Sparkling

How do I get the magical blue-green colors in my wave images?

The most important reason is light- the brighter the light, the more color. All these sparkling waves were taken on bright sunny days. The waves themselves come from offshore (often tropical) storms coming up the coast. Compare these to my “dark and stormy” gallery where local storm clouds block light and, therefore, color giving rise to shades of grey. The color of waves depends upon the wavelength of light that is reflected back to the eye. Longer light wavelengths such as red or orange are absorbed, whereas shorter wavelengths such as blue and green are reflected. That’s why waves appear to be varying colors of blue and green.

Within the blue-green spectrum, the ocean will appear in shades of blue to blue/green to green depending on the density of phytoplankton (microscopic marine algae). The greener the water, the more phytoplankton which causes sunlight to reflect off the green chlorophyl pigments in the phytoplankton. Variations in colors can also occur with sediments in the water. We have a healthy phytoplankton load in our waters on Cape Ann giving rise to spectacular blue-green waves.

This is my favorite form of wave photography.