Deep Water, Leaf Paths

The motion of water can produce all manners of painterly effects through an open camera shutter, but rarely is a photographer blessed with something that really resembles impressionism. This tumbling creek, carved from shelves of rock in a tropical canyon, was a rich and unexpected exception. Leaves and jungle detritus spun and faltered in pools on their journey to the nearby ocean. To the lingering eye they could look every bit as nubile and prophetic as a Monet garden or a Van Gogh sky.

Creating this photograph was anything but spontaneous, a process of patience and many short, dim canyon evenings. By the time we finally departed our small cliff-side cabana, I had many exposures to choose from. This is my favourite – I like the texture of the water and the wandering path that exits the frame very near where it entered. It reminds me of a colourful crowd of people milling around a busy market street.

On the headlamp-lit hike up canyon to rejoin Terri and Fin that evening, a small snake darted between my legs. It made my heart race – in the tropical forests, unlike my home, everything is alive, but not everything is benign.