Water

Imagery of the various forms of water as it circulates throughout the Earth, from clouds and mist in the atmosphere, to ocean waves and thundering waterfalls to calm reflections.

Birds in Flight, Yosemite Fall
Yosemite opened back up to the public on a bluebird sunny Saturday after a series of intense winter storms that left evidence of rockslides and damage, as well as raging waterfalls throughout the park. The spray from the Upper Yosemite Fall illuminated a golden glow as the sun came up, and signaled the swallows to start hunting for breakfast. Using a rapid shutter speed on the tripod, I was able to capture their tiny forms in front of the raging water. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Upper Yosemite Fall Clearing Winter Fog
Days before Yosemite National Park closed due to intense blizzards, I was able to spend a morning in the park after a fresh dusting of snow that provided beautiful textures on the winter landscape. After years of drought, it is so refreshing to see water in Yosemite Falls with dramatic fog swirling around the granite peaks. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Bridalveil Fall Monochrome
Days before Yosemite National Park closed due to intense blizzards, I was able to spend a morning in the park after a fresh dusting of snow that provided beautiful textures on the winter landscape. After years of drought, it is so refreshing to see water in Bridalveil Falls with a dramatic fog layer at the top of the granite peaks. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Firefall Detail 2023
A zoomed in detail shot of Yosemite’s famed firefall, taken with the telephoto from across the Valley floor. This was my first time photographing firefall so early in the season, and I found it to be a very skinny sliver as opposed to later in the season when the glow appears to be wider and more prominent. With a wet winter season caused by a series of atmospheric river events, and one clear day forecast for the entire week, all in all it wasn’t a bad day to take the gamble and drive to the park, although it makes for a very long day for 20 minutes of shooting!! https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Firefall Golden Glow
A zoomed in detail shot of Yosemite’s famed firefall, taken with the telephoto from across the Valley floor about 50 minutes before it turned a bright, fiery orange. I have my share of the typical firefall compositions, but I’m finding that I prefer the more zoomed in, intimate scenes and in my view, the golden glow is just as spectacular and if I do it again next year, will definitely have to throw my extender in my camera bag. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Point Reyes Abstract
A colorful Christmas Eve sunset reflected in the waters of the Pacific Ocean as seen from the bluffs of Point Reyes National Seashore. Using a long shutter speed and intentional camera movement, I was looking to capture the rolling waves offshore in an abstract way. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Madeira Wave Abstract 1
Reminiscent of Big Sur, the rugged coast of Madeira’s steep cliffs that plunge into the Atlantic Ocean offer some vantage points to see the crashing waves and interesting patterns in the water from a bird’s eye view. Those that know me, know that I just love getting odd looks from people when out photographing, especially from those that scratch their head in bewilderment and ask, “what the heck are you photographing??” as they did when I had my tripod set up on a cliff with my telephoto looking straight down. Here, I opted to process a series in a 16x9 crop to highlight the proportions of the crashing waves while also minimizing the bright white seafoam that dominated the frame. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Madeira Wave Abstract 2
Reminiscent of Big Sur, the rugged coast of Madeira’s steep cliffs that plunge into the Atlantic Ocean offer some vantage points to see the crashing waves and interesting patterns in the water from a bird’s eye view. Those that know me, know that I just love getting odd looks from people when out photographing, especially from those that scratch their head in bewilderment and ask, “what the heck are you photographing??” as they did when I had my tripod set up on a cliff with my telephoto looking straight down. Here, I opted to process a series in a 16x9 crop to highlight the proportions of the crashing waves while also minimizing the bright white seafoam that dominated the frame. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Release the Kraken!!
