Most of my visits to Hawaii have, strangely enough, been on business. Though I love the islands I’ve done little photography there. A brief trip in June, 2000 lead to a few photographic opportunities.

Maui Sunset #1‚ 2000

The south coast ofMauiis much less commercial than the more popular area nearLahaina. Just south of a strip of resort hotels is an area calledMakena. This is likely what Maui was like before the influx of tourists and commercialism. 

I was photographing sunset one evening and asked my wife to pose on a fallen tree by the surf. This photograph is an homage to the countless cheesy Hawaiian postcards showing a woman silhouetted against a glowing sunset sky.  How could I resist?

Photographed with a Hasselblad XPan and 90mm lens on Fuji Sensia II

Maui Sunset #2‚ 2000

This photograph was taken just a few minutes before the one above. It’s a good example of how to work an area, looking for the broad panorama as well as the more intimate close-up. 

In the enlarged view (click on the image above) you’ll be able to see a navel vessel on the horizon line, silhouetted against the distant island. In a large print it’s clearly visible and adds a much-needed point of focus to the scene.

Photographed with a Hasselblad XPan and 45mm lens on Fuji Sensia II

Waikiki Fisherman‚ 2000

Waikikibeach is crassly commercial, rimmed by high-rise hotels, and shops which range from the tacky to the sublime. At dawn, people are found in sleeping bags on the beach while just a hundred feet away $800 a night hotel rooms abound.

These fisherman portray a quiet timelessness that is belied by the realities of 21st century Hawaii.

Photographed with a Hasselblad XPan and 90mm lens on Kodak E100VS

The photographs on this page were taken with aHasselblad XPan, my favourite camera for landscape work when I have to travel light. You can read a review of this systemhere.