45.4

During my first visit to Kauai I never found my way to Queen's Bath. Boy did I miss out! On my second trip to Kauai I wanted to make sure I visited all the things I missed the first time. Queen's Bath was high on my list. We arrived at Queen's Bath one afternoon and found the place pretty easily. The place has become so popular that the island has built a parking lot and a trail down to the lava rocks. Once you get down to the ocean you just turn left and head west until you hit Queen's Bath. Here, the a pool of water collects around lava rock to create a natural swimming pool. The lava rock is high enough in the front that it protects swimmers from the harsh waves of the Pacific Ocean. The back of the pool is open, which allows water and fish to swim in and keep Queen's Bath full. I had an amazing time swimming, snorkeling, checking out the fish, watching crabs crawl around on the bottom, and just enjoying Queen's Bath. After going back to the condo, showering, and getting a little snack, I returned for sunset, hopeful that I could find a decent composition and for a nice colorful sky.

As I walked down to Queen's Bath I stopped at a number of waterfalls and took some photos. My friends kept going and were waiting for me at the bottom. They had spread themselves out so they could each get a "personal view" of the incoming sunset. I darted around to a number of different spots, trying to find something that provided an interesting foreground. Each time I would setup the tripod, take a couple photos and then decide this wasn't the spot and move on. I started rushing as I noticed the sky began to get some color. Finally, just as the clouds in the sky started turning pink I settled on this final composition. I noticed that the waves were crashing over some of the rocks on the right and then creating a little waterfall, and combined with the circular inlet shape of the cove, I knew I had my composition! A family enjoyed the sunset from the rocks above me. I thought that they made a nice extra touch to the photo. Early in the day a pair of sea turtles hung out in this little cove and offered some visual entertainment for us.

This is one of those times where I set the tripod up, made sure it wasn't going to fall, and just let the camera take photos while I stepped back, sat down on the rocks, and enjoyed the sunset in my own peaceful place. Man, Hawaii can do wonders to help you relax. This is one of those times, as a photographer, I had to make sure to enjoy the place and not just focus on the photography (which is also why I left the people in this photo) :)

Nikon D700 w/Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S:
24mm, f/20, 2.5 sec, ISO 100
Lee Filter Holder + HiTech 0.9 Soft ND Grad