Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

Sometimes there is nothing better than rediscovering an old photo. I had this slide (yes slide) of Haleakala Crater in Haleakala National Park , Hawaii drum scanned back in 2004.  At the time I took this photo with Fuji Provia 400 film as it had great response for night photography and seemed to be the right fit for my effort to photograph the crater under a full moon. Note: Click below to see a larger version of the image.

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Haleakala Crater by Moonlight - Haleakala National Park, Hawaii

This spot is most notably photographed at sunrise and I highly recommend being there for that view at least once in your life. Its breathtaking, if the clouds cooperate. For myself I wanted to see this landscape (if even subtly) under moonlight. At an elevation over 10,000 feet you can see for dozens if not one hundred miles over the Pacific ocean and if you’re a stargazer you can see billions of stars in the sky above. For these  reasons this seemed to be the perfect place to be, to see land, sea and sky in layers of movement… each at their own pace. A volcano ever growing with clouds swirling about it over a vast ocean lit by an arcing moon destined to set as quickly as it arose. Haleakala crater is stunning & dynamic location that I can’t wait to revisit again.

Technorati Tags: Photography, picture, Haleakala National Park, Hawaii, Fuji Provia 400, landscape, nature, stock photo

With so much discussion around the iPad this week I thought it would be a nice change of pace to refocus on convergence in nature vs. technology.

Convergence - Pacific Ocean Water Meets Hawaiian Lava Rocks

My infatuation with nature photography is deeply rooted in isolating the simple yet beautiful moments we so often have a tendency to look past. What caught my eye on this rocky and barren beach in Maui, Hawaii was the beautiful wet rounded lava rocks. Everything else around was dark grey and undefined under an overcast sky. Taking a brief moment to just enjoy the movement of the water on the rocks I made it a priority to capture the seemingly chaotic convergence of water and rock. “Chaotic” of course is relative… water splashing around could seem chaotic compared to the perception of order in the smooth well rounded rocks.

That being said this isn’t just a photo of water converging with rock, but convergence of chaos and order. Extending this thought to the creative process convergence is an important concept to embrace as a photographer. My coming across a grey unattractive scene of chaotic movement & shape and creating a sense of order through the right exposure & composition provided the convergence of scene and seeing to capture a moment in time to be visually enjoyed. Creative convergence is that critical moment where concept and execution meet.

Technorati Tags: Photography, fine art, nature, Hawaii, Maui, Pacific Ocean, stock photo

What’s the first thing you do when you get a brand new Canon 1Ds Mark III? If you’re me you strap it to your chest, attach an intervalometer/cable release and jump on an 800 foot long zip line in Maui. Well not just (1) one zip line, but (6) six.

Back in early February my first trip out with the new camera body was to Maui, Hawaii. I couldn’t resist capturing the zip line adventure in photos. Fortunately with a little pre-planning and a bit of self-coordination no harm came to my camera or lens as I jumped off wood platforms and zipped along dangling from a harness. Needless to say my wife thought I was nuts, the zip line staff thought it was cool and well I had a blast.

Zip Line Adventure – Maui, Hawaii

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One of the neatest areas of Maui is the northeastern portion of Haleakala National Park. To get to this side of the island you have to brave the road to Hana, but its well worth it. The lush tropical landscape is a lot of fun to hike and explore particularly the bamboo forest that turns day to night.

Hiking Through A Bamboo Forest
Haleakala National Park – Maui, Hawaii

Technorati Tags: Maui, Hawaii, Haleakala, National Park, photo, stock, photography, bamboo, forest, nature, lifestyle, Hana, hike, hiking

Sadly it seems like months ago, but only two weeks ago this was my “office” view. Kayaking off the coast of Maui with numerous Humpback whales in the area was awe inspiring. I have to admit one whale came up right behind my wife and I and scared the hell out of us. The loud exhale of this giant animal can do that when you don’t see them coming.

Pictured below is a whale and her calf diving. Before they disappeared they had been casually hanging out and putting on quite a show for roughly 20 minutes. We were very lucky to see such an extended display of mother/calf interaction and I have to admit I’m hooked. The next time I’m in Maui I’ll be quite eager to whale watch via kayak again.

Humpback Whale Tail and Calf Peduncle Arch – Maui, Hawaii

Technorati Tags: Humpback, whale, tail, calf, peduncle arch, Maui, Hawaii, wildlife, photo, photography, stock, whale watch, kayak