Naturally Beautiful!!!

“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” ~ Albert Einstein

 

Gurudongmarg Lake, North Sikkim, 2010

Since, my mild obsession with photography has only just begun, this post is about a few thoughts of a newbie.

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” ~ Aaron Siskind

I am not a well travelled person, atleast I haven’t travelled as much as I would have wanted to. I would say that I like adventure- but since there is so little of it in my real life, I try to look for it in travel plans and photographs. Photographs have the ability to capture a moment, hold it still and change life altogether.
I have been to a few nice places and my most memorable trip has been to Sikkim. Despite the fact that my second trip to that state wasn’t an out of the world experience, I did manage to go to one of the highest fresh water lakes in India (& world).

Everything in nature is beautiful, even if it is ugly or scary by our standards …there is still a lot of beauty in it. But there is a difference between “everything” in nature and “somethings” in nature. Gurudongmar Lake is one of those “somethings” !

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment.” ~ Ansel Adams

Everybody who sees the snaps I have taken of Gurudongmar Lake says that they are beautiful. They genuinely are. And some of them automatically assume that I have become a good photographer.  The thought is- anyone and I mean anyone, with even an old point and shoot camera would get beautiful shots at a place like this. You don’t need a good camera to get good pictures.  You don’t need to be a photographer to get those shots.  Such is the beauty of these places!!! The trick then is to be in those places  :-) .


(I don’t actually mean all this – not discrediting all those who carry DSLRs…I am sure their snaps are of better quality. But “this lake”…well, I have compared my brother’s to mine and mine aren’t that bad. Even he tells me that!)

Yes, Adams is right to some extent…in a moving vehicle it is difficult to get a good shot, unless you have a good camera and are good at your work. There are places, where to capture a moment you need a lot of patience, experience and skill. But mostly, a snap of a beautiful lake or flower would appear similar when taken by any regular digital camera…not much skill there. Skill though is in the recognition and the worth of the moment.

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.” ~ Alice Walker

Most good macro shots depend on the camera used and come out really well if your are at the right moment, at the right place. The black and white snaps are good for portraits, definately not for nature. There is nothing as ugly as taking all colour out of trees, flowers, rivers , mountains and animals. When your subjects start telling a story, at that time you know you are doing well.

Good photography requires a lot of things, none of which I presently possess. I have yet to learn the framework within which I could be creative. I have a camera which only requires me to think about modes, lighting, size, space and very basic things. I don’t have a manual mode and so can exercise little creativity. But one has to begin from the beginning…right? The only thing that I do have is – interest in learning and practicing whatever I learn. I just take photographs…rarely, am I proud of a snap that I take. But I love all of them. One would think that you would have to go to beautiful places to come out with good shots. But then the credit of those shots is pretty much nature! One needs to think, practice and be on the look out for special moments. And then, as one gets better…get a better camera too.

Time of My Life

This post, like a few earlier ones was written in my first blog. It was much inspired by a trip to to Sikkim in 2006 (December). It was a short impromptu  four day visit to North Sikkim. We had actually gone to spend time with granny in Shantineketan (West Bengal) but somehow this trip was made to fit in, in the limited number of days available. Living in the northern part of India meant that we had been to a few hill stations…be it Kullu-Manali, Lansdowne or Mussorie. Our expectation from Sikkim was not too high, afterall it was just another hill-station and we were just going to relax for a few days.

The experience though was next to none and till date, it has remained as the most memorable trip.

We had gone to North Sikkim again in May 2010 but it was not the same. Maybe because we had already been mesmerised by its beauty and were already living under it’s spell…such is the effect of Sikkim.

But then, don’t take my word for it…visit it and you’ll know what I mean...

~~~

Friday, December 08, 2006

 

 I had the time of my life…

Imagine walking over streams of freezing cold water.

Imagine forests, mountains and rivers all around you. A green habitat.

Imagine walking on rough terrain amidst huge mountains.

Imagine seeing an army truck every hour or so and having momos for lunch, breakfast and dinner 

Imagine waking up to see the sun rise from the ice-caped mountains.

Imagine getting lost in mist or walking over the clouds.

Imagine being speechless with the beauty and immensity of nature.

Imagine wanting to capture it all in your camera (when you know you can’t).

Imagine never wanting to leave that place (when you know you have to).

Imagine...

Yumthang is all this and much more. It’s your imagination come true!