Almost everyone has seen the iconic images of the Easter Island statues staring silently out from the hillsides. For years I thought these were the only Moai on the island. I knew nothing of the statues erected on Ahu or the fallen moai at the other sites. Seeing these pictures many people have come to believe that all Moai faced the ocean while it is the exact opposite that is true. The fact is most of these statues were not meant to have stayed in this place. The Moai that you see half buried on the sides of the volcanic cone of Rano Raraku were pieces waiting to be transported to Ahu around the island. The Moai that you see sticking up out of the ground have bodies that extend down underground 20 - 40 feet, all the way to the waist. Centuries of erosion from the slopes above have covered all but the tops of these giants - the largest Moai ever constructed.

I was alone when I photographed these moai. The trade winds were howling and clouds were racing by alternately lighting the moai and quarry in the background. It was a moment I'll never forget. I stayed for some time just watching the patterns of light falling on these ancient monuments.

I choose this moment to shoot when the shadow was falling on the quarry in the background, making the foreground statues appear to be lit as if by a spotlight.