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annnnd…we’re back

Back from the deep, dark, abyss of the non-internet world! Hah! The reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated.

Seriously, though, it’s good to get back into the swing of things and tend to my poor, neglected (but never forgotten!) blog. Plus, with only two photos left in my original top ten of the past countdown, we’ve got some business to finish. It’s been a busy start to the summer, but I’m looking forward to the second half of the year and all that’s to come. Some exciting stuff on the horizon including free stuff! More to come…

So, on to number 2! For those of you who have kept up with me over the past 3 or so years, this one will come as no surprise:

waiting
waiting

This shot, in a way, started it all. I was helping out at a friend’s wedding, doing some audio-visual technical stuff and lugging my camera along for whatever opportunities jumped out at me. At this point, I had only begun to be serious about taking photos and had limited gear and experience (thank you, high school journalism – pah!). While I was fiddling around with some computer issues, the lovely bride and official photographers popped into the room to take some shots nearby an open window. They chose a spot to pose, and while an assistant helped set her dress just right, I looked up and noticed the awesome soft lighting the photographer had wisely spotted. More than that, I noticed that the wall she was standing next to was creating a great, seamless backdrop – like the kind you’d use in an actual studio. And to top it off, there was a beautiful grace to this “prep” moment that begged to be captured. So in the midst of preparing to take a posed shot, I fired off a few frames to grab the candid. So while the picture looks posed, it’s actually very much not. The bride’s position? She’s looking down at the person who’s fixing her dress.

Taking a look at this after the fact, I was overjoyed to see the results and felt spurred on to keep at it. Even better – I was humbled to share this with my friend (the groom), and hear his total delight. Is it a perfect picture? No. Room for improvement? Always. But encapsulating beauty in a moment that would never come again and would have probably otherwise been quickly forgotten – that’s just fantastic. It’s what I love about photography and it’s the kind of thing I’m always on the hunt for! For that reason, this one will always be high on my list. 🙂

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hawaii 2010

Ahhhhhh, Hawaii. What can be said? I’m not sure there’s more than a handful of people who have ever had anything less than a wonderful time there. Good weather, good food, good sights…what more are you looking for? Karen and I spent 7 beautiful days in Kaanapali, Maui followed by 3 quick days in Waikiki to wrap it all up. Not all was ideal, though. I had some paper writing to finish up for the end of the semester which put a slight damper on our first few days, but once that was fully out of the way it was relaxation-city!

room view
our condo’s view

This was, I think, my fourth time to Maui and maybe eighth time to the islands in general. Not much new, but you really don’t need “new” out there. I’ll take it unchanged and familiar any day. We did take an excursion to Lanai, however, that was a first and a highlight of the trip. This little island, previously made up of mostly pineapple plantations, only has about 3000 residents and is dominated by the two resorts run by Four Seasons. There’s one town and basically one main street. Anything you want to see out toward the shores (other than where the ferry comes in) requires traveling on rocky trails in a 4×4 vehicle. Here’s our Jeep, pulled to the side of the Polihua trail as we passed through the “garden of the gods”:

the garden
the garden

driving the garden of the gods
driving the garden of the gods

Looks almost like what you’d think the surface of Mars looks like, eh? Oh, and when I said rocky, think Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye ride from Disneyland. For real.

I think we averaged about 10 mph through the trail. The ride’s well worth it though…at the end you get this beauty:

polihua
polihua

That’s 1.5 miles of pristine white beach, baby. No footprints, no trash, no people. Somebody build me a villa there, please.
Closer to town you see a bit more of the resorts’ influences…we stopped on our way back to say hi to the folks living at Kō’ele stables:

Kō'ele residents
Kō’ele residents

Our few days in Oahu went by quickly, but we managed to take in a few sights including the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites…I hadn’t been there in over a decade!

Ford Island
Ford Island

Arizona
Arizona

Plus, a little visit to a historic site with family ties! Check it out…my great-great-great-grandfather!

Afong Villa
Afong Villa

Good times! Oh, and can I share anything about Hawaii and not mention killer food? I think the images speak for themselves.

blue ginger loco
blue ginger loco

leilani filet
leilani filet

zippy's mix
zippy’s mix

da kitchen loco
da kitchen loco (this…was the best)

Incredibly blessed to have been over there 4 times in 4 years…what a way to be spoiled! Until next time, Hawaii!

makena
makena

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back from vacation!

just returned from maui and oahu! Not much time to write at the moment, but it was…fantastic. A bit more relaxed, a bit more tan, and now a bit more sad to be home and back to work. I’ll be sorting through my four-hundred odd photos and video over the next few days but until then, here’s a fun snap from the inside of our rental!

maui cruisin'
maui cruisin’

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nine.

Continuing on with our review of some of my favorite shots from the past few years, here’s number nine:

preparation
preparation

You’re looking at Jason Varitek of the Boston Red Sox as he goes through his pre-game prep in the bullpen. I mentioned last time that a lot of “favorites” came from my trip to the east coast a couple of years ago, and well, this is another one of them. While I’m not a fan of the BoSox – actually, they’re an enemy – I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Fenway. What a fantastic ballpark. And it’s really remarkable how fun it is to watch a ball game there considering it opened in 1912. Old doesn’t automatically mean cool or fun. We visited the old Yankee Stadium during this same trip and while I appreciated the history (built 1923), it felt more like a concrete prison in some places than a ballpark.

Anyway, back to the shot: yes, I realize that VTek’s bee-hind is hanging outside of the frame. Aspiring photographers, this was a mistake – don’t replicate it. If not for this shortcoming, I’d have ranked it higher on my list. Nevertheless, I love this photo because it really captures the quiet, methodical prep many ball players go through even before we get to singing the national anthem. Quiet is relative, of course. I was one of a dozen or so spectators who hung themselves over the rail above the pen to either snap a photo or get his attention. I was lucky to get this shot at all, really. Live view was the only way I could get some idea of whether I was getting the frame I wanted (thank you, technology), and like that – the moment was gone. Some other things I love about this one: the depth and contrast (almost feels 3D), the footprints in the background (from VTek’s footwork practice), and the lovely brown earth-tone of the dirt (did I say contrast?).

I’ll leave you with a quick bonus share – here’s three other shots from that game:

waiting for my chance
O’s in the pen

Mr. Boucher's seat
Mr. Boucher’s seat

fenway
fenway

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