“Water is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth’s hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms.”
Trust Wikipedia to take water and boil it down to a scientific dry gulch.
Water is so familiar to us that we’ve allowed it to become unfamiliar.
Water just is.
We so take it for granted that we forget what a remarkable work of nature that water is.
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” ~ Ryunosuke Satoro
As a photo subject water is one of the most, if not THE most versatile of photo subjects. It presents itself in so many different ways.
Water is a singular tiny raindrop decorating a flower…
Water droplets cradled in a petal
Morning rain drops adorn an aloe fire chief flower
… or water is the millions of drops in a wave 
“I love the sounds and the power of pounding water, whether it is the waves or a waterfall.” ~ Mike May
Montara, California
For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It’s always ourselves we find in the sea.
~ E.E. Cummings
Gray Whale Cove, Montara, California
“Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time.”
~ H. P. Lovecraft
Water is the giver of life and life’s habitat and sanctuary. For some water is home; for others water provides safety and for still others water is a deadly hunting ground.
Bull elk drinks from the cool Gardiner River. Yellowstone NP
Egret perches on a branch in a pond, Hercules, California
“No water, no life. No blue, no green.” ~ Sylvia Earle
Ducks cruise the waters of San Pablo Bay, California
Elephant seals, Morro Bay, California
“To love a swamp, however, is to love what is muted and marginal, what exists in the shadows,” ~ Barbara Hurd, Stirring the Mud: On Swamps, Bogs, and Human Imagination
An alligator lurks in the water of a Louisiana swamp
In the months since COVID assaulted our daily lives, I’ve rediscovered water through the camera lens; clouds, fog, snow, rain and particularly the ocean. I’ve visited the ocean numerous times to photograph and marvel at the ocean’s power and beauty. I could watch the waves for hours because each wave has it’s own character. No two are truly alike.
Banner photo – Moonstone Beach, Cambria, California.
Really nice post; the photos, quotes, and your commentary.
Thank you David. I’ve a few more of the water posts in my mind’s pipeline.
oh my goodness are the photos here so unique and beautiful –
glad COVID led you to explore water with your lens because you have such a uqiue approach with these masterful shots – esp the future shot and the 3rd and 4th (or is it 4th and 5th??) either way – enjoyed this post Paulie
Thank you so much. I appreciate the kind words. I’ve found that the beach is one of the safest places to be these days. No summer crowds. Usually just a few people scattered here and there. Biggest crowds are the beaches that attract the surfers and they’re all in the water.
Well stay safe at the beach and away from the shore 😉
Individually we are one drop, together we are an ocean. Beautiful and profound at the same time.
Maybe we should take a hint from water and be an ocean instead of a lot of drops. Or drips?
Oh, if only we would. Right now there are way too many drips! Quite the metaphor. 😊
Thank you. These lovely pictures, especially the ocean waves, epitomize life and hope.
Thank you for visiting Marie. I’ve definitely rediscovered the ocean. I used to live 3 blocks from Ocean Beach in San Francisco and now I wish I’d never left. I certainly took it for granted.
Excellent post, great photos and a perfect comment about water being such a versatile photo subject. I totally agree with your closing paragraph. When I was staying in Pacifica early this year, I frequently walked the beach and was always fascinated that each wave was unique while being so similar to the one before it and the one after. Last year when I almost weekly spent a day in S.F., I usually spent part of that day at Ocean Beach. The areas south of Noriega are my favorite because they are the least populated and as such are the easiest to watch the waves for long periods of time and be relatively undisturbed.
Over the past couple of months after having returned from Morro Bay I’ve visited the coast at least half a dozen times. I plan on visiting more during the winter months when the big waves are forecast. I certainly took living on 47th Ave. and later on Seal Rock Dr. for granted. When we were in Cayucos I saw a trailer park on a hill above the pier and imagined that if I were single I might be able to stand a double wide, a dog, a notebook and my camera.
Great pictures Paul, you have a keen, artistic eye.
I have an affinity for water, though I only learned to swim a couple of years ago. Somehow, I’ve never feared it. Must be the Pisces in me. 🙂
Have a great week,
eden
Thank you for stopping by
I think we should all have an affinity for water. It’s usually our friend but I do have another coming up in the water series in which it’s best to look and not touch.
You have a great week also, Eden.