Denali, Alaska by Sagar Mukala

I got an opportunity to visit Alaska this week, and I really lucked out on the weather. The weather in Anchorage, Denali can vary very quickly. It can be sunny one moment, and rainy the next. If the clouds are out, there's nothing you can do about seeing the peak of Denali but to wait for days for them to clear. It rained the first couple of days I spent in Anchorage, but as soon as I drove to Denali the clouds cleared. It was as if nature opened itself for couple of days for me to capture it's beauty in full glory. It never gets dark around here in summer. To see absoulte darkness, you'll have to wait until August 17th. Here's a shot of the 4:30am rising sun over Denali Cabins. Hope you like it!

With love,

Sagar

Bowery Road, New York by Sagar Mukala

I was in New York city last weekend and I stumbled across a local gem, Bowery Road. Chef Ron Rosselli made a strong impression on my first visit. So I couldn't resist going back again. My favorite here is the Amish Beer Can Chicken, with Manhattan. Don't forget to order the Almond Joy cake for dessert. You'll definitely thank me.

Till next time,

Sagar

Disneyland, Anaheim by Sagar Mukala

In this week's edition, I present to you Disneyland. I drove down south to Orange County this weekend. If you've never been to disneyland, I highly recommend to check it out. They created a fantasy paradise down there and the best part of my visit was saved to the last, "Remember...dreams come true" fireworks show! I set up my gear couple hours before the fireworks, right behind the Partners with a great vantage point of the Partners and the Castle. They gave us a scare that fireworks might be cancelled because of high winds, but I still went ahead and waited with my gear as I'd do if they did have the fireworks on. My gamble paid off and they decided to go with it after a 10 minute delay. Hope you like 'em!

With loads of love,

Sagar

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco by Sagar Mukala


Founded in 1849 during the Gold rush, the Grace Cathedral of San Francisco is one of the holy spots in the city that gives you Parisian feel. It's an Episcopal church, meaning it's governed by the bishops. I walked in on a weekday to escape the weekend crowd, and the place was serene. I found peace when I setup my gear and fired the shot away!

With love,
Sagar

Avaya Stadium, San Jose by Sagar Mukala

If you're a soccer fan living in the Bay area, you definitely got to check out the Avaya Stadium, the home of San Jose Earthquakes. Two weeks ago, I got invited to checkout the San Jose Earthquakes playing at home to FC Dallas. I must admit, I was in awe with the facility they got there (although it's MLS, yah I know you Brit smugs won't appreciate it)! The BMW club seats are one of the best seats at the stadium. We are thankful to the person who invited us, as the experience of watching a pro soccer game that close was incredible.



Goooooo QUAKES!
Sagar

Gibson Beach, Carmel by Sagar Mukala

In this week's edition, I take you to one of the secluded beaches in California, The Gibson Beach. After a mile and a half hike from Point Lobos, you can get to the spot to enjoy the beauty of nature created just for you. I made a 4K video of this place using my drone. Be sure to check it out in 4K!

Till next time,

Sagar

Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey by Sagar Mukala

Located on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway 1, Carmel-by-the-Sea is a gem filled with quaint shops, restaurants & cottages. We were there to celebrate a special occassion and this place made it extra special. Everything seemed to be pulled out of a Vincent Van Gogh painting.

With love,

Sagar 

Hawk hill, Marin Headlands by Sagar Mukala


I went to Hawk hill yesterday and got real lucky. It tends to get very foggy around there, but it was clear this time. I didn't miss the chance to put my telephoto lens to test. I composed a tried and tested composition of the Golden gate bridge, with Bay bridge in the background and added a sail boat in the picture to give a perspective of the magintude of the landscape. I also ended up stitching a 14 picture panorama (below). The panorama captures Alcatraz island, Bay Bridge, the City, and Twin peaks in the background. I managed to include people towards the bottom left of the frame to provide a perspective. Try zooming your webpage while viewing to get a closer look at things in the picture. Although it was super cold and windy, the place was truly breathtaking!


With loads of love,
Sagar 

Cowell Ranch Beach, Half Moon Bay by Sagar Mukala

This week, I wanted to capture an interesting seascape located at the Martins Beach. I looked up the tide charts and went prepared to create my idea. Unfortunately, the road towards Martin's beach was blocked. I was surprised to a see a No Trespassing sign on the final road that gets you to the beach. I immediately researched about it and figured out that one of the Tech Billionares, Vinod Khosla bought the piece of land that gets you to the beach and put a no trespassing sign there. It's very strange because the Martin's beach is a publicly accessible beach, but he is blocking people from entering the beach through his property. It looks like the only way one can get to Martin's beach is to swim there from another beach. This left me with no option but to find another vantage point before the sun sets. I quickly drove to cowell ranch beach access and setup my gear to get this shot. Hope you like it. I strongly advice my fellow photographers not to break the law while creating their art. 

