Kaanapali

Photo: Cartoon Whale

Water streaks in the water off of Ka’anapali resembling a cartoon whale.

Back Story

This is another aerial shot taken during the Maui Photo Festival and Workshops in August.

We were just leaving the Ka’anapali resort area and I looked down and saw these jet skis and other watercraft making these lines in the water. I was focusing on getting in tight with the watercraft and keeping just a little bit of the shoreline in the frame, and at first I didn’t see anything special about the pattern they were making.

Later, when checking out the shots on the LCD during the drive back from the heliport, I noticed it looked like a cartoon whale, with the base station in the middle there as part of the eye. A whale spotting in August in Maui, who knew?

So what do you think, do you see a whale in this picture, or was the altitude and the wind from the doors being off getting to my head?

Photo: Me, My Son, and the Milky Way

My son and I sitting by the ocean in Maui watching the Milky Way.

Back Story

The last time we were in Maui for the Maui Photo Festival in ’09, I spent the final night on the island shooting the stars one last time. In the process, I came up with the idea to shoot a self portrait of me and the Milky Way.

I thought it came out fairly nice.

Fast Forward

Now, well, I’m back here for the last night of the 2011 Maui Photo Festival, so I decided to re-shoot the self portrait, but only this time include our 9 month old son as well. Fortunately, I was able to try a few setups and get this shot off about 2 minutes before he woke up.

While I could have easily spent another hour out there getting shots and riding the creative ways, the shoot was called on the count of a screaming baby. I’m guessing the observatories on Haleakala and the Big Island don’t have these types of problems to contend with.

Photo: Palm Trees and Blue Skies

Photo: Iconic green palm trees against cloudless blue sky.

Grabbed this shot back in ‘07 while walking around the grounds of the Westin Maui Resort in Ka’anapali. We were just taking in the sights – as it was our first return visit to Maui – and happened to look up and decided to snap this one. It became an instant favorite.

A Different Look

I posted this image in a different form about a year or so ago when I was playing around with AndreaMosaic. Here’s another look at that image.

Click on the image to see a larger view on Flickr where you can see all the tiny little photos it’s comprised of. Seeing as I’ve been to Maui two more times since I last played with AndreaMosaic, I should probable give it another whirl.

Photo: Maui Sunset

Photo: A colorful Maui Sunset over the island of Lanai as seen from Maui’s west coast in Ka’anapali.

One of my favorite sunsets from Maui – and there are many to choose from.

No two sunsets on the islands are ever the same, so when you see the colors and clouds like this, you can’t help but grab a camera and try to capture it forever. You never know if you’ll see one like it again!

– Kris

Photo: Sunset at Sea

Photo: The sunset from a sailboat out just off shore in West Maui.

One of the things that captivates me about sunsets in Maui – which I’m sure can be said elsewhere in the world, too – is that no two are ever alike.  Compare this one to the golden sunset from yesterday, and you see exactly what I mean. If you check them out on Flickr, you’ll notice they were taken on consecutive nights. How’s that for variety?

There is so much variety, in fact, that sunsets even made it as its own subject on my Viewfinder page. Now, I’ve added quite a few images to my collection since that page first went up, including views like this this one from Door County, so don’t yawn too loudly when you read that page. I promise to update it when I get more time.

Your Favorite Sunset

Do you have a favorite place for enjoying the sunset? Perhaps you have a spectacular image of your own to share? Leave a note and a link in the comments, I would enjoy viewing and reading about them.

– Kris