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 |
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November 15, 2012
12×16 Canvas Giveaway
It is holiday season and I just passed 1000 “Fans” at my FB photography page. I’m truly amazed. I would like to give my humble thank you to all that enjoy my work and follow my exploits here on Facebook. You guys rock, I mean that and I appreciate it so much.
As a token of thanks and to celebrate the holiday season would like to have a giveaway – an 12×16 Canvas of Mt Hood @ Twilight [http://bit.ly/ICwAgH] or a 25% off coupon on any kind of the print you would prefer from the LikeTheOcean Shop [http://bit.ly/HfdHnB] or a 25% off coupon on any kind of the print you would prefer from the LikeTheOcean Shop [http://bit.ly/HfdHnB] .If you are outside the US, it would probably be the latter as shipping outside would not be economical].
All you have to do is
- Like the FB Page – LikeTheOcean Photography [http://on.fb.me/RixoiN] [OR] Subscribe to this blog by email [http://bit.ly/Ho1ngL]
- Share this post on ur Wall [u can use the FB button below this post]
- Comment below telling what kind of photos you would love to see from me (Landscape, Nightscape, Waterscape, Cityscape). Answers can be multiple or even outside the ones listed !!!
Even if ur connected to my FB Profile feel free to like the FB Page, with the new restricted updates to Facebook’s Edge rank this decreases the probability of missing out on my photos/post updates a bit :) I’ll leave this open till around Thanksgiving and draw a winner at random from all the entries on Friday, Nov 23rd.
Reflections at the Dock
This is from one of the docks at Newport, OR. Was real glad we took that turn to take a break, as we were heading back to Portland. The initial intent was to get a 5 mins break, but ended up spending a good hour and half walking / shooting at this dock. It was such a cold (in a good way) and calm evening. I have never in my life seen a dock that was so still. Pretty stroked at how sharp this turned-out right out of camera, especially with an exposure of 30 seconds !
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : 3 Stop ND Filter
ISO 100 : 16 mm : f11 : 30 sec
EDIT : The Giveaway is complete – http://on.fb.me/UlnA8d
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November 4, 2012
The Cedar Creek Grist Mill – Stumbled across this lovely place by chance. Did not realize it was such a prominent landmark. Located just couple of miles from woodland, WA – this mill still holds the original structural integrity, grinds with stones even today and is water powered. Being a little more than a century old, the place is definitely rustic. The stream of water, the covered bridge and the colors of the fall definitely adds to the splendid scenery. If you are around here is the pacific north west, now is the best time to visit the place. The fall colors are at its peak. If not, you can always enjoy the same thru my shots :)
Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Canon 10-22 mm
Filter : Circular Polarizer + 3 Stop ND Filter
ISO 100 : 13 mm : f22 : 2 sec
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Cedar Creek Grist Mill
Woodland, Washington, USA |
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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 |
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October 25, 2012
Oregon is blessed with so many many waterfalls. Still, at 286 feet, Salt Creek is definitely one among the most impressive. Located at Hwy 58 around 20 miles east of Oakridge, it is easily accessible. The view point is just 20 feet from the parking, but it is well worth to take the hike down to the base of the falls. There are many views along the canyon rim as you hike down, but I still liked this view from the top. Though the scale of the falls is not very prominent in this view, I dig how this showcases the falls along with her landscape. One could just watch the fog play hide and seek – all day. The cool breeze of the enduring autumn fog along with a hint of falls colors added to the grandeur.
Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Canon 10-22 mm
Filter : 3 Stop ND Filter
ISO 100 : 10 mm : f22 : 1 sec
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Salt Creek Falls
Hwy 58, Oregon, USA |
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October 16, 2012
Time travel, secret teleporting experiments, area 51 – do u believe in them ? It is all real. They might deny, but it does exist. As I was shooting by the river at a small coastal town, little did I know that it was all part of an large experimental set up at the size of a cyclotron. Just standing in midst of the unknown was surreal. The gleam of light blinded me – as whatever it was – vanished into thin air. Not sure if it reappeared in the past , future or in a parallel universe. Luckily, I was able to document it all with this shot ;-)
Or may be it was just a patrol boat – with such a powerful light that I have never seen before – that spoiled my long exposure :)
Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Canon 10-22 mm
Filter : 3 Stop ND Filter
ISO 100 : 12 mm : f3.5 : 65 sec
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Under the Bridge
Newport, Oregon, USA |
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October 9, 2012
The collapse of the Mount Mazama around 7,700 years ago, led to the formation of the crater which is now famously known as the Crater Lake. If I had to encapsulate Crater lake in a single frame this would be it. The crater, the volcanic remains on the rim, wizard island, serene lake, the gnarled tree showing age – love it all. The sunset was behind me, but the twilight colors and its reflections on the lake was just mesmerizing. After couple of different composition ended up with this panorama of two horizontal shots. Thought the pseudo square composition would lend well to the scene. I loved this off road spot so much that I ended up spending the reminder of the evening out there :) Though this is not the classical cliché shot with deep blue colors of crater lake, something keeps pulling me back to this. How do u like it ?!!!
Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Canon 10-22 mm
Filter : 3 Stop ND Filter
ISO 100 : 10 mm : f22 : 1.5 sec
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Gnarled Tree
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA |
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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 |
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September 23, 2012
Couple of weeks back, I went to capture the ruggedness of Thor’s well at Oregon Coast, but ended up with this. The tide was so low, that there was absolutely no water activity in the rocky terrain near the shore. But it did help scout and access the area and plan for the subsequent high tide shoot. Though it was a pretty clear sky with no clouds or drama, was presented with this crisp sunset as I was hiking back to the parking lot. There is something magical about silhouettes, right !
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Cooks Chasm
Cape Perpetua, Oregon, USA |
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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 |
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August 29, 2012
It was one of the strongest & vivid sunset that I witnessed recently.
Twilight – the time of day between light and darkness, whether that’s just after sunset or just before sunrise – is one of the best times to enjoy nature’s splashing of colors. The light from the sky appears diffused and often pinkish. The sun’s rays from below the horizon are scattered by atmosphere and clouds to create the colors of twilight. Of course the location and the season also plays intricately into the effect. I am loving these Oregon summer sunsets, just after the afternoon thunderstorms – the ones that are so rare & the ones that have the potential to burst into a million shades or just blend out flat into the horizon.
P.S : This blog is definitely be the place where I share the gem of my work and my thoughts. Additionally feel free to connect up @ the Facebook Page, if ur interested in additional shots and occasional ramblings from the shoots :)
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Countryside Sunset
Forest Grove, Oregon, USA |
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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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July 25, 2012
Getting all pumped for the London Olympics !
This week shot is from a quick stop over at London, from the recent past. In this photo you can see the London Eye (left, obviously :) ) in its full glory and the Palace of Westminster + Clock Tower (right). This was shot from the Millennium Bridge as we were enjoying a leisurely stroll with the cool night’s breeze. Though I was not there long enough to take a ride in the eye, the memories from the short visits to downtown is enough to pull me back there, sometime in future maybe !
Are you visiting London for Olympics ? What is your favorite spot there ?!
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July 19, 2012
This week shot is a serene sunset from the iconic Cannon beach, Oregon. If you had been following my work, you would have noticed similar shots from past. Actually this was taken the same day as the earlier shared shot. Indeed these two shots are just 15 minutes and probably 100 feet apart. The light during the golden hour is ever changing and can make all the difference. Also you will be surprised how a few steps can alter the composition of the shot, drastically and dramatically. So the next time when you are shooting, don’t just play with that zoom, make an effort to take a couple of extra steps, literally :)
I like the other shot for the composition (may be because it is more close to the rule of third or the golden spiral) and this one for capturing the serene mood of the evening. Which one do u like, do share below in comments !!!
