Chandresh "C.K." Kedhambadi (@photon.chaser) is a landscape and astrophotography photographer based in Alberta, Canada. Chandresh Kedhambadi’s work focuses on capturing the pristine beauty offered by the Canadian Rockies. Chandresh is a self-taught photographer driven by passion for exploring and educating. Photographing the Northern Lights and the Milky Way Galaxy along with landscapes and winterscapes are a core aspect of his photography. Chandresh is also an ambassador and citizen scientist for NASA’s Aurorasaurus program. Photographers' ground observations for Northern Lights enables scientists to track and gather real-time data via satellites that leads to solving mysterious phenomenons such as S.T.E.V.E in the night sky. Recently, his photograph titled, “YATRA,” taken with the Sony Alpha 7R III paired to the ultra-wide Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master zoom lens, was selected as a finalist and won the runner-up prize in the outdoor adventure category of the Canadian Geographic’s 2023 Canadian Photo of the Year Competition.

Product Preview – In This Article You'll Find:
–Sony Alpha 7R III
–Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master

YATRA in Sanskrit means journey. Exploring ice has been a journey for Chandresh since the impacts of Covid. To experience the beauty of exploring ice caves there is a trade-off with the dangers associated with some of the harshest conditions winter can throw at you along with the hidden dangers in the glaciers. Chandresh has had to invest a lot of time in learning and developing the skills needed for this type of exploration. This shot reminds him that it does not matter how far you have come in your journey, there is always something more to learn and a lot further up to climb. The beauty of the natural world is worth all those efforts, however hard it can be at times. Keep reading as he explains the story behind the shot in his own words.

YATRA. Photo by Chandresh "C.K." Kedhambadi. Sony Alpha 7R III. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/100-sec., f/9, ISO 80

The Scenario - Acorn Ice Cave  

Nestled within the towering peaks of the Canadian Rockies lies a hidden gem, a breathtaking glacier cave that captivates one's imagination and is a testament to nature's raw power and beauty - The Acorn Ice Cave.

Formed by the gradual movement of glaciers and the relentless forces of wind and water, the cave's dimpled shimmering walls and intricate ice formations create a surreal and otherworldly landscape unlike any other. Chandresh says the crew likes to name the ice caves they explore as it adds an element of fun and establishes a bit more of an emotional connection to these ice caves. On his particular occasion the crew named the ice cave Acorn, a fitting tribute to the legendary saber-toothed squirrel, Scrat, of Ice Age fame. We as explorers in our desire to find these hidden gems in glaciers, draw parallels to Scrat’s  eternal quest for that elusive nut. Recently, the photograph of this enchanting ice cave captured the attention of judges at the Canadian Geographic’s photo competition, earning acclaim and recognition as an award-winning masterpiece of adventure nature photography. But behind this striking image lies a story of determination, patience, and a deep appreciation for the beauty of the natural world.

The Exploration & The Journey

The journey to the ice cave is not without its challenges, it's a long day of exploration involving a eight-hour round trip drive to the trailhead and seven-hour hike in harsh Canadian winter to the glacier that harbours the Acorn ice cave. Driving and hiking in Canadian winter conditions presents numerous safety hazards and risk mitigation is paramount. Treacherous roads can lead to accidents due to reduced visibility, black ice, and slippery surfaces, while snow-covered trails pose risks of slips, falls, and the ever-present risk of avalanches. Additionally, the extreme cold temperatures increase the risk of frostbite and hypothermia, emphasizing the importance of proper preparation, including warm clothing, emergency supplies, and knowledge of winter safety protocols. I highly recommend training such as avalanche skills training, glacier traverse and crevasse rescue to mitigate some of the risks associated with such type of exploration.

As we approached the glacier, the air grew colder and temperatures plummeted to a brutal -25 degrees celsius, frost clings to eyelashes, and the wind intensified, biting at our exposed skin with relentless force. With each step closer to the icy behemoth, the gusts became fiercer, carrying with them clouds of glacier silt that stung our faces like icy needles, a reminder of the raw power of the glacier's frigid domain.

The landscape, blanketed in a pristine white, offers a deceptive serenity, sometimes the silence is intermittently shattered by the distant rumble of cascading snow, a constant reminder of nature's raw power. Despite the bone-chilling cold and the ever-present threat of avalanches, there is a sense of exhilaration in pushing the limits of endurance, in forging a path where not many dare to explore. 

Hiking into the glacier. BTS Photo by Chandresh "C.K." Kedhambadi.

Approaching the glacier. BTS Photo by Chandresh "C.K." Kedhambadi.

Selecting The Ideal Gear For The Shot

My first choice of camera gear is my mirrorless Sony Alpha 7R III paired to my ultra-wide zoom G Master, the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens.

The Sony Alpha 7R III offers the following characteristics and advantages for ice cave exploration:

–Small size, low weight option and battery life performance
–Focus peaking
–Bright monitoring
–High ISO, low noise

The Sony Alpha 7R III is ideal because of the inherent advantages of mirrorless cameras in terms of its lightweight characteristics. Having a thinner, smaller and light weight camera is very beneficial as the backpacks are heavy with numerous safety gears, any lightweight characteristics without performance loss is always welcomed. The lack of a mirror also makes shooting faster and silent, which is great when you need to be able to hear those cracking ice cave sounds that signifies an active ice cave, giving the photographer valuable safety information. The weather seal and battery life of the Sony Alpha 7R III is ideal in the frigid Canadian winters and does not compromise the battery life performance.

