These Miraculous Photos Of Water Are Just One More Reason Why Conservation Matters

Bernhard Edmaier was a geologist long before he was a photographer, and it shows.
Bernhard Edmaier

A chocolatey stream curls through layers of earth, stacked high, pink and cake-like. From above, it’s hard to tell the scale: is it a tiny, moldy rivulet cutting through a crack in the ground, or a massive body of water?

That’s the wonderful thing about Bernhard Edmaier’s photos: they make nature into an optical illusion -- a stunning work of art that we should work to preserve.

In Water, a new collection of photographs out this month, Edmaier captures the almost fantastical appearance of some of planet Earth’s most peculiar aqueous features. An erupting volcano in Iceland, a crystal-like glacier in Switzerland and an amoeba-like reef are all captured from above, displaying the variety of beauty the world has to offer.

It helps that Edmaier was a geologist long before committing to a career in photography -- and, his wife, who travels with him on his expeditions, still works in the field of geology, too. On his personal site, Edmaier notes, “I keep moving between two worlds: the world of science in the most general sense of the word and that of art … this constant oscillation between documentary and detached.”

During a past exhibit, Edmaier said of his work, “These landscapes are fragile Nature-created formations which, in the long run, will be unable to resist man's unstoppable urge to exploit -- they will alter and ultimately disappear.” So, his aim is to keep a log of these features while they’re still around.

And he travels great lengths to do so. Ninety percent of his photos are taken from the sky, either from a helicopter or a small plane. Look below to check out stunning overhead views of Iceland, Malaysia and beyond.

Bernhard Edmaier
San Juan River, Utah, USA
Bernhard Edmaier
Disko Bay, West Greenland
Bernhard Edmaier
Art Atoll, Maldives
Bernhard Edmaier
Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland
Bernhard Edmaier
Fjallabak, Torfajökull Massif, Iceland
Bernhard Edmaier
Findelen Glacier, Valais, Switzerland
Bernhard Edmaier
Isluga Volcano, Andes, Chile
Bernhard Edmaier
Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia

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