Starlit Palm Tree

A Coconut Palm Tree stands illuminated against an incredible backdrop of stars with Cook Pines reaching high into the night’s sky near Spaulding Monument in Kealia. The ahupua’a (cultural region) of Kealia on Kauai’s east side, was once a thriving community and home to the Kealia Sugar Plantation, owned by Col. Zephaniah Spalding for whom the Monument was built. This image was shot during a late night adventure using a technique called “painting light” to highlight the palm tree during a long exposure with the intention of capturing the starry sky.