March 21, 2013
I am so close, I may look distant.
So completely mixed with you, I may look separate.
So out in the open, I appear hidden.
So silent, because I am constantly talking with you.
- Rumi
The below shot is a moon set, yes you read that right, it is the moon set and not sun set. It was one of those rare early morning twilight moments during the beginning of the harvest months, when the moon is fiery, large & bright – due to its low position in the horizon. The colors were as is and not modified. You can read more about the harvest moon in this older post from last Aug.
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 mm : No Filter : ISO 800 : 270 mm : f5.6 : 0.5 sec
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Harvest Moon
Crater Lake, Oregon, USA |
Posted in photography, photos |
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December 11, 2012
The winter has just begun, but I am already longing for the clear sky. At least the occasional sun breaks would be good :)
It was one of those clear days at Paradise section of Mt Rainier. When I first started reading about the national park prior to visiting, it took a while to grasp that any places would be named “The Paradise”. After visiting, I should completely concur – words fall short of the experience. Paradise – have nature trails – paved, short, family friendly and suitable just for everyone. These trails lead through colorful meadows and offer spectacular mountain vistas. Several classic views of Mt Rainer are nestled out here. One with Myrtle Falls in the foreground, as it tumbles 70 to 80 feet thru the George, is pretty impressive. A few meters from here, just before the wooden bridge is another of my favorite view – The Majestic Mt Rainier adorned with the Edith Creek. May be someday will get there for some lovely twilight :)
Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Tamron 18-270mm
Filter : 3 stop ND Filter
ISO 100 : 18 mm : f22 : 0.5 sec
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Mt Rainier
Paradise, Washington, USA |
Posted in photography, photos |
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October 31, 2012
Crater Lake probably has inspired hundreds of people. One can say no place else on earth is such pure deep lake, sooo blue, sheer surrounding cliffs of around two thousand feet high combined with a violent volcanic past. It definitely is a place of immeasurable beauty but did u know there is a spooky side to the place.
That particular day or rather evening, the sun was setting just behind my back. I was not aware that it was full moon and that the moon rise coincided with the sunset. I was happy to see the moon, just I was about to leave. Deciding get some shots, set up the tripod to capture the moon. The shades from the twilight were extraordinarily bright and the blue lake was pretty much under spooky pinkish blanket. For a moment I was able to get a glimpse of the eerie and spooky side of the lake, that not many people are aware of ….
Happy Halloween :)
P.S: The tree trunk was enhanced to highlight the texture, age and details and the moon was slightly enlarged, but the colors were as is from the scene !
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Crater Lake
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA |
Posted in photography, photos |
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October 3, 2012
It is the deep blue water that comes to mind when you think of Crater Lake, definitely not waterfalls. But the Crater Lake National Park does house one of the prettiest of them all – Vidae Waterfall. Access to the waterfalls cannot be any more easier – just drive, hop out , enjoy the falls ! Yes, is located along the rim drive, on the south east side of the lake, right off the road [just before the Phantom ship overlook when you are driving anti clockwise around the lake]. It is a fun place to hike up to the water, just be cautious of the loose stones. The cascading of the water in multiple levels and the wild flowers definitely makes even more beautiful.
Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Tamron 18-270mm
Filter : Circular Polarizer
ISO 100 : 59 mm : f32 : 2.0 sec
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Vidae Falls
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA |
Posted in photography, photos |
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October 1, 2012
Camping out in the wilderness – it was such a cozy feeling, as I was lazing in the comfort of the sleeping bag with the pre dawn temperatures of 2oC. I was in no mood of getting out. Oh my, I was real glad I did push myself out eventually. Already short of time, I was driving a bit crazy to locate a spot for the sun rise along the rim of Crater Lake. To my left, glanced the reddish glow between the trees. My initial thoughts was -forest fire – as there was an high alert warning for the same. I stopped the car right on the middle of the road and set the tripod to get this shot. Luckily there was no car traffic to bother me, at the time of the hour :)
The Harvest Moon is usually the first full moon after the first frost or it is the full moon closest to Mabon. As MSN quoted, the harvest moon was extremely photogenic. Actually I was not even aware of the Harvest Moon until I read this article today. Now I know why the moon was so bold and red ! The Harvest moon appears larger and brighter due to its low position in the horizon, during the rise and set. The colors of this special moon – that yellow, gold and red is more an impact of the earth on the moon, than actually being a change in the moon. Autumn (Harvest) is the season when the focus is on the harvest of what has been worked on all year. Appreciation for what one had & has. As I enjoyed this scene, it definitely was a moment of contemplation …
I present to you The harvest Moon setting over the horizon, at the Crater Lake National Park Area. This shot is directly from the camera (RAW to JPEG converted for web display) with no post processing. I would have liked a closer crop, but did not do any processing, to highlight the colors as it existed. Where were u over the weekend, did u get a chance to enjoy the Harvest moon in person !!!
Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Tamron 18-270mm
Filter : None
ISO 320 : 155 mm : f5.6 : 0.7 sec
Shot on : 09.30.2012 ; 6:39 AM
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Harvest Moon
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA |
Posted in Photoblog, photography, photos, Travel |
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September 10, 2012
It was a fun drive up Mt St Helens over the weekend. I was rooting for the sunset and there was some good light. But the highlight of the trip definitely was the milky way – suspended over St Helens. As we watched the stars drift across, the distant light on the horizon, lit up the clouds from beneath. It was ethereal.
I have tried to capture that feeling and moment in time. Nothing in this shot was created in Photoshop, It was all there – the stars, the clouds, the distant light and Mt St Helens. This is a composite of 60 shots each with an exposure of 30 seconds. One of the intermediate shots was processed to highlight the milky way; others were processed to highlight the star trail. I present to you ‘Condensed in Time’ – Approximately 30 minutes from that night, condensed into a single shot for you to enjoy. Hope u like it !
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Castle Lake Viewpoint
Mt. St Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington, USA |
Posted in photography, photos |
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August 22, 2012
Last weekend (Aug 18, 2012) – 2.5 days, 500 miles of drive, 5 miles of hiking, one national park, camping in the woods, sleeping under the stars, one broken car charger, one dead mobile by end of 1st day, one dead camera by 2nd – quiet a memorable visit to Mt. Rainier National Park. As I’m going thru and processing the images, wanted to share a happy summer shot from the trip.
This week is a classical view of Mt Rainier along with Myrtle falls, from the heart of paradise area. My initial plans was to reach the spot for sunrise which did not work out. Actually it was so overcast and misty that the visibility was literally less than 2 feet during the early morning. By the time I reached the trail head it was around noon and the sun had decided to smile. I was glad to have hiked up to this sweet spot. The scattered clouds helped diffuse the light well enough to capture the moment – with the silky flow and even a small rainbow. The processing on this RAW shot was minimal (Lightroom) – decreased a bit of exposure, increased clarity and added a little vignette to focus on the waterfall. Feel free to share with friends (links at the end of the post), if u like the shot :)
Incase you are interested with the details (not sure how many would be!)
Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Tamron 18-270mm
Filter : Circular Polarizer + 3 stop Neutral Density Filter
ISO 100 : 18 mm : f22 : 0.3 sec
P.S : I was showing the blog to some of my friends at office and realized how the ads were on the face. I did not realize them to be so on the face, as I always use Ad-blocker on both Firefox and chrome. It was from the blog host WordPress. I have done the needful to remove it. Enjoy the shots without intrusion going forward :)
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Myrtle Falls
Mt Rainier National Park, Washington, USA |
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August 9, 2012
Mt. Rainer receives so much snowfall, that u can enjoy spectacular winter scenery like below, even in July. This was shot when I got a chance to drive up last month. My plans of getting a reflection shot of Mt Rainer during sunrise did not go well, with so much snow at Tipsoo Lake. But as I drove up just a mile ahead, was treated with this wonderful scene. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Just pulled over, parked and spent around an hour to just enjoy the scenery.
The snow probably had melted by now. Couldn’t wait to get back again this month to enjoy some wildflowers and summer hikes. Have you been to Mt Rainer National Park, what is your favorite spot ?!!!
