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OK, so it’s actually been decorated for a few weeks now, but that would have made the title less interesting.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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I love sitting by the fire, especially when it’s decorated for Christmas!

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Two tiki gods stand guard over the heiau at the Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.

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This is the exact same sunset (although not the same shot) as this one: www.flickr.com/photos/sel/6477044619/in/photostream

The difference? The one above was set at a rather cool kelvin rating, while the other was very warm.

Which do you prefer?

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Just an absolutely spectacular day for visiting the Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.

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I took this just after the morning sun climbed over the hill. Such beautiful light!

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Did the lava flow stop at the palm trees or did the palm trees manage to grow among the lava flow?

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I’m a big fan of HDR, but some scenes call for a more retro look, like this Hawaiian heiau in Kona.

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A dedicated outrigger canoe club, up early on a Saturday to paddle out of Kona.

One of these palms is not like the other.

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I’ve lost track of the number of times I have taken photos of plumeria in Hawaii, but you know what? I never get tired of it!

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St. Benedict Roman Catholic Church near the Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii is also known as the "Painted Church."

Not knowing what it looked like, I was disappointed to drive up and see a rather bland white and green church. Then I stepped inside…

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I don’t know if the Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii is THE biggest hotel in Hawaii, but it has to be in the running! It’s huge!

This HDR was taken at the hotels calm, private lagoon. How big is the lagoon? Big enough to accommodate all these paddle boards and kayaks!

Oh, and did I mention the resort has a dolphin lagoon too!

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You may have thought that Hawaii’s Honu (Green Sea Turtle) gets its name from the color of the fat under its shell, but this proves otherwise!

When taking photos of Honu, please stay at least 20 ft away. This shot was possible thanks to a 200mm lens, vibration reduction, and cropping!

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I tried to think of some catchy title for this shot, but nothing I came up with did it justice.

So, I’ll just let this stunning sunset from the grounds of the Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, speak for itself.

The sky was pretty much that color, but faded towards the top of the frame, so I added a colored gradient filter effect in Aperture to keep it more uniform.

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I’ve always wanted to do an HDR with people. Unfortunately, HDR requires at least 3 photos, and even if you take them rapidly, people have the rather annoying habit of moving!

This shot came out so well because the audience were fixated on the dancers. Hence, they remained pretty still! Yay!

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I know what you are thinking. This would have been a great shot if only I had used a tripod and long shutter speed. Unfortunately, I was on a boat at the time. Still, not too shabby, eh?

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How cute, they almost look real!

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Hawaii has some of the nicest hotel interiors of any location. The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel is especially pretty, with its fish ponds, palm trees, and open atrium.

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It appears the Kona Boys attract the Kona girls.

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My mum always told me that if I played with fire, I’d wet my bed. Boy, this fire knife dancer better have rubber sheets!

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What a picture perfect day in Hawaii to jump on this sailing canoe!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to, but I can dream.

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I don’t have any photos of turkeys I can upload for Thanksgiving, so how about some parrots, courtesy of the Hilton Waikoloa Village?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Initially, my idea was to sit down in an informal setting and share the various photography tips and techniques that I have learned over the many years photographing Hawaii. That’s still the goal, but I suspect the format will be very “unconference” like with everyone sharing their tips, and perhaps a photowalk to end it.

While I work on the date, time, and location, please leave a comment below if you are interested. I will update this post soon.

Aloha!

PS. This event is not endorsed or connected in anyway with Pubcon. The goal is to provide the workshop for free.

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In the US, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things we are thankful for. I am thankful for many things, including all of you who take the time to encourage my photography.

Thank you!

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On previous visits to Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park–aka The Place of Refuge–the skies had been cloudy and gray. So, you can imagine my excitement that on this trip we had blue skies, fantastic early morning light, and the perfect opportunity for some HDR shots.

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I don’t know how to paddle an outrigger canoe, but this one sure looked tempting to take out.

And, the Austin Business Journal used a photo I took of some interesting shoes with QR codes on them:

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A stunning sunset, no?

I normally focus on changing the shutter speed to achieve the silhouette look, but this time I also opened up my aperture to f/20. This created the sunburst effect, with the streams of light coming from the setting sun.

Not too much post processing, but I did add a colored gradient filter effect to balance out the orange in the sky from the horizon to the top of the trees.

I hope you like it!

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I’ve read conflicting reports as to whether Mickey and Minnie Mouse are actually married or not. So this is either their first wedding, or a pretty awesome vowel renewal!

Tech note: I added some additional blurring in Color Efex Pro to accentuate the already present depth of field.