Hawaii thumbnails only

Kilauea Volcano, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is currently the only active volcano in Hawaii.
 
I had only one day allocated to Hawaii Volcanoes NP and unfortunately, the day was nearly completely a rainout. The rain was heavy, the fog was thick and the wind was very strong. I didn't even attempt to photograph with the rain protection I had along for both myself and the camera gear.
 
The plan was to end the day at the Jaggar Museum on Crater Rim Drive. This location provides the best view of the Kilauea Caldera and the glow that rises from it after the sun sets. Actually, I contemplated ending the day completely and heading back to the hotel as my AM flight was a very early one.
 
While the rain did not end, it did slow down and perhaps more important, the fog lifted. The glow became apparent - and I felt the calling. I put the camera and large lens in a large garbage bag (small hole stretched over the lens hood) and began photographing. I lost a lot of images to blur caused by the wind, but have a very solid collection of "keepers". It was very worth staying for this show.
 
Note that I would rather have had my Wimberley Tripod Head for this shoot, but I couldn't keep my checked luggage under weight with this piece of kit included. The Arca-Swiss Z1 worked superbly as always. I just had to make sure that I had a good grip on the lens when the head was not locked.

While Hawaii is not as well known for its snow as it is for its beaches and resorts, it is indeed a land of fire and ice. The 13,796' (4,138m) summit of Mauna Kea Volcano is spectacular at any time of the day, but especially so at sunrise and sunset. And I was treated to the results of a recent snow storm.
 
My time here was at sunset and my shooting was not of the setting sun itself, but of the landscape being hit with the warm light that was practically shining upward. Lighting as seen in this image does not last very long and the compositions available seemed endless - though in a more horizontal orientation.
 
I could have used a wide angle focal length and cropped the plain sky and less-attractive foreground from the image, but I instead shot a multi-image panorama that would give me higher resolution for cropping various compositions from later - or for printing large.
 
This image was shot handheld (relying on image stabilization) as I was moving fast to get as many varied shots as possible.

The Na Pali Coast of Kauai, Hawaii has one of the most spectacular landscapes you will find anywhere. It is also one of the most inaccessible places you will find.
 
To get around the inaccessibility issue, I employed a helicopter charter. This shooting platform completely opens up the possibilities for landscape photography compositions.
 
For this image, I used a circular polarizer filter. The result was deeply-saturated colors that "pop".
 
Because the subject distance was great and the focal length wide, I could get away with a relatively-wide for grand landscape photography aperture of f/5.6. The 1/640 shutter speed is also unusual for normal landscape photography - the wind in the open-doors helicopter necessitated this.

Hawaii has a wide variety of beach sand, but Black Sand Beach in Waianapanapa State Park had one of my favorites. The sand size varied from tiny grains up to round pebbles as shown in this photo.
 
It was in this location that I proved that Gore-Tex trail running shoes hold water very well - and might not be the best footwear for photographing this subject.
 
Because the pebble size I was photographing was still below the water line at times, I needed to move into place and get my shots before getting out of the way of the next incoming wave. Most of the time, this tactic worked.
 
I rarely regret shooting landscape details along with the grand scenes. Having macro capabilities built into this lens is a real bonus.

The secluded beach at Polihale State Park in Kauai, Hawaii is one of my favorites. This location is great for photographing the sand and cliffs in the warm light of the setting sun.
 
While the sand on a beach may all appear the same, you can often find something different to work into your composition. Here, I found little channels created by erosion. The channels were straight, but by shooting the contour from a close angle, they become oft-desired curves in my composition. The curves separate this photo from many others I didn't find very interesting.
 
This location also has full view of the setting sun, but I needed more time to explore the area to find a foreground other than the basic (though still beautiful) sun-into-water composition.

Haleakala National Park in Maui, Hawaii holds many months worth of photographic compositions. Actually, with the speed that the clouds change at this 10,000' altitude, perhaps there are a lifetime worth of photos awaiting to be captured here.
 
While this is a popular sunrise location, the quality late afternoon light is great for photography purposes. While I captured many variations of this scene, I like the lack of intersecting lines in the top and bottom of the frame of this image.

Banzai Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, in the winter, is the best wave photography beach I have been to.
 
The beach is beautiful and the waves are huge with great shape (perfect for surfing). Like clouds, no two waves are the same. The challenge to capture just the right wave framed perfectly under the right light (many clouds this day) could content me for days.
 
