The Photographers thread: Show us your stuff!!

[KC]

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

^ Ouch!

[Matt]

With luck, there will be many more photos of whales in this thread -- coming up around early September.

Here's some more from Hawaii...

The Byodi-In Temple in Central Oahu is a beautiful temple with memorial gardens that's a replica of the 11th century Phoenix Hall in Japan. While there, I overheard a Japanese tourist saying to his family that this one was more beautiful than the one in Japan.



Inside the temple is the Amida Buddha. I was sitting inside the temple where there are benches to meditate and reflect, when a Japanese woman came to make an offering and prayer for a loved one (I'm not as close as it looks, and there's no flash, so not disrespectful).





There were a few koi in the lake surrounding the temple.



After leaving the Temple, I explored East Oahu



This was taken from a research pier in East Oahu that offers beautiful views of Mt. Olomana and the surrounding beaches.





Sometimes I will steal a subject of another photographer's photo (I was actually very far away using a long zoom.)



I also caught a couple having their wedding photos taken. Their photographer is behind them.



I climbed up to Makapuu Pt, and the view was so spectacular, I decided to stay until sunset.



I have so many photos of Manana (Rabbit Island). It was my favorite subject to photograph in Hawaii. This is the view from my spot on the cliff of Makapuu Pt.



A few hours later, this was the sunset, and my last view.

[KC]

That second-to-last one is especially beautiful. Something about the smallness of the island and the bigness of the sky and ocean. And the color of that cloud!

[Matt]

Thank you. Since I was up on that cliff for hours, I'd lay back and close my eyes, and  when I sat up and opened them, that's all I saw.  I fell in love with that view. Glad you liked it.

[Elizabeth77]

Matt, your pictures are a delight to look at. Thanks for sharing.

[Matt]

When I had first arrived in Hawaii, a local said if you want to see the real Hawaii, get out of Waikiki. I took this so literally, that I hadn't seen the beaches of Waikiki at all. Fortunately, I had a helicopter tour booked to see the southern and eastern portions of the island, which seemed like the best way to see it -- far above the tourists and crowds. If you go to Oahu, and you want to get some great photos, I recommend a doorless helicopter tour. The site I booked my tour on didn't offer that option, and the photos would have been so much better without having to shoot through the small windows. Nonetheless, with a little bit of enhancement, the photos came out pretty good.

Here's Diamond Head, which as I've learned is a volcanic tuff cone. Although it looks like a regular mountain from afar, it's a crater, and there's a lot going on inside it. Our helicopter didn't fly high enough to see the full crater, but you can see it HERE.



And here's Waikiki with Diamond Head in the background:



This shot shows the sea wall around an Eastern portion of Waikiki Beach (on the right) to break the waves and make it more child-friendly. Each speck is someone on a kayak, boogie board, jet ski, or just swimming:



This photo shows Hanauma Bay.  I didn't realize at the time how awesome it is. My favorite part of my Hawaii trip was snorkeling there the next morning, but I have no photos of that. The reef is absolutely phenomenal, and full of the same gorgeous tropical fish I used to buy for $75 a pop when I had a salt water tank. Only, these were as large as my forearm, not finger-sized. You can see the different areas of the coral reef from above. You literally start seeing fish about 10 feet from the shoreline.



Just north of Hanauma Bay is the almost infamous Manana (Rabbit Island) again. Unfortunately, the Makapuu Lighthouse (bottom right) was under construction, so it's not as picturesque here as it would normally be.



The pilot went around and through the volcanoes of southeastern Oahu:





We then flew over Pearl Harbor. The white structure in the water on the bottom right of this image is the USS Arizona Memorial.  I have a lot of photos of it, but conditions weren't perfect that day. When they are you can see the Ship's remains still lying at the bottom of the sea.







That was the end of the tour. It was hours before sunset, and at the time, I wasn't motivated to find another sunset location (though I now wish I had, because I've seen some beautiful pics of Hanauma Bay at sunset since returning home). I would be leaving Hawaii at the end of the next day, and I was ready to go home.

[The Schofield Kid]

Brilliant pics again Matt. I need a holiday after looking at those pics. They wouldn't look out of place in a travel brochure.

[Matt]

It won't be long for you now, will it?

Are you going to Oahu, or a different island?

[The Schofield Kid]

Are you going to Oahu, or a different island?

Oahu.

[Matt]

Perfect. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to capture a sunrise as beautiful as this one:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lostinkaneohe/8002327682

That's Hanauma Bay. Good luck. We're all counting on you.

[KC]

I do not think I would care for a doorless helicopter tour!

EDIT: I've now read this, and checked out the pictures:

http://www.ohanafun.net/activity/alex_air_doors_off_hana_crater/

Wild horses couldn't drag me onto one of those things. Come to think of it, wild horses would have more sense than to try! 

[Matt]

  You're not someone I would think would be afraid of a little thing like a doorless helicopter. They are wearing seat belts, you know. 

[Matt]

At this point, even I am tired of looking at Hawaii pics.  I have this one last day that I just finished going through, and as it turns out, it was my favorite day for Oahu photography, so I'll share.

I started on southern West Oahu, and headed north. The further north I traveled, the more beautiful the beaches became. I especially loved the volcanic cliffs and black lava rock beaches, and the road became so beautiful as I reached Ka'ena Point with all the volanoes right along the road. I drove as far as the road took, which ended near Dillingham Airfield. These are the most beautiful sites I saw along the drive:

I liked this little sea wall. These walls are all over Oahu, and usually there are people fishing off them, or just hanging out. West Oahu was the most secluded coast by far, and even though it was just around noon, almost everywhere I went had no one around soaking up the immense beauty (which is what I like when I'm looking for prime photographic opportunities).



