It feels like flying low in a small plane over a vast uncharted mountain range. The peaks angular shape punching up from the ground -pushing back the distant horizon. I’m in command of my point of view. Venturing deep into the valleys below then sweeping high overhead to see the scope and depth of the rocky terrain below.

For a moment or two I’m caught up in my own little fantasy world of flight. The valleys below hidden in the shadows of unnamed peaks Not a worry about time or agenda.

Sadly, I’m not piloting my own aircraft, but instead my eye is glued to a cameras viewfinder. A macro lens attached as I sweep over an amethyst quartz crystal I have just purchased from a store here in San Clemente, CA. Far from the mountains in my momentary fantasy world. A stone’s throw away from world famous surf breaks.

The Greeks name for crystals is derived from the words ice and rock. And not surprisingly the very elements these beauties resemble – especially when viewed in great detail provide by my lens choice today. I wanted to get close to these translucent polycrystals. See if the perspective of magnification would yield the shape and texture I was looking for.

With my naked eye, I was not sure what adventure I would find . Pulling up the frame of a viewfinder with a close-up lens and the whole world takes on a new point of view.

In this case, a flight into a distant mountain range, with the sound of the surf breaking outside my van window.