The Hawaiian Whitespotted Toby (Canthigaster jactator) is one of our more common reef fish. They’re so small and plentiful, they tend be be ignored, but when I can get them to pose for me in macro, I’m reminded how pretty they can be.
Hawaiian Whitespotted Toby
December 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Trading Headshots With My Friend Aubrey Hord
October 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Little known fact: every headshot I’ve used in my business until now has been a self-portrait. It’s true! Photographers aren’t comfortable taking up another photographer’s precious time and resources for something like a simple headshot unless they’re really good friends or happen to be shooting together anyway.
I am fortunate to have a friend like Aubrey Hord, who was willing to go out to the beach and have some fun. We ended up at Pa‘ia Bay, and had a total blast. We probably looked a little strange to everyone else with our long lenses pointed at each other, but who cares.
Mahalo, Aubrey. Hope you love your shots!
Lahaina Paradise
July 14, 2011 By 2 Comments
Lahaina Oceanfront Estate, Maui, Hawaii. HDR, 13 exposures, artistically rendered.
From yesterday, at a gathering of good friends and new acquaintances at the Lahaina Oceanfront Estate for the 1st Annual Backyard Food Challenge. Good times!
Kihei Sunset Two Ways
July 5, 2011 By 2 Comments
The clouds were all set up to flare nicely during sunset this evening, but it didn’t really take off the way I imagined. Still, it’s hard to beat a Maui sunset, and it gave me a chance to do some experimenting. Comments are welcome. Enjoy…
Traditional technique, 3-stop hard ND grad.
HDR, no filters, 8 exposures, artistically rendered.
Kali – Senior Photo Shoot
July 4, 2011 By 5 Comments
My friend Beth is visiting from the mainland with her daughter Kali and insisted on experiencing a Maui sunset yesterday. Well, the sunset didn’t really deliver, but there was just enough good light to do an impromptu shoot with Kali for her senior photos. I have a feeling these will be the pride (or envy) of her senior class back home.
Kihei Sunset in HDR
June 20, 2011 By 9 Comments
Just because I couldn’t resist, and I’d been doing HDR all weekend, I had to indulge myself. Here are a few renderings of last night’s sunset at different stages. All of these were done in Photomatix 4.0 and finished in Lightroom 3.4.1.
Which is your favorite?
Father’s Day Sunset on Maui
June 19, 2011 By 2 Comments
A great evening to all the dads out there. Aloha…
Lahaina in HDR
June 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I was in Lahaina, Maui yesterday morning covering the 2011 Na Kamehameha Commemorative Pa‘u Parade & Ho‘olaule‘a. I arrived really early to make sure I could find parking before they closed down Front Street. As I was walking along the harbor toward Kamehameha ‘Iki Park, enjoying the early morning light, I decided to grab a few shots for some HDR work.
Lahaina, Maui, HDR, 14 exposures. Photomatix Pro 4.0, finished in Lightroom 3.4.1
Pioneer Inn, Lahaina, Maui, HDR, 13 exposures. Photomatix Pro 4.0, finished in Lightroom 3.4.1
Hula Moments
June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A good friend invited my wife and me to share her table at the Old Lāhaina Lū‘au over the weekend. The Friends of Moku‘ula held a fundraiser with the theme He Lei Hulu, He Lei Makamae— a tribute to Akoni Akana, their founding executive director.
Hula is one of the most beautiful and complex dance forms in the world, and being able to capture it intimately is a rare treat for any photographer. Here are some of the special moments from that night.
Rooftop Sunset from South Kihei
May 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
When my friends Kim and Craig invited me to their house for the Premiere Party celebrating Season Two of Self Made in Hawaii, in which our Social Media Users Group was featured, I couldn’t resist asking if I could come early to shoot the sunset from their roof. When they built the second story addition to their home, they included a spiral starway leading to their rooftop so they could enjoy their South Maui vistas from a higher elevation.
As always, I was hoping for a lightshow in the clouds, but there was too much moisture (as usual) and it didn’t happen. However, the softbox effect on the horizon did allow me to get great shots of the fireball that powers our world from 93 million miles away, and follow it down to the slopes of Lana‘i on the horizon.
After living on Maui for a few years, you do tend to take these sunsets for granted, but I try not to. There aren’t many places in the world that offer views like this.
No matter what I tried with the earlier shots, I couldn’t get rid of the lens flares, so I decided to do some artistic renderings of the scene in HDR. This one consisted of six frames processed in Photomatix Pro 4.0, and finished in Lighroom 3.4.