On the rugged coast of Madeira, there is a rocky location where the waves slap against each other and shoot vertically up in the air. Although the light was somewhat dull and overcast, and not ideal for illuminating the subject of the image, it was still a blast to capture on burst mode, using a rapid shutter speed. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
McDonald Creek Wildfire Reflections 2
Wildfire smoke enveloped Glacier NP casting an ominous orange glow in the sky that offered golden reflections in the rushing waters of McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Opalescent
Stones in a creekbed reflecting a spectrum of opalescent colors in the rippling waters of Glacier National Park. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Swiftcurrent Abstract
The warm tones of the mountain peaks reflected in the blue waters of Swiftcurrent Lake during a clear sunrise. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
water & Rock Abstract, Baring Creek, Horizontal
During my recent bucket list trip to Glacier National Park, I was drawn to the grand scenes of the dramatic mountains, but even more so to the small details of the large variety of rock found here. During a walk along Baring Creek, I was especially drawn to capture this scene of sensual curves and vibrant colors of rock carved and sanded smooth by water over time, using a fast shutter speed to capture the ripples of water in an abstract way. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Yosemite Falls Aerial View
Witnessing Yosemite Valley from aboard a tiny Cessna 206 with the doors off was an opportunity too good to pass up, and allowed us to see the park’s familiar granite icons from a whole new perspective, including all sides of “Half Dome” which doesn’t resemble a dome from the air at all! Dense haze in the Valley from prescribed Forest Service burns lent an unexpected soft diffuseness over the landscape. A shoutout to Yosemite Flights in Groveland for an amazing experience not soon forgotten!! https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Sea of Cortez Abstract 4
For an entire week while camping in Baja in our truck camper, I was blissfully out of service- no cell phone, no news, no email, no Wi-fi. Just a thoroughly enjoyable time spent paddle boarding, enjoying shrimp tostadas and margaritas on the beach, off roading, and allowing myself to play and experiment with my camera on this series of abstracts along the coast of the Sea of Cortez. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Abstract 4
While vacationing on the Mexican Riviera, my husband and I would walk to the beach every morning to watch the sun come up over the water. I became enamored of the color palette of the vivid turquoise water, white sand, and golden reflections on the surface of the sea. This is a series of long exposures in low light at sunrise, sometimes using intentional camera movement for a more abstract effect that I found quite soothing. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Horizon Abstract 4
Using intentional camera movement to capture abstractions of the color palette of the Caribbean Sea at sunrise. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Abstract 2
While vacationing on the Mexican Riviera, my husband and I would walk to the beach every morning to watch the sun come up over the water. I became enamored of the color palette of the vivid turquoise water, white sand, and golden reflections on the surface of the sea. This is a series of long exposures in low light at sunrise, sometimes using intentional camera movement for a more abstract effect that I found quite soothing. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Abstract 6
While vacationing on the Mexican Riviera, my husband and I would walk to the beach every morning to watch the sun come up over the water. I became enamored of the color palette of the vivid turquoise water, white sand, and golden reflections on the surface of the sea. This is a series of long exposures in low light at sunrise, sometimes using intentional camera movement for a more abstract effect that I found quite soothing. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Abstract 5
While vacationing on the Mexican Riviera, my husband and I would walk to the beach every morning to watch the sun come up over the water. I became enamored of the color palette of the vivid turquoise water, white sand, and golden reflections on the surface of the sea. This is a series of long exposures in low light at sunrise, sometimes using intentional camera movement for a more abstract effect that I found quite soothing. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Abstract 3
While vacationing on the Mexican Riviera, my husband and I would walk to the beach every morning to watch the sun come up over the water. I became enamored of the color palette of the vivid turquoise water, white sand, and golden reflections on the surface of the sea. This is a series of long exposures in low light at sunrise, sometimes using intentional camera movement for a more abstract effect that I found quite soothing. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Abstract 7
While vacationing on the Mexican Riviera, my husband and I would walk to the beach every morning to watch the sun come up over the water. I became enamored of the color palette of the vivid turquoise water, white sand, and golden reflections on the surface of the sea. This is a series of long exposures in low light at sunrise, sometimes using intentional camera movement for a more abstract effect that I found quite soothing. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Horizon Abstract 2
Using intentional camera movement to capture abstractions of the color palette of the Caribbean Sea at sunrise. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Horizon Abstract 3
Using intentional camera movement to capture abstractions of the color palette of the Caribbean Sea at sunrise. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com
Caribbean Horizon Abstract 5
Using intentional camera movement to capture abstractions of the color palette of the Caribbean Sea at sunrise. https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com