I believe this is Nanakuli Beach Park.


Further north, so probably Mali Beach Park (I wanted to get these posted before I forgot the names of all the places, but it took me a little too long. But, this is definitely in the area of central West Oahu):





This is near Waianae, and my favorite spot for photography:



Ka'ena Point. I was really excited to see this photo when I was going through the pics. I have to work on all my photos in Photoshop because I don't have pro-level equipment, and I have a pro-level eye. So I'm always disappointed. With a little work, I can get them to look great. I was so excited by this composition, that I worked hard on getting it right.



But then, I found this photo with the sailboat, which is nearly the same shot (without the sandy beach showing). Now I can't decide between the two -- they're like my children. Can't choose, so I'm posting both.



This was the last beach I photographed:  Yokohama Beach. I was taking pics from afar, and noticed this interesting mini Stonehedge type thing going on... so I approached it. How nice of someone to leave this behind:



After reaching the literal end of the road, I turned back to go south, and stopped to get a photo of what the drive on that little road was like. Glad I took it, because I really like this shot.



Because I didn't really know the area and was discovering it as I went along, I wanted one shot for my last sunset that would be spectacular. If I was knew the island better, I would have stayed in Waianae or Yokohama Beach, but it was a few hours until sunset, and I was actually bored and ready to go home (I was flying out that night), so I wanted to start heading back to Honolulu. I figured I could get nearly all the way back in time for sunset, and then go to the airport. I had my eyes on Ewa Beach, which was still "West Oahu", but south, so a quick drive to the airport. Unfortunately, I couldn't have chosen a less inspiring Oahu beach. It was flat, there were no volcanoes to make exciting backdrops, it was so like any other beach ever, and I had no time to get to a better one. I arrived just a few minutes before sunset. There was literally nothing to be the subject of the photo except for this little fence from a beach house, and their trees. So, it would have to do. I was at least lucky to have spectacular colors and clouds to make the shot interesting:



And folks, that's it. It took 22 hours to get back home, which was awful. I will probably never go out to Hawaii again, but if I do, I'd love to go to the big island and see the active volcano.

So, for anyone visiting Oahu, my best recommendations:

Chief's Luau (located inside Sea World).  I went to that one because it was the top rated, and yes... I can't imagine a better one. I paid for front table seating, which was nearly double, because I knew I'd want photos. But, if you're not there for photos, you can get by with a regular table. My tour guide made a point of letting me know that this luau is one of the smallest, with "only" 500 people, whereas others have many times that amount. So, every seat was wonderful. If you pay more, you get extra drink tickets, the same food, closer seating, and a different quality of lay.

A doors-off (doorless) helicopter tour.

Do NOT leave Hawaii without snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

If you're there during active whale season (February - April), do a whale watching cruise

Get out of Waikiki unless you're really into crowds or want to rent a jet ski

Without doubt, get in a car and drive along the West Oahu coast.

Good luck, SK. We're looking forward to hearing from you about your trip, and seeing some of your pics.

[KC]

Thanks for that great travelogue, Matt! And no matter how disappointed you were with the locale, that last sunset pic is truly spectacular!

(But I'm still not going to sign up for a doorless helicopter tour!)

[Matt]

Okay, so you don't much like heights. How are you with 2000 degree lava? 

[The Schofield Kid]

Another great sunset pic Matt. All great pics though.

22 hours to get home? Why so long?

[Matt]

I won't check luggage, I just bring a carry-on, and my laptop bag. My carry-on has fit in the overhead compartment of every plane I've ever been on. I flew from Honolulu to LAX, and I had a 1.5 hour layover before my next flight (to San Francisco, which would then fly me to Nashville. But, LAX is a nightmare airport, and 1.5 hours wasn't enough for a connecting flight (it should have been).  They actually made me go through security AGAIN, even though it was a connecting flight. This never happens.  Then, they measured my carry-on and told me I'd have to check the bag and pay $25. This is a con. It's literally a carry-on bag, and it's not oversized. Their stupid measurements are smaller than they need to be so they can bilk customers for an additional $25.  But the problem with the extra security point, and having to check my bag was that I was running very close to boarding time. So I had to go to a kiosk to check my bag, and the lovely kiosk said it was too close to flight time to check the bag. So I got into it with United Airlines, who wouldn't let me on the plane with my bag. They had to book me for a flight to Washington DC, which was a few hours away, as it was the only way to get me to Nashville that day.

I woke up at 4:00 that morning to get checked out of my room and for the snorkeling trip. My flight was at 10pm, so I was already tired, and then it was 22 more hours. I couldn't sleep on the plane because Hawaiian Airlines doesn't have moving air above the seats, and it was a bit claustrophobic without it. Plus, my knee was in pain, and the seats are small, and I was in a window seat, and it was pure hell.crammed into a small packed plane with a torn knee and going on 24+ hours without sleep.

I really was glad to be home.

[KC]

Okay, so you don't much like heights. How are you with 2000 degree lava? 

As long as it's being poured on my enemies, just fine!

Sorry for your ordeal on the return trip. Bet there were some folks along the way there you'd have wished the lava on!

[Christopher]

I don't know about the doorless helicopter ride either. I might be freaking out like Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo the whole time.

[Jed Cooper]

A few simple shots taken in Maine a year ago today.  All but forgotten until they popped up on Facebook today. 








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