Field Notes from Iceland
There are cubs and there are lion cubs. Watching any cub is a tug at your heart - to see...
Field Notes from Iceland
“There’s a cheetah in hunting mode.” Nah, not interested. It was a misty, chilly morning when our driver got that...
Field Notes from Iceland
14,750 Square kilometers. That's how large the Serengeti National Park is. Large numbers sometimes struggle to paint a vivid picture,...
Field Notes from Iceland
A few weeks back, I stumbled upon a conversation the author Anne Lamott had with David Perell. The thought provoking...
Field Notes from Iceland
Serengeti. Say the word, loudly. Doesn’t it roll off the tongue in a manner that conjures up images of something...
Field Notes from Iceland
One of the most useless questions an adult can ask a kid is – what do you want to be...
Field Notes from Iceland
"Nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you are thinking about it." Daniel Kahneman The...
Field Notes from Iceland
The wind howled. Long and impatient. Icy cold. The snow hurled itself across the earth and air. The tiny little...
Field Notes from Iceland
I have just returned from a trip to Iceland. We had gone to Hornstrandir, a peninsula in the north, to...
Field Notes from Iceland
Time – this is the third and final installment of my three part series on how I looked at Mara...
Field Notes from Iceland
This is the second of three posts on what I tried to capture in my last visit to Masai Mara....
Field Notes from Iceland
This is the first of three posts on what I tried to capture in my last visit to Masai Mara....
Field Notes from Iceland
I so distinctly remember the feelings, the emotions that I went through the first time I had come to the...
Field Notes from Iceland
I put my camera down. The scene was too amusing to remain detached and focused on mundane things like composition...
Field Notes from Iceland
The refreshing coolness of the air was what I first registered as I opened the door and stepped out onto...
Field Notes from Iceland
Bloody. Brutal. Horrific. Every scene around him was just that. One typical war zone scene after another. His eyes stung...
Field Notes from Iceland
I am not sure exactly when this question started bothering me a lot more than it had in the past....
Field Notes from Iceland
My daughter looked up at me across the dining table, over the remnants of her dinner. Her eyebrows arched up,...
Field Notes from Iceland
I was in a bit of a funk. A vague sense of restlessness had crept up in me. For a...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ Fox in Socks, our game is done, sir. Thank you for a lot of fun, sir” – Fox in...
Field Notes from Iceland
"In art, everything is possible. But everything is not necessary." - Arvo Part A photograph is the capture of a...
Field Notes from Iceland
In 2025, it is estimated that we humans will take around 2 trillion photos. As of now, all of us...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ We were so far north in Japan that we could actually see Russia.” That was my favorite oh so...
Field Notes from Iceland
Nothing was working. The swans were not exactly being cooperative. Most of them were busy snoozing, heads tucked in deep...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ A good photograph must be waited for. You don’t chase it, you let it come to you. You just...
Field Notes from Iceland
The place looked straight out of a fairytale book. I walked down the gently sloping path from the ticket counter....
Field Notes from Iceland
‘ How did you feel when you saw 80,000 birds in Norway at once? Did the sound of those birds...
Field Notes from Iceland
Have you climbed up stairs that are more than a century old ? We had come to Jigokudani to photograph...
Field Notes from Iceland
How cold will -25 deg C be ? I will be able to give you an idea in my next...
Field Notes from Iceland
Last year, a rhino was killed every 15 hours. Let’s zoom out and find out what that actually means. At...
Field Notes from Iceland
Did you ever see a giraffe? It is like something from between the regions of truth and fiction. Geraldine Jewsbury...
Field Notes from Iceland
I looked up in awe. There he stood, tall and majestic, unconcerned about all us puny beings scattered around him....
Field Notes from Iceland
I froze. Even the slightest movement from me could destroy the moment. To my right, around ten to twelve feet...
Field Notes from Iceland
Many had asked me over the last year or so. I used to recoil at the suggestion. Me ? Now...
Field Notes from Iceland
Things have changed. There used to be a time when I would approach a trip in a blasé manner, insouciantly...
Field Notes from Iceland
Wildlife photography trips are full of long hours with nothing to do. Our ship was steaming away to the next...
Field Notes from Iceland
There are times when you watch a scene unfold in front of you, right from the start to the very...
Field Notes from Iceland
I’ll tell you how the sun rose - A ribbon at a time. The steeples swam in amethyst, The news...
Field Notes from Iceland
Continuing with my aim to get guest posts for you each quarter, I had requested Shreeram MV, an ace photographer,...
Field Notes from Iceland
How do we take a photograph ? No, not the physical act of focusing and pressing the button. As we...
Field Notes from Iceland
Why do we do it ? Why do we take a painfully long flight trip to reach a country that...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ Bear in the water…behind us !!! “ That line set up an unprecedented, scarcely believable few hours for us....
