Water water...everywhere

We live on an island on one of the most remote land masses on the planet so I figure I should probably do an installment on water and the ocean. We are surrounded by it and it changes every day with sun, the wind, the current, seasons and the moon cycle. Some days it is smooth and calm, revealing what lies beneath.

And some days it is "snotty" as we used to say on the boats. Those are the days that I hoped I wasn't working on the boats when I worked in the Lahaina Harbor in the early 90's. The water turns almost black and the skies range from grey to dark blue in a stormy cast.

These days I am more of a "land lubber," taking photos from the shoreline and getting out on the water every once in a while when my boating friends take pity on me.

Hawaii provides a great venue for photographing water and on its good days, it is stunning. The water turns various shades of blue and turquiose and the reef and sands below cast a colorful contrast through the water. This is my favorite time to shoot.

I have dropped to my knees on a beach or two, dialing in my polarizing filter to capture the range of colors in the water with the reef beneath, probably frightening some visitors who were wondering what a fully clothed person was doing crawling around the beach in the middle of the day.

Getting the sun shooting through the water at just the right angle is the trick to getting a really great shot in my eyes.

Colors and textures and tones appear from the depths, providing interesting compositions and stunning landscapes (ahem, excuse me, oceanscapes).

So stop sitting in front of your computer reading this blog and get outside. If you live near water, go jump in! It's just waiting for you...

a hui hou,

Aubrey