Through the Green Jungle

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I got off the bus and stared at the trail-head - a wooded damp trail threading into the forests; a low layer of fog and rain mired my visibility further. A convenient multilingual sign gave a helpful description of the significance of the pilgrimage, but nothing about the 16km to cover today, nor the terrain I had to go through, or what I would experience. But perhaps that was best left unsaid, as it allowed me to fully be surprised by every single turn of the trail, but every foggy vista, by every pass I submitted, by every creek and cascade I passed by, and by every temple I stood in awe of.

This was the nature of the Kumano Kodo trek, one of the most sacred pilgrimages in the Kii Peninsula in the Honshu island of Japan. I had decided to come here to escape the crowds of the Golden Week, where every resident of Japan seemed to be traveling everywhere. And I was glad I did, for I found peace and solace in quite misty forests of the trek.

This shot was taken at one such place halfway through the first day, where the mist became part of the wonderful verdant greenery that made this trek ever so special.

Nakahechicho
Wakayama Japan

Hobbiton in Black

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

The Lord of the Rings still manages to transport me to an ancient mythical land, replete with magical creatures, primeval woodlands, medieval villages, rustic landscapes and people with character. As much as I wanted such a place to be real, Middle Earth was far away, nothing but a figment of fiction that we create in our minds.

And that was why when I journeyed to Hobbiton, the movie-set-turned-tourist-attraction in Matamata in the North Island of New Zealand, I felt that figment of fiction had been partially realized. The village of Shire was just as one imagine, with circular hobbit holes adorned with beautiful flowering plants set up on the slopes of the rolling hillscape. I almost felt I could enter into Bag End and find Bilbo Baggins going on about his daily routine.

Here is one rendition of Shire on a rather cloudy day. The (fake) oak tree above Bag End formed an imposing backdrop to this impressive testament to set of Hobbiton and Lord of the Rings.

Hobbiton
Waikato, New Zealand

Portal to Sunset

Summer sunsets in the Bay Area tend to be unremarkable: azure skies slowly fading away to a rusty sunset. Clouds rarely make an appearance in the summer, let alone stay until dusk. And when those moments occur, it can be pure magic. One such moment occurred in the middle of the Bay Area's summer, where vestiges of a cloudy day remained till the last light. A sputtering of different layers of high altitude clouds faded from bright yellow to a vibrant orange and onto a saturated pink before the colors eventually melted away.

I bee-lined my way to one of my favorite spots in the southern Bay Area to capture this colorful sunset - the Alviso marina. It's location right by the waters of the bay, combined with the wide open skies all around make it a great place to photograph. Moreover, the walkways and the wooden door-frames formed a great foreground to the last remnants of this memorable sunset.

Alviso Marina County Park
CA USA

Isolated in the Fjords

Deep inside the remote Westfjords, lies a windswept land still being sculpted by glaciers. Graceful U-shaped canyons cut through the  beautiful highlands. The barren landscape is just lined by just a carpet of fragile grass, populated by the occasional white sheep hopping through the heather.

Life is hard in this desolate region, with a few centers of human population separated by miles of nothingness. Tourists rarely visit the sleepy villages that dot the area, but yet, it is a region of a different kind of dreary beauty. It is a place to find peace, and to be one with nature in a way no other place can.

This was taken on a short trail climbing up from the village of Flateyri in the Westfjords. The cloudy skies gave way to some amazing Northern lights that night, and it was truly a remarkable place to spend the day at.

Flateyri
Westfjords Iceland

Twilight by the Canal

I was wandering through the narrow alleyways crisscrossed by a multitude of canals. Colorful timber-frame row houses towered on either side,  replete with age-signifying ivy, colorful flowers that adorned the balconies, residences that rubbed shoulders with museums, restaurants, and shops, and thronging crowds of tourists and locals along with cafes where one could grab a coffee and watch the day go by. It was very easy to get lost in the beautiful Petite France historic quarter of Strasbourg, but I much enjoyed the process of discovering hidden surprises in the nooks and crannies of this beautiful city.

France has stayed as the top tourist destination for many years for multiple reasons, Paris notwithstanding. Yet, I find that it is some of the other attractions outside of the capital city that are far more charming. Strasbourg, as the base camp for exploring the Alsace region, proved to be such a worthy city with the rich history it carried. And twilight is an especially great time to photograph this beautiful city.

