Acquadance: The Unseen Currents

Water fountain macro


Macros allow us to look at everyday things and discover hidden gems. We often find a new world under our noses if we focus on small details.

In our old home, for example, we had a backyard water feature. Besides the soothing sounds of moving water, there were also benefits to wildlife having a place to get water whenever they wanted. One late afternoon, the fall sunlight reflected gently on the water basin, creating myriad abstract shapes and colors. I took over a dozen photos from various angles. Each one revealed details I could not have predicted because I was literally stopping the water motion with each image. The golden hour water reflections above the surface created intriguing abstracts. Were they golden nuggets?

Water fountain macro


Spending time watching water can be very calming, especially when it’s done during the golden hour. The forms and colors change with each bubble that breaks above the surface. When I was looking at this water feature in our backyard, I saw the effects of hydropower on a small scale.

I thought of two articles I had recently read about rain having fallen on the Greenland Ice Sheet for the first time. In one article by Christian Thorsberg, the author points out that rain is not what one would expect in one of the “most reliably frozen regions” on the planet. In another, the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) pointed out that rain fell for “several hours, and air temperatures remained above freezing for about nine hours.” The result from that rain caused 7 billion tons of water to flood the summit, Thorsberg wrote.


Returning to our small backyard feature, I see how just a few bubbles above the surface cause an overflow and spill water over the fountain base. It shouldn’t be hard to imagine the global impact of that Greenland rainfall on the planet.

In this last photo, do you also see a frog or am I imagining things?

Those are the stories behind the shots. If you liked these photos, you might also be interested in other posts featuring Abstracts, Macros, Reflections, and Water. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.


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11 Responses

  1. Toonsarah
    | Reply

    I definitely saw a frog in that last one, even before I got to the point where you mentioned it! And I think the second one looks a bit like a face – an old man floating on his back, nose pointed towards the sky 😀

    • Egidio Leitao
      | Reply

      Oh my, Sarah, you are absolutely right about the old man’s face. I had not noticed that. Thank you.

  2. Anne Sandler
    | Reply

    Yes, to the frog and the face. This is a thought provoking post Egidio. It makes me wonder what I’ve been missing when I photograph fountains.

    • Egidio Leitao
      | Reply

      Thanks, Anne. Isn’t it funny? I had not noticed the man’s face until Sarah mentioned it.

  3. Agata 40thousandkm
    | Reply

    Amazing backyard gems! (and yes, face and frog 😉 )

  4. margaret21
    | Reply

    Extraordinary. And yes, I see a frog.

    • Egidio Leitao
      | Reply

      Thanks, Margaret. It’s fascinating what stopping motion allows us to see.

  5. The way you connect small moments, like water reflections, to global events is fascinating!
    And yes, I can totally see a frog—nature always surprises!
    Keep capturing those hidden gems!

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