Iryna Kindzerska of Azerdbaidjan reacts after defeating Shiyan Xu of China during the Women +78 kg Contest for Bronze Medal A contest at the Judo events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo, Japan, 30 July 2021. (Photo by Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA/EFE)

Hot-air balloons float over the Oka River during the Russian Sky International Balloon Festival in Ryazan Region, Russia on July 26, 2021. (Photo by Alexander Ryumin/TASS)

A man in a wartime uniform, poses for a photo on an abandoned tank at a beach, ahead of the 60th anniversary of Second Taiwan Straits Crisis against China, in Kinmen, Taiwan on August 19, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

A dancer of Potosi's government departament, poses with traditional costumes at the Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, in Uyuni, Bolivia, on November 7, 2020. (Photo by Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP Photo)

Thiago Salgado from the US flips in the air after riding Razzmatazz during Round 3 of the 2023 PBR Unleash the Beast Monster Energy Buck Off at the Madison Square Garden in New York on January 8, 2023. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP Photo)

An RNLI Lifeboat crashes through waves during a multi-agency exercise to test emergency response, at Camber Sands, East Sussex, England, Thursday, September 28, 2023. The multi-agency exercise, organised by South East Coast Ambulance Service, (SECAmb) also includes Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, Rother District Council, HM Coastguard and RNLI Lifeguards. (Photo by Gareth Fuller/PA Wire via AP Photo)

Jess Fulton, 15, from Ayrshire rides her pony Harley through the waves at Irvine Beach, UK on October 20, 2025. (Photo by Jamie Williamson/The Times)

These kaleidoscopic images are the work of one persistent photographer’s efforts to capture vibrant hues at the exact moment a wave breaks. Ryan Pernofski‘s stunning shots feature brilliant yellows, reds, blues and purples as an array of sunlight hits the water at the perfect time. What’s even more impressive: Ryan, a 27-year-old Australian, began shooting his popular masterpieces without using a professional camera, taking his iPhone out into the water instead. Ryan began experimenting with this method in 2012, using an underwater housing to protect his phone, as he could not afford a professional camera. (Photo by Ryan Pernoski/Caters News Agency)