Spotlight #22 - Lost

It's almost been a year since I took that incredible trip to Ladakh. 

I remember prior to setting off, having butterflies flutter around like a whirlwind in my tummy. It was my first real road trip in ages, and I hadn't prepared myself nearly as much as I wanted to. 

Eventually once I got on the road, time seemed to fly back, and out of nowhere what was supposed to be a 14 day trip seemed like a weekend. 

This picture was taken sometime into the trip - the day after an 18 hour drive day.

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We had spent the night at a tiny little village set in between two extremely nauseating mountains. When we got in, the temperature had dropped perilously close to freezing (it was mid summer, by the way), and the altitude (over 5000m) had started to take it's toll on a couple of us. 

Needless to say, the night turned out to be a restless one - me, with a migraine so painful it felt as if my brain was imploding. 

We were quick to get up and leave the next day, just after sunrise. This picture was taken a kilometer or two outside of the village where after one of the most traumatic nights, the surreal landscape blew us away. 

Spotlight #20 - Pondicherry

Bringing back Spotlight this week with a stunning shot taking by Rohan during his time in Pondicherry. 

Rohan has been featured on here before. He specializes in landscape shots, and with good reason. Check out his picture below and see what he has to say about it. 

"Pondicherry is one of my favorite places to be in South India. ALong with it’s beautiful french architecture that dates back to 100s of years, it is also home to Rocky Beach and that is what you see in this image. Rocks lined along the coast, lighthouse right behind you, tourists walking, eating and enjoying, locals walking their dogs or running. Diversity is my favorite element at Rocky Beach.  

This shot was taken right before sunset and there was ample light in the sky. I wanted the waves to look dynamic in the pictures and went for a nice long exposure at a low aperture as I had forgotten to pack my ND filter (Stupid, I know). After multiple attempts, this is the shot I captured and I am glad you get to see it here."

Follow Rohan here - https://www.instagram.com/rohanrath/

Spotlight #19 - High in Hampi

Life has taken a bit of a breather these last two weeks. 

I was away travelling through the South for a bit, hoping to rekindle the fire that rock climbing had once sparked. 

I had planned this trip for way too long, and it felt great to finally be on the road. Suddenly, time began to slow down and an air of contentment settled over my life. 

Worry lines began to get erased and I began to feel that flow I once had, but lost. 

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This photo is the perfect symbol for what Hampi is - beautiful sunsets, surreal landscapes, dry terrain and demented humans getting their kicks from climbing rocks. 

I took this my first evening in. I was sleep deprived and my brain was saturated, and despite telling myself I would take it easy that evening and start fresh, I found myself meeting folks and climbing rocks with them that evening. 
 

It was great feeling that adrenaline fueled high that only adventure sports can give you. I ended up taking this picture after sending a route that I had first thought was beyond my capability. 

The timing of the shot with the dude standing on top of the boulder, and the streak of white in the air blend well together. In a way it's the most accurate representation of that first evening.  

Spotlight #6 (with second special guest)

Continuing on with the trend from last week, I've got on another friend who's venturing into the rabbit hole of photography. 

Funnily enough, Doug was my roommate for an entire year, and I had no idea that he was such a visual person, and yet now almost a year after moving out, we've reconnected over this simple common interest. 

One look at the picture, and you can see why I as interested in finding the story behind it. Here's what Doug has to say:

"So this is a photo I took while my family was traveling around Cinque Terre, back in September. There is a hike between the five cities that make up the Cinque Terre coast, we had been hiking most of the day, and we approached Manarola right around sunset. 

I shot the photo on my iPhone 6s, using the panorama function, and only lowered the brightness before taking the photo. I take a lot of sunset pictures, like too many, but there is something incredibly beautiful about this photo, it captures something beautiful, but it also captures a memory, which is how I feel every photo should be taken."

-Doug Lappe

Listening to what he had to say about it was awesome, because it's exactly how I feel about the pictures I take. It's the memory that makes up most of it, and invoking an emotion in the viewer is the best part about photography. 

Follow Doug here.

What are your thoughts on the picture? Do you have another view on photography overall? 

I would love to hear it. Leave a comment or two below. 

Cheers

Aman

Spotlight #5 (with special guest!)

This week's photo spotlight is something special. It's the first one featuring a fellow photographer but first a friend, Mike Schwarz.

This kid is a genius and is on his way to doing some great things. You can see what he's up to here. 

I've been following him for a while, and came across one of his pictures that i foundfascinating. It hit me hard, and got me curious about the story behind it. I immediately knew there had to be one because of the character and life that the picture has got. 

Here it is.

So i did a bit of digging around, and asked Mike if he'd be interested in talking about it.

And here's what he has to say about it

"I was visiting Cuba with my brothers. We spent four days exploring the island, meeting new friends, and eating everything we could.

They had left on an early flight out. Mine was the following morning.

I had one last day to salvage in the gorgeous city of Havana. What did I plan to do? Take photos, write, and drink rum.

I explored the streets for hours, documenting the incredibly unique architectural aesthetic, street food, and people found on every corner. After being driven around in several '52 Chevy Bel Air taxis, I learned of the incredible respect Cuban drivers have for their cars.

This mentality speaks to the Cuban's perseverance and resilience both economically and politically.

Each car takes on a character of its own in my photos. The bright colors, antiquated design, and unique drivers made this subject matter impossible not to obsess over.

I took probably over 100 car photos while in Havana. This one happens to be my favorite."

-Mike

Let me know what you guys think. Does this picture speak to you as much as it did to me. 

Be sure to follow Mike to see what crazy stuff he gets up to. 

Website - http://www.mschwarzthekid.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mschwarzthekid/

Instagram - http://instagram.com/mikeschwarzthekid