The Big Island

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 14, 2015250 views5 comments

This was taken on the north side of the Big Island in Hawaii just a few weeks ago. My friend is in helicopter training and asked myself and another along on one of his training flight in a R-44. Our trip took us from one side of the island to the other, following the shoreline the whole way. It was an amazing flight, filled with about a dozen whale sightings, and a short trip up into Waipio Valley, with tons of tall waterfalls towering above us as we ventured into the deep folds of the giant tropical hills.

This scene came and passed by quickly as we traveled the shoreline, our direction directly into the morning sun. Photography was difficult, though, in a low-and-fast aircraft, trying to find scenes and take a photo through the glass doors keeping us protected from the chilly morning air. That said, I did have a filter on the camera, but one I would not choose in the first place.

The flight lasted about an hour, and I snapped quite a few photos, but this one made it on my favorite list of the trip fairly quickly. God must have enjoyed crafting this scene!

Canon 60d 10-22mm @ 116mm
ISO 1000 (helicopters sure to vibrate a lot

), f/5.6, 1/2500sec

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Brian Schrayer on February 14, 2015 at 11:42 PM

I like the lighting in this image, Nathan - especially the way that it enhances the greens in the foreground and seems to highlight the waterfall. I almost expect to see a velociraptor come into the scene.

Registered on May 28, 2004, 114 Posts, 2890 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on February 15, 2015 at 2:29 AM

What a special opportunity and you did very well with it. I like the awesome light in the right side of the image and what a terrific waterfall. Beautiful shot Nathan.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Prashant Khapane on February 15, 2015 at 8:58 AM

I like the play of light and shadow. Very nice

Registered on November 1, 2003, 492 Posts, 4580 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on February 15, 2015 at 10:51 AM

I really like the lighting here, Nathan, and am pretty amazed that you could pull this off from a moving chopper. The greens really pop and set off the darkness of the distant cliffs and falls and breakers nicely.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Ryan Shain on February 17, 2015 at 9:00 PM

HI Nathan,

This is a beautiful view of this area, and nice work from a moving helicopter. The vibrant greens contrast nicely with the subdued browns in the background, and some wonderful light here.

Very nice work with this capture

Registered on February 20, 2007, 226 Posts, 4571 Comments