By Ecoist in Animals & Habitats, Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems

(Images via: Doc Marton, Mugley, Adselwood and Dpurdy)

Photographing water and ice presents unique challenges but also incredible opportunities to show off the myriad properties of water in its many forms – the reflectivity of pools, the transparency of ice, amazing color ranges and other curiously variable properties. From the amazing beauty of water phenomena and formations to the chilling reality of water disasters, the use of HDR and/or tone-mapping brings a surrealistic element into play that can transform the look and feel of an ordinary waterscape in a variety of ways.

(image via Wolfgang Staudt)

HDR photography focusing on water almost inevitably involves other landscape elements as well, from a mountain peaking out from under its snow cap to the reflective water which we barely see at all as in the shot of the Saar River in Germany above. This gallery shows off the interplay between water and surrounding natural and artificial elements, how it can blend in or contrast with, reflect and augment its surroundings.

This concludes week two of a four-week four-elements series, starting with the most beautiful of natural water phenomena and formations to the most devastating of natural water disasters. Next week WebEcoist will feature three new articles revolving around air, from amazing air and cloud formations to terrible air and wind disasters and compelling air photography.