Breathtaking Beauty: The Coast of Dubrovnik

Peer into your future desktop wallpaper. 

The vivid blue Adriatic Sea, clear sky, standalone Lokrum Island and Dubrovnik's famous Old Town and City Walls merge together so flawlessly, creating an epic all-in-one adventure. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

The Astonishing Blue Waters of Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea offers the most dramatic and marvelous water hues. Crystal clear aqua blue colors dazzle and shine especially brighter on sunny days. From this angle, Dubrovnik's historic Old Town and City Walls take over the coastal views.

The Rainbow After: Waikiki from the Mountains

Diamond Head State Monument Part I: Windy morning showers cleared up just in time for a hike. From above, we can see the starking contrast of the sky. 

Dark, moody clouds on the left side, offering vibrant aqua-blue water hues and a rainbow on the right side of Waikiki, showcasing a much brighter mood and future.

Ethereal Garden Dreams: Blue-Green Imagery

ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden Part III: There was something about these older wooden doors, the shadows of the trees, and the tranquility of it all that made me want to capture this moment.

I decided to give this photo more of a dreamy feel by adding in blue-green filters, which brings in more of an ethereal quality to this scene, further highlighting the sharpness and clarity of the tree leaves and the reflections. 

Reduced Saturation and Reversed Hues Water Effect

Most of the time, images would be enhanced the usual way--upping the brightness, contrast, and saturation to bring out more of the color of an image and to represent the true beauty of what we are seeing with the naked eye. But what happens when we do the opposite? The reverse effect also has its own spectacular, dreamy quality.

I decided to test drive it with this image of Mission Bay and the building water reflections. I reduced the saturation, contrast, and brightness, then changed up the hues so there's a bit of pink and aqua magic (my favorites) in the water. To my amazement, the picture may be darker but more of the details and surprising hints of colors in the background end up popping out more, offering a catchy glowy effect.

Summer's Dream: Aqua and Pink Palm Tree Delight

Walked around a spacious, mysterious park filled with all sorts of natural wonders. After a half hour, I stumbled upon a lot of palm tree goodness and had to get a closeup of this one. These are naturally green colored leaves, but I decided to change up the hues to give it a tropical vibe by adding aqua and pink colors.

Aqua Sky, Clouds, and Waterfront Reflections

These boats are all aligned so perfectly at the port by the waterfront. The cloudy sky and mid-afternoon light add an extra surreal touch to this image. The overcast skies and the boats also reflect upon the gray-aqua hued waters, giving it a magical, dreamy vibe.

Sparkling Aqua and Coral Snowflakes Imagery

I was cleaning out my closet and was inspired by my aqua snowflake t-shirt--the color, the texture, the snowflake design--so I decided to create an image based off of that. Aqua and coral are one of the best color combos so I used that as the main gradient for this picture. I also added various snowflake designs and sizes in gray and white hues. Last but not least, I wanted to give it a sparkly effect and add extra emphasis and uniqueness to the snowflakes, so noise, shadows, and a mixture of textured colors are a must.

Magnetic Aqua and Pink Garden Water Reflections

One of the oldest Japanese Gardens in the area with traditional pagodas, plants, and lakes all around.

I decided to manipulate the image with various contrasts and effects to bring out the lush textures of the scene. Different shades of aqua green leaves and lavender pink skies reflect upon the waters, offering a soft, dreamy quality and aesthetic to the garden.

The Magical Tree: The Secrets of Enlightenment

Future's Past art sculpture image Part II: This art display created by Kate Raudenbush at Patricia Green Park is filled with intricacies inside and out, starting with a defining auburn-colored bodhi tree at the top. Special twist? This exceptional pyramid also glows at night (with a glow-in-the-dark green color) and can be seen far into the distance.

Magical Stream of Lights: Glowing Aqua and Plum Trees

Trees are refreshing in their natural green color and spectacular in orange-red, rusty shades in autumn...but I decided to have a little fun and tweak this Japanese garden into completely different colors by using some highly contrasted hue effect. I love how the sky glows in pale yellow, the trees shine in plum purple, and the bright red flowers dazzle in striking aqua tones.

Aqua and Coral Imagery Collage

Strong seaside beach colors in aqua and coral. Those ocean-like hues always evoke refreshingly pleasant memories, so I decided to create an entire collage with that theme in mind... followed by little snapshots of other pictures floating around in the background that resemble a travel scrapbook.

Surreal Aqua Waterfall Imagery

A man-made waterfall at the Sun Terrace rooftop garden. Love the idea and design behind this unique creation--especially the airy aqua color! It glows and stands out in the distance. 

*San Francisco has a series of unique, hidden privately owned public open spaces (POPOS) sprinkled throughout the city that are worth checking out.*