Lanikai Beach

Lanikai Beach is a narrow stretch of powdery white sand on Oahu's windward coast, famous for its impossibly clear turquoise water and the two small Mokulua Islands sitting just offshore. Those islands are your anchor composition, so bring a medium telephoto in the 70-200mm range to compress the distance and make them feel more prominent against the water. Sunrise is the prime window here, when warm light rakes across the sand from behind the Ko'olau Mountains and occasionally ignites the sky above the islands in shades of pink and orange. You will want to arrive well before dawn since street parking along the residential access paths fills up fast, and beach access is only possible through narrow public right-of-way cuts between homes. Wade into the shallow water a few steps to get a clean foreground of glassy reflections when the surf is calm. (Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, United States)