Like many a child in the Great Lakes region, I often spent family summer vacations camping near the vast lakes, which were as oceans to me. When it was too cold for swimming, my family would wander below the upper wave line looking for pretty stones. Wet rocks are always more vibrant than dry rocks farther up the beach, because the wetness hides all the minute scratches that dull a stone's surface.

40+ years later, here I am walking Great Lakes beaches again, looking for photographs rather than stones. Of course, pretty stones still catch my eye, especially when they choose to pose for my camera. I created this composition on a remote shore of Lake Superior.

In this photograph, the commonplace, dark basalt stones are the perfect foil for the flamboyant rhyolite, with its streaks and specks and lovely colors.

Lee Rentz

lee@leerentz.com