Redwood National forest. Mendocino coast. California.

 (Published, Popular Photography, Landscape Photography Magazine, and Outdoor Photographer magazine)

To get to this spot which is at the end of a long steep trail involved clinging to roots, slippping on wet branches, slithering in mud, butt sliding and a whole lot of grunting, while the rain pelted down the entire time. Felt pretty beat up by the time I arrived at the end of the trail and saw that the entire landscape was blanketed in heavy fog. Decided to just rest, eat and contemplate why I subject myself to these misdaventures. And that is when the answer revealed itself to me.

I was hiking down this steep slope in the dark well before sunrise hoping to find something magical. And when I saw this I was reminded of the words " When you believe in magic, you begin to see it everywhere".

( image has been focus stacked and exposure blended for dynamic range and depth of field. Not a composite)

 (Alaska)

First of all I would like to apologize to those who favorited my earlier shot of Palouse. I decided to delete that because the more I stared at it the more homogenous it made me feel. Having seen a million shots just like the one I posted I began to wonder if I was suffering from a case of creating content rather than expressing myself through art. So I decided to focus my effort on creating a shot that was unique and hopefully a new perspective of albeit an often photographed place. As I was going through my archives I came across this shot of hikers on mesquite dunes at DV. The light, patterns and textures I felt all added up to an image more interesting than my earlier Palouse shot. Not sure if you feel the same way, but the artist in me can definitely sleep better now.

Published in National Geographic

Fortunate is the person who finds his/her flow.

Hope all of you get to experience moments of Zen this festive season.

Yosemite, California

Happy 4th of july!

The words of Guy Tal encouraging us to find new territories to explore, to photograph new subjects and new locations keep ringing in my ears. However there are two locations in Grand Teton National Park that I simply could not resist photographing. One is Oxbow bend and the other is this beautiful Schwabacher's landing. Hardly any surprise why these are favorites amongst Landscape Photographers everywhere

Columbia river gorge.

Cinque Torri, Dolomites, Italy

I am always enamored by flower filled meadows with a backdrop of mountains. The quintessential landscape photograph which we all aspire for. Having drooled over so many of the images shared on this platform, was finally able to generate one which makes me smile every time I look at it. This image is a blend of about 6-8 images for focus stacking as well as a perspective blend for the foreground. Stacked images were manually blended in PS.Please view in lightbox.

Abraham Lake, Canadian rockies.

Remember how excited we would be as kids when taken to a toy store. I experienced that feeling at Abraham Lake.. Running around insanely happy, utterly oblivious to the extreme cold, the harsh winds, the slippery surface beneath my feet. Suspended in blissful exhilaration that comes from finding your flow. This is a shot of methane bubbles trapped below the surface of the frozen lake.

Floating past gigantic icebergs is one of the most iconic experiences of a visit to Alaska. The beautiful architecture and color of the glacial ice complimented by the clouds in the sky. This was one of those times when I realized that there would be a specific moment when the frame would open itself up. And when it did, had the satisfaction of this capture. Felt like I had discovered a secret passage through the glacial vault to treasure beyond.

Please do enlarge the image and view it on a large screen with a dark background and muted ambient lighting. Please do observe the texture of the ice, the hint of sunlight coming through, the ice peaks beyond pretending to be mountains and the sky dabbled with puffy clouds. And if you feel even a part of the awe I experienced then my efforts will have been well served.

Have a wonderful rest of the week. I will be off the virtual social grid for a couple of weeks as I connect with the Himalayas in Bhutan. Hope to bring back images to share from the "Happiest place on Earth".

A few rays of sunshine reach out through a passing storm to bid adieu to the autumn leaves of Aspen subjects against the backdrop of the approaching blizzard.

Isn't it amazing how nature combines colors to create beauty and harmony? Makes me wonder why we as a human race have so much difficulty with being able to do the same. One of the many lessons we could learn from mother Nature.