First glow of sunrise on the West Maui Mountains as seen from the beach in Kihei.
Every so often, I’m inspired to do a sunrise photowalk. My cat woke me at around 5:00 a.m. and I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided this morning was as good as any to get up and go.
Sunrise developing on the West Maui Mountains above Ma'alaea, as seen from Kihei.
I’m the type who likes to get all set up and ready to catch the first hint of sunrise glow, but I live in South Maui, and rising to the east between the sunrise and me, is Maui’s 10,000-foot volcano, Haleakala.
This makes shooting a sunrise from my side of the island a little tricky, because I have to work fast. By the time the sun appears over the top of the mountain, it’s already pretty high in the sky, and thus fairly bright. I only have a few minutes to catch the first morning glows, and within an hour or so, the light starts to become harsh.
This morning was extraordinarily clear (meaning they weren’t burning cane), and the glows were lovely. Some days, it’s worth having a cat be your alarm clock.
Panorama of Ma'alaea and the West Maui Mountains at sunrise as seen from Kihei.
