Lee Rentz

At sunset, the glacial tarns were in deep shade, but the water surface still caught the golden light reflecting off the peaks rising above the cirque. The photograph is a contrast of shade light and sunlight, blue and gold.

I photographed this glacial basin in the basin below Yellow Aster Butte in the North Cascades Mountains of the USA's Washington State. I was taking a backpacking hike over a couple of days, during which I took some favorite landscape photographs, saw a bear cross the trail, and watched an incredibly bright meteor streak across the sky. Magic was in the air!

The natural world can be peaceful and serene, or roaring with power and energy. This waterfall, known as Bridal Veil Falls, is a thundering waterfall tumbling out of the mountains in spring, when snow is melting. For this photograph I wanted to capture that energy, contrasting with the placid trees perched on a cliff that is really part of the waterfall. I used a short shutter speed to largely freeze the chaos of tumbling water, which adds to the impression of power.

This waterfall is located just below Lake Serene, in Washington State's Mt. Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest in the USA.

While camping at Antelope Island State Park in Utah's Great Salt Lake, most of the campers nearby were Germans taking long holidays in the American West. The campground itself was located dramatically along the shore, with a distant view across the Great Salt Lake. At this sunset, the quiet lake perfectly reflected the colorful sky, with a distant dark strip of distant shore. This composition reminds me of abstract expressionist paintings by Mark Rothko.

California's Pacific Ocean coast is among the most beautiful shorelines anywhere, with rocks that meet the oncoming waves, sending a spray of foam and water and mist into the air with a thundering roar.

When I took this photograph, it was early morning in northern California, at MacKerricher State Park, which is located in northern California near Fort Bragg and Mendocino. Several times per minute, the swells rolled in and crashed against the coast, in a dramatic display of nature's power.

While hiking in the Olympic Mountains in Washington State, USA, the late afternoon light made the distant ridges seem to go on forever. I love the varied shades of blue that these ridges have taken on, and it makes me think of all the places I could hike in those mountains.

The American West is a place of cowboys and miners and Indians, and wagon trains. A few places remain as ghost towns to serve as a remembrance of the history of this vast and wonderful place. Bodie, California, was an old gold mining town that briefly thrived, then dried up, leaving churches and homes and stores inhabited only by ghosts. This photograph is a romantic portrait of the past.

Mountain streams often have crystal clear waters that invite us to linger in contemplation. While photographing a tributary of the Hoh River on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula (USA), I came upon this area of clear shallow water where the pattern of ripples on the water surface reflected off the stones on the river bottom. The mesh pattern of the ripples is interesting and beautiful, as it plays off the colorful stones.

Oil and water on pavement is incredibly beautiful up close, with the physics of thin film interference causing iridescence in a variety of beautiful colors on the raindrops. When I photographed this patch of asphalt road, I was on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, USA, a place known for rain.

An impressionistic view of autumn colors of Fireweed (aka Rosebay Willowherb) (Epilobium angustifolium) in Banff National Park, Canada. As a photographer, sometimes I find that dreamlike blurring can be much more interesting than perfect sharpness, and this photograph reflects my interest in photographic impressionism.

Autumn in Seattle's (USA) Japanese Garden is a wonderful time, and photographers can find inspiration everywhere. In this photograph, Japanese Maples form a colorful backdrop, while the ghostly leaves of the the foreground tree form a delicate contrast. I love the tracery of the lines of the branches.

Claude Monet's iconic impressionistic paintings created using his garden at Giverny as a theme rocked the art world and have been beloved ever since. I have experimented with similar subjects in my photography, and this is one of my favorite results. I photographed the water lilies floating on a pond, with reflections of autumn Japanese Maples dancing on the water surface. No, not Monet; but you can sense the inspiration.

Seattle's (USA) Japanese Garden is an enchanting and lovely place, especially in autumn when the Japanese Maples turn rich shades of red and orange. For this photograph, I found the fallen leaves under a small waterfall.

Japanese Maples have lovely colors and graceful shapes. I photographed this tree in autumn, when the leaves had turned a beautiful shade of orange. Located in Seattle's (USA) Japanese Garden, the old and twisted tree symbolizes the beauty of nature.

Yosemite National Park in California includes some of the most iconic and beautiful mountains in the world. In this photograph, I observed El Capitan and the Merced River at the end of a clear and beautiful autumn day. I especially like the reflections of this iconic mountain in the river.

Yosemite National Park in California includes some of the most iconic and beautiful mountains in the world. In this photograph, I observed El Capitan on a clear autumn day, as it rises dramatically above Yosemite Valley. It is an extraordinary place, where mind and spirit are always refreshed.

The Bristlecone Pine, found in the highest mountains of North America's Great Basin, has the longest lifespan of any tree on earth, with some individuals living 5,000 years. This Bristlecone Pine had died years--perhaps centuries--before I took this photograph; these are its ancient roots. Here I photographed up at the tree to show it standing timelessly against a clear, high mountain, sky.

The Bristlecone Pine, found in the highest mountains of North America's Great Basin, has the longest lifespan of any tree on earth, with some individuals living 5,000 years. This Bristlecone Pine had died years--perhaps centuries--before I took this photograph; this exposed wood has been weathered over the centuries into a lovely patina of lines and color.

The Bristlecone Pine, found in the highest mountains of North America's Great Basin, has the longest lifespan of any tree on earth, with some individuals living 5,000 years. This Bristlecone Pine had died years--perhaps centuries--before I took this photograph; these are its ancient roots. My interest in taking this photograph was to place the old tree in the context of the cosmos, so I photographed it so that the stars would appear in the distance.

Along Puget Sound, where I live, in Washington State of the USA, the climate is a maritime one with mild temperatures. We seldom get snow, so on this winter evening, I was thrilled by the snowfall and went outside to photograph the huge flakes falling among the cedars and firs outside my home. I found this staircase and light especially lovely, accentuated by the texture of the falling snowflakes.

Along Puget Sound, where I live, in Washington State of the USA, the climate is a maritime one with mild temperatures. We seldom get snow, so on this winter evening, I was thrilled by the snowfall and went outside to photograph the huge flakes falling among the cedars and firs outside my home. The night is quiet, with just the tracks of a few vehicles in the snow.