The Steams of Yellowstone

I can still feel the cold as i type this post.. it was my first morning at Yellowstone and the
temperatures were well below freezing. By habit I try to reach my shooting spots a little early. So i was at midway geysers way before sunrise in the intense cold. If i were to guess now i would it was close to 10 Fahrenheit or so that morning.

I can also remember the very pungent smell of the sulfur springs as well. One would think that being so close to hot geysers would help alleviate the cold but it was as good as a torch for a blind man. So i was left off to stomp my feet and rub the hands, i did not want to run back to the warmth of the car either because i would have to set up all the equipment again.

But when the sun did come out it was worth all the effort, it back lit the rising steam magically as a giant spot light in the sky. I took a few shots of just the pier and the steams at first.. but i felt the photos did not convey the awe i felt looking at this spectacle. So very unlike me i decided to include the photographer in the photo. I felt this works better to convey what i felt. I would be interested to hear your opinions if you would like to share them.

The Wild West

We got a chance to visit Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in late fall of 2008. I was very excited for the trip as i really wanted to visit these places i had so often read/seen photographs of.

Midway between changing flights we realized that i had left my whole packed camera bag at home. After much brain storming of our options Shweta and I decided to buy a dslr from the local Costco there. I was left without my GND's, 5D as well as my favorite lenses to shoot, but the Canon XST that i got proved to be a great little camera.

I was surprised at the exposure range of the XSi compared to my older 5D. But the XSi did have its negatives in the amount of noise it produced in the darker areas. I would love to upgrade to the newer 5D Mark II just for the exposure range improvements, but i digress.. Yellowstone proved to be rich in wildlife, but the Tetons really captured my heart with its breathtaking landscape beauty.

I normally do my homework before visiting any spots i plan to shoot and i had tried to gather as much information about shooting spots, whether they work as sunrise or sunset spots etc. Among the famous things about Tetons are the Moulton Barns. These barns are dated from the early 1900's and were of the early Mormon settlers in the area.

I had been shooting pre dawn at Schwabacher's landing and drove over to these barns quickly to catch the sunrise. Since the sun was almost directly behind me i had to work a little in finding the composition so as my/camera's shadow did not intrude the scene.

The dream of America, Yosemite

This is going to be my first post in the photo blog, and hopefully i will be able to continue this trend.
To kick it off, I'm publishing a photograph i took when i first started to get into landscapes.

Yosemite is the pearl of America and probably one of the most beautiful and calming places i've been to. It has been immortalized by the great Ansel Adams, but the beauty the eyes see is hard to put across in a picture.

Nevertheless here's showing my first humble attempt to capture some of its majesty. A spot which has been photographed by numerous other photographers, by as an artist everyone has his/her own take on it. Here is mine. Hope you enjoy it.