Just a few short months ago, I like so many others thought of the Covid 19 crisis as a temporary inconvenience. I treated the shutdown as a time to get busy learning my camera, pushing it and myself to produce images that were not simply screenshots of the scene in front of me but more about controlling how and where light and color falls upon my cameras sensor. I liken it to a painters brush. 7 months have now passed and my journey continues...
Choosing a favorite "Kauai Photograph" can prove challenging. Every image has a high degree of vision, organization, anticipation, most of all... LUCK! Stephanie and I often revisit locations, again and again, searching for those RARE moments of Perfection! These are a few images, when vision, became a reality :)) SSteve Munch
Most times, I am out in the field, (and depending on the popularity of the scene) sometimes, it's just myself with no distractions. But most of the time, there are at least a few camera toting enthusiast with the same passion as myself, positioning themselves to capture something amazing. It has always struck me odd, the biggest mistake I see made, is how fast others pack up and leave the area. I have learned early on, some of the sweetest light comes well before and after the sun shines its warming rays upon the scene. The falling or rising sun...
Even photographing Kauai with all its natural beauty, can be a challenge. Im am frequently asked, how often I get out and shoot. Photography, like most professions has moments of absolute clarity, where images seem to appear effortlessly, a place where Mother Nature offers up her blessings willingly. There are also many, many days where nothing seems to awake the creative blood running through my veins. This last week was one such situation. Being that the Galleries have been shut down (due to Corona Virus), I have been pushing myself to make the most of the free time on offer,...
There are enough scenic views on the Island of Kauai, to keep any resident or visiting photographer, challenged and active. When I make the decision, to capture a scene of this magnificence. My focus is on the best combination of tools and settings, to create and capture an image that pays respect, to the beauty before me. Lots of questions, best light (am or pm)? Panoramic or square? F Stop, sharp through out the scene or Isolated and dreamy? Then comes the most critical question of all, COMPOSITION!! Camera laying on the ground or elevated, 18' off the ground, with my new...
Capturing the soft hues of the pre-dawn light by the ocean in Kauai, (during these times of stay at home orders, military road blocks and curfews) has proven a welcome escape from the confines of my home. Shooting in this light has open my eyes, to the subtle changes in cloud cover and the radical effects these changes can have on color while photographing the same scene, at the same time each morning. I have in the past, regularly shot a composition, envisioning how it can be improved in a different light, during different times of the day. I will...
