On a recent trip to Maui I had the opportunity to watch the sunrise from close to the summit of Haleakalā. I usually think of Hawaii for it's beaches and lush green mountains, but this was truly a stark martian landscape. However, it also made for some of the most challenging lighting conditions I've had to contend with shooting sunrise and sunset. I also took a walk up a small hill near the main viewing area to avoid the crowds in the parking lot, but the viewing area at the top ofthe hill was rather small and didn't ave many opportunities for foreground interest (at least that I was able to find in the dark). This was my first visit to Haleakalā, so I didn't have any previous experience at this location to draw on. This was a family vacation and I was really tied to other people's schedules, but I'm fortunate to be in Hawaii a couple times a year and fully intend to go back. Next time I think I'll do some backpacking in the park and find a better spot on one of the trails leading into the crater to set up for sunrise.
The sun came up directly behind the crater, meaning I was shooting directly into the sun. On this morning (and I think most mornings) we were also up above the clouds, and the clouds below the crater reflect light in odd ways that make it difficult to get any detail in the foreground without blowing out the sky completely. Even 30+ minutes before sunrise I was getting some lens flare over the main crater area around where the sun was going to come up.
This led me to make a few decisions--If I was going to get lens flare either way, I figured I'd capture a sun burst as the sun actually came up. Additionally, I can usually i can get away with using a single exposure where the foreground is 1 step or so under exposed to keep the sky from blowing out and then pull it up in post without losing too much detail or facing too many issues with noise, etc. However, given the dynamic range of the scene that wasn't an option. That meant I needed to make my first attempt at exposure blending. Below is my final image, as well as the base (unedited) exposure I used for the foreground and the exposure I used for the sky (20-30 minutes before sunrise) with some work done to it in post. I also used an additional exposure for the sun itself and a fourth exposure to resolve some of the harsher lens flares on the crater in my base exposure.
What do you think? I'm particularly interested in thoughts on the exposure blend since it was my first attempt. Does the color and brightness (or lack thereof) in the sky make this feel unnatural with the sun burst on the horizon? Thoughts on a crop are also appreciated--I don't really like the foreground, but I don't think there's much room to lose things on the sides. Maybe a 16:9?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts, and sorry this is so long!
