Araz Jakalian Photography

"Untitled"
(panorama of 3 photos)

I worked really hard for this one! Let me explain. This beautiful waterfall named Waimoku Falls was captured on the island of Maui at the end of a trail called Pipiwai Trail. This part of the island is past the little village of Hana and practically at the opposite end of where we were staying. Eventhough I left before sunrise I only arrived at 6 pm, there is so much to see on the road to Hana (for example see Enchanted Forest below and Green Harmony above). The hike to this waterfall is almost 2 miles (3.2km) and requires, I was told, anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. So my dilema was: I`m at the opposite end of the island, it`s 6 pm, a 2 hour hike in front of me with diminishing light... Regardless, I hit the trail with a quick pace so I could make it to the waterfall before the light dissapeared. The hike was simply awesome, passing through so many variety of landscapes, I could not do it justice so I won`t try to describe it. The waterfall is located as you exit the Bamboo forest, yes bamboo forest! The first time you see it you simply gasp! You are at the bottom of a 150 foot towering waterfall looking straight up. At that point I had just enough light to capture the lower part of the waterfall as a panorama and left for the dark and long, long trip back... All worth it. The print is simply stunning with rich detail and beautiful colours.

"Enchanted Forest"
(panorama of 3 photos)

These beautiful Rainbow Eucalyptus trees were captured in this panorama at the Ke'anae Arboretum on the island of Maui. When the bark peels off, these beautiful colours are revealed. It was raining on and off, as it often does on the road to Hana, yet it was a bright day so the light was great for such a composition.

"False Kiva"
(8 exposures & panorama of 2)

False Kiva is a place that you feel with all your sense.

The hike to Flase Kiva starts out easy enough (assuming you found the right trail to begin with) but after 20 minutes of hiking on flat grounds, the trail changes abruptly and the grandeur of the place suddenly becomes apparent and the hike become much more difficult. The reward awaiting at the end is this view...

"House on Fire B&W"
(panorama of 6 photos)

This house was built by the Anasazi indians in southern Utah. It was difficult to find and we actually passed it the first time without seeing it. The rock pattern above the house is simply stunning! We spent a few hours photographing this ruin and this portrait, composed of 6 photos stitched together to fully capture the extent of the house, was the one that for me captured the essence of the place. Although it was a hot day, the air inside the walls was cold and humid.

"House on Fire"
(panorama of 6 photos)

The black & white version of this print is stunning with rich tones.

"Peggy's Cove"
(5 exposures)

We rushed from Halifax airport to Peggy's Cove to catch the last rays of sun during a February evening. That was the last time we saw the sun for the remainder of the trip. Although Peggy's Cove is a very popular tourist attraction, there was no one in sight that beautiful evening. It's was a great feeling to experience such a sunset, at such a location, in private.

"Malicious Roots"
(12 exposures & panorama of 2)

Viewers often compare this photograph to a scene from the movie Lord of the Rings. I had to return to this location four times before I captured the scene to my satisfaction. This piece is created from 12 exposures to fully capture the details in the shadows & the highlights and to convey the grandeur of it.

The following is a description written by Lyette Rousille in reference to this piece (in the original French version):

"J'ai choisi cette photographie pour l'atmosphère qui se dégage de cette oeuvre située entre un monde hyper réaliste et un monde fantastique. Malgré son traitement hyper réalite, un monde fantastique s`en dégage par le jeu savant des effects de lumière et par le traitement minitieux de tous les menus détails. Cette photographie a été travaillée telle une peinture ou un dessin parfois même on hésite. Elle nous fait oublier la technique et nous mène vers des sentiments d`angoisse et d`étrangeté."

This scene was created at Ho'Okipa, the famous windsurfing beach on the island of Maui. I had spent a few hours photographing the surfers on the water and decided to take a break. While I was sitting there, this surfer passed by me with his surf board and I instinctively put the camera to my eye and composed this scene.

"Storm Approaching Mabou"
(5 exposures)

During a dedicated photography trip to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, we found this picturesque scene looking towards the ocean in a little town call Mabou. As we watched the sunset on a hot summer evening, a storm from the ocean rolled in. We could see the wind approaching us from the distant ocean by the disturbance on the calm bay. The hot summer evening turn cold as the front of the storm weather hit us. The rain and light show that evening was absolutely stunning.

Send me an e-mail Araz@ArazJakalian.com