Strasbourg
Alsace, France

Through the Seasons

Winter sees an freezing creek draining out onto a icy landscape; the green moss is white, the rocks slippery, the bridge frozen, and the water-flow, a trickle
Spring sees a reawakening waterfall, with green velvety moss thriving in the moisture, with yellow lichen and lush vegetation bringing this place back to life.
Summer sees a thunderous roar of water-flow as the snow from above melts and drains, thwarting fires and dousing the entire canyon with its misty breath.
Fall sees the rush slow down, the moss turn yellow and the water trickle, as though it were getting ready to hibernate for the winter.

The season's cycle through this region like clockwork, but the waterfall remains, its eternal beauty a constant in its ephemeral surroundings. I managed to capture but one instance of this cycle, while it adorned its beautiful green coat in spring.

Elowah Falls
OR USA

High in the Sierras

High in the Sierras, there exists mythical places where the skies are red and the water is a turquoise blue, where rugged granite behemoths were carved into graceful shapes, where glistening lakes and gurgling streams wind their way down mountains, valleys and canyons. Some of these mythical places are hard to reach, while others, including this one, are just a day's hike away from civilization.

It is perhaps that these beautiful destinations are such easy escapes that make living in California a photographer's and outdoor adventurer's dream. For some, they are the perfect respite from the humdrum of mechanical life, whereas for others, they are a way of life. It was the former for me, and I managed to escape away to these destinations as much as possible.

It was one such weekend during the peak of California wildfire season that I found myself at Thousand Island lake in Ansel Adams wilderness. I decided to color up the moody grey skies and dull waters of the smoky sunset with the Singh Ray Blue and Gold Polarizer to accentuate the hues of that evening. This was a single image exposure at ISO 100, 5s and F16

Ansel Adams Wilderness
CA USA

The Blue Hour

Time makes us all a prisoner of the present, forever transitioning from our own past into an unknown future. But photography can make us tunnel through to the past, helping us preserve memories and places. One such place forever etched in my mind was hiking through the beautiful Cinque Terre region. I walked along narrow trails that wound through vineyards, with beautiful views of a sun-drenched coastline and the azure waters of the Mediterranean. I passed by quaint farmhouses, cafes and restaurants, serving both the weary walker and the seasoned travelers thronging the colorful villages. I enjoyed savory Levantine cuisine, local wines, thirst-quenching fruit juices and refreshing gelatos.

I can still remember the sights, sounds and smells: the buzz of bees and the chirp of birds as I wound my way along the rocky cliffs, the sweet smell of summer grapes in the vineyards, the touristy chatter giving away to the sound of crashing waves in the villages, quiet alleyways adorned with beautiful houses  and so much more. But as the memories slowly fade away and the experience becomes less-defined, it is photography that preserves them.

And that is why this scene, the blue hour in Manarola, is so special, as it captures the quintessential beauty of this amazing region

Manarola
Liguria Italy

Shadow of a Giant

Dawn broke on the shore of Lake Trillium like a slow firework. The muted greys slowly gave way to warming colors in the sky, while the lifting mist off the lake started to catch some of the morning light. The sun hadn't crested yet, and neither had it's warmth, leaving me and a few other intrepid adventurers freezing on that spring morning.

As the mist slowly wafted, I spotted a lonely racing boat peering through the mist and breaking the still surface of the lake. Eventually the mist lifted, and the huge prominence of Mt Hood made its appearance. Rising 7200 ft above the lake, the snow-capped volcanic behemoth was a sight to behold as it formed the backdrop for this tranquil scene.

I captured this one frame of this boater while waiting for the morning light to strike the peak, but weather patterns ensured that the light never came. Hence I decided to hold on to image to remind myself of that beautiful morning.

Trillium Lake
OR USA

Shooting for the Trees

The blue lake glistened in the morning sun. The signs of fall seemed far away - warm conditions, bluebird skies, a sunny disposition and green meadows, but the golden leaves on the nearby trees gave away the season I was in. I wandered around, hoping to find the famous willow tree, and after asking a few locals, I was pointed in the right direction. And when I arrived, I found the crooked, precariously balanced tree rising out of the soggy shoreline, sprouting a frazzled few leaves on the last of their lives.

The famous Wanaka Willow has made many appearances on many travel brochures highlighting the beauties of New Zealand. And so, when it was my own turn to visit and pay home, I was sorely disappointed. The low water levels of the lake meant that the tree was no longer a denizen of the lake, but of the shallow shore nearby. While that was great for the tree, it's photographic appeal had certainly come down.

Nevertheless, I scouted around for opportunities and captured a few images, including this starburst image

Wanaka
Otago New Zealand