Like most photographers, I like to challenge myself to create new images outside of my comfort zone. One of my favorite new shooting styles is photographing breaking shore waves. This style has been made popular in the last few years by Clark Little. I harbor no illusions that I am going to become as well known or specialized as Clark is at photographing waves, but I had a lot of fun trying during my recent visit to Hawaii.
I am fairly competent with an underwater camera housing, and I have done some boogie boarding during my lifetime, but it took a lot of dedication to fling myself into a breaking wave with my large housing in hand. I got thrown through the air and pummeled by waves more than you can imagine. My camera housing turned into a dangerous weapon during the out-of-control punishment inflicted by the larger and more photogenic waves. During one of my more memorable moments, I received a big gash to my right shoulder when my housing hit the bottom while I was cartwheeling through the water. I’m lucky that it did not hit my face. I shot several thousand terrible wave images that were almost immediately deleted. However, this fantastic wave breaking at Hamoa Beach near Hana is the most impressive from all my effort. I really like how I not only captured the breaking tube, but the wave momentarily looks like some type of prehistoric monster. I also like how I framed the entire composition in my normally recognizable wide-angle style. There is no doubt that I if I want to improve that I will need a camera that is capable of 10-12fps, rather than my 5DmkII’s inadequate 4fps. I also stressed myself out so much doing this, that I suffered 2 back-to-back migraine headaches. In spite of all the challenges, photographing waves is very addictive and I can not wait to do it again. I created this image with my Canon 5DmkII and 17-40mm f4 lens inside my Aquatech 5DmkII housing with a Aquatech LP-VWZ flat port. This image is a single-exposure which required a minimal amount of processing using Aperture 3, but I had to clone out a few water spots that were on my flat port using Photoshop CS5.
After spending 2 adventurous weeks in American Samoa at the beginning of December, I flew back to Hawaii to meet my family for our winter vacation. The first island that we visited was Lanai. I had camped at Manele Bay several years ago and had always wanted to return. It is a fantastic campground for anyone interested in visiting Lanai, but doesn’t feel up to spending the money to stay at the nearby Four Seasons resort. I spent most of my day relaxing at the beach, but set out to photograph the surreal landscape of the Garden of the Gods in the late afternoon. These unusual rock formations are located high in the center of the island down a winding 4wd road. This is one of my favorite images after several visits. Every afternoon, the clouds built up over the center of the island, but the horizon was mostly clear to the west. This weather combination allowed me to photograph this scene with dramatic light. I created this image with my Canon 5DmkII, Carl Zeiss 28mm f2 ZE lens, and 3-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density filter. This image is a single-exposure which required a minimal amount of processing using Aperture 3 and Photoshop CS5.
I spent a week sea-kayaking Molokai‘s remote north shore 7 years ago and had always wanted to return. I finally had the opportunity when I took my family to Maui for our recent family vacation. Molokai’s tranquil charm is the total opposite of the tourist chaos of Waikiki or Lahaina. There really isn’t much to do, other than relax and do nothing, which is exactly what we did.
Hawaii experienced a huge tropical storm during our week-long visit, which was a bummer, especially for my photography ambitions. After several days of torrential rain, I finally experienced perfect landscape photography conditions and created this dramatic image on our last morning on Molokai. At almost 3 miles long, Papohaku Beach is the longest beach in Hawaii. Of course, since this was Molokai I had this beautiful location all to myself. I located these lava rocks embedded in the sand on the north end of the beach and knew that they would give some texture to the outgoing waves crashing into the beach. I also anticipated that the clear sky in the east was going to allow the sunrise to light up the cloudy remnants of the previous few days’ storm just offshore. By taking extreme chances with my camera equipment and through trail and error, I created this dynamic image. From the silky water rushing over the sand and rocks to the breaking wave with the clouds billowing in the sky, this picture has an elemental, dream-like quality that I am completely enamored with. I created this image with my Canon 5DmkII, Carl Zeiss 28mm f2 ZE lens, and Singh-Ray 2-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density filter on my tripod. It is a single exposure that required minimal processing using Aperture 3.
Most Hana visitors spend a long day driving from one side of Maui to the other along the zig-zagging Hana Highway. However, I recommend that people spend at least 1 night in Hana. The drive is too long and the traffic can be infuriating. (Pull over please, especially if you’re blocking a local!) In general, visitors miss out on the magic of this paradise by only making it a day trip.
The Hana area is best photographed at sunrise, but several afternoons I drove the twisty road to Oheo Gulch in order to photograph the sunset. The gulch is located on the southeast shore of Maui and is part of Haleakala National Park. It is home to the Seven Sacred Pools, a name that was made up to promote the area in the 1940s.
I’d previously visited Oheo Gulch, but had never put any effort into photographing it. While the pools themselves were swarmed with tourists, I focused my camera looking out from the rugged lava shoreline toward the the ocean waves breaking against the black sand beach. As with most ocean wave images, I begin the exposure as a wave recedes. This image was one of the first exposures that I took, which was lucky for me since the later light was a bust. The sunset light in the clouds adds dream-like color to the image, but I am most attracted to the tumultuous wave breaking just off shore. I used a shutter speed of 1/4 second to record movement in the wave, while still being able to freeze enough of the motion to not render it as unrecognizable mush. This image was created using my Canon 5DmkII, Carl Zeiss 28mm f2 ZE lens, and Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer & 3-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density filters on my tripod. It is a single exposure that required minimal processing using Aperture 3.
