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”
One of the most magical sights — at least for me — is the confluence of Rivers Indus and Zanskar. The two rivers have very distinct colors, whether you are looking down from the mountain road that hugs the mountain on its side, or right from the beach. And I am not the first one to stop and take photos at this spot. It is a tourist haunt, and perhaps that is why it was a challenge to find new perspectives and give my spin on this spot. Continue reading “Confluence”
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”
By the fourth day in Ladakh, without my phone and Internet, my mind and body had finally tuned into the rhythm of the place — slower, simpler and silent. After spending a night at the Hotel MoonLand in Lamayuru. It is called MoonLand because the region around the Lamayuru is supposed to remind you of moonscapes with its bright yellow mountains, high but shaped into curves with time being etched into the rock face. The monastery, which gives Lamayuru its name was built in the 10th century is one of the oldest in Ladakh.
I woke up super early and went for a walk. You could smell the early morning fires starting up, cutting like a scythe through crisp morning mountain air. Somewhere the bells around the necks of cows made tinkling noise. I needed coffee; instead I got a chance to reflect on a lot of personal stuff — and no, I don’t mean work. And perhaps that was a sign of the day to come. Continue reading “An Emotional Road”
When I went to sleep last night, I was excited about the prospects of the new day. I had no idea that it would turn out to be one of those red letter days that teach you pretty much everything about life. Now that I think of it, it was a good parable for life, and a reminder of how despite our illusions, we are never really in control. Continue reading “You just never know what life brings”
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”
