one morning at secrets (part three)
The sun is up. The waves are pumping. And by now i am getting tired and hungry. But before i decide to go, i continue on down to an area we call third beach and found a tidal pool that formed in the unseasonal high surf. Here i took a few shots of the iconic 101 year old kilauea lighthouse.
morning mirage (bw), secrets, kauai, hawaii
morning mirage, secrets, kauai, hawaii
Feeling tired, hot (i drank 1 liter of water during the shoot) and hungry, i'm ready to call it a morning. But before i do i want to get a few shots of the waves hitting the rocks. First with the 70-200 and later with the 16-35 just for fun (i'm a sucker for a big blue sky).
the good life, secrets, kauai, hawaii
i love the colors in this photo! the gold-yellow of the sand, all the various shades of blue and the black rocks just to give a sense of the scene. chee hop! i just love it!
and here it is, secrets, kauai, hawaii
little circles bursting in the air, secrets, kauai, hawaii
circles on the sand, secrets, kauai, hawaii
spilled milk, secrets, kauai, hawaii
A great day at secrets comes to an end.
Mahalo mama kauai! You are so giving and so special. Gratitude!
Have a great weekend.
Aloha,
lee
one morning at secrets (part two)
Part two is all about the waves-- the great metaphor for change, energy, and flow.
change in volume change in color, secrets, kauai, hawaii
People ask all the time, "How did you get that color?" My reply is almost always, "It's all about the light." Well, in wave (or surf photography) it's all about the light and the volume and depth of the water. The photo above is a perfect example of this. The deeper water in the background is a deep blue. However, the wave is sea-green. This change is always happening and you can even see it within individual waves. I recommend a circular polarizer to help pick up this difference in color. Also, we can't forget the light so if you have the time wait around for the good light. Direct sunlight on the wave will make the unique colors stand out even more.
rainbow spray, secrets, kauai, hawaii
Often with the right light and the right direction of light (behind you) you can get a rainbow spray coming off the back/top of the wave (the rip curl). This shot has a little rainbow forming, but not much of one. I have other shots where the rainbow is longer and more pronounced, but this shot gives you an idea of something to look for the next time you photographing large waves. Again, a polarizer will help here as well.
frothy break, secrets, kauai, hawaii
I've now left the tripod behind, well up on the beach, and have gone knee deep into the surf. This can be dangerous for both the photographer and the equipment! If you choose this method-- please be careful! Also, camera insurance-- enough to adequately cover the replacement cost of your gear-- is highly recommended.
secrets shining, secrets, kauai, hawaii
When i get in the surf and shoot i always set the camera to aperture priority. There is just too much going on to think about camera settings. Also, with waves this big you can't be looking at the LCD between shots to see how things are going. If you are in the surf you need to be vigilant and looking out for what's coming next.
change is beautiful, secrets, kauai, hawaii
I think this one is my favorite from the day. Look at how heavy that wave is! Pure hawaii, baby! Other camera settings for surf photography: aperture 2.8 and usually exposure bias of -1/3 to -2/3. Generally i'm looking for speeds at 2000 and faster. I like to keep iso low-- around 200 in good light, but some days i have to move it up to 400. I try not to go any higher than that as the color tends to suffer as a tradeoff for the speed.
breaking into the light, secrets, kauai, hawaii
Just like any other time, you need to be aware of the direction of the light (sun). I often find that shooting a wave while looking into the sun gives a glassy, almost mercury (quick silver!) quality to the wave. It's really hard to pull it off, and i'm not confident that i did it here, but it's always worth a try. You can sometimes pull off from stellar shots that are unique in a liquidy metallic nature. Often these shots lend themselves well to black and white.
breaking into the light (bw), secrets, kauai, hawaii
This shot is a continuation of the color photo above. I just processed this one in black and white, using a yellow filter preset as the base and customizing the adjustments from there. This reminds me, when shooting surf photography I always use the high frame setting (rapid/continuous shutter) and i'll often also use the AI SERVO auto focus setting that tracks moving objects (the wave). Other times I'll focus on a certain area and shoot what comes into it.
colors falling right on the beach, secrets, kauai, hawaii
all photos in today's blog were taken with a canon 5d3 and a canon 70-200ii/2.8 L series lens, nikon circular polarizer and black rapid shoulder strap.
well, i've run out of things to say so i guess that's all for today.
thanks for visiting.
have a great aloha friday!
aloha,
lee
one morning at secrets (part one)
Secrets is my favorite beach in the world. Every time i go i am inspired by the beauty, variety and power of nature.