The orientation of the waves to the beach (and the wind on this day) is great, but to get deep into the waves, I used a 700mm focal length. Taking advantage of the lighter weight of the 500 L II Lens, I was shooting handheld and rested on my knees - for hours. A drop-in circular polarizer filter was used.

The history memorialized at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii is deep. And the memorial over the sunken USS Arizona is beautiful with a polarized sky behind it.

The sea cliffs on the Na Pali Coast (Kauai, HI) hold great photography potential. Getting in a position to actually see them can be the biggest challenge. Helicopters and boats work. And so does the lookout and trail at the end of the road in Kokee State Park. From this location, a telephoto lens can pull in the intriguing features of these cliffs.
 
Complicating photography here are the seemingly ever-present clouds. Nearby Mt Waialeale receives and average of 460" or more of rain annually. Rain means clouds. Clouds mean dim, flat light.
 
I was fortunate to have broken light reaching the sea cliffs on this day. This light gives the cliffs a three-dimensional look.
 
The 70-300 L Lens has become my most-used telephoto zoom landscape lens. It saw a lot of use on this trip.
 
This 1/30 second 300mm shot was captured handheld/sitting. My keeper rate for this scene was quite low due to the extreme winds being encountered on this hike.
 
A B+W circular polarizer was used in this capture.

Most images can be made better with a moon in them. And quite often, the sky opposite the sun at sunset will turn pink near the horizon. Put these two together at the top of Mauna Kea Volcano (Big Island, HI) and great things happen.
 
When photographing the moon, remember that it is very bright. It is easy to blow the highlights if not paying attention to this.

You can't tell from this picture, but it was shot in the rain. The light rain came on suddenly - just as the sunset was reaching peak color. I was not too concerned about my gear as both the camera and lens were sealed against such rain, but keeping the front element dry (for optical reasons) was a bit of a challenge. Always keep a microfiber cloth handy.
 
Rain comes from clouds and clouds are needed for dramatic sunsets. In this case, I'll take the rain.
 
I was shooting with two cameras at this time. I was capturing (handheld) waves hitting the cliffs with a telephoto zoom (70-300 L) and was capturing the sunset with a normal zoom on a tripod. This image is an HDR that utilized three exposures to get a little detail in the shaded rock and cliffs.

This perspective of the Na Pali Coast was brought to you via a helicopter. And the color of this picture was helped by the use of a circular polarizer filter.

I watched and photographed a lot of huge Banzai Pipeline waves on this afternoon in Oahu, but I especially liked what I saw as this one was setting up.
 
Each of the three waves in the frame has a noticeably different color and only the backmost wave is breaking. A strong wind put a lot of the breaking wave's spray into the air. Of course, that strong wind made 700mm handheld framing a challenge.

Yes, it snows in Hawaii. And the snow adds to the already-impressive sights at the top of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island.
 
It is not hard to drive from sea level to the nearly 14,000' summit of Mauna Kea (with the right 4x4 vehicle and the right conditions) in under 2 hours. It is also not hard to get mountain/altitude sickness by doing so. Even after acclimating at 9,000' for nearly an hour, I could feel the lack of oxygen. Children should be monitored especially closely if attempting this trip.

Always be looking for photogenic patterns - especially when flying. This particular grove of trees caught my attention from the air.
 
The concept of holding the camera level for landscape photos becomes a bit fuzzy when you are shooting straight down.

A telephoto zoom lens is usually part of my active kit when shooting landscapes. These focal lengths work great for compressed landscapes - they keep mountains large in the frame.
 
Here I was spending a lot of time looking into the viewfinder watching for perfect wave impact against the Na Pali Coast in Kauai, HI. Sunset provided the color in the sky/haze.

You can't miss this beautiful grove of Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees on the road to Hana in Maui, Hawaii.
 
Getting good light on these trees was much more challenging during my time there - during the winter rainy season. Keeping other people out of the image was also a challenge.
 
A B+W circular polarizer filter was used to get better-saturated colors.

This image was taken from Sliding Sands Trail in Haleakala National Park under a late afternoon sun.
 
The location and timing for this shoot was very good, but my decision to trail run at nearly 10,000' after driving there directly from sea level proved to be not so smart. Mountain sickness is a bad feeling - and does not immediately go away with altitude reduction.
 
For composing this image, I avoided significant lines running through the top and bottom of the frame for a clean look. The curving lines of contrast within the frame are balanced.

