Waimea Canyon and a Rainbow

 
After living on Kauai for 8 years Waimea Canyon blows me away every time I make the trip up to visit.  I’ll forever remember my first visit, not knowing what to expect, and coming up the path to the great reveal to the canyon below.  Nearly had tears in my eyes.  It’s one of those places that just seems to defy the eyes.  The colors, textures, depth all create this surreal seen that is oh so real.  Now in that last 8 years I still haven’t successfully captured the essence of this spectacle.  Too cloudy, too clear.  Not the right combinations of conditions.  Whatever the reason it just hadnt happened.  After spending the weekend camping with friends in Koke’e (and hiking just before this…but that’s another image for another day….with another rainbow) we decided to hit the main Waimea Canyon overlook on the way down.  Given the conditions we had earlier in the day it was setting up quite well.  Again, coming over the ridge to the view the magnificence overwhelming.  And a blazing bright rainbow off to the right.  Woah!!  Then it was the sit and wait game.  With all the clouds, which are obviously necessary for the photograph, it meant that the light wasnt necessarily in the proper spot (from my perspective).  Over the next 30-45 minutes I probably shot a dozen or more panoramas of the scene as the light changed, the rainbow always there ebbing and coming back again.
 
Getting back home the process of figuring out which series of images hopefully encapsulated the experience of standing there.  Luckily after going through way too many I came to settle on this image below.  A great combination of lighting and hopefully gives you the feeling of being there with me on that picture perfect afternoon. I’ve included an inset image that shows the detail in the scene as the panorama is composed of 10 vertical images.  The waterfall, Waipo’o Falls, is on the far left side of the image.
 
Enjoy!
aF

Waimea Canyon in late afternoon light with rainbow and waterfall
“Waimea Splendor” (unreleased)

 
Detail in "Waimea Splendor"
Detail in “Waimea Splendor”

Po’oWow…an adventure in to Po’omau Canyon

 
Waimea Canyon on Kauai’s west side is still on of the more amazing things I’ve ever seen (even after all the travel I’ve been lucky enough to do).  Not only is it so colorful and different than the rest of Kauai but it is also hides plenty of secrets in its many side canyons.  Having not explored much in the 8 years I’ve been on island (not proud of that), I had the opportunity to go camp up in the mountains in a 4wd access area.  The plan was to get up late afternoon and hike out to an overlook and then back to camp to work on some fire spinning photography.  Of course we were a bit tardy getting up to our hike spot but still managed to get there before the sun had completely set.  However, without any good cloud cover the real show would be the seductive twilight light.   There is something magical in that transition between light and dark.  Where colors shift and the camera becomes a window in to being able to view what nature is offering us.  Getting down to the overlook was an adventure that a goat would be proud of, but standing (securely) photographing this amazing view is why I was here.  As the light dwindled I got the holler from above to start our trek back to the car before all light had faded and off we went.  Back at camp, as the night went on the mist and light rain came in toward the end of dinner I was wondering if we would be able to get to try our fire spinning experiments.  And as luck would have it nature decided to bless us with clear skies for a couple of hours around midnight.  Hiking down these falls in the dark and with all our gear (and after some good solid campfire time) made it all the more interesting.  Once down we were bathed in bright moonlight and a surreal hollywoodesque type landscape.  Then the fun began…. 🙂
 
Enjoy!
aF
 

Twlight looking down Po'omau Canyon deep within Waimea Canyon on Kauai
“Po’oWow I” (unreleased)

 
Twlight looking down Po'omau Canyon deep within Waimea Canyon on Kauai
Po’oWow II” (unreleased)

 
Adrian Nicholas spinning fire in a part of Koke'e State Park
Adrian Nicholas spinning fire in a remote part of Koke’e State Park, Kaua’i

The Great Dunes

 
Back in August 2014 I had the opportunity to meet a friend from college and head down to the Great Sand Dunes National Park.  Arriving late in the afternoon on our first day we quickly decided to change our plans and spend both nights camped at this awesome location.  The tallest dunes in the US (~700′) up against the almost 14k foot Sangre De Cristo Mountains made for a dramatic and beautiful location.  Given the craziness that we witnessed the day before (see High Voltage) I was after more of an overview shot of the dunes as they leap out of the plain below and up against the impressive peaks.   After shooting sunrise up in the dunes that morning under some pretty wonderful light the day quickly went overcast and dreary.  As the afternoon went on I noticed a slight opportunity to the west across the San Luis Valley.  Finding a good spot along the road the waiting game began.  A familiar one with landscape photographers this was no different, except for the proximity to comforts.  The waiting game looked like it was going to pay off as light started to dapple across the grasses below the dunes.  But not quite where it was needed.  Then, as photographer’s tell stories of, the beam of light moved up over the dunes, for a mere 3 minutes.  I rattled off a number of panoramas and then it was gone for the afternoon.  Moments like this are what help keep the photographic ambition alive and chasing those moments. Glad I was there 🙂
 
Enjoy!
aF
 
 

The Great Sand Dunes under late afternoon light and dramatic skies
“The Great Dunes” (unreleased)