Every year, the blooming of the daffodils heralds the arrival of spring in Washington. Tiny bursts of yellow color dot the streets and villages of the Pacific Northwest, its characteristic trumpet and bell shape swaying in unison in the wind.
Out in the pastoral landscape of Skagit valley, vast fields of yellow daffodils carpet the landscape in early spring, ready to be picked and shipped to the neighborhood florist. Photos don't do justice to the scale of the farms that cover the area here.
I spotted this one out in the distance as I set out for a breath of fresh air and sunshine. The skeletons of the tall aspen, yet to regrow foliage for the year, towered over the carpet of yellow on this late evening.
Skagit Valley
WA USA
The Shimmer of Snow
Have you ever stopped to notice the sheen of light on the undulating snow. It is not a sight one encounters everyday, and I happened to chance upon such a scene while slogging back towards the trailhead after a long day out in the snow. The light, filtered by a thin layer of clouds, was soft, and gently highlighted the smooth slopes. A plethora of tracks wound through this undisturbed snow, and yet, there were vast unspoilt patches remaining this late in the day.
A few groves of pines stood steadfast, acting as waypoints on this vast landscape of endless mountains. These framed this vast alpine scenery as I encountered it.
Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA
The Eclipse of 2017
2017 was a memorable year for many reasons, but watching a total eclipse tops that list. I still remember driving the day before towards the town of Madras, to a campground (which was really farmland let to fallow) right on the path of totality. I wandered into the town, walking right into the heart of an eclipse-themed carnival. After having had my fill of that atmosphere, I got back to the campground, which had swollen in numbers stretching over the entire open field. The people here were eagerly awaiting in anticipation of the big event of the next day.
Morning dawned and the crowd slowly gathered around to catch a spot of open ground to shoot the eclipse. The sky gradually cleared up of the clouds left over from the night with the rising temperature. Groups of astronomers from as far away as Poland had set up their armada of telescopes catering to different spectra and magnifications for viewing the upcoming eclipse. Meanwhile, I only had two cameras that I jerry rigged to carry mylar filters, along with a eclipse-shade for myself. I had set the cameras up to shoot at a specific interval so that I could go and watch the eclipse through one of telescopes belonging to the neighboring tent.
Soon, a chorus of sounds went around the campground as we observe the first contact of the eclipse. As the eclipse progressed, the size of the solar disc kept reducing, leading to a drop in temperature as well as the volume of the songs the passarine birds lowering to ominous levels. And then totality hit the area, and it was a spectacle like no other. A hushed silence pervaded the area, with everyone engrossed by the dance of the plasma in the coronal stream. And soon after the famed Baily's beads appeared, transforming the sun into an celestial diamond ring. A cacophony of screams, joyful gasps of delight and a chorus of claps spread around the area, with everyone feeling thoroughly blessed by the scene.
Its funny that even though eclipses that are predictable to the exact time and location, they still inspire an awe in every person who watches it. Perhaps there are some instincts leftover from our genetic past that still prods us to observe this celestial dance in rapt attention. As for myself, I can't wait long enough to see the next one
Madras
OR USA
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This is the Pacific Northwest
As the temperatures finally start warming, and the daylight hours extend to the better side of bearability, I can finally start planning for the summer hiking season. Though short, the four month window of summer is the main reason that I put up through the drudgery that is the long and gloomy winter. Endless mountains ranges dotted by glacier-capped volcanoes, breathtaking scenery with innumerable hidden hiking destinations, and glistening lakes surrounded by swaths of wildflowers, all make the summer a refreshing escape for the mind and a rejuvenating experience for the soul.
I can't wait to get out again.
Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA
Sunrise with Company
Sunrises are perhaps the hardest and most unpredictable to photograph, and certainly the one decision where the tradeoffs are extremely hard to ascertain. Whenever I try to plan ahead for a sunrise shoot, I keep exploring different contingencies and evaluate how conditions can go wrong. But once I commit, I prefer not to turn back on that decision.