With love,
Sagar 

Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco by Sagar Mukala

Ghirardelli Square is a landmark public square in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco. A portion of the area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It rained a little before I got there, giving the place beautiful glossy shine when I captured it. Be sure to checkout the Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop, where you can view chocolate manufacturing equipment, indulge in Hot Fudge Sundaes and all sorts of chocolates next time you're visiting San Francisco!

Till next time,

Sagar 

South Beach, Miami by Sagar Mukala

Miami is well known for its beaches and night life. Amidst all that, you can definitely find some good spots to enjoy the beauty of nature. It was a bright and sunny weekend, however my trip to the South Beach accompanied with some drama. It started to drizzle a bit in the afternoon. I waited for the skies to clear, for the sun to light up the sky. Hope you like it!

With love,

Sagar

Embarcadero, San Francisco by Sagar Mukala

Hi everyone,

With Valentines day around the corner, I received the present from my lovely lady early. My gift was a 16mm-35mm wide angle lens, perfect weapon to attack landscapes. Without further delay I drove up to the city to put it to work. Sunsets are the perfect time to relax. Not only does it help you get some fresh air into the system, it also presents a great opportunity to capture some nice photos. Besides, spending some quality time with nature definitely helps you recharge your batteries. However, I got stuck in traffic and missed the sunset. But that's okay, because I was right in-time for the blue hour. The sky was magical and the place was perfect. I was able to get to a good vantage point. Hope you like it!

Until next time,

Sagar 

Whistler, British Columbia by Sagar Mukala


Hello folks,

Hope you're having a fantastic weekend. I just got a chance to work on one of my favorite pictures from my trip to Vancouver, The Inukshuk. "Inukshuk" is a stacked rock in human form as created by Inuit (Native) people of Canada's Arctic. It was used as a guidepost that provided direction across the vast horizons of the North. Over the time, it became a symbol of freedom and friendship throughout Canada. It was used as the emblem of Winter Olympics 2010. I climbed up the Whistler mountain (6000ft), to get to the spot. It's a great place to go skiing/snowboarding. Hope you enjoy the click!

Until next time,
Sagar 

Painted ladies, San Francisco by Sagar Mukala

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a tour to Alamo square neighborhood in the city. It hosts one of the oldest homes in San Francisco, built in 1892. It's got a neat little park, with a great view of the Transamerica pyramid. If you wiki Painted Ladies, you'll see, "Painted ladies is a term in American architecture used for Victorian and Edwardian houses and buildings painted in three or more colors that embellish or enhance their architectural details". You must have seen this postcard many a time, either in movies or TV shows, or if you have a Chase bank account pay attention to the wallpaper on the login screen, a picture of painted ladies shows up every once in a while. One of these homes was bought at $65,000 by it's owner in 1965 and was sold for a whopping 3.1 million dollars last year.

Until next time,

Sagar

Happy New Year 2017 :) by Sagar Mukala

2017 is here everyone. I'm excited to share this click from last night. It was a super windy night and we waited 5 hours on Treasure Island for the moment to arrive. It was worth the wait as the fireworks set the sky alive. May this year bring a lot of fun filled, adventurous, and exciting moments to you. Wishing everyone success in what they're doing and beyond :)

Cheers,

Sagar 

Yosemite in winter! by Sagar Mukala

Hello everyone! Hope you're having a fantastic holiday break. I haven't posted anything lately as I've been busy building FPGAs, but I finally took a much needed break from work. This time, I packed my gear and drove up the Sierra to Yosemite and spent the Christmas there. If you get a chance, you should visit this place in winter as it's just phenomenal. Here are a couple of holiday greetings, through my lens! 

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year :)

Sagar 

Adventure of a lifetime! by Sagar Mukala

Hey guys,

Hope you had a fantastic weekend. Coldplay was in town this weekend, and my word those guys are truely amazing. Besides entertaining, they were inspiring. Turn your magic on, to me Coldplay said, so I picked up my lens and created this. 

 
Credits: A Head Full of Dreams logo - Coldplay

With love,
Sagar