Easter Island, Chile: Photographing the Moai of Rapa Nui
I visited Easter Island on my honeymoon. The marriage was forgettable. The island was unforgettable.
At the time, I was working professionally as a travel photographer, and Easter Island—or Rapa Nui—was pretty much a dream destination. Few places on Earth are as isolated, mysterious, or immediately recognizable. Giant stone moai stand against empty landscapes and an enormous Pacific sky, surrounded by volcanic terrain and thousands of miles of ocean.
We spent five days on the island, which gave me plenty of time to do what I always do when traveling with a camera: return to the same locations repeatedly, chase different light, get up ridiculously early, and generally make vacations much less relaxing than they’re supposed to be.
The photographs I created during that trip are still licensed through stock photography agencies today. More importantly to me, many eventually became the reference photographs for my watercolor paintings of Easter Island.
Photographing Easter Island During the Film Era
This trip happened back when I was still shooting film professionally.
Yes, film.
You took the photograph and then had to wait to find out whether you screwed it up. Those were exciting times.
I loved experimenting with different film stocks, long exposures, unusual lighting, and techniques that pushed photography beyond simply documenting what was standing in front of me.
Easter Island was perfect for experimentation.
The moai are incredibly simple forms visually, but the changing Pacific light completely transforms them. At sunrise they can appear almost black against a glowing sky. During the day you begin seeing the texture of the volcanic stone. At sunset they become silhouettes again.
For a photographer, there aren’t thousands of different subjects here.
Instead, there are a relatively small number of extraordinary subjects that you can photograph thousands of different ways.
That suited me perfectly.
Photographing the Moai at Rano Raraku
One of the most extraordinary places on Rapa Nui is Rano Raraku, the volcanic quarry where most of the island’s moai were carved.
This is where you’ll see the famous moai that appear to be giant heads sticking out of the ground.
They’re not actually just heads.
Many have enormous bodies buried beneath centuries of accumulated soil and sediment. Walking through Rano Raraku gives you a completely different perspective on their scale—and raises the obvious question:
How in the world did people move these things?
Hundreds of moai were carved on Easter Island, and many never left the quarry. Some remain partially carved directly from the volcanic rock.
For someone obsessed with ruins and archaeology, this place was photographic heaven.
Ahu Tongariki at Sunrise
If there is one view that defines Easter Island for me, it’s Ahu Tongariki.
Fifteen restored moai stand together on the largest ceremonial platform on Rapa Nui, with the Pacific Ocean and volcanic landscape surrounding them.
Naturally, I wanted to photograph them at sunrise.
Getting up before dawn while traveling always sounds terrible when the alarm goes off. Then you arrive somewhere like this, watch the sky begin changing behind fifteen enormous stone figures, and suddenly you remember why you dragged yourself out of bed.
Some of my favorite photographs from the entire trip were made here.
Years later, those same photographs became inspiration for several of my watercolor paintings.
Ahu Nau-Nau and Anakena Beach
Another completely different photographic experience was Ahu Nau-Nau at Anakena Beach.
Instead of the stark volcanic landscape surrounding many archaeological sites, here the moai stand near palm trees, white sand, and turquoise Pacific water.
Several of these figures also wear the distinctive reddish stone pukao, often described as topknots.
Photographically, I loved the contrast.
Ancient volcanic sculptures.
Tropical beach.
Pacific Ocean.
It shouldn’t necessarily work together visually, but somehow it does.
An Island Filled With Archaeology
One of the things that surprised me most about Easter Island was how accessible many of the archaeological landscapes were.
Hanga Roa is the island’s main town, and from there the major sites are spread around a relatively small island. Renting a vehicle gives you the ability to explore different locations and, most importantly for photographers, return when the light improves.
That was critical for me.
I’ve always been willing to revisit the same location several times. The first visit is often reconnaissance. You figure out where the sun rises, where the shadows fall, what angles work, and what doesn’t.
Then you return when the light is better.
Sometimes repeatedly.
My poor traveling companions have learned to accept this.
The Mystery of the Moai
The moai were created by the Polynesian people of Rapa Nui, largely to represent important ancestors. They originally stood on ceremonial platforms called ahu, with many positioned facing inland toward the communities they represented rather than outward toward the sea.
Over the centuries, many statues were toppled as Rapa Nui society changed dramatically following internal conflicts and, later, devastating outside contact.
The island’s history is much more complicated than the old story that its inhabitants simply destroyed their environment while building moai. European contact brought disease, violence, slave raids, and enormous disruption to the Indigenous population.
Standing among the ruins today, you’re looking at the remains of an extraordinarily sophisticated Polynesian culture—not simply a mysterious collection of giant stone heads.
Easter Island After Dark
Naturally, I couldn’t leave well enough alone photographically.
I experimented with long exposures and light painting, using flash during extended exposures to illuminate the moai against the night sky.
Remember: this was film.
There was no little screen on the back of the camera telling me:
“Congratulations, Ryan. You completely screwed that one up.”
You made your best calculation, opened the shutter, experimented with the light, and hoped something interesting appeared when the film was eventually processed.
That uncertainty was part of the fun.
And Possibly…Aliens?
