Spirit of the Lake

Have you been to Mt St Helens National Monument, and visited the remnants of a volcano that exploded under 40 years ago, a mere blink of an eye on the geological timescale?

The explosion downed trees on the slopes for miles, and on Spirit Lake, which was formed when the explosion dammed the outlet of the old lake, vast treemats formed of those downed trees still remain. Every time I visit this remarkable monument, I learn something new about this volcano, and I hope my future visits will be no less educational.

Mt St Helens

WA USA

The Texture of Sunset

It had been a long and cold day, and my energy was sapped the lack of any sunlight on that long drive down the Oregon Coast. As the sun disappeared behind the grey mass of clouds, I thought it was going to be the last light of day, and I was getting ready to turn back.

And it was around then that I started seeing tinges of color on the horizon, a pale pink that was slowly starting to spread over, seemingly breathing blood to the the sky. And within a span of minutes, the western horizon was laced with a kaleidoscope of reds, yellows and pinks. On the smooth surface of the sand bar that only appears at low tide, the colors of the sky reflected like a Roarsch painting in vibrant technicolor.

A seagull braved the cold winds to pose for me (or so I like to think) for this colorful sunset on the Oregon coast.

Tillamook County
OR USA

Coastal Forests

The rugged coastline of Oregon is a road-trippers paradise. Smooth sandy beaches interspersed with steep cliffs where the coastal forests meet the rugged ocean all lie within arms length of small coastal communities. And on a crisp sunny day, these places are a delight to explore.

Along one such beach, the morning fog filtered through the trees, creating crepuscular rays that beamed down to the shoreline bedecked with mossy rocks, decaying deadwood and the occasional sea stacks.

Ecola State Park
OR USA

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Seeking Solitude at Sunrise

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The solitude of the morning spread over the land like the morning fog, its silence disturbed only by the calls of the waterfowl lazily swimming in the mist. The sun had just started to rise up, a great big ball of fire whose light pierced through the fog, setting it aglow over the tranquil wetlands.

I was just beginning to enjoy the serenity when it was marred by an approaching speedboat, its staccato engine noise engulfing the tranquility of the still dawn. I couldn't have cared less for it, but those were the cards I was dealt with. Hence I tried to frame it as part of the scene: a pastoral sunrise disturbed by a touch of man-made monstrosity...

Astoria
OR USA

A Lattice on the Docks

When I first stepped inside, the complex vase shape formed by diagonal lines of steps cris-crossing and weaving through seemed confusing and chaotic. But as I climbed higher, order emerged from the chaos, and I had to stop to comprehend it. And admire the skyline of Manhattan peering through the hexagonal openings in the superstructure.

Hudson Yards, NYC
NY USA

Beckoning Sunrise

I never expected to have a beach all to myself, especially in the crowded island of Maui during its peak tourist season. But nevertheless, I found one such beach in the eastern side of the island, far away from the oft-touristed locations.

I wandered its shores, listening to the rhythmic crashing of the waves, some breaking over a jagged line of rocks offset from the beach, and others gently caressing the red sands over which I tread. The sun was yet to crest the horizon, but I waited, wading into the cool waters of the Pacific, hoping to find a composition that worked for this unique location.

I am not yet completely satisfied with this framing, and will likely experiment more with this image in the future.

Maui
HI USA

Of Sandstorms and Windy sunsets

One of the country's newest National Parks has something going for it that no other place on this planet can lay a claim on - the largest gypsum sand basin. And that lends this place a surrealism like no other. While most visitors only spend the daylight hours here, the time for photography in this place when the sun crests below the San Andres mountains, and the predawn hours when everything lays still.

At sunset, in the shadow of the mountains, the white sands take on an unnatural blue hue, which, combined with strong winds at dusk, lend an ethereal soft glow to the undulating striations on the dunes. And on those rare occasions, all these happen with a sky lighting up for sunset, like in this scene above.

This park holds within it many such unique photographic opportunities, and I really do hope I can get back there, if only to spend one more night at this amazing National Park

White Sands National Park
NM USA

The Heart of the Pacific Northwest

Windswept snowscapes, cowering ice-rimed trees, undulating banks of snow, frozen lakes and gurgling streams, and in the distance, snow-capped volcanoes and ice-covered peaks jutting out of the craggy landscape of the cascades. Out in the hinterlands of the North Cascades, covering a vast swath of the Pacific Northwest, there lies hundreds of square miles of such undisturbed terrain, far out of the reach of many an explorer.

On a day like this, it is a landscape that evokes feelings of grandeur and majesty, like this scene from the far more accessible part of this rugged region. If even the fringes of such a place can evoke such emotion, I can only imagine what the rest can inspire.

Mt Baker Wilderness
WA USA

Island Paradise

Life's needs are simple: food, water, shelter and clothing. But in the process to procure these needs, we humans engage in an activity called work. And for most of us, our work consumes more than half our adult lives, and its tedious monotony necessitates another need: physical and mental well being. And so, we have invented the concept of vacations where we escape the reality of our everyday lives and try to experience a different existence. The whole leisure and hospitality industry is built around this.

As condescending as this may seem, I too need such an escape to a different destination, a place where I would rather be than where I am....

Virgin Islands National Park
USVI