Visit Maui, HI

[Alan Klein]

Maui's Haleakala Crater at Sunset. 2014.

[John Layton]

My wife and I spent some time in Maui a few years back. Were lucky to have had some family there at the time, living in a neat little town on the north coast called Paia - very funky and laid back…a perfect locale for three amigos named Woody, Willy, and Owen to hang out! Our morning ritual while in Paia consisted of stopping by the local coffee shop for a java and bagel “to go,” then heading out to a nearby seaside park to watch some of the worlds best surfers having a blast with some epic waves.

At any rate, we also spent some time circumnavigating the island…and while I did not have my LF gear in tow - I at least had along my two (wide and normal) Fuji/Voigtlander 667’s - which, with my Feisol 3441, got pressed into service frequently, especially on the western half of the island - the Seven-Pools/Waimoku Falls (bamboo forest) hike, the beaches around Hana (where we spent four nights) and some really cool lava tubes. Oh…and some nice lava outcrops in the mist and surf next to the aforementioned park (will post some images soon). My only disappointment was Haleakala…could not see my hand in front of my face as it was epically foggy! I do love a bit of fog - but not like this!

For those interested in photographing the many waterfalls around the island…do keep in mind is that many of these falls are temporary - briefly springing to life after it rains. But the sheer variety of Maui’s “micro climates” is phenomenal. From record-breaking rainfall events in the lush Io valley, to the south coast evoking the heath of Scotland, to the magical bamboo forest, to the dry desert of Haleakala…there is something here for everyone! Just remember that, as photographers, we like to scan the landscape as we drive through it…and with this in mind I’d strongly recommend that you let someone else drive - especially on the Hana Highway!

We wanted to avoid the west coast (cannot get into the whole high rise/“club med” scene) - but we did briefly visit to see the “traditional” luau in Lahaina (worth it!) and yes…I did want to visit Peter Lik’s Maui gallery. (funny that when entering the gallery, one is quickly informed that Mr. Lik is “the worlds most famous photographer” …huh?).

At any rate…while at the Lik gallery…and after having spent some time in the bamboo forest, we quite naturally gravitated to the large print of the same subject. Must’ve spent a bit too much time viewing this print…because soon enough two minions appeared, removed the print from the wall, and beckoned us to follow them into small, somewhat dark room - where we were further instructed to sit on a comfy couch while they closed the door and turned out the lights. At that point my wife grew a bit claustrophobic, got up, and began groping for the door! This is also when our “program” began…during which some carefully aimed halogen lights slowly came up out of the blackness…illuminating the vibrant, metallic greens held within the Fujigloss paper - which started to glow as if by magic. Pretty neat actually - but a bit much for us. So when a bottle of wine appeared (along with a sales contract) we politely begged off and high tailed it out of there, back onto the street - and on to the luau…which provided us with a much nicer, culturally relevant, albeit somewhat (but appropriately) guilt-inducing experience.

As for Peter Lik - well, as much of an overblown, pretense-filled production as his may seem, and as much as his work does not resonate with me personally/artistically…at least he’s passionate about what he does, and has developed a business model that works for him in supporting that passion.

But I do have a question: could Mr. Lik tone things down…even just a little - without falling off the map? Interesting.

Oh…and when in Maui - do take the Fair Winds (diving tour boat) down to Molokini Crater off the south coast…the price is right, the beer is free, and the snorkeling is fantastic! And finally…do try to go in late winter/early spring - when the whales are everywhere!

