Utah and the Canyon Lands - Day 2, Mesa Arch & False Kiva

I love to shoot - but I am really lethargic in processing my snaps and posting them. After quite a long hiatus and after having visited Utah during the Nov hols( Moab, Canyon Lands National Park, Delicate Arch National Park and the Monument Valley), finally managed to post my snaps. As they say " There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer. ~Ansel Adams " . A glimpse of what I have to offer from my trip to Utah

1. Mesa Arch

Shooting the Mesa Arch at sunrise is perhaps the best experience of my life as far as photography is concerned. Waking up at 4AM, driving half-awake or rather half-asleep for approx an hour, parking in the Mesa Arch trail and surprised to see 4 cars already...taking a much needed nap for 10 minutes...trekking up the trail for 15 min and even more surprised to see 4 photographers parked with their tripods at 6:00AM...temperature dipping around 27 F ...wow ! I have to rate this as a great moment.

Shooting the arch and the sunrise with along at least 20 photographers..tripods all lined up...the sweet sounds of the camera shutters...was truly an amazing experience.

Waiting for the sun rays to kiss the bottom of the arch to capture  the "jewel" or "star" effect was fun. What still lingers in my mind are the sounds and conversations of all those 20 and odd photographers....  in "Russian"..."English"..."German"..."Tamil"..and of course "Gods Own Country" :)

2. Trek to False Kiva and the Green River Overlook


The strenuous trek to False Kiva was worth it.  False Kiva enjoys a semi-protected status in the US and its exact location(GPS coordinates) has never been disclosed on websites apart from  photographers who disclose it on public forums. Kivas have been believed to have been created by kachinas in native America for religious ceremonies. Considering the fact that we only had a crow for company  that looked like it came out of "The Omen" and kept hovering around us during this 3 hour trek ...this unknown expedition was a success.How I just wish it had been a cloudy dark almost rainy day to get that dramatic effect! This is one spot I wud'nt dream to shoot the landscape at sunset, there is no way to find your way back after dark!

The Final Days...

A day spent going thru Life Magzine's 70 Years of Extraordinary Photography. 

This particular photograph in the book was deeply moving. Taken by Yosuke Yamahata - one day after an atomic bomb blasted Nagasaki, a mother and son, rice balls in hand, wander through the devastation.

And my photograph of the book and a warm cup of tea was taken exactly(approx) a year ago when I fell sick with a violent flu and throat infection. When you are "Out Sick" and not at work - it's quite surprising how ideas crop up. Almost like being at your local tea shop and discussing with friends.

Down again with a violent flu and sinusitis infection - and my lovely wife preparing a hot Pepper Rasam/Pepper Soup (Kurumullake Rasam) for dinner, I could'nt help but shoot the ingredients that goes into this "heavenly soup" . I find the mortar and pestle quite an interesting subject to shoot with all the spices hugging to it.

A day at the beach

Living approximately 10 miles away from the Pacific Coast, it's quite surprising that we hardly visit the beach. Spent a Saturday at the Will Rogers State Park, Santa Monica. The drive along the Old Topanga Canyon road to CA-1 is always and will be my favorite drive ( the day I got my license, I took my car for a spin here after forcing a few friends to accompany me :D) I still remember they holding on tight to their seat belts along the hairpin turns...some memories will always remain memorable eh!