In the incense-laden field, she embraced the OM

Scent of OM

The Decagon is the infinitely evolving, always unique, and eternally open membership token of the Decaverse. Designed by Kjetil Golid.

Decagon #7468

Iceland is a landscape photographer's dream destination, a true paradise. During my journey, however, I came across something that transcended even this idyllic setting.

The image you see here is a panorama stitched together from two photos. Within a valley full of lush vegetation, a towering wall of ice stands firm. Complementing its unwavering presence, a slender stream meanders through the valley, gracefully navigating until it merges with other waters. This juxtaposition embodies the interplay of strength and adaptability, of form and flexibility. Yet, the true showstopper is the sky itself. As dusk descends, the Icelandic sky ignites with brilliant shades of red and orange. The clouds serve as natural diffusers, intensifying the overall spectacle. The interplay of depth and drama, texture and tone, results in a visually stunning scene that demands more than a passing glance.

The real magic, however, lies in the formation of the clouds. The combination of mountains, moisture, and wind patterns creates lenticular clouds, a fascinating meteorological phenomenon. These clouds, resembling neatly stacked saucers, are the final, mesmerizing detail that the viewer's gaze settles on. This extraordinary sight, for me, is truly beyond paradise.

Beyond Paradise

When it comes to the mountains, the journey is sometimes more exhilarating than the destination. The changing views as you navigate the curves and bends, the feeling of floating in nothingness as you are enveloped with swirling fog, even the numbness of the ears beckons as the eyes soak in the views.
This image, taken from a bird's-eye view, aims to create an immersive feeling of the winding roads.


Details  ~
Artist: Rakesh Pulapa
Edition: 1/1
Location: India       /2018
Shot on: DJI Mavic Pro
Dimensions: 3863 × 2910
Collection: Mountain Roads

Mountain Roads #4

This blazing circular trail of fiery streaks, is a rendition of steel wool photography from a previously unseen perspective. For the uninitiated, steel wool photography is a form of long exposure photography in which the hot blazing embers of rapidly spinning steel wool are captured in the form of the streaks of light thereby creating spectacular frames, each different from the other. Imagine a campfire or welding but instead of sparks of fire, you see threads and streaks. 

Steel wool photography has been popular for a while and has always been a creative artist’s pursuit. I was no exception.

The possibilities of long-exposure photography are endless and the end result usually is a work of art that our naked eyes cannot perceive. When you combine that with a bird's eye view, you get pure magic. A light bulb moment on an uneventful night during the pandemic, I realised that this technique was almost never used with a drone, and for a good reason. A quick internet search confirmed this - there were almost no drone-shot steel wool photos.

A drone is not the typical equipment of choice to shoot long-exposure images, owing to the multitudes of variables like wind speed and the device's low visibility in darkness. But when done right, the results are extremely satisfying.

The green canopies of the trees rustling in the wind give the image a shimmering soft velvety glow. The steel wool embers formed a lovely pattern of radiating beams around a nearly perfect circle - a spectacle that can only be described as a dance of fire and light - and what a performance it was! A change of perspective and a spark, that’s all it took!

A Dance of Fire and Light

Farmers from a local community from the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, a state in South India, can be seen drying whole red chillies, under extremely hot weather conditions. In order to increase their shelf life, this is an extremely crucial step before the chillies can be processed and exported to other countries. 

The birds-eye view aims to capture this vibrant scene while at the same time displaying the involvement of local communities in this strenuous process.

Carpet of Red Chillies

“I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions—tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on—and the fact that many people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures shows that I communicate those basic human emotions... The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them. And if you, as you say, are moved only by their colour relationships, then you miss the point.” These were the profound words of the transformative painter Mark Rothko, whose paintings have been known to move audiences to tears.

Rothko’s work subconsciously influenced many of my photographs, and for years I searched to create something as a tribute to him—something that could channel his emotional depth and vision. That search led me to the vast salt fields in one of the remotest places in India, a natural canvas where I could reimagine Rothko’s themes through aerial photography. Thus, Rothko Reimagined was born.

