When I stared at this suspiciously human like face carved into new earth (from a volcanic eruption 1.5 million years ago), did not think of the probability it might have been carved by man.
Beached boat
Springtime in the northwest enabling me discovering new places and things to photograph
Ducks and a river
The rain felt awkwardly strange as if it was rare for there were very few people on the trail.
The successful search for the Sun
This weekend’s weather forecast for western Wash was not out of place nor extraordinary: overcast with chance of rain and storm likely to continue through next week. But we were determined to find the sun, and shoot timelapse videos.
Rapid
I consider myself proficient in swimming and yet I dread the water. Probably there is a genetic or hereditary element to it added to culture and traditions in growing up in India. Also my best friend died in a drowning accident might have leveraged this fear by a few degrees.
But it’s not hard to block that instinct otherwise taking photographs like this one would not have been possible.
West Montana
Middle of the continent, new earth.
Sun on the underwater rocks
Moon over Old Razorback
While filming the sunset over Black Rock desert, I wasn’t expecting the moon to come up behind me. In other words I was not planning to shoot past sundown (being aware of the bright moon) but unaware of moonrise time. The unmistakably bright reddish near full moon over the mountains to the east was a very pleasant surprise and memorable moment to end the day’s shooting.
Tahoe
Clear blue from above
The dust storm
A white haze filled the gap between two mountain ranges, visible immediately after getting of the highway on our way to the desert playa. Thought it might be a good opportunity to record a timelapse sequence but the tripod fell sideways to a gust of wind about sixty frames in. We continued driving through the storm until we saw clear skies. Now protected by a series of tall hills next to the playa I wait for the sunset.
Tangerine
Another medium
There is no better way to appreciate an open world game design than taking a moment to just look at the environment and admire the elements of mixed realism and fantasy. (Some) modern video games allow one to take photos while playing, and Ubisoft among few takes it a step further by allowing photo share with tags to the in game map. In the past I’ve noticed Rockstar games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 allowed me to share photographs to their social platform but Ubisoft takes it a notch further with the map/location tag.
These photographs were taken by me while playing Ubisoft’s Assassins’ Creed Valhalla.
Limestone towers (Tufa)
Two hours past noon I wasn’t sure if I wanted to drive two and half hours south for a sunset. But if you know me well and have heard about adventures (and misadventures) from years of traveling, you might have guessed this was an easy decision…
Besides a somewhat dangerous slippery road down the hill to the lakeside, the day was immensely enjoyable. Patience is key when waiting for vermillion skies after sunset: if you are early it’s too bright and if you missed the peak, the clouds might have turned into silhouettes. While these two photographed (taken with an iPhone) does not present the best example of patience it was nonetheless a beautiful sunset over the tufas on the south rim of Mono Lake today.
Back in the wide open desert
High elevation, dry air with a hint of salt and long straight highways. Here’s day one of a week in the desert, in search for inspiration for the next project and a break from the insanity called quarantine.
First snow of 2021
We always get more than we wished for, and then stop enjoying it about halfway through the winter storm. But the first day after first snowfall in the season (well, technically this was second in the season but the first one didn’t see daylight) is charming, sometimes carries its appeal to the second day. These photos were taken in my neighborhood with my cellphone while enjoying the calm after the storm.
Winter day in the sun
The silence of the snow
Symptoms of the universe
Sunlight bleeding through atmospheric water
Rain
Winter rain droplets on the sunroof, and an uncanny streetlight bleeding through it…
Deception Pass
Empty branches and dramatic sky
While warm winter weather does not warranty snow, it brings rain. When there’s rain there is a chance the sun could crack through western sky and if you’re in the right place at the right time might witness vivid colors in the sky. With so many variables one could think vermillion sunsets are rare. In fact, they are when you live in the Pacific Northwest but somehow 2021 with only a little over a week in has presented more brilliant sunsets than usual.
And yet I have not been very lucky, but looking forward to get the real camera out one of these days.