2019 The American Landscape Contest Finalists

Photographer: Matt Meisenheimer

Description: The cliffs of the Nā Pali Coast rise over 4,000 feet from the shoreline below. It's a magnificent thing to see. The mountains of Kauai are some of the most unique out there. They give you the feeling that you're living in a prehistoric environment that existed millions of years ago. I ran into some phenomenal conditions while hiking around the Kalalau Valley during a recent trip. I scrambled to find a suitable composition and came across this scene. I liked how the lone tree was catching light and I felt the rainbows were spaced perfectly with the tree. It was very windy and wet, so the challenge was freezing motion in the vegetation and keeping my lens dry. I shot at a higher ISO to get a faster shutter speed and used a towel to dry my lens. I'd shoot a few frames, dry and cover my lens, take a few frames and repeat. Thankfully, my effort paid off and my resulting images were clean and sharp. This image portrays one of the most incredible events that I have had the opportunity to photograph.

Gear & Settings: Nikon D810, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 w/ circular polarizer, Really Right Stuff TVC-24L, Really Right Stuff BH-55. Exposure: 1/50 sec., f/16, ISO 400.