Another advantage of the Sony Alpha 7R III is the innovative technology in terms of focus peaking that helps during manual focusing. The technology analyzes live image feed for micro-contrast areas in your composition and the areas in focus will be highlighted with the red/yellow marching ants and it's great to know in real time which parts of your composition are focused.  This works perfectly for ice caves as these are scenarios which have a lot of high and low contrast areas in your compositions.

Compositional creativity can be achieved more easily with the help of Sony’s bright monitoring. Bright monitoring allows you to readjust your composition in low light conditions (common in certain ice caves). At the press of an assigned button, the viewfinder/monitor will brighten up giving you a clear view of your current composition, ensuring confidence before activating the shutter. 

Having used my Sony Alpha 7R III for astrophotography, I am very confident of its high ISO low noise performance. This need could  arise in certain ice caves that are deeper into the glaciers, where light does not often reach.

As mentioned before, I paired the ultra-wide Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens to my Sony Alpha 7R III mirrorless for this shot. This lens offers the very best of both worlds, an ultra-wide zoom angle performance combined with a very fast f/2.8 aperture setting for low light conditions. The 12mm ultra-wide focal length helps to capture the entire scenario of those enormous ice caves and the 24mm is great to capture close-ups of those intricate shapes and ice crystals seen growing inside the ice caves. The G Master glass quality produces sharp image resolutions and is ideal to enhance those intricate ice cave shapes and formations when printing large.

Setting Up For The Shot – A Play Of Light & Clouds

As the crew reached the toe of the glacier, they explored the various spots that had potential for ice caves. Their anticipation surged as they spotted a small opening nestled within the snow-covered expanse. With cautious excitement, they ventured into the opening. What they discovered took their breath away: a vast, mesmerizing ice cave hidden within the heart of the glacier, its shimmering walls adorned with intricate formations that glowed ethereally in the soft light. A sense of wonder and awe washed over the group as they stood in the presence of this natural glacier cave, mesmerized by the beauty and grandeur of the icy chamber that lay hidden beneath the surface.

Entering the ice cave, they were welcomed by a brutal gust of icy cold winds howling into the cave from an opening at the opposite side of the cave. The roof of the ice cave stretched overhead and the scale of this ice cave was enormous and a grand display of nature's frozen artwork. Dimpled shapes, delicately carved by the relentless forces of wind and water over centuries, adorned the icy ceiling like intricate patterns in a crystalline tapestry. Each dimple bore witness to the passage of time, its smooth curves and jagged edges revealing the story of the glacier's gradual transformation. As the clouds outside moved with the windy conditions, the play of light would filter through the translucent ice, casting a soft glow and the dimpled shapes seemed to come alive, shimmering and dancing with an ethereal glow.  To the left of the entrance, snow formations twisted and sculpted by the relentless gusts of wind resembled frozen sculptures, their delicate ridges and graceful curves capturing the mesmerizing dance of elemental forces.

Entering the ice cave. BTS Photo by Chandresh "C.K." Kedhambadi.

After taking in the scene unfolding in front of me, I could visualize the composition that I wanted to frame. I set up my tripod low to the ice cave floor and mounted my camera pointing upwards towards the cave roof. I took a series of test shots, experimenting with different angles and compositions to convey the ice caves majesty and mystery. I had plenty of light to work with given the large entrance on the opposite side of the cave. I chose a low ISO setting of 80 and a higher aperture of f/9, which was ideal to balance the light inside the ice cave. Then I lessened the tension on the ball head and used the bright monitoring option to level the horizon and make subtle changes to my composition so as to highlight the snow drifts and capture the intricate dimpled shapes on the cave roof. Once locked in on my composition, I was hoping that my friend would be able to ice climb up to the top of the opposite entrance of the cave, as the dead spaces in the cave opening formed a good sub-frame and an ideal point in my composition to introduce a human element. She took care not to disturb the snow with her footprints and began to ice climb to the top. I chose a faster shutter of 1/100 in order to freeze her motion of ice climbing. Her jacket colour and the colour at the bottom of her ice crampons provided the contrast of the colours I was looking for. As she made her way half way up to the top, the climb became risky as the glacier ice often contains air bubbles and impurities, making it less predictable and more brittle than the solid ice typically encountered in ice climbing scenarios. As the mix of sun and clouds created a bit of soft light that reflected in those dimple shapes in the roof, I knew this was a truly special moment of perfection frozen in time. She decided to abandon the climb and that’s when I took this shot. Looking back, the shot reminds me of my journey into glacier exploration - it does not matter how far you have come in your journey, there is always something more to learn and a lot further up to climb.

YATRA. Photo by Chandresh "C.K." Kedhambadi. Sony Alpha 7R III. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/100-sec., f/9, ISO 80

Creative Expressions & Driving Change

As we marvel at the beauty of this award-winning ice cave photograph, let us not forget the dedication and passion that went into its creation. Through the lens of Chandresh, we are reminded of the profound power of nature to inspire, to awe, and to leave an indelible mark on our hearts and minds. The mission he has as a photographer is to explore the natural world and strive to achieve perfection every time he captures the moments. He is constantly learning, evolving and pushing the frontiers to create and present the beauty of our planet in the best possible light. The vision behind that is to inspire a section of population that would never have the opportunity to experience those few precious moments of nature’s brilliance. He hopes that his efforts to strive for perfection in those captured moments invokes a sense of appreciation for the beauty of the natural world, and with that appreciation it instills a thought to conserve and protect that beauty for future generations. He focuses to educate the audience with the science behind some of the natural phenomenons and highlight actions that go a long way in conservation.

See more of Chandresh "C.K." Kedhambadi's work on Instagram @photon.chaser.