crepuscular rays ~ the sun through some clouds

[krə′pəs·kyə·lər ′rāz]

Bhutan & Ootacamund

A sunbeam, in meteorological optics, is a beam of sunlight that appears to radiate from the Sun's position. Shining through openings in clouds or between other objects such as mountains and buildings, these beams of particle-scattered sunlight are separated by darker shadowed volumes. Despite converging toward (or radiating from) the light source, the beams are essentially parallel shafts of directly sunlit particles separated by shadowed ones. Their apparent convergence in the sky is a visual illusion from linear perspective. This illusion also causes the apparent convergence of the otherwise parallel lines of a long straight road or hallway at a distant vanishing point. The scattering particles that make sunlight visible may be air molecules or particulates.

Crepuscular rays or "God rays" are sunbeams that originate when the sun is below the horizon, during twilight hours but not necessarily always as these photos will illustrate. These rays are noticeable when the contrast between light and dark is most obvious. Crepuscular comes from the Latin word "crepusculum", meaning twilight. Crepuscular rays usually appear orange because the path through the atmosphere at sunrise and sunset passes through up to 40 times as much air as rays from a high midday sun. Particles in the air scatter short wavelength light (blue and green) through Rayleigh scattering much more strongly than longer wavelength yellow and red light.

These rays can be seen when the sun breaks through the clouds, when there is smoke or haze, can be created indoors or waited for outside when the right conditions prevail. For indoors and for images with dramatic rays, it helps to seek light with special qualities. Through windows, look for hard light creating harsh shadows on floors and walls. Note how the light changes around the house, depending on the time of day and season. Capturing this type of dramatic light will be easier towards the start or end of the day, when the sun is lower and will be shining directly through the windows and it also changes with the seasons.

Remember, it's not possible at all to photograph the ray of light itself. One can only photograph the effect that the ray has on other things. To catch how the ray shines through the air, there needs to be something in the air to reflect the ray, like dust or mist. Once the effect of the ray is visible in the air, it can be easily photographed. It will be more visible if the background is dark, so one may need to adjust the exposure, or use manual settings so that the camera doesn't expose to make the background light.

Shooting in Manual and a little experimentation is one way to approach this, as it will be difficult to get a good exposure reading for the light ray. Set the desired aperture, dial in a shutter speed to get a good exposure. Now underexpose by a stop, take a shot and check the results. Using that as reference, the exposure can be adjusted, slower or faster, to get a good result. Depending on the range of light in the scene one might be able get both the light and the surroundings within tolerable limits, but it is likely that the surroundings will be very dark. If that's the case one could use a tripod and take two exposures, for the surroundings and light ray, and blend them in post processing.

A note about “post processing“, continuing from my blog last week, it is certainly required but within limits. These “God Rays” can be very easily created in Photoshop and to spectacular effect - social media is full of such photos. But doing it in post takes negates the whole point and the excitement of getting it right in reality. Not to mention the experience of the travel to distant and remote locations.

The following photos are taken at different locations, at different times throughout the day and different climatic conditions. Nothing was engineered and the beauty of the moment itself needs to be experienced.

I call this Druk Yul.

A stunning land steeped in mystery and rich in culture & tradition, Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia located at the eastern end of the Himalayas. It is bordered to the north by China and to the south, east and west by India. To the west, it is separated from Nepal by the Indian state of Sikkim, while further south it is separated from Bangladesh by the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal. Bhutan's capital and largest city is Thimphu. Bhutan existed as a patchwork of minor warring fiefdoms until the early 17th century, when the lama and military leader Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, fleeing religious persecution in Tibet, unified the area and cultivated a distinct Bhutanese identity. Later, in the early 20th century, Bhutan came into contact with the British Empire and retained strong bilateral relations with India upon its independence. Bhutan is the only country to have officially adopted gross national happiness instead of the gross domestic product as the main development indicator. Bhutan's landscape ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the sub-alpine Himalayan heights in the north, where some peaks exceed 7,000 metres (23,000 ft).

This is the most beautiful country I have seen in my life.

I took this photo while on an obscure and steep foot trail coming down from the Tiger’s Nest Monastery - Paro Taktsang. I had gone off the beaten tourist trail and came to a bend where I saw this. This was at the very edge of the trail and one misstep on my part would have sent me tumbling down the mountain in double quick time. More about Bhutan in a later blog.