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Sunset @ Haystack Rock
Cannon Beach, Oregon, 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 |
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June 15, 2012
I love shooting at Cannon Beach.
It was fun getting this shot. I did not have any waterproof shoes that day and the water was biting cold. So it was more of cat & mouse play with the waves. I had envisioned to get the expanse of the beach and the receding water in the evening twilight. If you look real close you can see the light house too in the far horizon. To get this composition I set the tripod really close and low to the haystack rock. Shooting at 10mm helped capture the length of the beach and the Neutral Density Filter (ND3) helped increase the exposure to 20 seconds. Waiting for the sun to get below the horizon aided to capture the deep blue colors of twilight.
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Haystack Rock & Needles
Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA |
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June 6, 2012
How can someone compare a 35 foot falls with towering Multnomah Falls at 620 feet. How can such a small falls be treated in par with the Majestic Mt Hood or the iconic crater lake. You should visit the place to really appreciate it. Irrespective of its size, Punchbowl Falls is definitely a classic and iconic Oregon spot. If you have less than a day at Portland and love hiking – Eagle creek Trail definitely tops the list. Based on the time and stamina, you can decide to turn back at Punchbowl Falls (round trip –3.8 miles) or continue all the way up to Tunnel Falls (round trip 12 miles). The experience begins from the parking lot as you get started on the trail. The increase in elevation is pretty gradual. The lovely view of the river, the creeks & bridges, narrow trail (at places, just a little more than a feet) and wild flowers (depending on the season) makes the hike such a pleasure. At about 2 miles you will hit the Punch bowl Falls (upper) view point. This view helps admire the force with which water flows, creating the punchbowl. On the contrary, It is definitely worth hiking the extra mile (take diversion at the lower falls trail) to get this tranquil view.
the place was so serene and dreamy
the water was so clear and cold
thoughts, not so much
feelings, probably abundant
to sum up – it was just magical
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Punchbowl Falls, Eagle Creek Trail
Eagle Creek Wilderness, Oregon, USA |
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June 3, 2012
Probably the punchbowl category of falls was defined after this falls at the Eagle creek wilderness, Oregon. The name so aptly fits it. The view point gives a grand view of the punch bowl. Compared to the others in Colombia George like Multnomah or Latourell, this is probably a smaller falls at ~30+ feet. Still it is pretty amazing to see/feel the forces of nature, that has created the punch bowl.
Crossing the line is sometimes good ;-) This was shot from the edge of the ledge, just a couple of feet beyond the fenced barricade.
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Punchbowl Falls, Eagle Creek Trail
Eagle Creek Wilderness, Oregon, USA |
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May 24, 2012
I grab a pen
I drop a cap
I opened a book
and closed it shut.
I kick the sand
and raise some dust.
I run a circle
I do a jiggle
I go up in smoke
I stumbled
I crumbled
I laughed
I cried
someone,
someone …
just told me –
that you are coming :)
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May 17, 2012
Madurai, apart from being my home town, is really famous for many things from soft idles to jasmine flowers to being the birth place of ancient Tamil. Madurai is also synonymous with Meenakshi Amman Temple. Covering an area of 17 acres , the enter city was built around the temple. As you get near the temple the city streets meander and before you realize become lanes within the temple.
Known for its amazing architecture , this temple is one of the most ancient and famous ones in south India. As a kid I have always taken for granted, my visits to this place. When I went to my hometown in the last year, I made it visit this place. I did not have as much as time as I had intended, but still enjoyed it. I really wanted to capture the grandeur of the Gopura, its ornate work, the intricate sculptures from the pillars, the lovely etc colorful paintings on the ceilings etc. I think I succeeded, at least partially. This week shot is one of the 14 Gopuras that adorn the beautiful temple.
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Meenakshi Amman Temple
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India |
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Like the Ocean 