Flowers are one of the finest workmanship of nature. The infrangible bond between light and flowers has been depicted marvellously by Jeanine Sparla. Her photography gives a glimpse of the magic that is created when the light is effectively used while capturing the floral pulchritude. Panos Laskarakisâ photography takes you through the different phases of wildlife, landscape and tribal photography. Underwater instructor, Isabella Maffeiâs photography will leave you wanting for more as she wonderfully captures the wonders of the underwater world. Dr. HÃ¥kan Kvarnstram intrigues us all with his love for a world that is hidden from the naked eyes. He captures and reveals the microscopic life in all its brilliance. The photographs were taken by Cristobal Oviedoâ??s and Paula Posadosâ photographs depict the varied hues of nature in a way like never before. Get to know the insights of the glamour world through Geetha Rao and Dipan journey as they feature in our makeup artists of the month. Chiiz, once again, features the best of its photographic talent from chiiz.com that will leave you captivated in the Chiiz Gallery. The Earth laughs in flowers, says Ralph Waldo Emerson and so let us, too, laugh and enjoy with this volume of Chiiz which is replete with extraordinary photographs that take you to a blossoming world.

4. THOSE WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE
DISCLAIMER: ALL PHOTOGRAPHS PUBLISHED BY CHIIZ MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE RESPECTIVE ARTISTS AND ARE PROTECTED UNDER THE COPYRIGHT LAWS. IT IS FORBIDDEN
TO COPY THE MATERIAL OR RESELL IN ANY FORM WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE ARTIST. ALL PRODUCT NAMES, TRADEMARKS, LOGOS, BRANDS AND OTHER DATA PUBLISHED IN THE
MAGAZINE ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. EDITORS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CONTENT IN THE ADVERTISEMENTS. CHIIZ BELIEVES IN PROMOTING THE BEAUTY OF
HUMAN FORM AND BODY. WE, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, PROMOTE VULGARITY OR OBSCENITY IN ANY FORM. READER'S DISCRETION IS ADVISED. FOR ANY FURTHER DETAILS VISIT US CHIIZ.COM
OR WRITE TO MAGAZINE@CHIIZ.COM. PUBLISHED BY MANSA INC. CONTENT PROVIDED BY CHIIZ.COM.

6. Pathway to the Universe
Fujifilm XT2 16mm F/2 1/20 ISO1000
Florent Serfati is a French photographer living on the beautiful island of Cozumel Mexico. He
instantly fell in love with photography when he took his first picture three years ago. Florent
shoots with his Fujifilm XT2 and was sold on the camera as soon as he held it. He is, currently,
the main photographer and owner at “Serfati Photography”.
TRIGGERS8

