TITLE: The Ocean is an Artist

This image was captured at Solana Beach CA where the black sand can form striking patterns due to various natural processes that naturally accumulate heavier minerals like magnetite. These patterns can appear as streaks, swirls, or even intricate designs on the beach as in this photo which is caused by the action of wind and waves.

AUTHOR: Catherine Riddle (United States)

I fell in love with photography at age 13 when I was loaned a camera to use for my first photography class in school. Since then I have taken hundreds of thousands of photos, film and now digital, and I see the world as a beautiful work of art waiting to be captured. I am an amateur photographer and my day job is a research scientist which take me to many locations across the world and with each trip my digital camera accompanies me. For me, there is beauty in everything and I tend to see it all though the lens of my camera as new and old places are visited, or revisited, and I see new ways of looking at and photographing what I see. I will retire from my day job soon and I hope to pursue photography full time and turn professional.