One advantage of December travel is that the national parks are far less crowded. On this day we had just hiked up Fern Canyon in Redwood National & State Parks and then walked out on the Pacific Ocean beach–which we had all to ourselves. The dark sand made a strong contrast with the incoming foamy waves, so it was a natural to create the photograph in black-and-white. The menacing clouds on the horizon added to the primal and timeless feeling. This was one of those waves that comes far up the flat beach, trying to tickle our toes.

Location: Redwood National & State Parks, California, USA

LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition produced by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.