The following photos were all taken on the morning of tuesday, august 12, 2014-- a day blessed by tropical storm julio, passing far to the north, but who's influence gave kauai blue skies and big waves. I'll post more photos in parts two and three friday and saturday. I hope you enjoy this one morning at secrets.
aloha,
lee
reflections and horizon, secrets, kauai, hawaii
I chose the little v shape at the end of the tidal pool as the area of focus, hoping that that point would lead the viewer to survey the entire scene. In my landscape photography I often do this, choosing a seemingly random area of focus hoping that that point will act as a starting point for the viewer to study the entire scene. In this example, i found it relatively pleasing to scan slowly from the reflecting pool to the extended rock formations to the rock grouping 3/4 of the way across the image, and from there, to the little island off kilauea point and finally to the lighthouse.
rushing stars, secrets, kauai, hawaii
During the shoot i became mesmerized by the foam and water as it rushed down the shore, breaking apart, becoming absorbed by the sand as it went. I imagined it to be like stars rushing below me on a rocket ride through the universe or (space mountain). This movement and speed became so interesting to me. It basically became the whole point of the sunrise shoot.
running at speed, secrets, kauai, hawaii
The influence of tropical storm julio led to clear skies with only a few clouds floating on the horizon. The drama, it seemed to me, lie in the rushing ocean water and beach. Of course, you know me and movement and energy-- if i am able to find it and communicate it, then 'mo bettah! :-)
to guide me, secrets, kauai, hawaii
I sped up the shutter a little on this one to get the line of frothy foam, leading to the light on the horizon. I like this shot as it reminds me of the guru or the dispeller of light.
shore break, secrets, kauai, hawaii
With the sun well up and the swell well nigh, i decided to work on an idea that i have been playing with for a while now: beach from a shell's eye view. For this shot and the next one, i place my camera on top of a bean bag that is itself, lying on the sand. In order to frame the shot it was necessary for me to lie down in prone position-- right on the sand. I chose a little spot that seemed high and protected and and shot with a relatively slow shutter speed. I wanted to convey the feeling of being right on the beach with a crashing wave.
shore break left, secrets, kauai, hawaii
For this shot, in order to get to get more of the beach i moved forward on my sandy ledge a bit and shot down onto the wave. I kept the shutter speed the same as the previous shot, but this time i was intent on getting that left shore breaking wave mid-break. The low sun in the east shines right on the sweet spot, too, making this shot a keeper.
All photos in today's blog were taken with a canon 5d3 and a canon 16-35/f2.8 L series lens. b+w circular polarizer, tripod and bean bag (the last two) were also used.
mahalo for visiting!
lee
aliomanu beach (north)
aliomanu dawn, north aliomanu beach, kauai, hawaii
North Aliomanu Beach is a little out of the way pocket of sand and black rocks on the east side. I don't shoot here often, but if i need to see an unobstructed sun rise over the ocean this is one of the places that i'll go-- year round.
eco light, north aliomanu beach, kauai, hawaii
While there isn't much sand here, it's likely that you'll be the only person on the beach at any given time. You may run into a hippie or two-- clothed or unclothed-- and quite possibly a throw net or tako fisherman.
sun like the moon, north aliomanu beach, kauai, hawaii
all to yourself, north aliomanu beach, kauai, hawaii
There are not too many shells to be found here, and the sand is corse from all the broken coral form the protective outer reef.
lines in the sand, north aliomanu beach, kauai, hawaii
aloha,
lee
calm before the storms
calm before the storms, moloa'a bay, kauai, hawaii
With two hurricanes heading toward the state-- Iselle expected to hit the big island this afternoon and Julio expected sometime sunday-- i went to my local spot at moloa'a bay and found calm before the storms.
wings, moloa'a bay, kauai, hawaii
The mini is filled with gas and there's a little over half a tank in the fj. Headlamps are charged and candles are ready. All of our water bottles and glass jars are filled with water and waiting in the fridge. Naomi is baking several loaves of bread today, and we harvested bananas and mangos after taking these pictures this morning. Camping supplies are organized and so is the first aid kit. We're prepared and hoping for the best.
sun and splash at moloa'a bay, kauai, hawaii
I will close the gallery Friday as Iselle is expected to impact kauai with tropical storm force winds and heavy rains early Friday afternoon. Hopefully Iselle will be nothing more than a gentle breeze and blessing and then we'll get ready for Julio. I plan on opening the gallery Saturday, but may not be able to. It all depends on the conditions, whether or not we have power and the track of Julio.
waterfall, moloa'a bay, kauai, hawaii
Throughout the storms my online gallery will be up and accepting orders, and although i may not be able to confirm orders immediately, please rest assured that i will get to them as soon as i can.
storms a coming, moloa'a bay, kauai, hawaii
To all of the states' visitors-- be safe! To all of my friends and family, Mahalo for your thoughts and prayers. We'll be OK. We'll just have to hunker down with the cats for a few days.
aloha,
lee