Reflections in lava

If there's one thing that drives photographers nuts in Hawaii, it's trying to take photos that include black lava rock. It is light-suckingly impossible to expose for the blackness of the rock and also include the ocean and sky. One way to do it is to use graduated ND filters but sometimes even they aren't good enough plus I don't have any (although I think I'm going to have to invest in a set soon). HDR photography is the only other way I know to deal with the problem but that comes with its own problems, especially when the picture involve water or clouds. You can get a picture that looks OK but end up with some peculiar effects in the details, just like the picture above.

Oh well, it's OK, just don't look too closely! It was taken close to the hot ponds on Puna's Red Road. I'd have got closer to get the full reflection in the rock pool but have you ever tried to walk across this stuff in low light with only slippahs (flip flops) on your feet? And carrying an expensive camera only two weeks old? Well, I tried and gave up very quickly!