Decades ago, the sugarcane business began to wane on the Big Island of Hawaii, rendering the extensive cane plantings around the island uneconomic. Many of the cane fields in the north and east parts of the island were ripped out and subsequently converted to eucalyptus groves, in hopes that the wood would someday provide income via harvesting. That day has never really arrived, and there are now many acres of eucalyptus that have grown into very tall and very dense forests. Anyone driving around the perimeter road on the island for the first time will be startled by the seemingly endless groves of trees.
These groves have intrigued me for a long time, and I have tried various approaches to capturing their unique look, but haven’t been happy with the results. Recently, I tried a different approach, seeking out groves on gently sloping hillsides that were a mixture of old and new growth. I wanted an image that led the eye back into the grove, captured the repeating vertical lines, and conveyed that the grove seems to go on forever into the background. I wanted the image to have great depth of field, from the large trees in front to the most distant smaller trees.
The sky was somewhat cloudy, so there were no stark shadows or harsh highlights to contend with. I processed it with lower contrast and greater brightness than normal to soften and blend the trees. The tall grasses were an important ingredient, contributing to the soft but vibrant look. The hillside adds depth and helps convey that the grove extends far into the distance. I took a lot of shots of this grove, but this one met most of my objectives better than the others.
