From a trail near the Princeville hotel, you gain access to some incredible coastal scenery including a large lava swimming pool called "Queen's Bath" but on this evening I wanted to capture these falls as they enter the ocean as they are lit by the last rays of the sun. The falls do not show up well in photographs unless the golden sun is striking them during the summer. I had to get into a small area under a lava ledge and stand on extramely slippery rounded rock at low tide to get this view.
Lumahai Beach was made famous in the movie "South Pacific" and it is a beautiful place to be. The lava rock in front is difficult to photograph bacuse you have to stand on a rocky outcrop that gets hit by large waves and you have nowhere to escape. But capturing this dramatic scene is worth the risk.
The dangerous outcrop of lava is fully exposed to the surf. The warm water swirls around and it reminds me of a Jacuzzi. But this is a Jacuzzi that you would not like to be in. People have been killed here as they are swept off the rock and into this violent whirlpool. It is beautiful to look at at a safe distance, but for a wide-angle view, I had to get in close!
In the summer, the sun rises in the northeast, allowing the mountains to be lit with the first light of the day. In the winter, they are silhouetted and dark. I used a very dark filter to extend the exposure time to a full 60 seconds to show the movement in the clouds and trees and the stillness of the water. This is a great snorkeling beach with lots of turtles and fish in tunnel-like coral formations. It is a great place to spend an entire day under the False Kamani trees to the left. Bring an umbrella for the occasional but sometimes intense rain shower!
A warm heavy rain fell at sunrise, which often means that as the clouds lift a rainbow will form. If the rain and sun are both strong enough, a double rainbow is formed!
First light at Hanalei is one of the most spaecacular events to witness anywhere. I feel it rivals Yosemite or practically anywhere I've seen personally or in photographs. The trade winds more the clouds quickly creating changing light conditions on the 4,000 ft. (1300+m) rain sculpted mountains which are the rainiest on the planet. You must see this place for yourself. I used a very dark Lee Big Stopper filter to allow a 45-second exposure to show the dynamic nature of the light here.
Spectators witness yet another spectacular sunset at the Hanalei Pier on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii. Summer is the best time because the sun sets over the ocean. In the winter the sun sets far to the left over the mountains. Mountain sunsets are still awesome but not quite as incredible as when it sets over the sea.
First light during the summer is the best time to see the striking details on the rain sculpted 4,000 ft (1300+m) mountains behind Hanalei, Kauai. Each day in Hanalei seems to start out the same way. First a few fisherman walk out on the pier, then the paddleborders and surfers go out, then the runners appear on the beach, then the boats get ready for a new round of tourists to take the trip up the Na Pali coast for unforgettable views.
This dangerous lava cove is near Queens Bath and the waterfall that is also in my gallery from this area. The sun is rising behind the Kilauea Lighthouse and the first light of the day is spreading through the clouds and onto the sea. In the winter, this place is downright frightening with huge waves striking with great force. On a summer morning shown here, it is stil la dangerous place but you can get a little closer to the action is you respect the power of the sea. It is thrilling to experience this place close up!
The mist and cloud set the mood on this memorable morning. Clear skies would have been nice to walk under, but the mood would have been gone and the light would have been harsh. Hanalei Bay is a 3-mile long perfect crescent of sand surrounded by the world
The Hanalei Pier points directly towards the mountains often referred to as "Bali Hai." It refers to a song written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II from the musical South Pacific. This area resembles the island of Tioman, which is the original Bali Hai.
With the sun rising behind the camera, openings in the clouds allowed the light to filter into the clouds and illuminate the mountains on the opposite side of Hanalei Bay. Within 10 minutes the rain came in and this low warm light was gone for the day, replaced later by the bright light of mid-day. I used a long exposure to show the motion in the clouds. Also, the long exposure time smoothed out the water and simplified the image. That enhanced the effect of light hitting the posts of the pier.
The is a well-known view, similar to the Yosemite valley view lookout spot. But one thing I've noticed is that most of the time, the photos are taken at midday and usually with little mist hanging around. You need a clear day to see this usually. Here, the mist had just cleared after raining for a few hours beforehand. The prospects were looking looking dismal, when all of the sudden, the heavens opened up and I saw this! It is quite shocking after being used to fighting the rain and seeing just a few feet in front of you for so many hours. It was SO worth the wait!
Hanalei is a small town on the north shore of the island. It has a 3-mile wide perfect crescent of sandy shoreline with the rainiest mountains in the world right behind them. While it rains about 100 inches per year in Hanalei, it rains about 600 inches per year on Mt. Waialeale, about 5 miles behind the peak on the left. Even with all of the rain, days are usually sunny in Hanalei with maybe 1-2 hours of rain mostly at night. The mountains in this image range from 3,000 to 5,000 feet in height. This shot can only be done with a medium tide and this effect only lasts for a few minutes before another wave moves in. Here, I attempted to show one of the waterfalls in the reflection. It took about 15 minutes of fiddling around before I finally got it right. All these elements combine to create a thickness to the atmosphere that makes me feel like I'm right back on the beach every time I view this image.
A double rainbow formed at sunrise as soft warm rain fell on Hanalei Bay.
I wanted to show how the large waves impact the lava shelf 20 ft. above the ocean and continue around and into this blowhole. The wave on the left is another 20 ft. above the shelf! This is not the sprouting horn on the south shore. To get this image at sunrise, I had to get up at 3am and slide down a very long muddy trail on my hands and knees in the dark, wash up in a nearby stream and run between lava shelves avoiding very large waves, while the light of dawn approached. I repeatedly had to grab the tripod and run to get away from each wave!