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Tipsoo Lake
Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA |
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July 9, 2012
It was one hell of a trip to Mt. Rainier National park last weekend. Trying to take advantage of travelling alone (which happens rarely), was thinking to sleep in the car- probably at a campground or at one of the overnight parking lot. The plan was to stay in the vicinity, to capture the first morning light on Mt Rainier. Being summer, that means being up at the spot by 5 AM. As I was driving towards the sunrise area of Mt Rainer, came across an empty parking lot at Sunrise Point. The view was so good that I decided to night out, right there. Dang it, I did not realize it would be this cold even inside the car. Next time need to carry a sleeping bag too :)
Anyway just as I was getting settled, the stars begin to peep, begging to be captured. I just could not help but take a stroll and set up for this shot. Though it was quiet remote northern part of the park & being atleast an hour+ drive to any established community, was surprised to see as much light pollution on the horizon. To add to it, the moon popped from behind. It was one fiery moon rise. I did want to capture more of the horizon, but the moon was way too bright to be captured along with the stars. Anyway the moonlight did help in lighting up the mountain. This is a panorama of two landscape shots. It is a single exposure (each) stitched together, with slight adjustments on levels and a bit of dodge, to put the the Milky Way on spot light.
It was one hell of an experience – just being one with nature, enjoying the slight cool breeze, shooting at mid night. Here is this week shot, in an attempt to capture that experience. Am sure you like it as much as I do. And by the by this would look amazing on metallic print !
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Milky Way @ Sun Rise Point
Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA |
Posted in photography, photos |
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June 10, 2011
As I mentioned earlier, Bryce Canyon is not much of a canyon. One could visit the place umpteen number of times, but still be awed. It is just magical. The hoodoos change with time – due to the forces wind, water and snow. The colors are amazing and different, depending on the time of the day. The early morning with the dawn’s first light, is probably the best times to visit the place. For a close up shot – check this out. Oh yeah, you can hike down into the palace, How cool is that !
I love this shot for the flow it has – from the skies to the mountains, from the mountains to the plains, form the plains to the forest and eventually culminating at the canyons. It kind of gives lot of depth, what do you think ?!
Posted in Photoblog, photography |
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February 18, 2011
“ The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense “ – Tom Clancy. That is exactly what I felt, when I got the first glimpse of Bryce Canyon. Is this real ? Is this a Hollywood set ? So many questions :) Looking at this place, it definitely begs the question as to why (or how) this entire Bryce Canyon was created (and is still evolving). Apart from the natural forces, probably , may be He just looked and thought – why not !
Getting up at 5 in the morning – was much more than the worth – to see the amazing color that the hoodoos turn onto, with the dawn’s light. Bryce canyon is probably a misnomer , as it really is not a canyon. Though it is the result of the same natural forces – like that of canyon. It looks more like a huge natural amphitheater – ever changing. Canyon or not – it indeed is amazing.
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April 18, 2010
Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds
Eastern Oregon, USA
What is it made of
Layers of hard claystones which include ancient soils (palesols) and lake beds. Recently the surface of the hills had weathered into softer clay. The claystones were formed by several geographic events in the past 33 million yrs. the volcanic activity of cascade mountains (some 100 miles west) deposited layers of cooled ash. The atmosphere with the help of the plants and animals oxidized the ash. Ground water feed’ed the varied minerals. And in due course today’s claybeds were formed (wow what an amount of structural and chemical changes would have happened !!!!)
Colors of the Painted Hills
Aluminum, Silicon, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Sodium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Titanium, Potassium, Oxygen, Hydrogen – All this above and some additional elements by a very special secret recipe forms the beautiful colors of this wonderful scenery. Depending on the amount of moisture and the light available , the shades keeps varying thru the day and all seasons.
How come there is not much of flora on the hill
Its a interesting to note that there is not much of flora on the painted hills. And the reason is more interesting – The clay on the painted hills has a great ability to absorb water and swell. And most of the plant are not able to compete with the soil for water. And the once that do, u can see them in the crevices and gullies of the red hills (the yellow ones that blossoms during the spring are chaenactis and bee-plant.
For the Flowers view of the mountain check this out !!!
