Hawaii's Best (no photo)

Picture to follow trip....

The wife and I would like to plan a trip to Hawaii and I was wondering from a landscape photographers point of view what would be the best island to stay on?

From my research so far it looks to be between Maui and Kauai..

I'm sure there are some Hawaii experienced photogs here ... any help would be appreciated.

Looking for Ocean views, waterfalls, flowers, volcanoes, in other words the picture postcard/calendar views.

Thanks!

Neither are bad choices. I have only been to Maui and shot the usual road to Hana, Black Beaches, waterfalls, and Volcano(Haleakala). It is all spectacular. I have returned a couple of times.The Northern beaches are under appreciated with authentic little Hawaiian Villages, extreme shorelines and hardcore surfers. You can get a flavor of some of the vistas on the Maui page on my website.
My in laws often go on to Kuai and say it is much rainier but just like Jurassic park.
Regards,
Sam
wardphotonet.com

Thanks Piboy!

Nice pictures in your gallery.

I have been checking out Hawaii pictures here and on flickr... lots of beautiful images... can't wait to get a chance to add a few of my own.

DigitalMan wrote in post #9108096
Picture to follow trip....

The wife and I would like to plan a trip to Hawaii and I was wondering from a landscape photographers point of view what would be the best island to stay on?

From my research so far it looks to be between Maui and Kauai..

I'm sure there are some Hawaii experienced photogs here ... any help would be appreciated.

Looking for Ocean views, waterfalls, flowers, volcanoes, in other words the picture postcard/calendar views.

Thanks!

I've been to all the Islands... my vote is KAUAI if you like isolated beaches, waterfalls, lush rainforests, jagged mountains, storm clouds, and mega waves...

If you end up going to Maui, don't foret to checkout the "Iao Needle" in the Iao Valley State Park, as it's quite spectacular (as is the rest of the island. I can't comment on the rest of the islands, but you can't go wrong with Maui.

......Oh, and might I add that you should really checkout the sunset dinner cruise out of Lahaina (if you end up on Maui). It's a must in my book.

Each of the Islands has its own special quality and special places for landscape photography. I've been to each and I can't work out which is my favorite for picture taking.

Chose the Island that will make your wife the happiest. That will surely have the greatest positive impact on your photography.

Maui is great..... I did not have my love of photography at the time, so a return trip is a must for me

Wow, this is a task.

My personal suggestion: Kaua'i, but only if you do a helicopter tour (trust me).

Maui is also very beautiful and raw as well, and would be well worth it if you chose.

And, of course, Hawaii. I am a bit partial just because I spent a few years there. It is very beautiful though and there are tons of photo ops. And it has the only active volcano (which is most of the time inaccessible without a long hike).

Rounding out the list would be O'ahu. Great place, has a lot of beauty as well once you're outside the city, but pales in comparison (in my opinion) to the previous islands. Lots of history too.

I'm going back to Kaua'i in 3 weeks for 9 days and I can't wait. I have gotten incredible pictures every time I've gone (and I've been 8 times now).

If you need any more suggestions, let me know.

John

Been to the islands Kauai is the one we enjoyed the most and the prettiest. It has everything you want to photograph. It has my vote. Enjoy your trip you will want to go back.

If you only visit one island and photography is your focus then Kauai is top of the list, followed by Maui, Molokai, the Big island and Oahu.

If you want see some seascape shots of Oahu, you are welcome to visit my flickr.

I've only been to Kauai but I've been lusting to go back ever since and I would recommend it to anyone. My trip to Kauai is what actually made me make the jump from a point and shoot kind to a dslr after I was disappointed after how my photos turned out. Just make sure you take the helicopter tour like mentioned above and if you decide you want great pictures from your tour find a reputable company that gives you the option of taking the tour in an helicopter without doors. Also, I would recommend some sort of guide book (can't remember exactly which one I had but it's an all blue cover with a map of the island of Kauai on it) to help point you in the right direction.

Here's the book mentioned above. Whether you choose one island or another, these books are invaluable to a visitor to Hawaii.
http://www.wizardpub.c​om/kauai/kauai.html

John

I'll second that vote on the guid book mentioned (see link above). It is absolutely invaluable, and filled with a wealth of information. There is a book for each of the islands. If you can't find it in a local book store, you can still order it right from the website.

Thanks for all the replies...

Sounds like Kauai is a pretty good choice.

I will check out the guide book.

Decided to buy both the Kauai and the Maui guides.