Watching the waves is one of the activities that always leaves a big impression on me. While I find it soothing on the one hand, on the other, watching massive waves crash against a pear or a beach makes me feel humbled in front of nature’s force and power.
Photographer Kevin Krautgartner perfectly captured both the soothing and the powerful nature of waves in his project titled Pipeline. It’s a series of aerial images showing the beauty, colors, textures, and immense power of the world-famous Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii.
Banzai Pipeline, or simply Pipeline, is a surf break located on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. As Kevin explained to me, the Pipeline is formed by a shallow reef that causes the incoming ocean swells to break in a unique and powerful way. It creates large, barrel-shaped waves that are mesmerizing to look at.
The Pipeline is one of the most challenging waves in the world, so it attracts experienced surfers from all over the globe. They all want to ride its powerful and hollow waves, but photographers like Kevin see something else in this magnificent force of nature. The waves can reach heights of up to nine meters during peak swells, which is especially visible from an aerial perspective. And Kevin saw these waves as a perfect photographic subject.
“Personally waves always get my attention when I’m close to a coastline or the ocean,” Kevin tells DIYP. “For me, they are especially unique because they are a natural phenomenon that can create a sense of awe and wonder.” He adds that almost everything about the waves is absolutely mesmerizing: watching them rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern or observing the way they reflect and refract light. “The changing colors and patterns of the waves can be truly breathtaking and can create a sense of wonder and mystery,” Kevin adds, and he wanted to capture all this in a photographic project. And if you ask me, he sure did it!
In Kevin’s project, you can see all the colors, textures, and unique light reflections of the Pipeline. I personally find it fascinating how one single subject can be so versatile and let an artist create so many different images, each unique and beautiful in its own way. But I guess that’s nature for you – always so versatile, exciting, and inspiring.
For Kevin, these ever-lasting changes and shifts in nature are what inspires him most, and it shows. He recently released a book Water.Colors (Wasser.Farben), an aerial photography book showcasing some of the world’s most beautiful, surreal, and unique landscapes formed by water. You’ll find more of his Pipeline images below, and make sure to follow his work on his website, Facebook, Instagram, and Behance. There are plenty more amazing photos to see!
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!