[Bob Salomon]

“At any rate…while at the Lik gallery…and after having spent some time in the bamboo forest, we quite naturally gravitated to the large print of the same subject. Must’ve spent a bit too much time viewing this print…because soon enough two minions appeared, removed the print from the wall, and beckoned us to follow them into small, somewhat dark room - where we were further instructed to sit on a comfy couch while they closed the door and turned out the lights. At that point my wife grew a bit claustrophobic, got up, and began groping for the door! This is also when our “program” began…during which some carefully aimed halogen lights slowly came up out of the blackness…illuminating the vibrant, metallic greens held within the Fujigloss paper - which started to glow as if by magic. Pretty neat actually - but a bit much for us. So when a bottle of wine appeared (along with a sales contract) we politely begged off and high tailed it out of there, back onto the street - and on to the luau…which provided us with a much nicer, culturally relevant, albeit somewhat (but appropriately) guilt-inducing experience.“

My wife and I had a similar experience in Amsterdam in the diamond market.
We were staying at the Marriott and she asked the concierge how to get to it. They picked up the phone, made an appointment and gave us the directions and the time to be there.
Timing was perfect as we got there just as an English language tour was to begin. However they told us to take a seat on a couch as “our tour” would start in a few minutes.
So the tour group left through a door and we sat by ourselves until a young woman got us and took us through a different door for “our tour”. It was just the 3 of us going through all of the stops on the tour, we never saw the larger group until the tour was over and we saw them going through a door marked Store. Our guide took us through a different door and we ended up in a small room with a desk and were asked to sit in the chairs in front of the desk. Our guide left and a guy came in from another door. Sat at the desk, placed a black felt mat on the desk, a spot light turned on and he took a black felt bag out of a locked drawer. He opened the bag and out spilled a handful of loose diamonds!
We could not get out of that room until we bought one! Talk about hard sell!!

[Drew Wiley]

I saw that bamboo image on a big backlit transparency - the way all the sample images were shown. I found the quality of printing downright amateurish and unworthy of any serious pro lab, the image itself poorly focused and utterly idiotic, the presentation kitchy - reminded me of one of those Hamm's Beer backlit displays in bar windows. Tourist trash, period. My wife was looking at some knick knacks next door (she never buys anything unless its local macadamias or coffee); so I thought I'd have some fun ribbing the sales staff. They took it well, without reacting negatively, which tells me quite a bit about the internal business model. You have to pay well to get those kinds of people. But they remind me of time-share vac property sales people, who almost hold a gun to your head until you sign. Lik is said to have moved to the US due to legal issues in Australia. That also reminds me of his role model Thomas Kinkade, who drank himself to death after being indicted for fraud. Everything feels slippery, greasy-slick. The bamboo forest itself is about halfway up the uphill hike to the main fall on the Hana side of the Island. About a 4 mile round trip. Lots of tasty mango trees on that trail. I'd ignore the "Seven Sacred Pool" down below.

[John Layton]

A couple of suggestions for the OP: One - bring along a green filter...you'll be glad you did! (sorry if I'm preaching to the choir...but it seems that green filters often get overlooked these days). I brought my usual selection of red/orange/green and two ND filters - and found myself using the green and ND's for most of my work there. Would've used my orange on Haleakala if I were actually able to see anything (Alan K. I'm jealous!)

And two - If you will be renting a car...do avoid the (otherwise fun) mustang ragtop. These seem to be really popular as rentals on the island...and might be great for the Hana Highway - but for heading into and around the south side of the island...you'll want something with a bit of ground clearance. But also avoid a full size SUV - as both the Hana Highway and the road going around the northwest of the island are very tight (ask me how I know). Jeeps are fun...but if cloth covered are easily broken into. Then again...having the open sky above would be a great thing for lots of the islands great roads. Have fun!

[Alan Klein]

One comment about the lighting up on Haleakala Crater. It's at 10,000 feet. The lighting is very high Kelvin, almost ethereal. Very high contrast. Take that into consideration when shooting, processing and printing. It's also very cold so take a jacket. Also, the lower oxygen at the high elevation caught me off guard. As a past smoker I really felt it and at first had to stop to catch my breath.

[Drew Wiley]

We always take not only jackets, but hooded parkas. It's hilarious watching people arrive at the top wearing shorts, T-shirts, even bathing suits, and flipflops. There's nothing stopping the wind for thousands of miles around. It's certainly not always cold and windy, but it probably will be, especially at the rim of the crater where the best views tend to be.