This Mahai’ula Bay was something else. I ended up coming here a few times. Once for snorkeling and again at night when looking for a place to take photos.
I discovered that shooting sunset photography on the Big Island of Hawaii can be tricky. Some of the beaches close off their gates at six o’clock, some at seven, which gives you almost no time to shoot after the sun has set. You have to shoot, pack up, and then rush back to your car for the ten-minute drive back to the gate to avoid getting locked in.
I’m not sure why they lock the beaches off at night. Maybe for safety reasons or to keep people from camping. I don’t know. Big Island does many things differently; it almost feels like a different country.
Mahai’ula Bay – Big Island Hawaii
As a landscape photographer, you rarely find a place to roll up mid-day and take a breathtaking photo. This location is one of those places. With the emerald blue water, perfect skies, and white sand beaches, I only used Lightroom with a few minor adjustments to process the shot. That rarely happens. I almost always have to use Photoshop to adjust something.
Camera: Sony A7r
Lens: Canon 24-70mm f2.8L @70mm
ISO 100, f/11, 1/45
