The Photographers thread: Show us your stuff!!

[Matt]

By the end of the trip, I had a favorite view, and I'll talk more about it later. But, this little uninhabited island, Manana Island (Rabbit Island), was the backdrop for the luau, and I wound up with an incredible sunset view of it later in my trip, which I'll post. But, this is my first photo of it:



With my flash off, and shooting without a tripod, most of my photos of the show didn't come out well. I would have needed better equipment, and mine is okay, but not pro-level. The girls all came out pretty blurry because those hips don't lie.



And then, there were the Samoan fire dancers:



He didn't come out that great either, but I think the fire looks cool since the lens was open so long and you can see the movement of the flame.

And here's a shot of most of the Samoan dancers:



All of the tattoo work you see on them is authentic. None is painted on. They're all done in ONE sitting, and not with ink, but with charcoal that is pressed into the skin. They do it according to Samoan tradition, and they don't always survive the ritual. 

This was a very authentic luau, and I learned more there about Hawaii, the people, their traditions, and what the island is about than I did the whole trip. I was glad it was my first experience.

[Matt]

Oahu turned out to be bigger than I originally thought it was. I spent my 2nd day in Hawaii driving along South Oahu, pulling over to photograph anything that looked appealing. This wasn't expected -- chickens, crossing the road, at their OWN stop sign. There's no cross street.



This is an alcove near Hanauma Bay. Scorpio would love this spot. It feels stalkerish just being up here, watching everyone swimming below.



Standing on the volcanic rock floor of this cliff, it looked like a Clyde Butcher/Ansel Adams opportunity. They shoot in large format with film, but with my equipment, this is the best I could do.



The Halona Blow Hole, South Oahu. It wasn't shooting up too high when I was there, but some of the people viewing it near me were explaining it can shoot up to 30 feet high or more at high pressure, enough to shoot someone standing over it into the air.



Then, I found my spot for the sunset, getting there an hour or two early. It was a beautiful spot, comfortable on the rocks just sitting, communing with nature, and in a sense, it was good that I tore the miniscus in my left knee just before leaving for California, because I was happy to just sit for a few hours, which I'm sure I wouldn't have done if my knee wasn't killing me.



The sunset always starts out golden and deepens in color:





But, this sunset was more spectacular than any, and for the first time in my life, I was considering desaturating the colors because they looked fake, or like Mars -- but, this is real.



I haven't gone through all the pics for the rest of my Hawaii trip yet, but I don't think I captured a more sensational sunset than that one.

[KC]

Great shots, again!

But you didn't answer the question that is on everyone's lips ... WHY did the chickens cross the road?

[Matt]

Great shots, again!

But you didn't answer the question that is on everyone's lips ... WHY did the chickens cross the road?

Thanks, and yes... you're right! I did solve that ancient mystery...

The chickens crossed the road to go to the Paalaa Kai Bakery!

[KC]

Are they working on the egg-laying force there?

[Matt]

Well, they gotta do something to pay for their blueberry turnovers. They're hen-credible! 

[KC]

OK, I now know how Matt feels about his vacation pictures!

Here are a few of my "snow day" pictures. All taken today, in Central Park, New York City.










(This looks crazy dangerous to me ... but they were doing it. Down two flights!)

I'll put a couple more in a new post.

[KC]

Here's a few more:









The last one is the only one not taken in the park. It's in Columbus Circle, looking back at the park.

(By the way, all of these are "as is," without any editing or cropping.)

[The Schofield Kid]

Great shots KC. Do you still run when it's snowing?

[KC]

Yes, but not in the middle of blizzard conditions, which we had this morning. And I won't run on ice. The condition of the streets was still pretty bad when I set out this afternoon. I decided I'd walk my usual park route instead of running it today!

And I'm not going out tomorrow morning ... I'll run, or walk if need be, after work, when maybe they'll have had time to get the streets and the park drive properly clear.

[Matt]

These are the best shots I've seen of this Blizzard so far. Great work! I think I prefer the last one best, just because the moon lighting up the sky is so gorgeous.

Is the library closed again tomorrow?

[KC]

Thanks for the compliment! Nope, looks like it's back to business as usual tomorrow.

[KC]

I posted the above and a dozen or so others on my Flickr page, if anyone's interested:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskNPgYeR

[Matt]

I posted the above and a dozen or so others on my Flickr page, if anyone's interested:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskNPgYeR

It's a Darth Vader sighting!



(3rd photo in the album.)

[KC]

Ha, I hadn't even noticed that!

[Matt]

Back in Hawaii, started out the next day with a Whale Watching catamaran cruise off the north shore of Oahu.



We were out there quite some time with no sighting of whales. I was shooting some other shots with my wide angle lens when we got a humpback whale sighting, so unfortunately I didn't have the proper lens to get a good close-up.





And that was all there was. It was too early in whale season to see a lot of them. The humpback whales migrate down to Hawaii from Alaska to have their babies, and then they bring them back up to Alaska for the summer.

After the sail, I stuck around the north shore, and that's where most of the best surfing conditions are. There were surfers out that day, but the waves weren't too high when I was there. But, I loved the black rock that was everywhere along the beaches.



My map showed a beach called "Sunset Beach", so I figured that sounded like the place to be at sunset, and found another chicken! I thought this would be a throwaway shot, but I like it a lot.



And then the sun set on another day.

[KC]

That chicken has come a long way since crossing the road!

[Matt]

He has an eggcelent sense of direction!

[TWOMULES]

Back in Hawaii, started out the next day with a Whale Watching catamaran cruise off the north shore of Oahu.

Beautiful images of Hawaii, Matt

I love Whales, very spectacular but to be honest, I prefer Scotland and Ireland.

[Elizabeth77]

I love Whales, very spectacular but to be honest, I prefer Scotland and Ireland.

Oh, 2M!