This photo was shot in the lava tubes (http://www.mauicave.com/) on the outskirts of Hana, a small town on the south eastern shores of Maui. If you ever have a chance to visit Hana, make sure you stay for a couple days. After a few days the town will make an impression on you that will last a lifetime.

Lighting Diagram

What else are you supposed to do when you have a few willing participants on your Lava Tube tour? After a quick organizational meeting, the team was ready to execute the plan. It only took one botched exposure to get it right.

Here is a break down of how I shot this image. I drew the diagram using a cool app I’ve discovered for the iPad. It’s called Paper. The basic version is free, you can get it here.

• Me – I was shooting a Sigma Fish Eye, on my D700, setup on a Really Right Stuff Versa 24. I think the exposure was around 30 seconds. I forgot a cable release, so that was as good as it got.
• Natural Light – I positioned my subject (BubbaBroChill – you can find him on Instagr.am) in front of the natural light that was pouring in from a vent in the lava tube.
• F1 (flashlight 1) light painted the backside of the rock pile for the entire exposure to create a nice edge an contrast between the cave ceiling.
• F2 (flashlight 2) – light painted the ceiling of the cave for for about 10 seconds. Note: I only used the spill light, not the direct centered light from the flashlight.
• F3 (flashlight 3) – I had BubbaBroChill hold really still and turn on the light for 2 seconds durning the exposure.