French photographer Pierre Carreau depends on weather forecasts to help him create a variety of images when he is shooting his favorite subject – waves.

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“Weather means, of course, light but also the waves’ size, direction, period, wind direction and speed,” Carreau explained to Weather.com. “All these meteorological elements [guarantee the] diversity of images I can create.”

While being reliant on something that is hard to predict would frustrate some people, it excites Carreau.

“[Weather] is the part I can’t control, but I like this!” he exclaimed over e-mail.

Carreau, who was born in Paris and now calls St. Barths home, cites his passion for surfing as one of the many reasons he is interested in shooting waves.

“As a surfer I spent hours and hours waiting for [waves], looking at them and of course trying to use their energy to do the best ride,” he said. “A strong relationship has been created. It is a part of my life.”

Carreau has a preference for photographing smaller waves because of the “details and transparency” of their curl. It is their movement that fascinates him, and that is the focus of collection of photos.

“It’s hard to explain, but it’s like waves are an alive state of water,” he said. And in his aptly titled photo series, “AquaViva,” Carreau explores this idea further.

To see more of Carreau’s work visit his site.

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