One evening I saw an unusual light moving across the sky.
It appeared to move far too quickly to be a commercial aircraft—and considering you’re standing on one of the most isolated inhabited islands on Earth, there isn’t exactly a lot of air traffic.
Was it a UFO?
Probably not.
Do I have a better explanation?
Nope.
Fortunately, I was not abducted.
Apparently the aliens took one look at me and decided to keep searching.
From Professional Travel Photography to Watercolor
When I made these photographs, I had no idea they would eventually become paintings.
Photography was my career.
Years later, after returning seriously to watercolor, I began going through decades of travel photographs looking for subjects to paint.
Easter Island immediately jumped out at me.
The moai are almost perfect watercolor subjects because of their strong shapes, dramatic silhouettes, textured stone, and enormous skies. Instead of trying to reproduce every detail from the photographs, I use them as starting points.
That’s an important distinction.
The photograph records what I saw. The painting records what I remember.
I’ve interpreted these Easter Island photographs using several completely different watercolor techniques.
One painting was created using magnets and magnetic paint.
Another was created with a mouth atomizer, spraying watercolor pigment across the paper to create atmospheric texture—a technique I now teach in my watercolor classes and workshops.
Another was painted on YUPO, a synthetic plastic surface where watercolor sits on top instead of soaking into traditional watercolor paper.
YUPO does strange things.
Very strange things.
It also takes forever to dry.
Patience is apparently an art supply.
Why Easter Island Still Inspires My Paintings
Decades after making these photographs, I’m still finding paintings hidden inside them.
That’s one of the reasons travel remains such an important part of my artwork.
I’m not simply collecting photographs of destinations.
I’m collecting future paintings.
Sometimes I know immediately that a photograph will eventually become a watercolor. Other images sit untouched in my archives for ten or twenty years before I suddenly see something in them that I didn’t recognize when I originally pressed the shutter.
Easter Island continues to provide that kind of inspiration.
The moai are simple enough to abstract, mysterious enough to interpret, and visually powerful enough that I can approach the same subject repeatedly without creating the same painting twice.
Is Easter Island Worth Visiting?
Absolutely.
Rapa Nui isn’t a destination you casually add to a weekend itinerary. It’s isolated, reaching it can be expensive, and nearly everything consumed on the island has to travel a very long way to get there.
Expect prices to reflect that.
But you’re also visiting one of the most extraordinary archaeological landscapes on Earth.
You can photograph moai at sunrise, explore the quarry where they were carved, walk across volcanic landscapes, visit Anakena Beach, watch the Pacific sunset, and experience a Polynesian culture that developed thousands of miles from its nearest neighbors.
And yes, apparently you can encounter tiny white scorpions.
Possibly UFOs.
Your results may vary.
For me, the expense and effort were completely worth it.
I arrived as a professional photographer looking for extraordinary images.
I left with photographs that would continue influencing my artwork decades later.
I couldn’t have known that at the time.
That’s one of the wonderful things about travel—and one of the reasons I keep going..
Many of Easter Island’s most important archaeological sites are spread across Rapa Nui. Use this map to locate Ahu Tongariki, Rano Raraku, Anakena Beach, Ahu Nau-Nau, Hanga Roa, and other places I photographed during my visit.
Planning a Trip to Easter Island
If seeing Easter Island is on your bucket list there are only a few airlines that fly to the desolate island. Be prepared to spend a little money.
Flights to Rapa Nui
Most flights originate in Chile or (formerly) Tahiti. Since COVID the Tahiti flight has been suspended- now the only flight is from Santiago, Chile
Getting Around (Transportation)
There is no public transportation on Easter Island. If you want to get around you will have to rent a car:
Where to Stay on Easter Island
Most visitors stay in the only town of Hanga Roa:
Hare Nua Hotel Boutique– A charming boutique hotel in central Hanga Roa with tropical gardens, an outdoor pool, breakfast, and easy access to restaurants and the waterfront. A great choice for travelers who want a relaxing base for exploring Easter Island’s Moai and archaeological sites.
Taha Tai Hotel – A comfortable seaside hotel just a short walk from central Hanga Roa and Pea Beach, with an outdoor pool, free breakfast, airport shuttle, and an ocean-view restaurant. Its walkable location makes it an excellent base for exploring Easter Island and Rapa Nui’s famous archaeological sites.
Inaki Uhi – A small, family-run hotel in the heart of Hanga Roa, within walking distance of Pea Beach, restaurants, shops, and the waterfront. Free breakfast, air-conditioned rooms, and a central location make it a convenient base for exploring Easter Island.
Easter Island & Chile Travel Guides
I still buy at least one physical travel guide before most international trips. Phones die, internet connections disappear, and apparently I’m old-fashioned enough to appreciate having something made out of paper in my backpack.
I frequently use Lonely Planet guides for trip planning, and there are also dedicated Easter Island books for travelers interested in the history and archaeology of Rapa Nui.
Lonely Planet Chile & Easter Island Travel Guide
Easter Island Travel Guides:
A Companion to Easter Island (Guide to Rapa Nui)
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Ryan Fox AWS, NWS, TWSA
Ryan Fox Painting
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