This was one of my early tries at aerial drone photography. I packed my gear up on an off road motorcycle and headed for the old village site of Keomoku on the Island of Lana'i. This unique drone perspective shows the remote isolation of this restored church building at this former Hawaiian village site. Remnants of a coconut tree grove still survive in an area now dominated by kiawe trees. Back in the 1890's, there was a try at a sugar plantation in this area... but the attempt, eventually, failed. There is no electricity and no running water here. A rugged dirt road is the only way of reaching this place by land. I explored this area, many times, over the years... but this shot remains one of my favorites
The ancient and massive Waiaopae Fishpond, off the coast of the Island of Lana'i, is not apparent from ground level. This drone aerial view, however, reveals the incredible size of this underwater fishpond built by Hawaiians from long ago. Fishponds, like this one, were once used by the Hawaiian people to enclose populations of fish which would be harvested from time to time. When I took this photograph, in 2015, efforts were underway to restore this amazing structure to a working fishpond. If you look closely, you can see a group of workers on the left side of the massive "U" formed by the underwater structure.
This aerial panorama, of Hulopo'e Bay, was taken in January of 2017. I moved to the Island of Lana'i in 1991, and lived there for 25 years. I've lost count of the times that I swam in this beautiful bay, or lounged on the beach. Hulopo'e Bay is a very special place. It is one of the few remaining marine preserves left in Hawaii. Manele Bay can be seen in the middle right side of the photo... as well as the Four Seasons Manele Bay Resort (which actually sits on Hulopo'e Bay). This 12x24 print makes a great remembrance for those who have experienced the magic of Hulopo'e Bay.
