The Magic of Water

Floating - seasonal creek, Nevada

Below:   City of Lights - Lake Siskiyou, California and Overly Exuberant Sunstars - Boulder Lake, Nevada


Photographing magical or moody reflections on water is absolutely alluring to me, and there is no better way to spend time than in nature, next to a body of water.  Fortunately I live rurally, in the small town of Mount Shasta in northernmost California, with seemingly endless lakes and rivers and creeks offering much to enjoy and photograph. Most of my Magic of Water photography is from northern California, with some images found in Nevada. Besides enjoying the tranquility of nearby lakes or creeks, I also love the vastness and peace of the high desert which, unfortunately, doesn't have much water.


My photographs are all single exposures, taken right there in nature. I process my RAW files (digital negatives) in Lightroom. I don't do AI. I don't even use Photoshop, which isn't necessarily to my advantage, but I'm happy with the simplicity of Lightroom. I also don't use filters to achieve effects. I don't add or remove anything in my photos except unsightly splotches and specks. I say all this because these days I receive messages telling me my photos are fake. They aren't. I do understand, though, because when viewing others' work I often wonder the same.


Educator and photographer John Barclay asserts that we photograph what makes our hearts sing. My heart sings when I look through my camera's viewfinder focused on water. My heart also sings when I listen to soft music as I look through the images I just took and one stands out and feels just right. Most of all my heart sings when I print a photo I love and it turns out beautifully. There is nothing in photography, to me, as special as the final product - the photograph.

Archival 8x12 inch fine art prints of my Magic of Water images are available for purchase.  Please check the Contact/Buy page for details.

Gloria Olson 

Cameras and Lenses

Sony a7riv paired with the Sony 70-350mm G lens (105 to 525mm full frame equivalent). Occasionally I also use my Sony 100-400mm GM lens.

Fujifilm X-T5 paired with the Fulifilm 70-300mm lens (full frame equivalent of 105-450mm).

My set-up is a bit redundant and in a perfect world I would use one camera and one lens for the Magic of Water images. Unfortunately each has its own special strengths that I absolutely can't live without.