The Waimea Series.....

in the last 5 years or so my wife and i have returned to Kauai many times, Kauai is known as the Garden Isle and it lives up to its name. The island has many beautiful vistas with clear ocean water and lush green backdrops. While i do photograph many of these things i dont always gravitate to the usual. Take for example and presented for your consideration Waimea Pier on the island of Kauai. This area of the island is very dry in comparison to Hanalei on the north shore, the water in the ocean is murky and brown from the nearby river runoff and it leaves you covered in this fine silt that really just feels gross. To get to it you have to drive through Hanapepe and part of Waimea, these 2 places have old run down buildings and most people including myself in the 1st few years would tend to pass it by on their way to much prettier locales such as Waimea Canyon or the Kalalau Valley lookout. In this place of old run down building thought there is beauty, you have to look for it but stay long enough and youll find it. The pier is old, run down and not much to look at. Be there at sunset though and this place comes to life, the skies light up and big beautiful clouds reflect its many hues. The golden light of the setting sun brings out so much character in the old peir, its warm brown tones really shine in these conditions and the sight of people fishing at the end of it transports you to much simpler times where the stresses of our modern life seem to fade away. For photographers this time is a mad dash to get as much as possible and try out different compositions for when the sun begins its decent into the horizon the light changes dramatically and fast. The show never stops there though as after the sun disappears the last remnants of its lingering light still caresses the sky and gives off phenomenal colors.n If you are lucky enough to be there during a full moon then you are in for a beautiful treat, the last few wisps of light hang in the sky and just as everything begins to go dark you look behind you and see a magnificent moon begin its ascension and what really brings it all together is the gorgeous reflection that only the dark wet sand can provide. I suppose my reason for doing this post is to show the importance of looking further than whats on the surface, many times we will pass on to the next thing because it is visibly beautiful and we dont have to work hard to get that reward. There are some real gems though if we can slow down and look beyond what we are just seeing, it is unfortunate that on our way to see beautiful things we pass along many beautiful things to enjoy.For photographer i just want to stress the importance of visiting places you have been to before, no one place is exactly the same everyday. when you are there shooting stretch yourself to see and try other compositions but also to stay past what most people would consider to be the "main event" many times you will walk away with nothing......but once in a while youll be happy you stayed :) Enjoy!

These 1st three were taken 2 years ago on my 1st visit to Waimea Pier







These next three were taken the following year and i was lucky enough to be there during a full moon