Featured Photographer - Rajen Nandwana

From the heat of Mumbai to the cold of the Arctic circle, Rajen not only experiences extreme changes in temperature during his photographic wanderings, but also captures some of the scenes these places have to experience.

© Rajen Nandwana

Between 2013 and 2017, my photography revolved around the fascinating variations of nature on the face of Mother Earth that we reduce to the word ‘landscape’.

The years 2013 and 2015 were devoted to the icy parts of the world, Iceland and Norway respectively. I visited these countries during their late winters. It was a great experience not only to see, but also to feel, the complete opposite of the ‘hot and very hot’ conditions of the metropolis Mumbai, where I live.

For a day in 2017, I was fortunate to be in Arizona in Navajo nation, a landscape paradise in the middle of nowhere. This huge area in the USA is surprisingly larger than five key states or bigger than the sum of five smaller states. It has attracted photographers from all over the world. The stay was too short, too unplanned and yet it was so photogenic that the few frames that I could capture please me immensely. Journeys to Iceland and Norway involved withstanding multiple weather changes in an hour. For someone who usually lives in +20 degrees and above, freezing temperatures and high winds are daring enough. A steady tripod was almost as impossible to use as a lens without repeated swipes with a lens cloth. In some places, hail and high winds made life impossible but the images captured won me several places in international competitions. To make things more exciting, I used a 24mm T&S lens and filters for the first time.

© Rajen Nandwana

© Rajen Nandwana

Navajo nation was too short a visit for explorations. Unlike the black sands and lava rocks of Iceland, it was a stark contrast to see rich red soil and red rock formations. Peculiar weather conditions created interesting sand patterns.

The photo submission here consists of hurried attempts to take landscape pictures. There remains a deep desire to revisit these beautiful places in the near future.

© Rajen Nandwana

© Rajen Nandwana

© Rajen Nandwana

© Rajen Nandwana

© Rajen Nandwana