Mahai’ula Bay - Big Island Hawaii

This Mahai'ula Bay was really something else. I ended up coming here a few times. Once for snorkeling then again at night when looking for a place to take photos.

Shooting sunset photography on the Big Island of Hawaii can be tricky I discovered. 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 then rush back to your car for the ten minute drive back to the gate in order to not get locked in.

I'm not really sure why they lock the beaches off at night. Maybe for safety reason or to keep people from camping. I don't really know. Big Island does a lot of things differently, it really almost feels like a different country.

Mahai'ula Bay – Big Island Hawaii

As a landscape photographer rarely do you find a place where you can just roll up mid day and take a breath taking photo. This location is one of those places. With the emerald blue water, perfect skies and white sand beaches, I ended up only using Lightroom with a few minor adjustments to process the shot. That almost never happens for. I almost always have to use Photoshop to adjust something.