During my recent trip to Hana, I spent several sunrises photographing Hamoa Beach. Before heading out each morning, I looked out from our rental house toward the lightening eastern horizon and anticipated the sunrise by scrutinizing the dark sky for photogenic clouds. The only sounds were the proverbial early-birds chirping and the ocean breeze rustling the coconut palms. I could not be bothered to wear sandals for the short drive, especially since I would soon feel coarse grains of golden sand between my toes while shooting barefoot in the surf. This magical setting is undoubtedly one of the most South Pacific-like beaches in all of Hawaii. It is backed by a lava hill and ringed by tropical plants and coconut palms. Of course, I had the beach all to myself which allowed me to fully digest its ambience. I know that I can be terribly greedy having my photography locations to myself, but I need that peaceful beauty in order to effectively convey my experiences through my photography. We have enough distractions in our lives, so why should we have to share our adventures with crowds of people?
I initially played it safe by setting my camera up high on the beach to photograph the outgoing waves. This was not the most artistic composition, so I soon found myself compelled into the furious shorebreak with my camera in pursuit of a more dramatic imagery. I placed my tripod in water that was normally only knee deep. This was a safe position most of the time, but occasionally wave sets would almost completely wash over me and my equipment. Keeping my lens and filters dry was a constant struggle. I waited for waves to break before beginning my exposures. I experimented with hundreds of images in order to photograph one where the wave completed the composition I had envisioned. I created this photo with my Canon 5DmkII, Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 ZE lens, and Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer and 4-stop Soft Graduated Neutral Density filters. This image is a single exposure which required minimal processing in Aperture 3.
Happy New Year! It’s been almost 4 weeks since my last blog post. Why should I feel so guilty? I needed a break from my online-self and took time off to visit Hawaii with my family. We spent the first week of our trip in the incredibly laid-back town of Hana on the east coast of Maui. This is the fourth time that I have been to Hana, and third time with my family. We rented 2 different homes during our week-long stay. The first was conveniently on Hana Bay, but rustic and gave us bedbugs. The second was just south of town right across from the field that lead down to the majestic Waioka Pool. Everyone in my family agrees that swimming in the pool was the highlight of our memorable trip.
While this was primarily a family vacation where I ignored the internet while taking my daughters swimming and buying them shave-ice, I woke up before them each morning in order to photograph the sunrise. Putting on my swim shorts and a tank top while leaving my sandals at home was not a bad way to start each day. The sweet smell of rotting guavas filled the air as I departed for the short drive to my photography objectives. Since Hana is quiet and remote, I had my choice of the fantastic beaches all to myself. One of my favorites is modest but rugged Koki Beach. This spectacular setting has a tumultuous wave break against the beach backed by a photogenic hill composed of crimson cinders. I attempted to shoot this fantastic scene several mornings during my visit. I was particularly enamored with the lava rocks on the right side of the beach that the waves occasionally washed over. I took some chances with my camera and tripod by setting them up in this surf zone, but knew that the waves draining through these rocks would complete the image I was after. Creating an image like this where moving water becomes an integral part of the picture requires being able to pre-visualize the composition. Of course, the sunrise light and billowing clouds complete the dramatic scene which I consider one of my best photographs from the entire trip. I created this image using my Canon 5DmkII, Canon 17-40mm f4 lens at 20mm, and Singh-Ray 3-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density filter on my very wet tripod. It is a single exposure that required minimal processing using Aperture 3.
One of my underwater humpback whale images appears on billboards in New Zealand this month. (Anyone in NZ able to send me a picture?) When I first set out to make a living as a professional photographer, I initially found success selling fine-art prints through galleries & art shows. That business model ceased being effective with the down-turn in the economy, so I turned my focus to my website. Many of my modest sales now come from having good SEO. This sale is a perfect example. A design firm contacted me a few weeks ago after searching the web, offered me a reasonable usage rate, I emailed them the file, and they wire-transferred the money to me. How easy was that?
I am pleased to announce that my image Humpback Whale 6 is featured on the cover of the February 2010 issue of Alaska Airlines magazine! Be sure to check it out if you are on an Alaska Airlines flight this month. Also, the opening double page image to the humpback whale article was photographed by my friend Brandon Cole during a previous trip that we took together. I have the exact same image, since we were next to each other in the water when we both almost got run over by a humpback whale mother & calf. Photographing whales above or below water is my favorite kind of photography. It also helps that I am comfortable swimming in the open ocean in 10,000 feet of water and enjoy staring down into the blue depths underneath my fins.
This is a great blog post to transition from my dramatic landscape photography to more of my new wildlife images from the last year. I’ve been tightly editing my image archives the last few weeks and have come across a few keepers that are worth sharing in the days ahead.
This is my favorite (and 1 of my only!) landscape images from my recent trip to Hawaii’s Big Island. I was fortunate to photograph this amazing sunset early in my trip during one of the few vog free days. I created it near Pu’uhonau o Honaunau (Place of Refuge) National Park, which is just south of Capt Cook. The park is one of my favorite places near Kona to spend the day snorkeling, hiking, & exploring. It has a long history & powerful spiritual presence. In ancient Hawaii, kapu (laws) governed every aspect of Hawaiian society. If you violated a kapu, the penalty was death. Your only option for survival was to elude your pursuers and reach the nearest puuhonua, or place of refuge, where you would be safe. Fortunately, I was not on the run from anyone, but I did have to quickly set up my camera to capture these brilliant clouds before the sun dropped below the tropical horizon.