8. FEATURE18
Someone once told me to live for the little things in life.
Live for the sunrises and sunsets where you’ll see the
sky painted in colors you never thought belonged. Live
for the road trips and bike rides with music in your ears
and the wind in your hair. Live for the days when you are
surrounded by amazing people who make your journey in
this cold harsh world, worthwhile. Live for the little things
because they will make you realize that this is what life is
about, this is what it means to be alive.
That’s exactly what K2K Expeditions promised and
delivered when they took a group of 54 riders to the land
of high passes, Ladakh, for a 1700 km ride of their dreams.
It was 10 days of sheer adventure, fun and making lasting
memories on the sands of this cold desert.
The journey began from Delhi
from where we were to travel
overnight to reach Manali the
next morning. 54 strangers
boarded the bus to Manali,
apprehensive yet excited
to check off the highly
anticipated Ladakh bike trip
off their bucket lists.
As we woke in the bus, the
beautiful valley of Pandoh
welcomed us. With the
sun rising, the Beas looked
like a river of molten gold.
Travelling through Pandoh and Kullu, we finally reached
Manali at the time of the lunch where we were well
received by the organizers and were allotted rooms.
In the evening, we went for a little sightseeing to Old
Manali. We climbed up to the Manu Temple amidst many
themed cafes that were teeming with travellers, jazz music
and mouthwatering aroma that promised good food.
Festooned with dreamcatchers big and small, the cafes
were just that- a traveller’s dream, where one could just
sit, play games like chess and scrabble, read in solitude
and dine admiring the gorgeous view that they presented.
That’s how we spent our evening until night caught up to
us and we had to get back to the hotel where we were to
be briefed about the trip.
The briefing took place where the riders were acquainted
with the laws of the mountains and were instructed to ride
with the convoy without overtaking each other. We were
also told to follow the lead of the Marshal and were given
certain hacks of riding in the mountains. The mountains,
beautiful as they are, can be brutal sometimes and so we
were asked to take certain measures to ensure that we
do not experience the dreaded AMS (Acute Mountain
Sickness).
Everybody was pumped up for the ride the next morning
as they were assigned their bikes which were tested and
made ready for the rigorous journey ahead. With high
spirits and the Marshal leading the convoy, all 27 Royal
Enfields, aka, the beasts of the mountains, rode towards
the first pass of the journey- the ‘Rohtang La’, which is at a
gruelling altitude of 13000 ft. The gateway to the Leh and
Pangi Valleys, Rohtang Pass is replete with spellbinding
escapades of nature with the imposing twin-peaks of
Geypan looming large on the pass. The bottleneck roads,
that acted as an ancient trade route between the either
side of the Pir Panjal range, are unforgiving and do not
entertain novice riders.
After riding through daunting obstructions like Rani
Nallah that made the journey tricky, the convoy reached
Keylong, tired yet happy to have completed the first leg
of the journey. The riders woke up early the next day
Revvin’ it Up
Riding from Manali to Srinagar through some of the highest passes, breathtaking valleys, scenic hamlets and braving
formidable terrains, K2K Expeditions takes us on a wild ride to the land of high passes.
K2K Expeditions
Canon 1300D 46mm F/10 1/200 ISO400
Gearing Up
Canon 60D 70mm F/22 1/200 ISO1250
Water Crossings
Canon 1300D 21mm F/20 1/1250 ISO3200

9. and prepped for the journey ahead, which was to be the
longest and the most challenging as we were to cross
many high altitude regions in a short span of time.
The riders commenced their journey and passed Jispa
and Darcha with ease but came across a bump in the form
of the nallah at Zingzingbar. Here the team work of the
riders came into play and all were able to cross the
muddy terrain. The convoy then forged ahead to the
‘Baralacha La’ which is at an altitude of 16040 ft, braving
slippery roads, their dangerous curves, and sometimes
extremely cold weather. We were rewarded for this effort
by being greeted by snow-capped mountains, riding along
the marvellous Suraj Taal and experiencing the thrill of a
challenging journey.
After crossing Sarchu, where the AMS usually kicks in,
the signboard that read ‘GATA Loops Start’ had the
adrenaline pumping in the veins of the riders as the series
of 21 hairpin bends at a height of 15302 ft were both
bone-jarring and formidable. These loops lead to the 3rd
high-altitude pass in the region, Nakee La which stands
at an altitude of 15,647 ft above the sea level. This pass,
along with Lachulung La tests the patience of even the
most seasoned riders with its gravel sections and frequent
patches of ice on the paved surface of the roads.
By the time we
reached Pang, most
of the riders were
beat, exhausted to
the bone and running
low on motivation.
The early symptoms
of AMS had started
to set in, it was
already dark,
temperatures were
going down and we
were yet to reach
Tsokar. Our Marshals
then stepped up
and motivated the
riders to complete
the journey to Tsokar.
Riders on the Move
Nikon D800 26mm F/20 1/2000 ISO1000
Soil Mates
Canon 60D 18mm F/13 1/400 ISO500
War Dogs
Canon 60D 18mm F/22 1/400 ISO1000