Field Notes from Iceland
“ This is a graveyard for drones” Jens, our guide, announced with a chuckle. This was in 2022, during my...
Field Notes from Iceland
What are the odds of seeing a polar bear ? It’s not easy to sight a polar bear. In fact,...
Field Notes from Iceland
Phototrips can be bloody tiring. I reached home a little after noon. A journey that was a tale of delayed...
Field Notes from Iceland
As you read this, I would have either just reached the northern most inhabited place on this earth – Longyearbyen...
Field Notes from Iceland
I thought it would be good for everyone who reads these posts to occasionally hear from others who are also...
Field Notes from Iceland
I had recently written about how I had run into problems with accessing all my images which were scattered across...
Field Notes from Iceland
Recently, a photographer, I admire and follow, David DuChemin, put out a short reel on Insta. He talked about the...
Field Notes from Iceland
" We don't make mistakes. We have happy accidents" -Bob Ross Disaster had struck. My desktop was not reading many...
Field Notes from Iceland
What is most critical for getting a good photo ? Your gear ? The opportunities that come up ? How...
Field Notes from Iceland
It doesn’t happen suddenly. It also doesn’t happen at the same time. You first notice it in the waters. One...
Field Notes from Iceland
Creativity is work ethic. This sentiment was the main theme in one of David duChemin’s blog posts and one that...
Field Notes from Iceland
Bharatpur is bewitched. At least, in winter. Here, you don’t tumble out of a cupboard into a Narniaesque world. Instead,...
Field Notes from Iceland
There was a quote I had read that stayed with me. ‘ The eye is always caught by light, but...
Field Notes from Iceland
I saw one of those standard Insta reels the other day where the photographer walks across to a complete stranger...
Field Notes from Iceland
Pushkar. I can’t remember exactly how Pushkar got imprinted on my mind. Of course, it was a usual quiz question...
Field Notes from Iceland
Yeah, it’s that time of the year. The moment I almost dread. But also a useful exercise . The process...
Field Notes from Iceland
Our chopper swung sharply to the left, after speeding ahead of the running zebras and, as a single unit, the...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ I just want to see them. I don’t care if I can’t make a good photo. I just want...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ Are those elephants ?” “ No…just a mirage.” Followed by a chuckle. That was our guide, Lenny. “ What...
Field Notes from Iceland
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite. Or waiting around for Friday night...
Field Notes from Iceland
He stood deep in the shadows. Silent. Unhurried. He badly needed a drink, but experience had taught him that its...
Field Notes from Iceland
I would have loved to have spent a few quiet days after the trek. Any trek gives you time to...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ Oh so where is your next trip ? “ “Goa in August.” “ Oh but it would be raining.”...
Field Notes from Iceland
It started in the most innocuous way. It is often rather difficult to spot a polar bear. The distant white...
Field Notes from Iceland
The other day I had a conversation about an image I had posted on Insta with my good friend R....
Field Notes from Iceland
I admit, I felt a sense of both, deep satisfaction and relief that night as I went over my images....
Field Notes from Iceland
All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson When I was writing...
Field Notes from Iceland
There are occasions when it all neatly falls into place. Where you don't need words to tell a story, to...
Field Notes from Iceland
His eyes were locked on his opponent. A cold, unyielding stare. He meant business. But, so did his opponent. He...
Field Notes from Iceland
Its difficult when you get overwhelmed. Your mind gets crowded up, you are unable to think straight, you are looking...
Field Notes from Iceland
I am back home. From near zero and sub zero degree temperatures, straight into the boiling cauldron that Bangalore has...
Field Notes from Iceland
I am back in Norway. This time focusing on wildlife on the other end of the size spectrum to polar...
Field Notes from Iceland
It was dark outside, an inky darkness in a slow, seductive dance with the light fog. We bumped along, occasionally...
Field Notes from Iceland
"Life is short, break the rules." ~ Mark Twain I was mildly confused. I was standing at the Mandovi beach,...
Field Notes from Iceland
We speed on the highway. A weary landscape lies around us. It lies vast and unattended, hot and searching for...
Field Notes from Iceland
If, from my work table, I move slightly to my left and stretch my arm to a rather neatly arranged...
Field Notes from Iceland
Out in the wild, the drama is constant. Every minute is a sequence in the never ending dance for survival....
Field Notes from Iceland
With photography, I always think that it’s not good enough” – Lynsey Addario I agree. Still, one should look at...
Field Notes from Iceland
2022 will stay in my memory a little more than most years do. Not because of a truly fabulous trip...
Field Notes from Iceland
"Chongo might have crossed the river with his brothers!!" That was the news that we heard. From a fairly reliable...
