A Picture is Worth 300 Words // Olivia Doan
This photo was taken on October 31, 2019 in Maui Hawai’i.
The subject is one of my best friends who grew up on the island. I had met her years before while on a family trip. She was the only girl out of 5 to not cancel our photoshoot; which was on the last day of that trip. I was 13 years old at the time. We managed to stay in contact, and I ended up staying with her for a few weeks 4 years later.
We wanted to get out before the craziness of Halloween night, so she took me to one of her favorite secret beaches. It was a little cove off the highway with quite the hike down, but extremely worth it. After about 20 minutes of hiking down, we reached the sand. With no one around for miles, it was the most peaceful, grounding, and breathtaking spot I'd ever seen. The beach was exquisite this day, the water was unbelievably blue and clear; It was only right to jump in. We searched the rim of the shore for shells we would later make into jewelry, took some of my favorite photos I've taken to this day, and enjoyed the solitude of being surrounded with the most amazing beach I've ever stepped foot on.
Maui is one of my favorite places on earth, simply because of days like this day. With every grain of sand between your toes came a sensation of magic in your soul. It was almost as if the beauty was recharging you. We stayed for around three hours, then packed up to get ready for the night.
The reason I chose this photo out of the hundreds of favorites I have, is this: When I look back on any day in my life that I can remember perfectly (photographic if you will), it is this one. Hands down.
-Olivia Doan