Salt-loving microbes bloom in the brine, painting it in vibrant hues that reflect their pigments and personalities, ranging from radiant reds to demure greens. As the lake stretches out like a primed canvas under the scorching summer sun, the salt begins to crystallize, adding form and texture to the pigments. This begins the tango of sun and salt, as the crystals bend the light in a graceful, ever-changing rhythm, evoking a range of emotions in the viewer—shifting with the time of day, season, and the viewer’s own state of mind.

In this interplay of natural elements, a visual symphony emerges, one that transcends the boundaries of art and science, transporting the viewer into the depths of the human psyche. Through Rothko Reimagined, I seek to connect Rothko’s emotional expression to the world around us, capturing these moments not with a paintbrush, but through the lens of a camera in the sky.

No. 4 (Burgundy, Olive and Ochre on White)

When it comes to the mountains, the journey is sometimes more exhilarating than the destination. The changing views as you navigate the curves and bends, the feeling of floating in nothingness as you are enveloped with swirling fog, even the numbness of the ears beckons as the eyes soak in the views.
This image, taken from a bird's-eye view, aims to create an immersive feeling of the winding roads.


Details  ~
Artist: Rakesh Pulapa
Edition: 1/1
Location: Slovenia/2021
Shot on: DJI Mavic 2 pro
Dimensions: 4850 × 3657
Collection: Mountain Roads

Mountain Roads #3

Tucked away in southern India, is a hidden gem. Here movement creates magic, resulting in a kaleidoscope of leaves and the birth of a floating maze.
This is a freshwater lake that is home to numerous resident wetland birds as well as a few seasonal visitors. The lake is laden with floating water plants and lotus blooms. But there is more to it than that. The geometric design that you see in the image is actually a fluid pattern, ever-changing, constantly drifting. As traditional rowing boats seen in the centre of the image gently slice through the floating carpet of freshwater flora, they create breaks in the continuous sheet. When viewed from this vantage point, they occasionally make a perfect design that can be appreciated. This was one such day. The breeze was gentle, the boats felt poetic and this beautiful symmetry was created. 
Just as they converged in the epicentre, I knew at that moment, this was their masterpiece that deserved to be captured.

The Floating Maze

When it comes to the mountains, the journey is sometimes more exhilarating than the destination. The changing views as you navigate the curves and bends, the feeling of floating in nothingness as you are enveloped with swirling fog, even the numbness of the ears beckons as the eyes soak in the views.
This image, taken from a bird's-eye view, aims to create an immersive feeling of the winding roads.


Details  ~
Artist: Rakesh Pulapa
Edition: 1/1
Location: India       /2020
Shot on: DJI Mavic 2 pro
Dimensions: 5316 × 6283
Collection: Mountain Roads

Mountain Roads #2

Mountain Roads

"There must be something strangely sacred in salt. It is in our tears and in the sea." - Khalil Gibran

The importance of this humble compound lies in its versatility - it adds flavour to food, regulates water and mineral balance in the human body and supports a healthy nervous system. Salt can be found in many aspects of life, including cuisine, biology, economics, as well as historical events such as the Salt March.

The process of extracting salt from the oceans is largely manual in most places and it fully honours its legacy. 

Large, shallow pits are carved across the area and pools of sea water are collected in them. The intense tropical heat evaporates the water, leaving behind the precipitated salt which is harvested and sent for further processing.  

In this photo, a salt worker can be seen toiling in an expansive landscape, patiently and painstakingly harvesting salt from the seawater. It resembles a painter’s palette and is made up of a variety of tones and hues, depicting the various stages of harvest. The black pit for example has been completely harvested. 

The image is rendered using a post processing technique called Droneception. I believe it adds character to an already intricate image, drawing attention to the salt painter who now seems to be painting using this palette in front of him. 

An ordinary compound, harvested by an ordinary man but presented from an extraordinary view point.

The Salt Painter

SuperRare

Fishermen depend on water and the life in it. Through discipline and knowledge of fishes and tides, fishermen set out in tiny wooden boats with their nylon nets in hand each day, in anticipation of bringing home the means of their livelihood.

The net is cast on the still waters in one swift expert motion. The intricate venation of the nylon threads captured from above is a sight to behold. This is precisely why I find fishermen intriguing. 
And what you see is pure art - Fishermen’s ART.

Rakesh

Rakesh

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