The only choice after that lays in the location and composition to shoot. And this represents another challenge if you have scouted the area before. Such was the case with trying to capture sunrise in the vicinity of the San Juan islands. Thankfully, this lighthouse formed the perfect foreground for the scene. Two of the innumerable bald eagles in the area settled atop the lighthouse, much to my delight, to be the icing on the cake that was this sunrise.
San Juan Islands
WA USA
Summitting Success
I was struggling on my uphill ascent on the brilliantly white slopes of Mt Rainier. Even in early spring, it felt like on a hot and sultry midsummers day. But the views goaded me on: with each minute of climbing, the surround landscape opened up more and more. As I scouted for compositions, I noticed one hiker gazing at the vast cloudscape in front of him.
I will never get to find out what caused this hiker to power pose and gaze at the vast snowscape on the sunny slopes of Mount Rainier, but I believe that he was perhaps celebrating a triumph of having climbed up so far to enjoy this grand panorama. Who knows what other demons he he has been dealing with!
Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA
Lapping the Sunset
The strange thing about the sunset is that, as a photographer, I actually don't want the sun to set. I want it to stay right on the horizon - not below it, not above it - just right on it. And yet, everyday the sunset laps us, signalling the end of the day. The passing of the sunset reminds us that time is ephemeral, and as much as I don't want the sun to set, it does, and we have to make sure we make the best of every single sunset, and every single moment.
Netarts
OR USA
The High Seat of the Connemara
From high atop the Connemara, the vast Irish landscape opened up. Bays and inlets dotted with quaint villages and rustic farmhouses punctuated rolling landscape of heather and bog which were turning orange in this late autumn day. Just an hour earlier, I had driven through those picturesque villages past whitewashed cottages and grazing lands divided up by moss-covered stone walls still dripping the morning dew. After stopping at a cafe drawn in by the strong scent of Earl Grey and the sweet aromas of scones, I decided to tackle one of the highest spot on the land around, hoping to see the lay of the land.
The cheerful volunteer at the visitor center prodded me on to climb up the nearby hill, and promised me, after seeing my camera, that it will be worth carrying it up. With caffeine in my veins and the curiosity to seek a new vista on my minds, I started my ascent. And in a few short minutes, the vast landscape opened up, helped by the complete lack of trees anywhere. A muddy path winding through rolling grassy hills soon turned into a steep ascent on a rocky mountain trail, but I pushed on, with views getting better with every step. Eventually, I summited the high seat of the Connemara which presented a panoramic view of the vast lands lit up by the soft light of an autumnal day.
Such were the wonderful memories of my short trip to Ireland, where I got to savor a sampling of the rich Gaelic culture and traditions, and enjoy the vast landscape that inspired Yeats and Joyce
Connemara National Park
County Galway, Ireland
The Three Faces of Badlands
Badlands might seem like a non-descript National Park marked in the middle of the map of the US. But enter it, and you are in a wonderland of strange formations with layers of yellow, brown and green and vast carpets of wildflowers punctuated by shiprock structures where wildlife roams. If anything, this place was the opposite of badlands.
I only had time for one night there and I could never get enough of the innumerable trails winding through the colorful canyons. I do hope I can return back once again and witness the march of the puffy white clouds across this strange and vast landscape in the middle of the country.
Badlands National Park
SD, USA
The Lone Monument
The landscape around me was a grand spectacle, towering red sandstone cliffs with a little dusting of snow rising from the dry desert landscape. Yet what the photo doesn't capture the communal culture of rural Morocco. Apart from the Bedouin herders, the villages and towns surrounded by a palm fringed desert are perhaps the only places of respite in the harsh landscape. And in these oases, you can find solace in the airy riads with a glass of ice-cold mint tea, and meet the community in the farmers markets that attract crowds for miles.
But the vast desert doesn't really give that away.
Dades Gorge
Morocco