Rainbow Forest

I captured this image in Maui, Hawaii. While I have captured a lot of rainbow eucalyptus trees during my career, this is probably my all-time favorite. Aaron Feinberg, a photography acquaintance, captured an image from this spot years before I did. His wonderful take on this grove of rainbow eucalyptus trees inspired me to shoot here if and when I ever visited Maui. That visit ultimately happened in early 2014 and this image is the result.

The rainbow eucalyptus tree, which thrives in tropical areas, requires a lot of water. The east side of Maui is the perfect place for these trees. I captured this image in an area that gets between 80-120 inches of a rain per year. Knowing that I could count on overnight rain, I timed my capture so that light was optimal and bark saturation from the overnight rain was at its peak. I captured this scene just as the sun, which was behind me and to my left, was rising. The light was exquisite. It could not have been better.