Another two from Bhutan. On the approach path to the Tiger’s Nest monastery, there is a Lakhang (village level monastery) and a temple of Urgyan Tsemo ("U-rgyan rTse-mo") which, like the main monastery, is located on a rocky plateau with a precipitous projection of several hundred feet over the valley. From this location, the monastery’s buildings are on the opposite ravine, which is known by the name “Copper-Colored Mountain Paradise of Padmasambhava”. This is the view point for visitors and there is a cafeteria to provide refreshments. The trek beyond this point is very scenic with the sound of the waterfall breaking the silence. Along the trek route blue pine trees, prayer flags and kiosks selling paraphernalia for worship (such as prayer wheels, temple bells and skulls) are seen. The route is scattered with number of temples. On this path, a large waterfall, which drops by 60 metres (200 ft) into a sacred pool, is forded over by a bridge. The track terminates at the main monastery where colorful paintings are displayed. Guru Rinpoche's cave where he meditated is also seen. This cave is opened for public viewing only once a year.

Both photos, the one above and the one below were taken on the same trail going away from the Paro Taktsang a few 100 meters apart.

Ootacamund, Ooty, officially known as Udagamandalam (abbreviated as Udhagai), is a town in the Nilgiris district of the state of Tamil Nadu. A popular hill station located 86 km north of Coimbatore and 128 km south of Mysore it is the headquarters of the Nilgiris district. Called the Queen of the Hills, Udagamandalam was originally a tribal land occupied by the Toda along with other hill tribes who coexisted through specialisation and trade. The major tribes of Nilgiris area are the Toda, Kota, Irula and Kurumba. The area came under the rule of the East India Company at the end of the 18th century. The economy is based on tourism and agriculture, along with the manufacture of medicines and photographic film. The town is connected by the Nilgiri ghat roads and Nilgiri Mountain Railway.

The Emerald & Avalanche Lakes are located near the Emerald village in a region called the silent valley, about 25 kilometers from Ooty town. Surrounded by tea plantations Emerald Lake is famous for a variety of fish in the lake and birds in the locale. It is also notable for the scenic sunrise and sunset views near the lake. Avalanche Lake derived the name avalanche because of a huge landslide that occurred in the region in the early 1800s. Avalanche lake is surrounded by a rolling landscape with blooming flowers like magnolias, orchids and rhododendrons. In this photo Avalanche Lake is to my right and if you look close you can see the rain drops.

The Dochu La, (Dochu Pass, la means pass in Dzongkha) a mountain pass in the snow covered Himalayas within Bhutan, is one of the most popular passes in the country. Located about 30 km from the capital Thimphu, the pass is covered in white clouds and offers exclusive views of the snow-capped peaks. The Dochu La is about 3150 meters above sea level and serves as an excellent stopover for travelers traveling to and from Punakha and Wandgi. The entire Dochu La area is rigged with prayer flags and has 108 memorial chortens, or stupas known as "Druk Wangyal Chortens" built by Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, the eldest Queen Mother reflecting the culture and belief of the people of this beautiful country. The Druk Wangyal Khangzang Chhortens were built as a tribute to His Majesty the King. The chortens are a symbol of appreciation, dedication and loyalty. The Dochu La features exclusive views of the Himalayas in the upper and lowland Punakha district on a clear day when the pass is free of clouds. You can also get lucky and see the lovely Gasa dzong through a high powered telescope while at the Dochu La. There is a small cafeteria above the pass where you can sip a hot cup of coffee.

Apart from the chortens there is a monastery called the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang (temple), built in honour of the fourth Druk Gyalpo (head of the state of Bhutan), Jigme Singye Wangchuck; the open grounds in its front yard is a venue for the annual Dochula Druk Wangyel Festival. 

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There is something humbling about mountains. Maybe it’s their tall and grandiose appearance or the initial intimidation when you cast your eyes on it. But ultimately, the most humbling part is the sense of accomplishment that you get after climbing one. The feeling of achievement, appreciation for the journey, the chance to be outdoors and last but not least the views - the best views come after the hardest climbs.

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