The sunrise image above is actually from a trip to Maui taken in 2018. I’ve included it here because it provides a view of the start of a hundred yard or so pathway which is a part of the Napili Kai Beach Resort on the northern edge of Napili Bay. Many of the photos in this post were taken from spots along this path and what one can see while on it but none, on this visit, are focused on the picturesque nature of the path itself (1/6 sec, f/11, ISO 160).
This was our first trip back since 2019, in our favorite timeframe, to visit our favorite place to relax and check in with friends who also like to visit this ‘home away from home‘ at the same time of year. Readers of this blog know that we did visit at the end of last year, along with some of our family, and which we thoroughly enjoyed. But it wasn’t quite the same for us as this time in May. Our goal this time was to primarily stay around the resort, visit friends, relax, read books, and occasionally head out for a meal. One consequence of that simple goal was that all the photos I took were from areas of the resort or from within relatively easy walking distance.
These two Google annotated satellite-view maps provide (1) a view of the region (Napili Bay is visible in the lower left) and (2) a close-up of the resort. Use the arrows on the screen or the keyboard to view each map).
We were at the resort for almost a week before I finally stirred myself to get up and go out early to find some compositions to photograph. I headed for the beach and then realized I’d not walked the entire pathway along the edge of the bay for many years — and so, I did. These first few images are all from that first photographic morning.
The first two of the images in the slideshow below were taken from a similar location/position along the pathway as the single photo above.
A narrower view back at the beach, the pagoda where we meet for coffee, and one of the resort buildings (1/200 sec, f/16, ISO 800) 
A fairly close view of surging tidal water through a small inlet (0.4 sec, f/16, ISO 100) 
From a bit further along the pathway, a view of morning sun beginning to light up the southern end of Napili Bay and a bit of the island of Lanai (1/50 sec, f/16, ISO 100) 
From the end of the pathway, a view of morning lighting up the clouds, and a bit of the land, of the island of Molokai (1/60 sec, f/16, ISO 100)
Several days later, I spent some time on the pathway again and stopped about midway to take these two photos showing both the before and after of the tidepools being refreshed by the bay (use your mouse to move the center line to the right to see the before, and the left to see the after, of the changing tide — both images 1/10 sec, f/16, ISO 2000).
On that same day, I also took some point-of-interest shots along with some related commemorative signage provided by the resort. In the first case, I’d seen these ruins before but had never heard the background story. I’m not sure when this sign was put in place but it certainly helped to explain things for me. You can click on the photo below to see it larger.
I’ve been aware of this other POI and its sign for some time (as you can see, the sign has been around for some time). Still, I find it interesting and thought it would be worth sharing. I thought it would be useful to show this POI from a couple of vantage points. As above, the photos can be clicked to show them larger and in more detail.
I often took longer walks off the resort property around the area, primarily for some cardio exercise, just as I do at home, and generally early in the morning when it was likely to be cooler. I did not set out on those walks to take photos and didn’t carry my backpack of gear — but sometimes I’d see something that seemed worthy of a shot, and then, following an adage I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, that “…the best camera for a shot is the one you have with you.” And like most folks, the one camera I almost always have with me, is my phone. The rest of the images on this post are from that Samsung phone/camera.
I usually follow one of a couple of routes; (a) either along the coast, following the Kapalua Coastal Trail or (b) a slightly more aggressive route (from a cardio perspective since it includes much more uphill walking) up Kapalua Drive, then down Office Road, and finally either along Lower Honoapi’ilani Road (with its ups and downs) or along the Kapalua Coastal Trail. These routes can be seen on the Google satellite maps near the top of this post but the nearly 300′ elevation changes are not so obvious.
Going up Kapalua Drive I noticed three trees (of the many which line that road) under which some decorated rocks had been placed. I don’t know if this was a school project, or perhaps the result of a kids-camp arts and crafts session, or something else. But they struck me as kind of cheery and worth recording (these images can be clicked to see them larger).
On that same route, on a different day, at what was for me the highest point along Kapalua Drive, I noticed a set of flowering trees on the golf course where the blossoms were beginning to fall. I just liked the composition it presented and so I grabbed a shot.
On yet another day, while I was on the Kapalua Coastal Trail, I stepped off the trail onto the beach at Oneloa Bay and took a couple of photos.
Well, that’s the story of our latest trip to Maui – or at least my story of creating images while we were there. Thank you for reading it this far. As usual, you can see some of the images in this post larger and in more detail by visiting my photographic website and choosing the menu item What’s New. Or you can see all of the images in this post (except for the 2018 image at the top) by visiting my Flickr site and choosing the menu item Albums and then selecting the 2022 Album.
Also, on a somewhat related topic, I received some positive feedback on my photography tutorial blog post about Exposure and so am now working on a follow up to talk more about Depth-of-Field (DOF). In the Exposure post I talked about DOF and how it is affected by Aperture. But there is more to say about DOF and how it is affected by distance (to the photographic subject) and the type of lens (typically the lens focal length). So, keep an eye out; it should be ready soon.
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