This is a collection of some of the water drops flowing into the Yosemite Valley. It is difficult to take a bad photograph in this area, as the main valley area is surrounded with lush pines and giant cliff walls in all directions. The falls were abnormally robust this summer due to a previous heavy winter and wet spring.

the extremely popular Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge happens to be the second tallest in the states, and is very easily accessible - just off the highway. This convenience allowed me to return many times to study how the moving sun dramatically changed the whole area's appearance. Most of the time, part of the falls are very brightly lit with direct sunlight and other parts are in significant shade, which makes for a terribly unbalanced exposure. Persistence paid off one day, when i arrived and the trees had a lovely pattern of light shining through and the entire upper & lower falls were evenly illuminated.

Alder Lake in Washington state

peeking up under the nodding flowers of imperial fritillaria stalks (lutea maxima)

appearing to be some seaweed gently swaying under water, this is actually an above-water decorative grass (green foxtail) that has those fuzzy tops resembling caterpillars. this is a closeup shot (capturing 0.1 x 0.16 inches) of the seeds and fuzzies that dance in the wind atop this tall grass. the seeds can be seen as large light-green pods with dark-green stripes (like a melon), and the fuzzy strands can be seen in light-green branching off the main stem in the middle, and eventually fade to brown as they reach their end.

One warm and misty afternoon, the sun peaked out for just a moment to generate one of nature's most spectacular events... a rainbow. With the exception of this beam of sunlight, the surrounding area was dim and wet. I immediately pulled off the road and started setting up to capture this colourful phenomenon touching down into a nearby field. By the time I was prepared, the intensity picked up and I captured the entire essence on film. The air was still very misty, but the vibrant bands of colour showed through quite well and really shows off a natural work of art.

one of many Lotus ponds throughout China.

Mount Rainier in Washington