Red White and Blue: Photos from Japan and Iceland (With pix)

For photographer Sharad Haksar, the witnessing the overnight blooming of cherry blossoms or sakuras on barren trees in Japan and being within the emerald ice caves in Iceland represents a sort of magic.
The photographer's ongoing exhibition, "Red, White & Blue" at the Visual Arts Gallery here seeks to share the magical experience from his recent travels to Japan and Iceland.
While the exhibition sets forth the scenic beauty of both the countries, but more than that, as its name suggests, it is the pre-dominance of certain hues that the photographs tend to capture.
The knack of travelling to exotic places that largely remained unexplored, says Haksar landed him in Iceland when the "temperature high was zero degree and low minus six."

"The feeling of being inside those green and blue ice caves is probably something I can never forget," says the Chennai-based photographer.
"Considering each ice cave is one of its kind, and knowing that this won't be there the next time I am here, is exhilarating and exciting" he says.

Ice caves, like those found in Jokulsarlon in Iceland, are ususally formed by "geothermal heat from volcanic vents or hotsprings beneath the ice."
Comprising crystal caves of Jokulsarlon with contrasting black volcanic beaches of Vik, the Blue series chronicles the surreal landscapes of Iceland, while offering him ample inspiration to drive his creative instincts.

The series from Iceland, besides the expected pictures of snow clad lanes and houses, includes breathtaking shots of a frozen waterfall over a cliff and another of a crashed DC-3 Dakota Plane from World War II, semi-buried in snow.
Taking such scarce shots, Haksar says, was quite a challenge, "for the padded clothing restricted mobility and the relentless snowing and raining impaired clear vision.