CONNIE’S WORLD

Some friends called me who were thinking about vacationing in Hawai’i. Knowing that we used to live there, they were calling for advice on where to go and stay. So I promised to put some of my pictures up on the blog. I have hundreds of pictures taken in Hawai’i but, since I shot these on film, I have not scanned many.

Poi Taro field

This first image is of a poi field near Hanalei on the north shore of Kaua’i (the garden island). While it is not your typical Hawai’i picture, it is a different view of Kaua’i… one of my favorites.Because of its incredible beauty, the island of Kauai’i has hosted the production of film and TV shows for years such as Lost, Hawai’i 5-0, The Time Machine, Jurassic Park, Hook, Throw Momma from the Train, Fantasy Island, South Pacific and so many more.Most of my pictures were taken about 17 years ago when we lived on Kaua’i with the exception of the lava flow picture which I shot during the filming of an Hawai’i gubernatorial candidate for commercials we produced for him.

Lava destroys highway on Big Island, Hawaii

This picture was taken on the Big Island of Hawai’i near the (then) Black Sand Beach. This beach was made of lava that was churned by the water to create a black sand. It was really something to see white waves crashing on a black beach. This beach is no longer there as the lava flows consumed it. However, I understand that new black beaches have formed since we were there. The lava still flows on Big Island creating more of this island everyday. It is a spectacular scene to be visited anytime you travel to Hawai’i.

Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii Bridge in 1989

This picture is one of my favorites ever taken and is of the Hanalei Bridge built in 1812. This bridge crosses the small Hanalei River. It is between Princeville and the quaint village of Hanalei.While pictures are nice, what you can’t see is the feel of the soft warm breeze wrapping around you, the taste of coconut syrup on your hotcakes in the morning, the sound of a waterfall splashing on the rocks below, the smell of flowers in the air or the feel of sand between your toes.Aloha!

Right after I got my new Canon 20D there was a local air show featuring the Blue Angels Navy Flying Team. So I packed up my gear, folding chair and a bottle of water and trekked off to the airport to watch them fly. My dad (being a model airplane builder and pilot) would have loved it. I was thinking about him the whole time.

I found the best vantage point after a long walk - all the way to the far side of the field. So that is where I set up my day camp consisting of my tripod, chair, mini ice chest, camera-vest full of all my stuff including back-up batteries and extra flashcards. Can you tell I hate not being prepared?

Blue Angels playing chicken

I had a blast taking pictures. This was the first time that I was able to really put this camera to work. In most cases I found that setting the focus manually and estimating where the planes were going to cross was better than letting the automatic focus try and set the focus. While this camera has really fast auto focus ability, it is not fast enough for the Blue Angels. Additionally I had plenty of daylight so I was shooting at a faster speed to help stop the planes in mid-air with the hopes that the pictures would be as sharp as possible.

Blue Angels kissing

Something I always try to do when I have two subjects crossing each other is to set the focus about where I think they will cross, then follow one subject as it comes across the landscape and snap the picture when the other enters the frame. The result here was one sharp plane and the other slightly out of focus. While some might not like that result, I think it demonstrates the speed at which these plans are flying toward each other.

Four Blue Angels

By the way, if you ever go to shoot an air show. Get your camera cleaned by a professional immediately afterwards. This air show left tiny little spots of jet fuel on the sensor on my camera. It probably happened when I was changing lenses. My husband recently gave me a gift of a professional sensor cleaning kit that has solved my problems of dirt on the image sensor, It has helped to make my images appear more clean.

Blue Angels in a row

Photography is always a learning experience… I believe you should have fun while you learn. I’m not sure which is more fun, the adventures I like to photograph or the photographic adventure itself… probably a little of both. Either way this was definitely a fun learning adventure.

Our cat, Blue

No, she is not blind… Capturing a good shot of our cat has proved difficult. Usually, when I’d go to take her picture, she would want to come and rub against me or want to be picked up. So most my shots are rather boring of her, but this day I got lucky. Blue was not about to give up her warm sunny spot on top of this trunk in front of our window.She is a Siamese Color Point Blue - Thus, the name Blue, which is fitting considering her brilliant blue colored eyes.