Daily Dose: Photo 53

The daily dose of Kaua'i ends with my last sign of light on the island, the sunset at Waimea Canyon. From there we drove to the airport and returned to Oahu. Not a day goes by that I don't think about our first, amaaaazing trip there. We just cannot wait to go back. Mahalo to those of you that followed along on our daily photo adventure! Aloha friends. :)

Daily Dose: Photo 52

Hi pretty colors! The small island off to the left is Lehua, off of Ni'ihau.

Daily Dose: Photo 51

Glorious sunset at Waimea Canyon.

Daily Dose: Photo 50

Sunset at Waimea Canyon.

Daily Dose: Photo 49

The night we left, we got our last BANG! out of Kaua'i with a much anticipated sunset at Waimea Canyon. Holy toledo, I know. It's just a photo, but it still makes you squint huh? Hands down, THE best sunset I've ever ever ever seen. And because of that, the last few photos and final end to Kaua'i daily photos will be photos from this sunset.

Personal | Heaven

Our latest trip up to Heaven made it feel like a whole new experience. Heavy cloud cover led us to believe our friends wouldn't see any views on their first trip up, but we got a few breaks in the clouds once the sun started peeking through.

But afterall, it was just another blessed day in Hawai'i. :)

Daily Dose: Photo 48

Polihale Beach view of the mountains.

Daily Dose: Photo 47

Polihale Beach on Barking Sands side of Kaua'i. Possibly one of the farthest drives to a beach I've gone on the islands.

Daily Dose: Photo 46

Another angle of Waimea Canyon.

Daily Dose: Photo 45

The "Grand Canyon of the Pacific": Waimea Canyon.

Daily Dose: Photos 43 & 44

Whoops! I may have slacked a little again. That's what happens when you have 6 different college textbooks to read at any one time. ;)

Here is the ridge I was standing on when taking the photos from the 2 previous posts. Yea, a little scary, but try to convince me that those photos weren't worth it!

Hubby swimming in the secret lava pools. Many congregate at Queen's Bath, but these are just as beautiful... and not as crowded!

Daily Dose: Photo 42

Nualolo Cliffs, Na Pali coast.

Daily Dose: Photo 41

Heeelllloooo beautiful land!

Can you imagine how tiny a person can feel on this ridge on top of the Nualolo Cliffs on the Na Pali coast? I felt like an ant in a great expanse of land. How lucky am I to live in paradise? I will tell you, I am baffled by it. Every day. Every. day.

Daily Dose: Photo 40

Aerial shot of Wailua Falls.

Personal | Sweet, Growing Caroline

I adore this girl... and her mommy. :)

Daily Dose: Photo 39

Blue Hole (this hike was described in a previous daily dose of Kaua'i) at the bottom of Wai'ale'ale Crater. Surreal.

Daily Dose: Photo 38

Walls of Wai'ale'ale Crater.

Daily Dose: Photos 36 & 37

I slacked on a daily of Kaua'i yesterday, but I have a great excuse... my dad flew in last night and I, of course, had been cleaning the house like a lunatic. Here is more than enough beauty to ensure my forgiveness. More lush green land and waterfalls as seen from the sky.

Daily Dose: Photo 35

More waterfalls to view from a seat in a helicopter? Yes please!

Daily Dose: Photo 34

If this doesn't enter the word "paradise" into your brain, I don't know what will. Coming around the corner of Ke'e Beach.

Daily Dose: Photo 33

Sea caves on the Na Pali coast. I really want to kayak into them!

Personal | A fantastic point.

After catching up on some blog admiring, I came across a post by Erin Farrell that does a fantastic job at showing the difference between know-how vs. great gear. I definitely recommend reading the whole post here, but here is an excerpt:

"Your Camera Takes Really Nice Pictures"

Imagine that you’re baking dessert for a party.  It’s your special recipe: the one everyone asks for.  You make it from scratch, of course, never looking at the recipe that you committed to memory so long ago.  Sugar, beaten eggs, sift in the flour…  you’re crafting something delicious from basic elements.  Now you’re at the party and everyone is gushing about your dessert.  The flavor!  The texture!  But most of all you’re being asked, “what kind of oven do you have?  It makes great cakes!”

