortex

After watching the recent Star Wars - Rogue one film, a friend of mine commented that she was so excited she wouldn't be able to sleep through the night. And that got me thinking about an experience I had had that left me that excited and palpitated - the Northern Lights show I witnessed over the skies of Northern Iceland earlier this year.

I remember that night as vividly as yesterday: a self-cooked meal a beautiful sunny evening on the grassy shores of a gentle fjord, followed by a relaxing soak in an open-air hot tub after a day of miserable weather, gave way to a cool night with clear skies. It was then that a faint glow appeared in the sky, becoming brighter and longer until it was a thick band of dancing green light that stretched horizon to horizon.

The patterns were ephemeral, the intensity continuously alternating, the color constantly shifting, but it all came together to present a visual spectacle that never bored me or the few other brave souls gazing upwards on that cold night. Even though the temperature dropped to single digits (Celsius), the photographer in me never fazed.

At one point, the glow appeared directly overhead, leading to an effect quite like peering into the vortex. The greens give way to the other colors such as purple, pink and red. This is one such exposure from that time.

Saeberg
Iceland

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Into the Maw

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.

Ray of Light

The Black Forest of Germany, while not wild uninhabited wilderness like the grand forested regions of Canada and Russia, is still a picturesque, bucolic alternative to the densely populated urban regions of the country. And in a way, its beauty is enhanced, not diminished by gentle anthropomorphic changes, whether it be rustic villages scattered on its many hillsides, tiny barns with serene ponds or flower-strewn meadows on rolling landscapes.

I looked forward to every turn on that windy mountain road that brought about new vistas, and for every cloud that added to the shimmering ephemeral glow of the grassy meadows and reflective ponds. I yearned for all the hiking paths that I could see disappearing into the clouds of the Schwarzwald.

As I made my way from one village to another, I was enthralled by the pastoral nature of the landscape. One such spot between St. Peter and St. Morgan was lit by a fleeting ray of light, highlighting an old barn set amidst a green meadow thereby riveting my attention to this beautiful scene. I realized I had to stop and capture the moment before it was gone, hence freezing that instance of time.

Sankt Morgan

Baden-Wurttemberg Germany

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Fall at Brandywine Falls

With the fall foliage in peak and my creative eye itching for some action, I took a look back in my archives to relive my prior year adventures in fall colors photography. One such adventure was to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.

I had always dreamt of capturing a waterfall surrounded by the reds and yellows of the maples and oaks. And one such waterfall that leaped out in my research for such a scene was Brandywine falls - a beautiful fan-type waterfall that cascades down multiple rock ledges surrounded by foliage that was just starting to change for the season.

Even my journey to the falls, walking along the 1.5mi long trail to the waterfall, winding its way through a very colorful forest on a rustic boardwalk, with glimpses of the beautiful gorge below, was just amazing. And after half hour of walking, my ears picked up the comforting roar of a waterfall. And soon enough, my eyes spied, through a clearing amidst the yellow foliage, the creek racing down the segmented layers of rock, with a dusting of brown leaves all around.

The setting for this waterfall couldn't be more memorable. I quickly set to work. Anticipating a small clearing in the clouds for sunlight to get through, I captured a few choice exposures of the lovely waterfall and the vegetation around it. One such exposure was this, shot with the help of a neutral density filter.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park
OH USA

The Church Mountain

This was one of those sunrises for the books.

Having arrived in Grundarfjordur in the Snaefellsnes peninsula during the eaves of dusk, I really couldn't perceive the beauty that this place had beholden. Nevertheless, I strove to wake up just a few hours later for sunrise, with no expectations of what this peninsula had in store for me.

The sky was still grey as I pulled into the parking lot. With only the early twilight illuminating the serene shapes ahead, I quickly gathered my gear and headed to the shore overlooking the bay across from Kirkjufell, the Church Mountain.

It was a scene unlike any other. And even though I had seen it plastered on so much marketing materials about Iceland, the sight of it in person just took my breath away.

I watched as the light of dawn slowly made its way down the graceful curves of Kirkjufell (Church Mountain) and as the shade of pink in the clouds made its way from the horizon to the foreground. I watched as the absolutely still waters of the bay slowly rose up with the incoming tide, all the while reflecting the beautiful scene in front of me. I watched as this everyday occurrence of nature enlightened and rejuvenated my own soul.

And that bliss is what I tried to capture in this image.

Kirkjufell
Iceland

Rise of the Rundle

It wasn't until my 3rd morning at Banff that the clouds really parted for sunrise. The cloudy and gloomy days prior had put a damper on my spirit and a camera had shot nary a scene. Yet, on this lucky day, when the clouds finally parted, it was setting the stage for a spectacular scene.

I made a beeline to the famed Vermillion lakes in the town of Banff, where all the photographers gather to try their hand at shooting the beautiful range of Mt Rundle rising steeply from the long valley beyond. Thankfully, this early in the summer, I had to share the stage with just two others, providing plenty of peace and quiet to save the slow warming of colors in the sky.

Positioning myself on the pier, battling mosquitoes and the cold temperatures alike, I got to work. Being my first time at the scene, I had to improvise quite a bit based on the lighting, the topography and the amount of place I had to work with. The biggest challenge was trying to get the floating pier steady long enough to capture a sharp scene.

In the end, this composition was one of my favorites, showing the line of clouds lit brightly by the morning sun rising slowly from beyond the peaks.

Banff National Park
AB Canada