Hanakapiai Beach is located about two miles into the famous Kalalau trail on the Na Pali Coast of Kauai, Hawaii. While this beach tends to be a popular hiking destination, I was able to isolate these bright green moss-covered rocks from the crowd. A circular polarizer filter and the right timing of clouds and sun delivered this look.

Kauai's Waimea Canyon is referred to as the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. The color and lack of flora in this canyon are in stark contrast to the rain forest that lies just beyond.

I counted on the Canon EF 24-70 L IS Lens for my macro needs while traveling in Hawaii. And made use of this lens' macro capabilities in the back yard of our Haiku, Maui rental house.
 
It rained almost continuously for my nearly one week stay here, but I eventually decided to photograph this unique bamboo in the rain. I aligned more bamboo in the background for added interest.

An evening sail was part of the Canon Hawaii 2018 announcement event and I saw a great sunset in the making as the boat was coming ashore, returning to the beach in Lahaina. I hurried down the ladder and ran across the beach to find a clear composition. With a Canon EOS R and Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens in hand, the rest was easy.

Photographing the ocean (usually) is a type of action photography as the scene is constantly changing. Water reflects and smooth water provides the best definition of whatever is being reflected. Although they nicely reflect sky color in general, most oceans I've visited are far from smooth. However, the thin layer of water remaining on the sand immediately after a wave recedes is often quite smooth and can provide some definition of the colorful clouds, the subject most often desired to be reflected. Consider timing the capture of some of your beach images for this wave position.

Another beach photography consideration is what the leading edge of the waterline looks like. I like the frothy white roll clearly delineating the sand and water as seen in this image, but other options can also work well.

I always find a great sunset to be photographically irresistible. Islands often have very long distance views of the setting (or rising) sun, making them ideal locations for watching this time of the day through a viewfinder.

Snow-covered volcano cones at the top of Mauna Kea are a visual treat. Having clouds in the background below a landscape subject is a treat.

Want to see Humpback Whales? Go to Maui in the winter. The whales are plentiful there at this time of the year.
 
This whale was photographed from a general whale watch tour boat, but the smaller ocean raft type of craft. The smaller boat allows a closer-to-the-water perspective, is faster (often), and is easier to quickly change shooting sides in.
 
The 70-300 L was the right choice for a lens. Though a majority of the time 300mm was not long enough, it was hard to properly frame this focal length in the rough ocean.
 
Whale photography can be very challenging. Being able to predict what the whales are going to do and where they are going to do it is the biggest challenge - at least for us non-whale-experts. The whales suddenly show up above water. You quickly frame and shoot what was there a few seconds ago.
 
This Humpback was especially cooperative as it was in this position long enough for the photo to be captured. And the water was quite calm in this location.
 
Whales are moving and so is the boat, so relatively fast shutter speeds are typically needed for shooting whales.

The road, if it even qualifies for that title, leading to this beach in Kekaha Kai State Park (Big Island, HI) is very rough. A 4x4 is recommended. The rough ride is very adequately rewarded with a beautiful beach and an unobstructed view of the setting sun.
 
This image is an HDR composition of two exposures. The brighter exposure brings out the details of the bony beach.

The Na Pali Coast of Kauai, with its massive sea cliffs, is a simply spectacular sight.
 
While the new-at-the-time Canon EF 24-70 f/4 L IS Lens was my primary standard zoom lens for this trip, I used the 24-105 L IS from the helicopter. I made this choice primarily for the longer focal length, but in the end I decided that either lens would have worked very well.
 
I used a B+W circular polarizer filter in 100% of my helicopter aerial photos on this day - an XS-PRO Nano version in this case.

All pictures look better with a rainbow in them. The problem is often the rain part.
 
I captured this image during heavy rain and very strong winds. I parked the SUV to provide some protection from both, but only partial protection was ultimately afforded.
 
Definitely use a circular polarizer filter when photographing rainbows. But, be careful with how the filter is adjusted. Improper filter rotation will result in the rainbow being erased instead of being enhanced.

Drive to the end of Makena Road in Maui, and the terrain becomes very different.
 
No, Haleakala has not gone active - those are regular clouds. The foreground is a mix of coral pieces and lava. Together, it all makes a colorful picture.
 
Note that few subjects absorb light better than volcanic rock. This stuff eats light - like a light sponge.

A settings sun casts a warm light on the already inviting beach at Polihale State Park in Kauai, HI.
 
Note that the road into this state park is very rough. And your rental car company may not be interested in coming back here to get you should you break down.
 
