Jaspal Jandu Photography

The grass is always perfectly lit on the other side

One of the by-products of travelling is the inevitable longing for more.

Having been back a couple of weeks my mind often ponders those areas and countries which I didn’t manage to visit on our travels.  Maybe it’s the by-product of an over-achieving mind but this constant ‘the grass is always greener’ approach can play havoc with a photographic mind if you let it.

Asia is one area which I would have liked to explore much, much further.  Although we managed to cram in Japan, Hong Kong and China towards the end of the trip, it would have been a joy to return to countries such as India, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia once more.

In an odd-way, I suppose this ‘creative tension’ is actually a good thing for a traveller or photographer.  It sharpens the mind on the now whilst leaving room for further exploration in the future.

Here’s to tomorrow.

Hail, the Aurora

Ok, let’s not mess around here.  After witnessing innumerable treasures on this journey, I can categorically state that Aurora are simply the greatest wonder in the world. Period.

Be they Aurora Borealis (northern hemisphere) or the Aurora Autralis (southern hemisphere), nothing can prepare you for the pulsing arc of light that confronts you in the still of the night.  Whilst Mother Nature can impress even on the smallest of scales (take a spider’s web, for example), the sheer majesty of the Aurora is so all-encompassing that you cannot help but be totally humbled by them.

Admittedly, I initially pondered the sanity of this venture as my tear ducts began to freeze over last night (-20c with wind chill).  However, as soon as the sky began to pulse, all was forgotten. 

Although I don’t normally dwell on the technical aspects of photography (partially, I feel that it detracts from the artistic foundation which underpins the pursuit), there is a strong case for a warranted exception here.  Some personal, non-prescriptive comments:

• Aurora are dependent on three factors: (1) solar activity; (2) cloudless skies and (3) lack of light pollution.  Do as much research on all three as you possibly can.
• Try not to photograph ‘just the aurora’ in the sky.  Scout around during the day for interesting foreground detail such as a tree, old barn or mountain chain.  A compass and GPS may help here.
• Set up your equipment well in advance of total darkness.
• I covered my torch with a red filter so as not to destroy my retinal sensitivity.
• Equipment and settings were (deep breath): Canon 1Ds MkII camera, 24-105mm lens, Sandisk Extreme CF cards, sturdy tripod, spare batteries, cable release, mirror lock-up, lens pre-focussed on infinity, image stabilisation off, LCD review off, digital noise reduction on, manual mode, RAW file format, Daylight white balance, 20s-40s @ f/4, ISO500.
• Careful on exposure time; too short a period renders no detail in the shadows whilst too long a setting turns the pulsing light into ‘green mush’.
• Don’t breathe on or touch any exposed area of the camera.  Use gloves and cover tripod legs with foam padding if you can find it.
• Wear as much warm clothing as you can (chemical heat packs are also a good idea).
• Feel free to rejoice in as many choice expletives and superlatives as you can :-)

Having witnessed the power of the phenomenon first-hand, I now realise why there are so many fanatical aurora disciples. Although words can barely do them justice, I recall a huge ‘Wow’ being the first word that stumbled out of my mouth. Now, when was the last time Mother Nature made you do that?

A travel itch you have to scratch

We took an unplanned budget flight to Tromsø this weekend in order to chase the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).  According to my GPS, Tromsø is located at 69°40'1.31"N, 18°57'14.15"E which places it over 400km into the artic circle (little wonder, then, that it witnesses the midnight sun in summer and 24hr darkness in the winter).

In order to capture the lights at their best, I have been making use of the excellent Solar Wind/Geomagnetic Activity Plot Forecast provided by the Geophysical Institute.  Although, we haven’t seen any lights yet, we were out in the wilderness last night taking shots of the sublime snow capped mountains (see above).

By night-time, the temperature managed to drop to -12c and the result was a completely frozen tripod and cable release.  Whilst I have had my cameras specially prepared for the cold, it is important not to touch metal bodies and tripod legs in such extreme temperatures for fear of sticking to the darn things!

Aurora watch continues tonight…

Home is where the reality is…

During the course of the travels, I managed to regularly post home a collection of receipts, souvenirs and a whopping 1-Terabyte worth of digital images.  My vain hope was that one day I would sit down and place them into some sort of rational order.  However, after a year of avoidance, my day of reckoning is proving a lot harder than it once seemed.  I remember my history teacher once noting that “the only way to solve a problem is to deal with it” and I cringe with how he must be smiling at me from somewhere right now!

Anyway, I will endeavour to share my workflow in future posts (particularly regarding the processing and archiving of digital images) and instead share a brief thought and picture from our last stopover…

Many of you will be familiar with the incredible Karst, limestone-based scenery of Guilin, China but we found the real jewel in the crown of this incredible area to be Yangshuo which lies roughly 60km south of its better known sibling. 

Witnessing the multitude of peaks rising spectacularly over the mist-covered fields was a pretty impressive way to finish the journey.  We managed to acquire the services of a local guide and gained access to places that were well off the beaten track.  Although I don’t normally recommend guides for photographic purposes, there are places (such as China or Navajo Land in the US) where they can prove invaluable.

More thoughts to follow as I work through the pile…

Starry, starry eyed

It's a pretty emotional time at the moment as we return to London tomorrow.  We are currently in Hong Kong after 6 very muddy days in Guilin and Yangshuo, China.  I haven't had a chance to develop/download the pictures yet (more on this later) so instead I'll concentrate my efforts on reflecting upon the past 8 months.

I've seen the most impressive, most unimpressive, most spectacular, most sublime and most haunting beauty over the past travels and it's a period of my life that will remain with me forever more.  Having shot tens of thousands of frames, I can only hope that I have managed to capture a tiny fraction of what my senses have been privileged enough to witness.

Over a stiff drink last night we worked out that we have taken 32 commercial flights, 10 private helicopter charters and 15 car rentals during this journey.  It's truly amazing what you can achieve if you really put your heart and soul into something.

However, all good things come to an end and its time to go home for a while. Although mundane things beckon (say hello to tax returns), I must confess that a break may be worthwhile.  Also, my laptop completely died last night (hence the lack of downloads), all of memory cards are full, my boots and waterproof clothing are full of mud and my favourite camera lens took a, um, 'fall' over the weekend.  I really think that someone is trying to tell me something here...

Over the coming months I will endeavour to share some of the unprocessed shots with you all.  In addition, there are still some places to cover before the book is finalised (e.g. Norway, French Alps etc.) so it will be interesting to see how these turn out.  Finally, there is a gallery and a book launch planned (fingers crossed) so there is plenty to keep us all occupied until the end of 2008 at least.

I just wanted to thank you all for sharing this wondrous journey with us.  Even though it is not quite finished yet, I am reminded of wise words by some old crooner:

"And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing...
To think, I did all that, and may I say, not in a shy way
Oh no, oh no not me, I did it my way"

Well said, Frankie :-)  Further posts and many pics to come....

Many, many thanks to the support of so many

Jaspal
info@jaspaljandu.com