Title: Badlands Awakening  
Edition: 25  
Artist: Dan Hawk  
License: Extended Editorial  
Resolution: 4000x2665

As a photographer and naturalist I’ve long been consumed with documenting the prolific creativity Mother Nature exhibits while evolving and reshaping herself in response to the elements.  

As far back as my early childhood days, watching sandstone walls wash away in response to ocean waves on my native Oregon coast, I’ve watched- Aware that this place will not be the same tomorrow as it is today.

        It’s especially intriguing when places like this are found on public lands.  Not far from this area, off-road vehicles are free to drive nearly anywhere and areas that look much like this are covered in tire tracks.  This is the kind of quandary we find ourselves in when we talk about public lands.         My goal with this work is to bring awareness to the sublime beauty and the fragility of these places.        

This is an edition of 25.  Badlands Awakening is a Sneak Peak at an upcoming collection from the Desert-Scapes of Utah and this edition will serve as an early mint/discount token.         

Extended Editorial License: Can be used to display privately, or in commercial and non-commercial settings, or in groups with an unlimited number of participants. The License includes unlimited use and display in virtual or physical galleries, documentaries, and essays by the NFT holder. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works.

Badlands Awakening

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

Decagon #9434

Our lives are semi-anonymous, even to those who are closest to us. For fear of revealing the unknown, we hide our true selves from them. You have no idea how life can change, and people you once loved can become your enemies. There are certain things you cannot even share with yourself.

Anonymous Warrior <35>

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.

It was the time of Persieds!

Impromptu plan, we headed out to catch the meteor showers happening that night. Weather was unsupportive for most part but we drove over 300kms in search of a dark sky away from city lights, hoping the clouds don't play spoil sport.

We spot a potential vantage point atop a hill and hike towards it. 
Waiting in the cold, constantly looking up, anticipating with excitement, the sky clears up at 4 AM in the morning and Woop! A streak of light zips past over the head.

A night to remember, in pursuit of shooting stars.

Edition: 1/1
Medium: Photography
Resolution: 4574 x 5717
License: Extended Editorial
Year: 2021
Location: Karnataka, India

Make A Wish

Upon the silent and vast elevations of great mountains, one experiences a sense of solitude like no other.  
High above the entanglements of modern-day life, amongst the colossal manifestations of nature, pervades a pull to be in commune with it; As a human, a form of life in the symphony of the earth, to see, to listen, to feel, to thoroughly enjoy the simple transactions of the living world.

On this cold morning, I woke up early, way before anybody else, and brought myself out of the tent. It was still dark, and there was a faint glow far east corner of the sky. 

Getting in my morning stretches while enjoying the fresh air, I noticed that the colors grew in the sky. Immediately rushing toward the tent, I fixed my camera gear and climbed to a vantage point in front of the giant mountain.

In the other corner, I found a guy as well soaking in and relishing the meditative moments. The birds had just started to chirp, there were only two of us in the entire vicinity.  
Colors from the alpenglow induced a soft warm glow to the landscape and a treat to the eyes.

I then took this shot using a telephoto lens to compress the mountain in the background with the human to introduce a sense of scale to the vast landscape.

Also, I happened to meet this person later to show him this photograph. He loved it and answered with a warm smile.

Captured in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India, this photograph by Akshay Upadhya has been published in several social media outlets & magazines including Asian Geographic magazine and National Geographic India.

This edition of 10 will serve as a token for early mint in future drops & discount token for existing pieces.

Extended Editorial License: Can be used to display privately, or in commercial and non-commercial settings, or in groups with an unlimited number of participants. The License includes unlimited use and display in virtual or physical galleries, documentaries, and essays by the NFT holder. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works.

Soaking in Solitude

Nature's bounty comes to life. It's the time of abundance. 
In the lush green forest of the western ghats, water streams rush in full swing at the rhythm of the pouring rain as the air is permeated with restorative scent of the earth.

Artist: Akshay Upadhya

Medium: Photography

Camera: Canon 77D

Shot in Year: 2020

Location: Karnataka, India


License: Primary NFT holder is free to use in advertising, display privately and in groups, including virtual galleries, documentaries, and essays by holder of the NFT, as long as creator is credited. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works. Copyright remains with creator.

Unbridled Beauty

We are Stardust
We are golden
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

A comforting night of awe in the remote mountains watching a potion of stars sprinkled across the night sky reminds that our anxieties, fear, doubt, and pains are all passing trivialities in the grand scheme of life.

A sense of gratitude and deep calm dawns upon the viewer.

In Lawrence Krauss's words:
It is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust.

You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements - the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution - weren’t created at the beginning of time.

They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way they could get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode.

So, forget God. The stars died so that you could be here today.

Edition: 1/1
Medium: Photography
Resolution: 5065 x 6331
License: Extended Editorial
Year: 2021
Location: Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh

Stardust

“Where there is love, do what you will, it will be right action. It will never bring conflict to one’s life. In the flame of love, all fear is consumed.”

As we enter into the new year, with this image I want to convey the message for all of us to love and to love fearlessly.

To love what you do, love what you have and love what you live with all your heart.

This image was captured in the Himalayas, India during my few days of camping here. 
This moment, a passing cloud formation lasted very briefly. Fortunately I was quick to capture it and now I want to immortalize it on the blockchain.  Hopefully to serve as a reminder to keep close to nature's heart, at every moment put love first and let love in.

Let Love In

Revered as a goddess, a lifeline to millions, the Ganges is believed to fall from the heavens and land on the head of a god, then off a single strand of his hair to escape down to the Earth.

While I gained elevation to seek the river's source - the Gangotri glacier,  I wondered how the story originated. 
Continuing a few miles above, I reached a vast meadow confronted by a towering mountain.
The high alt meadow enveloped a sense of tranquility in the air.  
Locals called it "Tapovan" - a meditation garden.

On the parting night, long past dusk, as I lay down under a blanket of million stars, arose a dazzling milky way leaving me in absolute awe.

Everything stopped at that moment. 

Devoid of thought, I just felt...belonged.

Moments later, like an epiphany, everything rushed back to me.

The celestial river pours on the head of the mountain; a gentle stream is heard flowing to unite with the larger river.


Edition: 1/1
Resolution: 3832 x 5129
License: Extended Editorial
Year: 2019

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