Hawaii Sunset Photography
Hawaiian Sunsets.......What can I say?
Most people can totally relate to sitting on the beach with a beverage of choice and enjoying the final moments of a beautiful day, so it's something that I really do enjoy capturing as an image. Hawaii sunset photography can really bring you right back to that moment in time. In the Hawaiian Islands, the natural color palette is something that is very unique, and I've never seen colors quite like this anywhere else in the world.
Hawaii sunsets can be very vibrant and pastel looking, yet there can be a lot of cooler blues and purples mixed in that gives it a lot of depth. The most difficult thing about photographing sunsets in Hawaii is that it happens so fast here! The further away from the equator, the longer a sunset time period is. The fact that we are so close to the equator here in Hawaii, the best lighting can literally be about 30 seconds and then a sunset begins to fade very quickly. Due to that, it becomes very challenging to capture the perfect moment as everything must be in sync. But, that's what makes it fun right?
Typically, I start by what I call scouting an area and taking some images before sunset to decide on the composition for the scene. Once I have decided on that, it's a matter of waiting and capturing a Hawaii sunset photograph to the best of my abilities, and of course you need to adapt to the scene as it changes. Sometimes the light is best where the composition isn’t.. that’s why it's always good to have a second composition idea in mind as a backup plan.
On average, I end up photographing a scene over three times or more before I feel that the light is right and does the sunset scene justice. In fact, there's also a few specific sunset compositions that I've just never been able to capture due to a lack of great light. But, I still continue to chase them! I try not to get too frustrated because when it all clicks, it's most certainly a thing of beauty.
Aloha, Andy S.
To see more of my Hawaii Sunset Photography, peruse my Hawaii Gallery. I have a collection of sunset images from all of the Hawaiian Islands; Maui, Oahu, Big Island, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai.