The Power of Three — three humpbacks in Maui waters from above

Workshop · Maui

From Above — Doors-Off Aerial Workshop

Humpbacks and big waves from a doors-off Robinson R44, with Emily beside you.

Request this workshop

Workshops are a commercial operation under Emily McCulliss Photography, LLC.

Doors off
The perspective: R44
The aircraft: Dec–Apr whales
The season: Winter swells
The waves

Big Beach — Maui surf and shoreline from above

The idea

From the air, the ocean shows you its whole shape — the line of a whale under the surface, the full face of a wave before it breaks. This workshop teaches you to make photographs in one of the most demanding places a camera can go: an open doorway, in moving air, with seconds to read the light. We fly with a local Maui helicopter partner in a Robinson R44 with the doors off.

Who it's for

Photographers who want aerial work in their portfolio
Anyone who has photographed whales from a boat and wants the view from above
Surf and ocean photographers chasing the big winter swells
Comfortable with your camera's manual settings, or ready to learn them on the ground first

Sanctuary — a humpback and calf in Maui waters

Whales

Whales (December–April): reading the surface from above, mother-and-calf pairs, composing for scale.

The Drop — a surfer on a breaking Maui wave

Big waves

Big waves (winter swells): the wave's full face, the surfer in context, timing the moment before the lip.

The arc

ELEM×HU

Colors of Peʻahi — a surfer riding Maui winter surf

01 · before

Presence

Before we fly

A ground session on your goals and gear; camera settings for vibration and speed (fast shutter, continuous focus, burst).

Lens choice; securing everything in an open cabin; how the pilot and I communicate with you in the air.

Oceanic Harmony — breaking Peʻahi surf from above

02 · in the field

Recalibration

In the air

Two subjects, chosen by season and conditions.

Whales (December–April): reading the surface from above, mother-and-calf pairs, composing for scale.

Big waves (winter swells): the wave's full face, the surfer in context, timing the moment before the lip.

Where Giants Rise — a Maui wave photographed from a helicopter

03 · after

Return

After we land

A review and edit session together.

So you leave with your strongest frames selected and finished.

What you'll learn

Shooting from an open door

Stance, harness, straps, and keeping your gear inside the aircraft

Exposure for moving air

Shutter speed, stabilisation and autofocus settings that hold up

Reading the ocean from above

Where to look, how whales and waves telegraph what comes next

Composition at altitude

Horizon, scale, negative space

The edit

Selecting and finishing aerial frames

Formats

Whale season flight

Shaped around your goals

Quoted on request

Humpback-focused flight during the December–April season.

Big-wave flight

Shaped around your goals

Quoted on request

Timed to the winter swells; scheduled when conditions line up.

Private aerial workshop

Shaped around your goals

Quoted on request

The full arc — ground session, flight and edit — one-to-one.

Practicalities

Aircraft: Robinson R44, doors off, flown by a local Maui helicopter partner
Flight length: Varies with your photographic goals, fuel, weather and conditions — we plan it together
Weight: The aircraft has a weight restriction; weights are asked privately when you request
Weather: Flights move with the weather and swell; safety decides, always
Location: Maui, Hawaiʻi
Gear: Bring your camera; I'll advise on lenses and setup beforehand

Respect for the animals and the ocean

We photograph from above without disturbing what's below. Aircraft keep at least 1,000 feet above humpback whales, as Hawaiʻi's federal whale-protection rules require, and we never fly to chase or crowd an animal or a surfer.