Clear, sunny, windless — conditions were perfect at Hana­lei Bay that day in 1999 when Vincent Tylor took what he calls "one of my first ‘wow’ pictures."

Using a polarizer to remove glare, enhance contrast and intensify colors, he snapped several shots of a hammock strung between two palms on the shore.

"So many beautiful things about Hawaii are in that one scene," said Tylor, who had just started his career as a professional photographer at the time. "There’s a sandy beach; a turquoise ocean; emerald mountains; tall, slender coconut trees; a bright blue sky; and an empty hammock inviting you to climb onto it. Put yourself in that picture and you imagine you’re the only person there, in your own quiet, secluded corner of paradise."

Sixteen years later "A Hawaiian Hammock" remains one of Kauai Photo Tours’ top sellers. Tylor and his wife, Michele, launched the company in 2009. In addition to photo equipment, accessories, prints, posters and souvenirs, it offers scenic tours geared to shutterbugs.

Four 5 1⁄2-hour options are available; all go to what the couple considers to be the most photogenic places on Kauai. Even better, the tours are small and intimate. "If you’re not on a private tour, the most people we take out on any group tour is just seven, and usually fewer," Tylor said. "That makes for a more fulfilling, personalized experience."

Newcomers who want to familiarize themselves with several of the island’s most spectacular spots should consider the Drive and Walking Tour. It spotlights up to 12 picturesque sites on the east and north sides of Kauai.

The Drive and Hiking Tour includes up to nine locations in the same area, most of them requiring fairly easy-to-moderate hikes. "You don’t have to be a super-fit athlete to do the hikes, but they’re not walks in the park, either," Tylor said. "We ask our guests to honestly assess their capabilities because even though the trails are relatively short, they might be rocky, muddy, uneven and a bit steep."

Guests on the Private Photo Tour enjoy a customized itinerary that either mixes places on the Drive and Walking and Drive and Hiking tours or focuses on Kauai’s south side where wave-battered cliffs, intriguing rock formations and sand dunes that date back 125,000 years are among the scenic highlights.

For the Portrait Tour, participants are the primary subjects, although the 51⁄2-hour option combines portrait-taking with a Private Photo Tour that goes to up to 10 locations. Also available is a 21⁄2-hour portrait-only tour that covers up to three lovely settings.

According to Tylor, many of Kauai Photo Tours’ stops are off the beaten path and not easy to find; thus, he points out the benefit of having as guides experienced photographers who are either lifelong Kauai residents or have lived there for a long time. During the tour they discuss whatever guests are interested in — from aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings to filters, lenses and composition.

"Absorbing one beautiful location after another with all of your senses is the best part of our tours, but a big bonus is being accompanied by a local professional who can demystify the technical aspects of photography," Tylor said. "There might be a lot of ‘camera talk’ during our tours, but they aren’t formal workshops. Rather, we think of them as intimate, informative explorations of the most beautiful parts of Kauai and the art of photography. Beginners, even those picking up a camera for the first time, are welcome. Many people have come with just their cellphones, or even no camera at all, and have had a blast!"

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.