Posted in HDR, national park, Photoblog, photography, photos, scenic, seasons, Travel |
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August 5, 2008
Three Mittens, Monument Valley Navajo Park
UT , USA
Monument Valley is not really a valley, but an upwarp of sedimentary rock that is at least 260 million years old, surrounded by sentinels that have yet to fully erode. The floor itself is more than a mile high, part of the 130,000 square-mile Colorado Plateau. Sandstone is easily eroded, and the wind, rain, cycles of frost and heat have been at work, cracking and chiseling the valley to its present form.
Posted in HDR, national park, Photoblog, photography, photos, scenic, seasons, Travel, utah |
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June 11, 2008
Toroweep, Grand Canyon National Park
AZ, USA
While the Colorado river accounts for the canyon’s depth, its width and formations are the work of even greater forces. Wind rushing thru the canyon erodes the limestone and sandstone- a few grains at a time. Rain pouring over the rim cuts deep side canyons on the softer rock. Perhaps the greatest canyon building force is snow or ice ! Water from the snow melt and the rain work its way into the cracks on the rocks. When frozen, expands, forcing the rocks away from the canyon walls.
Posted in HDR, national park, Photoblog, photography, scenic, Travel |
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March 23, 2008
Skyline Arch, Arches National Park
UT, USA
Click here for Slideshow of the whole trip.
Posted in national park, Photoblog, photography, Travel |
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September 29, 2007
Lower Calf Creek Trail
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Utah, USA
It was an amazing experience just walking between mineral-streaked cliffs of Navajo Sandstone, beaver ponds and pre-historic rock art sites en route to the 126-foot-high Lower Calf Creek Falls. The total roundtrip distance to the falls is 5-1/2 miles. Though the summer sun was above and my (a little over a year old) son was on the backpack, the hike was pretty enjoyable with very little elevation change. Most of the trail is sandy & that slows the pace, at times !
The most interesting part of the hike were the wall paintings and the Indian granaries (zoom in & zoom out) and of course the jewel of the crown being the lower falls itself.
On an entirely different perspective, we travel so far, hike so long to get a peek into the lives of the Anasazi Indians. These petroglyph on the walls of the canyons does provide the glimpse. But you know what, in most of these trails you see a notice that there are messages that indicate a heavy penalty if you make new makings (or painting) on these canyon walls (of course !!!)
We do have the technology to make new painting on these walls, that could last more the existing ones. If we are not allowed to make new paintings today how would people, 800 – 1000 years from get a glimpse onto ours lives …… right :-)
Wrong !!! As technology grows, live changes and so is the medium. Who knows even the blog(s) like these -yeah the same one u r reading now ;-) could serve the purpose of providing the window to our lives, in future. Time’s Person of the year , 2006 clearly indicated the significance of the user generated content (if you already don’t know Times Person of the year 2006 is YOU) .
The count of blogs, as of writing this post, just on WordPress.com alone is 1,562,804 blogs with 53,197 new posts today. Even after dropping off the test blogs and the inactive ones, it is still quiet a number – the point is there is a good amount of user content getting generated every day on the Internet.
What would happen to these valuable user generated content, once the user is no more ?Even if someone decides to manage and maintain a users content after user’s time, On what basis would the user account details be shared with the family or friends ? May be the blog or the site could be graciously closed, but what if the users demise is not expected ? Would these become asserts of the individuate and hence be part of his Will ? How would we differentiate between the valuable and junk out of these content ?
So many things to ponder about ….
Posted in blog, demise, HDR, historic, lower calf creek, national park, Photoblog, photography, photos, scenic, Travel, user content, utah, you |
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August 29, 2007
Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA
This national park sits on 2000° lake of molten lava, an underground pressure cooker of 50 miles long and 30 miles wide. For atleast a few million years, since magma burned a hole under ancient Wyoming’s bedrock, yellow stone periodically disgorged a small ocean of lava in eruptions hundreds of times worse than any volcanic eruptions on earth.
Today, the volcanic action, heats the rocks below the surface, and this in turn creates all manner of spectacle in thousands of steaming hot springs and hundreds of geysers, plus bubbling mud-pots and fumaroles.
At Yellowstone, the earth is cooking - Life, Times Inc
Posted in HDR, historic, national park, Photoblog, photography, photos, Travel, utah |
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