More Maui Rainbows

Earlier this week I posted an image of a full Maui rainbow that I happened to see while driving on my first day here. One of the things I love photographically in Maui is the chance to witness and to photograph rainbows. They are such a visual candy store.

Well, within 30 hours of driving around the island I managed to snag three more rainbows, which I’d like to share with you. Every year I drive to Hana twice for overnight visits so that I have time to stop to photograph at my leisure. Over the years I haven’t even managed to slightly approach all the spectacular photo opps, from waterfalls to ocean scenics, let alone in the very best light conditions.

Anyway, en route to Hana my wife, who is my trusty lookout and also my very patient and capable assistant, told me to pull over. Here is what greeted me.

Now, most rainbows are partials, but I truly believe that they most often have more drama to them than the full rainbows that we see. That is because with partials we are able to isolate the scene and extract from it the best compositional elements.

After an evening spent photographing sunset at one of Hana’s beaches, we woke next morning early for my favorite part of the “Road to Hana.” That would involve the back side of Haleakala’s wind-swept slopes. But, before we could even get out of Hana, we were treated to yet another rainbow!

As with nearly all my rainbow images, this was shot with only a polarizing filter attached to my lens to allow the rainbow to pop.

Believe me, it was a fulfilling, photo-filled day as we drove back to the northwest side of the island. Sunset over the water did not seem like it would amount to much, so my expectations were not high. But, a look toward the mountains and I pulled over to the side of the road for a final shot of a very partial rainbow. Not much to look at, but still a treat.

Okay, I won’t bore you with more rainbow shots on this trip, but if you like rainbows and have always wanted to explore the secret places on Maui, stay tuned for a future photo tour here. But, please do not expect me to pull over for every Maui rainbow. Unless, that is, we spot one.