If you're a chemist or physicist, you will know that water is one of the most unique substances on earth.  Not only is it the giver of life, but its chemical properties are like no other.  Which is one reason why I find it so interesting to capture in the camera.​

​The other reasons are many.  Water has always been so many things to me - I can't even wake up without a shower in the morning, and every time it envelops me, I feel refreshed and revitalized.  Then there is the ocean, the largest body of water on the planet, this ever-changing force that has countless moods and eternal beauty, that can be at one moment  incredibly serene and at the next a dangerous, frothing tempest.

Wave action can produce some stunning scenes when captured in the right way.  One thing I noticed early on when photographing the ocean and waves is that when you freeze a moment in time, especially with a short exposure, it never gives you much.  It does't capture the feeling you get when you sit by the water's edge and listen to the waves break, rhythmically, with the salt spray in the air, and the sun glinting off of the water.  These moments are so peaceful, but to translate that feeling to film is the challenge that intrigues me.

My secret?  Long exposures.  This means leaving the shutter of the camera open for longer periods of time, seconds or sometimes even minutes, to either give the wave action some blur or turn it into mist.  I have found that right around a second long exposure can produce some pretty cool stuff.

This image was taken fairly recently - in early December 2012 - near Punta de Mita in Mexico.  I hadn't done one of these in a long time.  The rocks extending out from the beach were gorgeously lined up, the waves fairly big, so as the sun set, I snapped away.  This image was my favorite of the bunch.

To see more of my water portfolio, click here.  To purchase any of my images, email me at williamwhenry66@gmail.com., or click here to fill out your contact info.