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Photographer making waves with stunning images

Thursday, August 8, 2013, 5:03 PM -

Award-winning photographer Clark Little has generated a tidal wave of attention with his stunning images.

In 2007, the California native armed himself with a water-proof camera and jumped into the Pacific ocean.

The end result is a breath-taking photo essay of Hawaiian waves breaking close to shore.

"The shorebreak is my comfort zone," Little writes on his website.

"I absolutely love it. It's always different. The light, the colors, the water, the sand and what happens to it. And to be there to capture it and share it with the world... what a dream."

Here  is just a sample of Little's work. The rest can be seen at Clark's online gallery.

Images / image captions courtesy of Clark Little Photography.

Blue Rise

This image was shot right after sunrise on a glassy day with calm winds. Look closely in the arch of the wave on the left and you can see the beach and landscape reflected in the waves. The curve of the wave has a similar effect to how a spoon reflects objects upside down.

Crystal Ball

This image provides a surfer's view of a shorebreak tube breaking in the crystal clear water of the North Shore. The glassy, light wind conditions keep the water surface smooth and transparent, highlighting the sand on the sea floor and the clouds through the roof of the tube.

Dancing Honu

When the waves are smaller, the endangered Hawaiian green sea turtle will come close to shore to eat the seaweed off of the reef in the shallows. Their name comes from the green seaweed that gets stored in their fat. This turtle is dwarfed by a large wave breaking over its back and is probably pushing its luck a bit too far.

Pink Flash

Using a strobe flash during dusk, the inside of this wave is highlighted showing a rarely see view at night - sand getting pulled up off of the sea floor into a pitch dark wave. The sunset completes the picture with adding colors to the high clouds and causing subtle reflections.

Curtain Call

This image was taken inside a foamy North Shore tube. Shot using a strobe flash as the sun sets into the Pacific Ocean.

Sand Monster

Clark is standing in knee deep water as this wave heaves up and over. It is shallow, the sand is getting sucked into the wave. The sun is directly overhead at noon, which lights up the sand inside the wave.

Here's a few shots of Clark in action.