Ah, the sights, smells, and sweetness of Hawaii. How can you go and not bring your camera? No surprise then, that there are two photos from the islands in my informal top ten. This time we’re looking at an early night/after dusk shot taken on the Big Island of the lava flow from Kīlauea. We got a chance to visit the prolific volcano back in 2008 after its crater explosion, including some incredible night-time viewing of its encounter with the ocean. Fun fact: The NPS estimates that as of January 1994, 491 acres of new land had been added to the island via lava flow. Unsurprisingly, ocean-front real estate near the lava flows go for ridiculously low prices, often selling for the price of a car!
firewater
The exposure here is a nice, long 13 seconds – long enough to capture the billowy plume of smoke/steam in a sort of dreamy state as it moved, and long enough to capture both the fiery lava and the white stars. I particularly love how the glow of the lava reflects off of the steam, creating rich orange with deep black shadows – that’s contrast and depth, baby! Still, the sight is so fantastic that you’ve got to see it for yourself. Most photos simply don’t do it justice.