Recently, I was wed to my beautiful wife Lori (seen below striking a very compelling power pose before we went zip lining). From Hilo to Kona, during our time honeymooning on The Big Island we were able to explore much of this peculiar island. Did you know that nearly all of the world’s climate zones exist on Hawaii? Ya, interesting right? Also, did you know that my wife has tremendous tolerance for my tendencies to stop and “just take a quick shot.” She doesn’t even give me irritated glances. Will this pattern continue, only time will tell.
From Hilo to Kona, black to green sand beaches, snorkeling to lava walks, Hawaii was the perfect place for a honeymoon and I hope for many happy returns on Holiday tours someday. Below are the best of my shots from the Big Island as well as a few fun ones too.
Beautiful Lava Flows in Volcano National Park in Hawaii
This is my first HDR image ever.
I’m quickly realizing the benefits of HDR processing, but (as you can see) still quite clumsy with the process. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and is a technique used for producing vivid images that show details and lighting more accurately than a normal shot could. When you expose a photo in setting with dynamic light (extreme dark or bright) you inevitably lose details in either the shadows or highlights when you adjust your camera settings to compensate for the lighting. With HDR, a photographer takes multiple exposures of exactly the same scene (using a tripod) at various exposure setting. Then, in the computer, these multiple shots are merged into one image using software like Photoshop and Photomatix in order to display best pixels from each exposure. The result is usually quite a striking image that captures the feelings of being there better than any one single frame could… usually… I guess.
I’m not much for the over saturation, pixel noise, or odd painterly lighting indicative of the style. However, I think there’s a lot of value in the texture and tones it brings out. In coming posts I’ll be sharing more of my endeavors into HDR (much more successful endeavors I might add!). This shot is of the famous Green Sand Beach on the southern tip of the Big Island. If ever you decide to take a pleasant drive here, don’t be fooled. This beach is actually about an hour walk from the parking lot (no joke, Ironman athletes we met timed it).
I am a complete rookie at HDR, and I encourage you all to check out how professionals do it. My friend Ken Kaminesky as well the man/myth/HDR-king Trey Ratcliff are some of the best in the world (I’m completely biased FYI).
Puu Mahana (Green Sands) Beach - My first HDR image ever
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Even more photos!!
