Other Worlds

It always inspires and fascinates me whenever I get the chance to go away, how much really is out there. So much to see, to do, to taste and to smell. It really is a big big world out there and sometimes little reminders away from ones comfort zone is just what is needed … I needed it …

Recently I took my wife of 10 years away to a destination of her choice, anywhere I said, you name we’ll do it … I was initially thinking the choice would be Cairns in far north Queensland here in Australia or maybe Italy or Asia … To my surprise she choose Hawaii and I was quite relieved, Italy would of just ended up with me inside some Pizza bar for a few weeks getting real freakin fat with daily afternoon naps before refueling on more pizza and beer at the end of the day … I do that at home no need to fly anywhere for it … Whereas Hawaii provided sunshine, heat, humidity, beach scenes, volcanoes, lava, forests, cliffs, hiking, rain showers and a chance to almost fall off the grid in a few places … I still ate pizza, burgers, local seafood and my fair share of Long Board Brews … and NO NAPS … well not till i arrive back home that is … Most days where 4.30am starts with roll back into the hotel round 8-9pm … And the wife wanted a holiday LOL …

We started with a few days in Oahu circling the island checking the north shore and eastern beaches, really stunning beaches and the water color changes depending on which side of the coast you are on. The Eastern side has the most insane blue water I have ever seen, and those western beaches not to be found on any tourist map or on the tongues of anyone in the tourism industry. If you’ve seen the western beaches of Oahu you know what I mean …. Great beaches with a little added local texture (cough cough) and if you get the chance to visit a Cheesecake Factory restaurant … do it, food is devine and the cheesecakes are awesome … We only made it there because of the tv show Big Bang Theory mentions it all the time … yes I did visit the Peter Lik Gallery on the island. Stunning impact as soon as you get within a few feet of the front door and the prints are HUGE inside. Great impact and very well set out and marketed. One can easily see why he does so well.

Next stop Kauai’i

Awesome place must go back. my favorite island … easy … Canyons, cliffs that drop straight into the deep blue ocean and I mean straight in so of those drops is flat out cliff edge to water a few 1000 feet below … And colours that are so vivid and fresh looking it was amazing … The steep slippery muddy hiking trail round the north edge of the island is just stunning, take plenty of water, plenty.

Next stop Hawai’i (the big island)

err boring but for the lava flow … But did met up with a photographer that recently took Peter Lik out to his Lava shot that I was informed has now sold $20,000,000.00 in sales … thats insane, but incredible marketing powers all the same …

Next up an old haunt, Maui

Maui is like a combo of Kauai’i and Oahu easy to get around, most things are pretty accessible and there is a ton to photograph and keep busy with … This time I think we stayed in a much better location with access to the major routes to locations easier to pick up and head to, plus there was a lot of locals around and I like that, the more locals and less hardcore tourist sell the better and Kihei provided a nice mix …

One of the last things I managed to do on the trip was shoot Mount Haleakala an extinct volcano that rise to around 10,000 feet … Why to we call volcanos mountains, are they still a mountain after they have erupted? seems odd to me to call them a mountain …

Here is a multi image stitch of sunrise over the crater at Mount Haleakala … Sunrise is the perfect time up on the crater, just need to move away from the handful of tourists to get a slightly different angle and take in the atmosphere of the area. One has a serene sense of calm when peering into the crater your mind can drift to what it once might of been like when the side of the volcano came apart and filled the ocean below bring new land the area. Mother nature may work very slow but she always does things that matter. I love looking into the past at areas like this as you have a window almost to the soul of this tiny blue planet spinning out of control in the vastness of space. Puts the time we spend walking on earth into perspective leaving you in just awe and feeling lucky to witness a moment in time in planet earths life … well me at least …

Looks a lot better viewed larger at 1200px by clicking the thumbnail below

shoot with a canon 5d mrkii iso 100 2s f/11