Field Notes from Iceland
There are 19 species of marine mammals in Svalbard. 3 species of terrestrial mammals. And a whopping 237 species of...
Field Notes from Iceland
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul - John Muir My footsteps gave...
Field Notes from Iceland
Male lions. They get all the attention and take all the glory. With their flowing, impressive manes, their battle scarred...
Field Notes from Iceland
A bird, a curious mix of dark grey ( or is it more brown ? ) and white – brownish...
Field Notes from Iceland
I dug my hands deeper into my pockets searching for some warmth that could be lurking inside, hunched my shoulders...
Field Notes from Iceland
It’s a rather unremarkable bird to look at. Visually, there are birds that are far more striking than the Arctic...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ Its unlikely that, that bear will survive. It looks tiny in size. There is no ice around the island...
Field Notes from Iceland
First off, sincere apologies about missing the last scheduled newsletter. I was far away, in a desolate place, totally disconnected...
Field Notes from Iceland
I like to think that for many years, around campfires and in the cosy comforts of living rooms of homes...
Field Notes from Iceland
“Mara ? Again ? ” How does one explain ? Of course, no two visits to the wild anywhere in...
Field Notes from Iceland
Its an oft repeated cliché that every moment in the wild is a fight for survival. A see saw battle...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ So, do you live here or are you visiting ? “ “ I have come for a visit.” “...
Field Notes from Iceland
Totally out of the blue, breaking the stillness that surrounded us, a party of peahens took off from near the...
Field Notes from Iceland
Kung Fu Panda, the movie, was a runaway success. As a series, the movie grossed over $1.8 Billion and is...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ You know, this is the first time that soon after a trip, you have not yet shared any wildlife...
Field Notes from Iceland
4273. The agitated, noisy flutter of a dozen wings taking off in alarm broke the stillness of the cold, foggy...
Field Notes from Iceland
It was quiet. Even the usual forest sounds seemed muted, as if a little wary. We peered into the forest....
Field Notes from Iceland
4:30 am : The alarm goes off and we reluctantly struggle out of the warmth of our thick blankets. 5.:15...
Field Notes from Iceland
Goa. Allahabad for the Kumbh Mela. Jhalana at Jaipur. Bhadra in Karnataka. Bandhavgarh in MP. Pantanal in Brazil. Masai Mara....
Field Notes from Iceland
The eloquence of light Straight off…the heading for this post is not an original one. A few days back, while...
Field Notes from Iceland
She crouched. Low. Body tense. Poised for motion. Eyes locked in on a single Thomson’s gazelle calf that was grazing...
Field Notes from Iceland
Siligi. It meant, ‘ The Dependable’. A better name couldn’t be there for a cheetah mom with six cubs. Siligi...
Field Notes from Iceland
I always thought that making lists is a little boring. Also, a bit presumptuous. That its too early for me...
Field Notes from Iceland
Southwild Pantanal Lodge. Our last stop. It is located a little off the Transpantaneira, on the banks of the Pixaim...
Field Notes from Iceland
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I could feel a tiny rivulet of sweat start its journey from the back...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ We got a sighting.” The handset crackles, voices exchange messages and those are the magic words from Fabiano, uttered...
Field Notes from Iceland
Transpantaneira. The highway to nowhere. For some reason, the story of this highway has always fascinated me. Somewhere in the...
Field Notes from Iceland
‘ So, where is your next trip ?” “ Brazil.” “ Oh wow !! The Amazon ?” “ No, to...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ Shhhh….!!!” “ Was that an alarm call ? “ All of us froze as our jeep crunched softly to...
Field Notes from Iceland
The term Kumbh comes from a mythical pot of nectar, but it is also the Hindi name for Aquarius, the...
Field Notes from Iceland
“ I am planning to go photographing birds in Goa” “ Goa ? “ “ Yes.” “ For BIRD photography...
Field Notes from Iceland
The driver took a sharp left turn, off the tarred road and onto a narrow mud track. I closed my...
Field Notes from Iceland
The trip to Kenya was long in the ‘must do’ list. A couple of years we had made all the...
Field Notes from Iceland
We were in a bit of a quandary. We had spent 7-8 days looking at the wildlife across different spots...
Field Notes from Iceland
Not every minute, not every incident in the wild is packed with pulsating, adrenaline filled action. Not every opportunity for...
Field Notes from Iceland
I stretched myself, rolled my shoulders, and raised my hand to stifle a yawn. I looked behind me and most...
Field Notes from Iceland
I was anxious. Restless. We had reached the Masai Mara the previous day after lunchtime. A quick lunch and we...
Field Notes from Iceland
Masai Mara. I was finally here. I have been planning this visit for at least five years. I have read...
Field Notes from Iceland
‘ Yay !! We did it !!” We exulted in the sheer delight of having crossed the last big rapid....
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