That’s pretty much how a photographer feels when people look at their photos and say, “your camera takes great pictures.”

Of course it’s not the camera that takes great photos, any more than it’s the oven that makes a great dessert.  Ovens and cameras are just tools that make our jobs easier.  Yes, better equipment does make a difference.  I wouldn’t spend thousands of dollars on cameras and lenses if it didn’t.  However, you must understand the camera to take advantage of all it can offer.  Just because you’re using a professional camera does not mean you are producing professional images.

Just some food for thought this Wednesday morning. :)

Daily Dose: Photo 32

Helicopter view of a boat tour on the Na Pali coast.

Personal | More changes.

After a yucky ordeal involving the family tree logo, I present the new look to AAP. It will be incorporated to all work over the coming weeks.

I am making the effort to get back to my first love, film. I've been very inspired lately by looking at my old negatives and darkroom prints, as well as browsing through blogs. The unfortunate part of such a wonderful medium is how expensive it can get, so it'll be a slow transition back into it on my salary of a poor college student/photog. ;)

Daily Dose: Photo 31

A waterfall flowing into the ocean off of the Na Pali coast. 

Daily Dose: Photo 30

The next few photos will be from the helicopter tour of Kaua'i my FIL and I did. Can I just say, WOW to being the heli pilot and getting aerial views of the island everyday. I know every job has its drawbacks, but what an amazing thing it must be to go up and see the changes that come from summer to winter. Jealous! Anyway, if you have the opportunity, definitely take an hour out of your day to do this. Yes, it was a bit cramped and I did have to take many shots blindly, and the window glare will show up in some of your photos, but even so... still worth it! I mean, look at this:

Na Pali coast

The Na Pali coast is accessible by only: 1) helicopter/plane, 2) boat, or 3) hiking the dangerous 11 mile (actually, 22 mile, seeing as you go back the way you came from!) Kalalau trail which involves setting up camp because you will not be hiking in the dark. So, you take your pick. ;) Either way, this beauty is untouchable.

Daily Dose: Photo 29

Sunrise at Kealia beach.

Daily Dose: Photo 28

After coming up to this forest reserve 3 times, on the last trip up there, the clouds finally moved along fast enough for me to take a clear shot of the summit of Wai'ale'ale Crater. That peak up there, folks, is the wettest spot on Earth and is home to bogs, stunted plants (because of the amount of rainfall that they receive), and many, many dragonflies.

Daily Dose: Photo 27

This photo is from another extraordinary day on Kaua'i. Every single day was filled with adventure and completely awe inspiring, but there were certain experiences that were even more special than others. A lot of that had to do with the work we put into getting to those places. Spending more than a handful of hours treking through wet, knee-deep mud, crossing into a large stream several times, slipping off of wet rocks, weaving in and out of the trail... we made it pretty dang close to the wall of Wai'ale'ale Crater, where these gorgeous and pristine waterfalls cascade and meet into a large pool which then flows into the stream. This is called the Blue Hole hike and should be on your 'to-do list' if you are ready to brave some interesting terrain (keeping in mind, we only saw 2 other people on the way there the whole time we were there). To see this wall of water coming from the wettest spot on Earth is as glorious as you could imagine, but was made even better by the fact that we hiked (almost all of) the way up to it. Definitely one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Personal | Afternoon Appreciation

I love walking into my backyard, soaking up the afternoon sun, and exploring the beings that make their homes on this island. This is the beauty of life!

Of course, you always need a soundtrack, and The Green fits the vibe.

Have a wonderful day filled with aloha, friends.

Daily Dose: Photo 26

Kalihiwai Falls, hidden behind the guard rail on Kalihiwai Highway.