The City of Refuge (or Pu’uhonua o Honaunau) is one of my favorite spots on the Big Island of Hawaii. This tranquil national historic park is tucked away on the Kona coast not far from the spot where Captain Cook became the first European to land on the Islands and later met his fate.

Today it is a quiet palm lined beach and lagoon perfect for snorkeling or photography, but in ancient Hawaii it was both a favorite residence of the high chiefs and a safe haven for defeated warriors and those who had broken the kapu (ancient laws). It is also a sanctuary for the endangered green sea turtles that feed in the shallow cove and frequent the sandy beach to rest.

June 8th is World Oceans Day – a chance to celebrate the bodies of water that make up 70% of our planet and provide us with food, recreation and place to rejuvenate the spirit. As home to an estimated 230,000 marine species, our oceans are a vast wilderness with ecosystems critically linked with our own. Unfortunately many of the earth’s inhabitants never see or experience our oceans, yet our impact through pollution and over-fishing has taken its toll.

Organizations such as the The Ocean Project provide a great opportunity to get directly involved in protecting the future of our oceans through personal and community involvement. Working with zoos, aquariums, and conservation groups, they sponsor beach cleanups, educational programs, art contests, film festivals, sustainable seafood events, and other activities which help to raise consciousness of how our lives depend on the oceans and what we can do to keep them healthy long into the future.

Madame Pele has re-awakened on the the Big Island of Hawaii this week. The floor of the Pu‘u ‘O‘o crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park collapsed and a fissure opened up on the flanks of Kilauea sending lava high into the air. For more than a quarter century the goddess of fire has let her temperament be known on this island creating one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and once again she is feeling uneasy.

This image taken a few years ago of the lava flowing into the Pacific Ocean at night shows the raw force of fire and water combining to form new land. It is an incredible spectacle to witness and one of the most challenging subjects I have ever photographed. Walking across miles of a’a lava fields (the sharp brittle variety) in the dark and carefully setting up a tripod on a newly formed shelf above the sea is a stark contrast to shooting the lush forests and beautiful beaches on the opposite side of this same island. But the experience is intoxicating and Madame Pele’s pull will keep me coming back again and again.

Jack Johnson’s well known line sums it up nicely when it comes to many things and especially outdoor photography. It’s wonderful to visit and photograph beautiful locations, to have a permanent (or so we hope) record of our experience long after the trip is over, but an added plus is always being able to savor those moments with someone else.

A recent exchange online got me thinking about all the benefits of sharing your photographic adventures with a friend or partner. Beyond the obvious pleasure of simply enjoying a tropical sunset together or wandering down a forest trail and savoring the smell of wet pines after a storm, there’s another big perk – perspective. Having someone in your landscape images can often add a unique visual element that gives the viewer a sense of place, and with action shots the benefit of being able to give direction (although utmost care is needed here) can make for much more compelling imagery.

In this image, my wife Maureen and I are just starting off on a 16 mile journey down the Na Pali coast of Kauai. Shooting this close to the water is always risky business, but I managed to keep my equipment dry with the careful use of a drybag while my partner helped line up the perfect shots. So the next time you’re heading out to shoot bring a friend, and don’t forget to let them get in on the action.

There’s something fascinating about visual movement that stirs our souls. I’m not talking about the exhilaration of cycling or skiing down a mountain, but the more subtle visual connections we make while witnessing a dance performed on a stage, watching clouds race across a desert sky, or simply viewing a photograph of a silky waterfall frozen in time.

As photographers, we have the privilege of stopping time or even slowing it down just long enough to give our viewers a glimpse of a world that can never be seen with our own eyes. We can illustrate a repetitive process over time such as a series of waves washing on shore, or create an abstract vision of color and form that has no resemblance to the natural world.

At these moments, there’s a bond that occurs between subject and viewer that’s hard to put into words. Perhaps it’s our secret desire to slow the inevitable march of time or just a sense of voyeurism at seeing something beautiful that we know we shouldn’t be able to. I like to think of it as the emotion of motion.

The Road to Hana along Maui’s east shore is as much a spiritual journey as a travel destination. The endless sea of lush vegetation blending into the azure waters of the Pacific along this legendary highway is quintessential Hawaii. And it’s also a typical scenario for the outdoor photographer – it’s almost too much to take it all in. But that’s where less often becomes more.

Once the grand landscapes have been preserved, it’s time to replace the wide angle lens with a tele or macro and take a closer look. Sweeping vistas captivate our attention and are the cornerstone of outdoor photography, but visual storytelling is about filling in the details that give a sense of place. Often times these elements are right at our feet, and the challenge is simply to not overlook them.

I consider this more of a public service announcement than anything (insert wink here).

On the mainland the season is finally in full swing with brightly colored leaves, a crisp change in the air, and perhaps even a touch of snow at the higher elevations. But things in our 50th state haven’t changed much at all since last season, or the season before – in fact, they haven’t changed much in years. The temperature is still a constant 82 degrees, with light trade winds gently blowing the coconut palms. Dolphin frolic close to shore and the golden sun sets into the azure sea most every evening.

So while we’re all excited about the new look in the rest of the country, let’s not forget some things (and places) never change. And in the case of Hawaii, that’s just fine!

Hawaiian cowboys? – it sounds like a contradiction, but then Hawaii is full of them. In addition to its active volcano, pristine beaches, and the world’s largest observatories on Mauna Kea, the Big Island of Hawaii is also home to one the largest and oldest ranches in the United States.

After the war of 1812 John Parker settled in the Islands and became friends with King Kamehameha I. He married the daughter of a high-ranking chief and was given two acres of land and allowed to manage the free-roaming cattle on the island. Over the next 160 years the ranch grew to thousands of acres around the town of Waimea and until 1992, it was the largest privately owned cattle ranch in the United States (including Texas and Montana!).

The paniolos (or Hawaiian cowboys) who work the ranch are descendants of Mexican vaqueros, excellent horsemen brought over by Parker to manage the growing operation. They trained local men to rope and ride a generation before the American cowboys of the Wild West learned their craft, and introduced to the local culture the sound that today is synonymous with Hawaii, the ukulele.

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After nearly 25 years the lava on Hawaii’s Big Island continues to flow from the Pu’u O’o vent on the flanks of Kilauea down into the Pacific Ocean. In the early 90′s I was there to witness the slow destruction of Kalapana and watched in amazement as they rolled the historic painted church down the road to safety, while the palms on the famous black sand beach went up in flames.

I’ve been back many times over the years and I’m always in awe of Pele’s powerful hand in shaping these Islands. Will Rogers once said “buy real estate, they don’t make it any more”, but clearly he had never been to this part of the world!