Water

connecting with Water...
Another self-portrait where I'm pretending to be capable of deep thoughts.
Perspective-wise, this is easily the most unusual waterfall I’ve ever photographed.
Lewis Falls are located in a much less visited area compared to the nearby Ricketts Glen State Park.
One of the most popular waterfall of Shenandoah National Park.
After an exhausting 100-foot-long hike from the parking lot, I relaxed by scrambling on the steep slope, searching for the most intriguing perspective of this roadside waterfall.
Sometimes I feel reluctant to shoot photos of places where I can bring little to no uniqueness to the classic view or perspective. Sometimes, though, the places are simply too beautiful not to try.
Very few people are familiar with this park, even those living on the East Coast and leading an active outdoor life. I'm not sure why, but I'm actually quite happy with this fact. Twenty-one named waterfalls on just a five-mile hike. If you like small East Coast forest waterfalls, this is definitely the place to be.
After 24 hours of non-stop rain, it finally stop, bringing subtle glow to the air and swelling Jonathan Run in Ohiopyle State Park.
Underexposing the shot and applying some simple post-processing techniques remove everything non-essential from the photo and allows to focus on the main subjects.
First, something glimpsed on the live-view screen of my camera. “I need to sleep more during my trips,” was my first thought. Then I saw a crowd of kids running along the shore towards me. Then a big gray body appeared from the water again, this time closer to me. In a minute, the animal showed up again less than a hundred yards from my spot. Alaska is a place where whales literally jump into one's photo.
When blue and golden hours meet.
This park will always be special to me due to its close proximity to home and the fact it was my very first US park to visit. Photography-wise, the place remains challenging because, despite the beauty and power of the falls, they don't offer many obvious photo opportunities. I'm still looking forward to shooting something really special here.
This is probably one of the most photographed destinations on the planet. The variety of perspectives and weather patterns allows the pictures to be quite different, though.
Photography in Iceland would be<br/> 2% - photography itself<br/> 98% - when the heck is this rain gonna stop?
Sometimes nature creates the most intricate frames for photos.
Although this area in Pennsylvania is more famous for its Ricketts Glen State Park, many other parks and game lands nearby hide dozens of beautiful waterfalls and cascades.
After almost discarding this photo initially, over time I developed a sort of acquired taste for it. The strong leading lines, minimalism, and silky water texture make this picture different from many other waterfalls I've shot.
Taking long-exposure photos of foam patterns on a pond surface is predictably unpredictable process. It’s impossible to know beforehand what the result of those 30 seconds would be. You can only take multiple shots and then torture yourself trying to determine the most aesthetically pleasing. I took a few dozen pictures of this cascade in Ricketts Glen Park and eventually ended up with just two options to pick out from. The foam patterns on the other shot clearly resembled X-rays of the male reproductive system. Gosh, it was a tough choice to make! And I’m still puzzled why I ultimately ended up with this one.
Possibly one of the most photogenic waterfalls in Pennsylvania, especially if you appreciate simplicity.
Incredibly blue glacier water on a popular hike in Glacier National Park.
One of the most fascinating things I find about waterfalls is how drastically their appearance and mood change with varying amounts of water in the creeks and rivers. While a regular passerby might have been disappointed by the low water in the creek that October in Ricketts Glen, some waterfalls simply became even more photogenic.
October brings splashing colors to these game lands in Pennsylvania.
Likely the most popular waterfall in Shenandoah National Park with an easy 0.5-mile hike access. Multiple streams, levels, and cascades create opportunities for a variety of compositions. Of course, only if you manage to beat the crowd (I mean by arriving early, not by using a tripod as a weapon).
We often forget how much beauty something simple can hold. I need to remind myself of this every time I take my camera.
It is somewhat ironic that possibly the most photogenic waterfall in Shenandoah National Park is not accessible by any trail. Rocky steep terrain, fallen trunks, stinging nettle and prickly underbrush for a mile of bushwalking. Nevertheless, the reward is priceless and all to yourself. Having both ankles not twisted and picking up no ticks would be an absolute bonus too.
I've seen this waterfall after heavy rains, when the water rushes down in a single flow. I've seen it after a period of drought, when there was too little water to convey any sense of intensity. But sometimes, everything just aligns perfectly.
When I was a kid, Alaska was a quintessence of something remote and wild those days. Glorified and mystified in Jack London’s novels, located far away from everything on a colorful map in my room… Very few places seemed more unreachable. It has changed. The world becomes painfully small with traveling when The Last Frontier is merely a few hours away from home. The world becomes even smaller when one of the best jazz musicians who you listened to while commuting to college back in Ukraine, now shakes your hand in a small local club and humbly thanks for coming to his concert. The world, however, immediately becomes incomprehensibly immense when you think of people you love and have no clue about where they presently are on this tiny planet.
Columbia River Gorge is a gorgeous gorge (is it just me who finds that phrase a bit odd?). But so many times, when I come across something truly spectacular among other photographers' works, the caption includes “unfortunately, this area was completely destroyed by a fire”.

Water represents emotions, intuition, and adaptability. It symbolizes the flow of life, nurturing, and cleansing. Water is associated with the subconscious mind and the ability to connect deeply with ourselves and others. It reflects the qualities of fluidity, receptivity, and the capacity to nourish and heal.

Water teaches us about emotional intelligence, empathy, and the importance of going with the flow. It emphasizes the need for introspection, healing, and flexibility. This element encourages us to trust our intuition, connect with our emotions, and nurture our relationships. Water also highlights the importance of purification, helping us to cleanse our minds and spirits of negative influences. Engaging with the Water element through practices such as meditation by a body of water, emotional healing techniques, and creative expression can enhance our emotional balance, deepen our intuition, and foster a greater sense of peace and harmony.

Other elements:
Earth gallery
Earth
Fire gallery
Fire
Air gallery
Air
Ether gallery
Ether