Maui Vacation-- Looking for advise: We will be vacationing on Maui for a week starting 25th April. I will be taking my D800e , 24-70mm, 70-300mm and 50mm prime. We will be taking trips...

pchoudhury Loc: Sugar Land, Texas

We will be vacationing on Maui for a week starting 25th April. I will be taking my D800e , 24-70mm, 70-300mm and 50mm prime. We will be taking trips such as whale watching, Haleakala Sun Rise tour and couple of others. Any sugesstion and/or advise on places for picture taking . I will also appreciate anyadvise on taking pictures while watching whales , since boat will be rocking , plus with 300mm lens probably whale will be just a bleep on the frame?
Cheers
Pinak

MW

pchoudhury wrote:

We will be vacationing on Maui for a week starting 25th April. I will be taking my D800e , 24-70mm, 70-300mm and 50mm prime. We will be taking trips such as whale watching, Haleakala Sun Rise tour and couple of others. Any sugesstion and/or advise on places for picture taking . I will also appreciate anyadvise on taking pictures while watching whales , since boat will be rocking , plus with 300mm lens probably whale will be just a bleep on the frame?
Cheers
Pinak

Iao needle in Iao Valley State Park. There's also trail that starts just over the fence at the parking lot which up into the rain forest. Don't bother to follow the trail to it's end - it seems to go on forever.

Road to Hana. Pools, waterfalls and bamboo forests along the way. No need to go all the way to Hana if don't want to. Be careful in the bamboo forest as it is easy to get totally lost by stepping just a couple of yards off the trail.

Ho'okipa Beach. Photo opp for spectacular surfing and wind surfing. Evenings and weekends it it used by local residents and I suggest you ask permission before taking photographs.

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

pchoudhury wrote:

We will be vacationing on Maui for a week starting 25th April. I will be taking my D800e , 24-70mm, 70-300mm and 50mm prime. We will be taking trips such as whale watching, Haleakala Sun Rise tour and couple of others. ...Pinak

Spent a week on maui with a 135/1.8 prime and film doing same things plus car rental, night sail, copter ride and night shows. Only shot i couldn't get was a big old tree that really deserved a 24mm lens. Sounds like you have everything you need for a great trip.

pchoudhury Loc: Sugar Land, Texas

Thanks a lot

pchoudhury Loc: Sugar Land, Texas

MW
Thanks alot for suggesting all these beautiful places. We do plan to take ride towards Hana
Cheers
Pinak

kurtinnj Loc: Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Haleakala National Park at sunset.

FIDEL

oldtigger wrote:

Spent a week on maui with a 135/1.8 prime and film doing same things plus car rental, night sail, copter ride and night shows. Only shot i couldn't get was a big old tree that really deserved a 24mm lens. Sounds like you have everything you need for a great trip.

The big old tree must be the banyan tree in Lahaina, or the one on the Road to Hana.

FIDEL

pchoudhury wrote:

MW
Thanks alot for suggesting all these beautiful places. We do plan to take ride towards Hana
Cheers
Pinak

Be sure not to go scuba diving day before or day after your drive to Hana. It will not be pleasant if you do. Also, a piece of advice on the drive to Hana, if a local tails you, pull over to the nearest pull out and let the local through. Otherwise, he will be tailing you all the way and you won't like it. DO NOT leave any valuables (camera including) in the car when you get out of the car and DO NOT let other people see you putting anything in your trunk. Do the stashing at your hotel parking lot. Maui is a paradise, but line any paradise, there are unpleasant pitfalls.

Also, when you go to Haleakala for the sunset, dress warmly. I mean gloves and all. It is cold up there, more so when the wind is blowing.

Don't forget to include snorkeling as well.

You'll have a really good time in Maui. Will you be staying in the Ka'anapali area?

amehta Loc: Boston

pchoudhury wrote:

We will be vacationing on Maui for a week starting 25th April. I will be taking my D800e , 24-70mm, 70-300mm and 50mm prime. We will be taking trips such as whale watching, Haleakala Sun Rise tour and couple of others. Any sugesstion and/or advise on places for picture taking . I will also appreciate anyadvise on taking pictures while watching whales , since boat will be rocking , plus with 300mm lens probably whale will be just a bleep on the frame?
Cheers
Pinak

If the whale watch boat knows the area, you can get quite close, the 300mm should work well. And whales are big. Very big. :-) The boat won't be moving that much, and if it's a sunny day, you'll get fast shutter speeds (1/1000 or faster).

threedeers Loc: Northern Illinois

Make sure you get photos of inside of Haleakala's crater. Colors of the sand are best in full sunlight. Also consider the "south road" to Hanna there are great photo opportunities there. Plan a whole day and make the complete trip around the island.
The road going north from Lahina gives some great overlooks of the ocean and pounding surf.
Street scenes in Lahaina are always fun. Telephoto works great there.

I have used an 18-300 on a DX camera and never had to change lens.

Whale watching is different each day, as a suggestion don't spend your whole time on the boat looking through the view finder - enjoy the sights of the whales and capture images in your mind as well as on the SD card!

Allen Hirsch Loc: Oakland, CA

pchoudhury wrote:

I will also appreciate any advise on taking pictures while watching whales , since boat will be rocking , plus with 300mm lens probably whale will be just a bleep on the frame?

You should be able to use a long lens on a boat if it's out looking for whales - it will slow to let everyone on the boat watch, which will cut down on the rocking quite a bit.

These were taken with a 400L handheld:

http://allenh.zenfolio.com/img/s1/v49/p246134893-3.jpg

http://allenh.zenfolio.com/img/s1/v48/p328071388-3.jpg

http://allenh.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v51/p698618236-3.jpg

http://allenh.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v52/p925379461-3.jpg

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

Ask about the 7 Sacred Pools, far side of the island (long drive).

FIDEL

There are so many places to go to, with so many things to do in such a small island, at least in a photog's perspective. I hope you'll consider dining at the The Class Act as well. They're only open twice a week during Spring and only for lunch.

Visit GoVisitHawaii.com. It's a site exclusively Hawaiian based, believe or not, in North Carolina, owned by Sheila Beal. Very informative.

You will find one week is not enough. But, most importantly, have fun and enjoy Maui. Aloha!

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

Oh, and the BEST steak in the world is sold in Makawao,
Maui, right in the heart of Hawaiaan paniolo (cowboy) country .... you can order a well-done steak that can be cut with a fork.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

kurtinnj wrote:

Haleakala National Park at sunset.

I was going to say sunrise, but either way it's special.