A supremely serene pre-sunrise moment in the lovely fishing village of Siridona, Goa. (Siridona is also known as Siridão.)

Dawn in Siridona, Goa
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Upon hearing a great piece of music, my music guru Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang” was fond of quoting Kabir:

mann mast hua tab kyon bole?
(Why open your mouth when the mind is filled with bliss?)

I am often at a loss for words in the midst of Iceland‘s landscape and Kabir serves me well there.

Mountain Hestur and farm Eyri on Seyðisfjörður in the Westfjords
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Wide angle
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Note: This is Seyðisfjörður in the Westfjords, not to be confused with the more well-known fjord and village of the same name in the Eastfjords on the other side of the island.

In the lovely village of Seyðisfjörður in the Eastfjords of Iceland.

In Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland
5D Mark II, 24-105L

A Northern Lights display on a cold night at the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river in north Iceland. See an earlier post for another assay.

Northern Lights at Jökulsá á Fjöllum in north Iceland
5D Mark II, 14L II

These photographs were taken in a single session along Badwater Road in the Death Valley National Park in California. An impending storm had given rise to conditions atypical in Death Valley – soft, diffused afternoon light that accentuated the colours on the Black Mountains.

Colours
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Black Mountains
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Palette
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Folds
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Rugged
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Black Mountains
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Glow
5D Mark II, 24-105L

The Church of Nossa Senhora de Saúde (Our Lady of Health) in the village of Sancoale, Goa, was built in 1606 and destroyed in a fire in 1834. All that remains today is the shell of its façade. It enjoys a delightful setting by the Zuari river, and the ruins provide clues to what must have been a magnificent edifice.

I photographed the site several times over a number of years. The first image below was taken handheld on a dark monsoon morning from the bridge across the Zuari river.

Nossa Senhora de Saúde at Sancoale, Goa
5D, 300L f/4 IS

First rays of the rising sun
5D, 300L f/4 IS

The remains
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Ruins of Nossa Senhora de Saúde
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Frontispiece
5D, 24-105L

The Strandir coast of the Westfjords in Iceland exudes a melancholy air. Desolate, remote beaches lined with piles of driftwood washed up from Siberia only add to this sense of foreboding. Veiðileysa is a small inlet just before crossing the pass that leads into the next fjord Reykjarfjörður.

Veiðileysa á Ströndum
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Fog moves in less than an hour later. Weather conditions can turn on a dime in Iceland.

Fog over Veiðileysa
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

An array of flat-topped mountains, their snouts dipped in the fjord, punctuated by valleys is the signature sight of Iceland‘s Westfjords. This image of one such mountain, Hvestunúpur (531 m), was taken on Arnarfjörður.

Light on Hvestunúpur and Vaðall beach
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

A better appreciation of the scape can be had from the air, and such a view is seen below in an image taken from Iceland Road Atlas. The settlement of Bíldudalur (population 166) is in the foreground and Hvestunúpur is the second peak out. These valleys are collectively known by the name Ketildalir (Kettle valleys).

Ketildalir valleys
© Iceland Road Atlas

A tortuous mountain pass wends into the farm of Njarðvík near Borgarfjörður Eystri in the East Fjords of Iceland.

Borgarfjarðarvegur
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Few traffic jams here
5D Mark II, 24-105L

PS: There are no snakes in Iceland.