On Maui, the Keawala'i Congregational Church in Makena glows in the sun

THE Traveler: Mick Richards of Burnsville.

The Keawala'i Congregational Church in Makena, Maui, glows in soft evening light. The scene caught the eye of Richards, who was on his way to nearby Maluaka Beach. "Driving in the car with me and the camera is sometimes a real pain, and it happened here. I saw the church on the way to the beach and turned the car around to take a series of shots," he wrote in an e-mail, adding that his family is used to his unexpected stops. Lava stones and exceptional craftsmanship give the 19th-century church a lot of character, said Richards, who used a Penthtax K-5 II camera and a Pentax 12-24mm lens to get the shot. He and the family were staying in Kihei, on Maui's western side, and went to a different beach each evening to watch the sunset — and photograph during the golden hour. "Kihei has some of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii and outstanding weather," he wrote.