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Tag Archives: travel

Thursday, April 15, 2010

four.

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Ah, the sights, smells, and sweetness of Hawaii. How can you go and not bring your camera? No surprise then, that there are two photos from the islands in my informal top ten. This time we’re looking at an early night/after dusk shot taken on the Big Island of the lava flow from Kīlauea. We got a chance to visit the prolific volcano back in 2008 after its crater explosion, including some incredible night-time viewing of its encounter with the ocean. Fun fact: The NPS estimates that as of January 1994, 491 acres of new land had been added to the island via lava flow. Unsurprisingly, ocean-front real estate near the lava flows go for ridiculously low prices, often selling for the price of a car!

firewater
firewater

The exposure here is a nice, long 13 seconds – long enough to capture the billowy plume of smoke/steam in a sort of dreamy state as it moved, and long enough to capture both the fiery lava and the white stars. I particularly love how the glow of the lava reflects off of the steam, creating rich orange with deep black shadows – that’s contrast and depth, baby! Still, the sight is so fantastic that you’ve got to see it for yourself. Most photos simply don’t do it justice.

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Saturday, March 27, 2010

seven.

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Nice days like today make me think about how fantastic the islands are all year ’round. This shot was taken last year while vacationing in Maui, at the top of Haleakala summit. You have to wake up pretty early in the morning (think, several hours before sunrise) to make it up there in time for this sight, but it is well worth it. Well, at least it’s worth it once per Hawaii trip.  🙂

Oh, and that warm weather I was just alluding to? It doesn’t exist up there during those sunrise hours. It’s actually more like winter – 30°F plus wind chill. There’s a little shelter at the top for viewers to take in the sunrise or sunset from, but that’s a no-go if you want worthwhile pictures. I wish I had taken a picture of me sitting outside in the freezing cold while everyone else was inside, talking about that crazy man freezing his fingers off out there to get a photograph!

Anyway, for a beautiful, sunny, spring Saturday…we go to number seven:

house of the sun
house of the sun

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

nine.

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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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Monday, March 15, 2010

Let’s count ’em down!

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After many iterations and plenty of work, the blog is ready to go! If you’re reading this, thank you and congrats! This is post number one of hopefully many, many, many more to come. I’m excited to share my photos, thoughts, experiences, and more with you all and hopefully you’ll enjoy getting to know me as we go.  🙂

Now, how to kick things off properly? Let’s take a look at my favorite photos from the past few years as we look forward to favorites yet to come! So, without further delay, I bring you photo number 10:

um...high iso rocks.
St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York

Majestic, isn’t it? You’re looking at the nave of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. This is one of many favorite photos that came out of my first trip to New York, two years ago. From a photo-nerd perspective, this was a truly fascinating shot in that it was hand-held, high-iso, and manages to retain remarkably high dynamic range. But you don’t need the nerdy info to appreciate the awe of this place. There’s an intriguing mix of solemn darkness with bright, colorful light wherever you stand. You can’t help but be silent as you try to take it all in – or at least, that’s how I felt! I’m told that the whole thing is made from brick and covered in marble. Crazy. It was completed in 1878, making it truly Civil War era architecture. What a contrast to Rockefeller Center, just across the street!

Alrighty folks, that’s it from me for now – but stay tuned for more countdown!

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