As usual when shooting at the ocean, I spent a lot of time waiting for just the right wave action for my photos. Here I had washed-smooth beach with a strong white foam-edged wave accented by the low sun angle shadow.
 
I placed the waterline about 1/3 of the way down into the frame. The rule of thirds often works well for water-against sky horizons.

The view at Kalalau Lookout at the end of the road beyond Kokee State Park, Kauai is spectacular. The constantly changing clouds give you a different image every few minutes - unless the scene is completely fogged in.
 
A zoom telephoto lens gave me a large variety of compositions from various locations on the trails that leads from the lookout parking lot. I was shooting handheld - mostly sitting in a 3-point position with my elbows resting on my knees.

A Humpback Whale breaches in front of the West Maui mountains. Just because you are on a whale watch doesn't mean that you are limited to photographing only whales. The on-the-water perspective can produce great landscape pictures also. Having a whale in your landscape image is certainly a bonus.

I like photographs of landscape lit by a settings sun nearly as much as photos of the setting sun itself. And sometimes more.
 
These snow-covered Mauna Kea cinder cones are receiving the last light of the day while the horizon turns pink. Putting the scene above the cloud level of course adds to the image.

I signed up for an east Maui rainforest waterfall hike and knew that the path could be wet and muddy. What I didn't know was that, thanks to a just-previous hurricane, "wet" meant I would be fording swift rain-swollen streams up to waist-deep with the MindShift Gear Trailscape 18L camera backpack being held overhead. That certainly upped the hike's entertainment value (and provided a new understanding of how well Gore-Tex trail-running shoes hold water).

Having both stories and images always makes an adventure better.

The Canon EOS R and Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens were used to capture this idyllic Hawaiian rainforest waterfall. Aiding was a Breakthrough Photography circular polarizer filter, cutting reflections and increasing saturation. These filters are nearly a requirement for waterfall photography. An f/8 aperture would have provided adequate depth of field for this 29mm image, but the narrower f/11 opening permitted a longer exposure, creating a more strongly motion-blurred waterfall.

It is almost always raining in the rain forest in Kauai, HI. I was fortunate to be blessed with some openings in those rain clouds while flying over this area, yielding rays of light reaching the scene below.

The sun sets over the Pacific ocean near Hookena Beach, Big Island, Hawaii.
 
The dynamic range of this scene, increased by the extremely dark volcanic rock, required an HDR technique. Separate exposures were used for the sky and the foreground.
 
Hawaii, aided by the many clouds of the rainy season (winter), regularly delivers very impressive sunsets.

There are few green sand beaches in the world and fewer that are accessible. Papakolea Green Sand Beach is an approximately 6.6 mile round trip hike. Or, hire a local to drive you there in their high clearance 4x4. The drive is half of the experience.
 
Yes, the sand really is green. A CP filter was used for this photo.

Steep and frequent sea cliffs make up the heart of the Na Pali Coast in Kauai. Using a circular polarizer filter is key to capturing landscape images that pop. A downside to using these filters is the light loss the bring with them.
 
Shooting from an open-door helicopter means extreme winds that require fast shutter speeds to counter. Combine the filter with fast shutter speeds and you are going to have to increase the ISO settting higher than usual for landscape photography.

Much of the coast of Maui is inaccessible along the road to Hana, but the Kaenae Peninsula is one location where the water can be reached. And the Kaenae Penisula is definitely worth exploring. Sunrise is the time to be here - as long as there are not too many clouds - or rain.
 
One rule of being near the ocean is: "Never turn your back to the ocean."
 
This rule is of course hard to follow when you are looking through the viewfinder, trying to time the waves for the best photos. And I got burned for not following the rule on this day.
 
I was standing on top of a narrow piece of volcanic rock to get a clear view over the rocks in front of me. The rock and those around it were dry.
 
Unfortunately, a large rogue wave came right over the top of me. I was soaked and so was the camera and lens.
 
A towel took care of the camera gear. Time dried me.
 
Do you know how many hours it takes to dry Gore-Tex shoes? Sometimes more than you think. The first attempt to dry the shoes outside was thwarted by an automatic lawn sprinkler system (didn't know it was there). The second attempt was more successful - the SUV's defrost air vent took care of the problem in about 3 hours.
 
OK - To answer the question I'm getting: No, the shoes did not make the car smell badly. They were very well washed in salt water (Pacific Ocean) and then fresh water (lawn sprinkler) prior to the car drying. Shoes on the dash are a bit of a vision obstacle though.

