In my “Tafoni” project I explore the essence of salt weathering of rocks on the coast of California in Half Moon Bay. I photograph the mesmerizing colors, forms and textures in the seemingly random patterns of rocks.

In what at first glance is disguised as a coastal landscape, the juxtaposition of smooth texture of rocks against their porous and coarse counterpart, the light and washed out sandstone carved into the hard granite create exquisite patterns and shapes that we come to know as tafoni.

From simply perfect circular cavities with smooth, round pebbles nested in them, to refined honeycombs, or some giant lizard shape-rock, one can see the passage of time etched on the face of earth. These changing shapes document the complex interaction between rocks and the physical and chemical factors that shape them in their environment.

Close up photograph of a beach scape with stones and sand. A big rounded rock i s in the foreground. The colors are blue and the light atmospheric fading towards the background.
Close up photograph of a rock formation on the Californian beach that resembles turtle backs on top of each other. The rock in the foreground is surrounded by warm light brown sand on the left. Atmospheric light highlights the center of the photograp
Photograph depicting honeycomb weathering or "swiss-cheese rock," called tafoni. They are small, rounded, smooth-edged openings in a rock surface. The rocks are covered by white sand, resembling an outer worldly scenery.
Close-up photograph of dark brown colored tafoni extending over light grey rocks. Warm light enters the image from the left.
Close-up photograph of dark brown colored tafoni extending over light grey rocks. Warm, dramatic light enters the image from top. The rocks are layered in the image frame, resembling stair cases.
Detail shot of tafoni rising out of a rock with a very smooth surface. The photograph is in portrait size. The rock has a crack that reaches from the upper middle in a soft left curve to the bottom of the photo. The light is warm and soft.
Detailed photograph of a fragment of a rock. The light is warm and highlights the yellow-brown colored Tafoni that extend at the bottom and the right of the portrait sized image. The image was taken in California.
Vertical photograph of rock patterns and Tafoni. The light is warm and highlights the yellow-brown colored shapes carved into the rock, from holes to gauges to layers that look like rings of a tree bark.
Horizontal photograph of Californian sand rocks and Tafoni in the rocks. The light is diffuse and the colors are warm grey and light brown.
Vertical photograph of Tafoni along the California coast. The light is warm, creating dramatic shadows that highlight the holes and lines carved into the soft sand rocks. The color palette reaches from dark sand colors in the foreground to greys in t

I am very fortunate to be living close to Bean Hollow Beach in Half Moon Bay, because even though these rock formations can be found in a variety of environments, from wet coastal areas to the extreme hot deserts, or frozen lands of Antarctica, they are a rare and mysterious phenomenon. During various NASA missions, tafoni were also identified on rock formations on Mars.

These strange sculptures carve the stories of the times passed in sandstones and granites. But they also promise of what is to come: a resilient nature, forever changing, building and creating. I hope that my images create a visual story of the beauty and vulnerability of this amazing natural landscape.

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