Waterfall in Waimea Canyon
Beautiful Nature
During our visit to the island of Kauaʻi in Hawaiʻi, we were constantly amazed by the beautiful scenery no matter which way we turned. There were so many interesting things to see all around us. But this was especially true when we visited Waimea Canyon.
Before we started looking into what we might want to do in Kauaʻi, I pictured lots of beautiful beaches there, because that is what most of us naturally associate with Hawaiʻi. That definitely was the case, too, based on the different beaches that we visited. But I naively had no idea that there would be a huge, beautiful canyon on the island, too.
It does make sense, however, if you think about how the islands of Hawaiʻi were formed by volcanoes. Given that fact, there would obviously be the potential for some valleys along with the mountains that would be there, right?
In fact, they say that Waimea canyon was formed when one of the volcanic mountains collapsed many, many years ago. And then erosion made it even more of a canyon. Who am I to argue with that?
No matter how it was formed, we greatly enjoyed seeing it. And we particularly liked this waterfall that was off in the distance. We hoped to get a closer view of it, but we never did. Except maybe from the top of the falls as we climbed down into the canyon. But even from this distance, it was a wonderful view, as you can see here.
The world is a wonderful place, full of beautiful scenes just waiting to be explored.
Natural Nature
So often, I get so caught up in what I am doing that I forget to stop and notice the beauty of nature around me. I am reminded of it sometimes during the changing of the seasons, such as right now when the leaves are turning all sorts of interesting colors before winter gets here.
However, during much of the rest of the year, I forget to notice all of the nature that I drive past on my way to and from work. And I forget to notice all of the beautiful nature around our rural home. Trees, grass, colorful weeds, wild animals, clouds, sky. So many wonderful things to see, but I do not stop to give them a glance.
Even if you are in the city, I would imagine there is some natural beauty to be seen where you are. Most of the busy downtown areas are even planting trees these days to try to add life to the city scene. Or perhaps there is a park nearby for you to visit. If nothing else, take some time to notice how cool the clouds can be, even on a very gray day.
In our busy days as we rush through our lives, let’s take some time to slow down and notice the beauty of the natural world around us. It is pretty great sometimes. No, all of the time.
Bible Verse
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. - Psalm 96:11-12
About the Photo
As with many photos, this one looked much better after processing than it did originally. While it is true that you cannot improve on nature, sometimes you can make sure that a nature photo looks as good as possible.
The problem with the original version of this photo was distance. Because of how far away we were from the waterfall, the overall photo looked quite a bit hazy, almost as if looking through a light fog, even though it was the middle of the day.
This was easily overcome by using the Clarity slider when importing the original Raw file into Photoshop. Boosting the color saturation and contrast helped a bit, too.
The resulting photo looks much better and much more vibrant. Almost as good as being right there. Almost.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Olympus 14-42mm IIR
Date: July 6, 2018
Location: Waimea Canyon, Hawaiʻi