What are you doing during your commercial flight? Keep a small camera at your seat and keep an eye on what is going by outside. Note that circular polarizer filters do not work as you want them to when shooting through these airplane windows.

Sunsets are often beautiful, but I'm always looking for something more. Silhouettes are one very easy strategy I use for these strongly backlit shots. Find a foreground shape that complements your image and expose for the sunset itself.
 
The 24-70 f/4 L's image stabilization was relied upon for this 1/6 second handheld image.

The hike up to the 400' Waimoku Falls in Haleakala National Park, Maui is about 2 miles. As soon as I arrived, it started to rain. Once again having weather sealed gear proved valuable to me.
 
I got my shots (handheld) and then cased the camera for the hike back down.

With the heavy clouds below and the sun at my back, it was not surprising to see a rainbow (faintly doubled) from the 13,796' summit of Mauna Kea.
 
More surprising to me was how many snowboards/snowboarders there were in Hawaii. Never would have guessed that there were so many.
 
Also very amusing was the incredible number of pickup trucks that came down the mountain filled with snow for snowman building back down at sea level.

A pair of waterfalls stand out in this aerial photo of the steep walls of Waimea Canyon in Kauai.

Sliding Sands Trail is the primary trail at the summit of Haleakala Volcano. The scenery visible from it is very impressive.

Two sharp lines of contrast run through this image - balancing each other. One line is from the bright white surf and the other is the line where the mountains meet the sky.

No two waves are the same and those at Banzai Pipline are definitely superior in both size and shape. These two qualities raise the bar on what qualifies as a keeper during post processing.

Sometimes the color in the sky after sunset is better than during sunset. Don't leave your post until the light is completely gone.
 
As you would probably figure out from the pixel dimensions of this image, this is a stitched panorama.

Observatories are often symbolic of very high locations and Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island certainly qualifies.

Knife-like cliffs accentuated by sharp shadows are the normal landscape in this area of the Na Pali Coast.
 
Even with light contrast correction to the background, the effects of haze are very apparent. You will get the best color and contrast when shooting closer to your subject.

Time was short, the sun was setting quickly and I was shooting fast - trying to capture the amazing scene in front of me.
 
By quickly capturing the primary scene via multiple exposures covering two horizontal rows, I ended up with an ultra-high res image that could later be cropped as desired.

I can almost picture the molten rock flowing into this scene many years ago. Large areas of the Big Island are lava fields. This particular flow was in Kekaha Kai State Park.

Looking for seclusion? Aside from the occasional helicopter or boat, this Na Pali Coast beach will give you the privacy you are looking for. Of course, getting there is a bit challenging.

The clouds were rolling through the areas around the summit of Haleakala creating beautiful and constantly changing scenes.

A white line of surf slices through the image, separating the blue Pacifc ocean from the greens, browns and reds of the Na Pali Coast sea cliffs.

The observatories at the top of Mauna Kea are fascinating, but the landscape around them is even more fascinating. A mix of snow and volcanic rock in the foreground and the lower altitude clouds in the background certainly help this.

While the view at the top of mountains can be amazing, it can just as easily be completely obscured by clouds. And sometimes waiting can be rewarded.
 
This rock is found at the top of Haleakala Volcano in Maui.

While it is always great to photograph a beautiful sunset, better is to find a way to create sunset images that are different from the hordes of others in my archives. A silhouette often makes a good sunset image differentiator, adding a little something to the image, and in this case, a tiki torch hints at the location the image was captured at.

Note that sunsets do not always have to be in focus. To mix things up a bit, I decided that I wanted the tiki torch and its flame to be sharp with the background going out of focus. Thus, a wide aperture was selected. The wide aperture had the secondary purpose of enabling a flame-freezing shutter speed.

The composition decisions for this image were made primarily for overall balance in the frame. The tiki torch is dark and heavy, so placing it near the center was helpful for balance. I wanted the torch flame in the frame along with the other flame, the sun, along and the color surrounding it was another subject of primary interest. With the latter seeming stronger than the prior, moving the tiki torch slightly to the right seemed to make sense. Keeping the perimeter of the frame clear of lines often helps keep the viewer's eye in the frame.

As the flame was changing rapidly, I captured a burst of images and later selected the flame shapes I liked best.

The Canon EOS R and RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens are a perfect walkaround combination. The camera and lens used to capture this image were on loan, but I eventually added this pair to my personal kit.