I fell asleep quite early last evening, and not surprisingly. I woke up at an ungodly hour. And that’s when I found out the sad news. Lata Mangeshkar, the Nightingale of India, has died. While most in the west are familiar with the classical genius of late Pandit Ravi Shankar, for Indians of rank & … Continue reading Lata Mangeshkar, RIP

Over the last two days, I have been talking to old friends and family members, and no matter how you put it, the situation is grim. Except for my parents, the virus has impacted many extended family members. A couple of friends have lost family members. The stories I have heard, including shortage of resources … Continue reading India’s Coronavirus Crisis

The Cameras I used on my Ladakh Adventure

  • iPhone XS Max.
  • Leica M-A with a Leica f2/50mm Summicron.
  • Nikon D850 along with Nikon f 2.8 24-70 and Nikon 2.8 70-200 lenses.

I had initially planned to bring along a Leica TL2 with an f1.4/50mm (equivalent) Summilux, but somehow that didn’t work out, and at the very last minute, I decided to rent a Nikon kit from a camera rental operation in Bangalore. Continue reading “The Cameras I used on my Ladakh Adventure”

Gateway to Heaven: Ladakh

Photography oriented trips are a visual Marathon. You are always on the move; your eyes are still looking, scanning, cataloging and telling your brain what a photo worth making is. I usually drive around with a local and then stop at a location that clicks. Pun intended! And then I would spend either minutes or hours at a location, and work it.

But after a while, your eyes start to tire, and you stop looking. It usually happens on the last day and today was no different. Luckily, Arun Bhat, who helped organize this trip and our man-Friday, karma, were there to push me. “Why don’t we drive up to Tanglangla,” and stop along the way and look at some Monasteries,” Arun had suggested. The drive to the second highest motorable pass in the world (maybe) is beautiful, and with early snows coming, the roads are going to be empty and pass through a beautiful landscape, worth looking and not just photographing.  Continue reading “Gateway to Heaven: Ladakh”

Traveling to Ladakh

While visiting my parents in India, I decided to take a little break and visit Ladakh for a short photography break. When I was growing up, Ladakh was such a remote location, and the idea of going there was such a romantic notion. Today, however, it takes about 70 minutes in a flight from Delhi — and there are at least three a day.  Continue reading “Traveling to Ladakh”