Nightscapes

Heaven's Trail

This may be my favorite photograph I've ever taken. Certainly it is in my top 5. The location for it is miles away from the nearest road in a desolate area of Maui, Hawaii. The little water area where the night sky is reflected probably sits about ten feet above the ocean, where the waves pound the foreboding cliffs of lava rock coastlines. Wind blasts down across the landscape at a sustained 30-40mph regularly, making the area both treacherous and seldom travelled.

But this little pocket sits in a sort of cradle where the wind doesn't touch it and the waves rarely reach. Just enough to splash more water into the tide pool.

The night I shot this I had hiked in alone and stayed past sunset, photographing the dropping sun and the subsequent glow of the Hawaiian sky before preparing for this shot. As the evening went on, the sky cleared of all clouds and eventually a brilliant view of the Milky Way came into sight.

Because of software that I use that tracks where and when the stars will be at a particular location in the sky, I knew if I were to get a clear sky I might be able to get a shot like this. I had actually gone to shoot this scene several times, but for one reason or another it never worked out. On this night, however, it did. And the payoff was worth it!

This image has received numerous awards, including the highest honors from the esteemed International Photographic Competition put on by the Professional Photographer's of America in 2015.

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From Seascapes