12. FEATURE44
Living in Tilburg, Netherlands, Jeanine
Sparla is a full-time mother and a
very creative person. She started her
career 10 years ago with sculpting
statues but had to quit it because of
her serious back problems. Later she
found photography as her new hobby.
Jeanine feels that every kind of art connects people as it
touches the soul. Her favourite images are those which
she captures in the natural sunlight. Flowers catches her
attention because of their colours and structures. She
shares her work on her Instagram @Catchthemoment_nl
Q. You had taken up a 100-day challenge on Instagram
from where you started your photography journey.
Which photograph out of those is your favourite and
why?
A. My most favourite isn’t just one photo (my husband is
waiting for my most favourite photo for the wall). I love
capturing flowers in their purest- e state that is when the
light catches them perfectly. I love the details of beauty
that they show on a black background. But if I have to
choose, it will be the pink one, reflected on a mirror. It was
amazing how beautifully it reflected the light. It took me
by surprise, like they all do when the light falls perfectly on
them.
Q. Photography for you started as a cathartic release.
What made you choose flowers as your subject and
what is the creative process that goes behind creating
such spectacular pictures?
A. I am always triggered by colours, details and how light
falls on things. My passion for flowers came from my mom.
She died when I was 30 and ever since I have flowers
Illuminating
Blooms
Reflected
Samsung S9+ 4.2mm F/1.7 1/30 ISO100

13. around me. They remind me of her. I shoot all my photos
on intuition. Before I shoot, I always search for the light. It’s
amazing what effect it has on even the simplest of flowers.
When I see a flower, the first thing I do is that I search for
the details I want to capture and then I look for the perfect
light. After that I edit them in an app named Snapseed
in which I mostly edit the background because I want to
focus only on the beauty of nature which can be found
everyday right in front of us.
Q. You tend to play a lot with light that gives your
photographs a surreal effect. Why do you shoot your
photos this way?
A. I love the outcome of the flower’s natural beauty. Just
the way it looks with no distractions, especially when the
light enhances its beauty.
Q. What is the most important thing that you learnt
about flowers through your photographic journey with
them?
A. They are amazing. The structure of the leaves, the
different shades of color, the similarities and synchronicity,
like they were sculptured or drawn before they became
a flower. The difference in color variety. I cannot stop
watching them. The details are awesome, even the pestle
and stamen are beautiful.
Q. Any advice to new photographers for finding their
own vision?
A. Just start shooting everyday and don’t think too much.
I shoot everything on my smartphone and all my shots
are intuitive. Join a photography group on Instagram or
Facebook which have daily challenges. It helps you to
keep being creative and to try different things. Truly, it also
stimulates you, which I feel is a huge motivator. In time,
you will find your own vision.
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
Samsung S9+ 4.3mm F/1.5 1/350 ISO100
Mandeep Kaur
mandeep@chiiz.com
An attractive personality, Mandeep finds her refuge in good books, good
food and a good conversation. Open to receiving and giving new ideas,
she feels that the world will be a better place to live in if people are more
helpful and open towards others.

14. FEATURE50
Maelstrom
Nikon D300S 10mm 1/80 F/16 ISO250

15. Being a digital nomad Hansle Guichardo has travelled the globe in search of that one perfect
moment to capture the essence of what the stunningly beautiful Earth, it’s wonderful people and
the variety of cultures have to offer. One can see his work on colourful landscape, cityscape and
self-portraits images from 94 countries on his Instagram handle: @nomad_traveler2018
Lonely Tree Among a Sea of Baby Blue Flowers
Nikon D700 32mm F/8 1/400 ISO160
TRIGGERS70

18. Chinmoy Biswas
Kolkata, India
CHIIZ GALLERY72

19. CHIIZ GALLERYTo get published, upload your photos on chiiz.com
The Pattern within the Sunflower
Nikon D7200 105mm F/7.1 1/250 ISO400