The Maui sunset starting to develop.

Over the weekend, my wife and I were over at our friends‘ house for what seems to be a developing tradition for us—a dinner (potluck, barbecue, pizza, whatever) and movie night with close friends. Unlike most dinner guests, I’m the nerd who shows up with a gear bag and a tripod, and sneaks out during the dinner portion of the evening, when the sun is about to set.

They renovated their home a few years ago to include spiral staircase leading up to a flat portion of the roof where they can sit and enjoy their wonderful view of South Maui. While I was up there with my camera, tripod and ND grads, watching the sunset develop, I thought about something I remembered John Shaw saying during a workshop of his I’d attended in the Bay Area several years ago, when I was just starting to shoot professionally.

The sun setting behind Lanai.

He said there are 3 M’s that are the bane of good photography—Motels, Meals and Mates:

• Motels: You need to find one close to your location, or you’re up earlier so you can drive farther in the dark to get there. In some cases, there aren’t any nearby at all, so unless you can camp there (which can mean a long hike, boat ride, whatever) or drive an RV in, you’re not getting the shot. There are a few intrepid individuals like Ben Wilmore, who sold his home in Colorado and lives in a 40-foot 1997 Prevost “Rock Star” bus, and can simply drive up to his shoot, park, set the alarm and go to bed. As much as I admire Ben and his work, I don’t think I could ever convince my wife that this is a good thing.

• Meals: “Let’s have breakfast!” Well, chances are you were up in the o’dark and you’ve been out on location with your hat and gloves watching for the first hint of alpine glow, and when breakfast rolls around for your spouse and friends, you’re still shooting the last few frames before the light gets too harsh. The same story at dinner, when you’re trying to catch the last traces of orange and red on the horizon before the world goes dark. Incidentally, John also told us the joke about the seven course meal of a photographer consisting of six granola bars and an apple. I for one, always have those items in my camera bag.

The last of the sun's rays from behind Lanai.

• Mates: “Come on! You’re going to take another one? You already took one!” Fortunately, my mate is far from that sort and is extremely patient and supportive of my leaving our warm bed to freeze my behind off in the dark waiting for the sun to come over a mountain (as long as she doesn’t have to come along). If you’re not fortunate enough to have a similar mate, your days as a photographer are numbered.

A smile came to my lips as I thought about John’s words of wisdom, and I was thankful I had understanding and forgiving friends, who didn’t miss a beat when I disappeared from the table and simply refilled my plate while I was gone, then moved on to the movie portion of the evening.

The last glow of red and orange on the horizon.

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