Pink hues spread across the sky and wet sand on Maui’s shoreline, colors made more vivid by Hawaii’s ‘vog.’ Just as dust and pollution contribute to sunsets that are more pink or orange, vog adds chemicals like sulfur dioxide to the sky, bending and changing light from the sun before it reaches our eyes.
Vog is created by active volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii, which spew more than a thousand tons of volcanic ash and chemicals a day into the atmosphere of the islands. Although it has its drawbacks–haze, respiratory issues, plant loss–we can at least roll with it and enjoy the beautiful sunsets that it helps create.
From the Photographer:
“The volcanic smog or ‘vog’ in Hawaii can sometimes give us beautiful sunsets. I slowed down the shutter just a tad to smooth out the water. Aloha”
