emotions (and a few more from shipwrecks)
taking in the view, shipwrecks, poipu, kauai
We went down to shipwrecks for some sunset shots last week, and although the sunset wasn't really happening I did get a few ideas on what i would like to shoot the next time i was down in poipu. Initially i wanted to shoot the rocky point at keoniloa bay, but the top was just too busy with hikers and sightseers taking in the view.
Looking away from the point and straight out to the horizon, i noticed the soft and beautiful colors of the sand and sea. File away for another day.
And further down the beach as the surfers, body boarders, locals and tourists were all having a good time in the glow of sunset. The sand at shipwrecks has such a softness of texture and a color that is pleasing to the senses and soul.
same view as the shot above, only this one is the next day at dawn. Sometimes a location pulls at me and i feel a need to go back on consecutive days. It's like a calling that i can't explain, but one that i love to explore.
a few minutes later and the strong pinks have turned to cool blues.
looking back the other way, towards the point at keoniloa bay. the surf rushes in like light rays.
One of my favorite teachers is OSHO. I am reading one of his "books" now. It's about emotions and in it he brings up a really good point by looking at the etymology and construction of the word. Emotion. E-motion. Motion. Movement. They are always changing. They are moving like the waves. And we just need to watch them come and go, form and break. Run and play. Motion.
south swell, shipwrecks, poipu, kauai
I want to thank all of you who gave feedback on my recent Facebook post about this shoot. Your comments were insightful and will help me choose a new image for the gallery. In reading your comments, I found that some liked the waves and sense of power and motion while others preferred the warm reflection and it's sense of compositional space and energy. I think this shot offers a nice compromise of the two. Any thoughts?
Mahalo and aloha,
lee
salt ponds beach park-- 10 pics
When we arrived at Salt Ponds Beach Park in Hanapepe, the skies were threatening, and we had already driven in and out of rain on the way over. The tree tunnel road leading to Poipu was flooded, canceling my plans to shoot at that oft requested location. So it wasn't surprising when the heavens opened with a rumble and the rain began to pour. We waited out the storm in the FJ and finally made a dash for the pavilions once it looked like rainbows would appear. And sure enough, they did. As Naomi likes to say, 'No rain. No rainbows." True indeed.
While we waited for the heavy rains to pass, I noticed the waves and the rocks on the far right reef. The waves were pretty active and consistent and the rocks were covered with a beautiful green mossy seaweed. I thought that could make a nice pic as the evening progressed. And even better, no one was over there. Compared to the middle section-- the more famous area of step like waterfalls-- where quite a few people were playing around in the water and on the rocks. And there was a karaoke party beginning to liven up at the nearby pavilion. I almost always prefer quiet to noise and certainly prefer to shoot where there are no people. So I changed into my tabis and ventured out to the waves and onto the rocks.
Slippery, but beautiful in the low sunlight. If you venture out to the rocks along Kauai's beaches, please be very careful of the waves and surf. I also recommend that you wear tabis-- felt soled neoprene booties. They help hold grip while walking on and over the slippery rocks and shelves that make up much of Kauai's coastline.
I like the playful curve and the action of the ocean in this shot. This one is definitely one of my favorites from the shoot.
The ocean has filled in and the movement appears to be on an even plane. Either this one, the one above, or the one to follow will be appearing in the gallery soon. Right now I am leaning more towards the first one, but we'll see....
And the ocean recedes. Fun stuff, yeah?
Looking back to Salt Ponds Beach Park, a west side locals hangout. Kinda like a west side Anini Beach Park? What do you think?
I'm a sucker for fluffy clouds. 'Mo bettah in the evening light!
More clouds!
Last click of the day.
Aloha,
lee
one circle (hoop dreams)
I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy.
~ from Black Elk's Great Vision as recounted in John G. Neihardt's classic, Black Elk Speaks
I have always said that the soccer fields and basketball court in Hanalei must have the prettiest backdrop of any playground in the world. I've had this idea of shooting the Milky Way and basketball hoop for a while now and finally got the chance with a new moon occurring in late September. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't looking too good for the first few nights, but I made a go of it last night and came up with a few fun shots.
swish!
Have a great weekend!
Aloha,
lee
liberation from time
... Zen is a liberation from time. For if we open our eyes and see clearly, it becomes obvious that there is no other time than this instant, and that the past and future are abstractions without any concrete reality.
~ from Alan Watts, The Way of Zen
One wave of many colors and sections flowing with constant movement. Each wave different, yet each wave is the same.
Ocean.
Wind.
Light.
Dependent on the other.
Emotions are the energies of our mental states. Like waves, they appear when conditions ripen, and flow through us until they break.
We are not the emotions, just as we are not the feelings they bring.
Watch them pass like waves hitting the rocks, and be the calm seas.
The period in the swell.
I enjoy seeing the colors of a location change. The light and shadows move as if they were playing a game. This is one of the most interesting facets of photography. For this reason, I often don't move around that much after I arrive at a location and begin shooting. Usually, I don't feel the need or desire to pick up the tripod and move up the beach 100 yards or back up the trail 50 feet. Sometimes I'll shift the perspective, but most of the time I am content just to view the scene from where I first chose. Maybe I feel that this helps me appreciate the changes in light and color more than if I were constantly adjusting my location throughout the shoot. Sometimes I find the variety of light is more interesting than variety of subject. Take the two vertical shots above. They are nearly identical, but the shadow created by the breaking wave in the second image makes it completely different (to me, at least) from the image that proceeds it. That little diagonal shift is just awesome!
All photos in this blog were taken at Ke'e Beach on Kauai's north shore. The first couple were taken with a 70-200/2.8 and the last few with a 24-70/2.8.
As always, thanks for visiting.
Mahalo and aloha!
lee
Poomau Canyon Lookout
A friend of mine sent me a text. It read, "... about .25 mile hike and then you are sitting on a rock in the middle of the canyon. It was quite magical." Forget that she didn't say where the .25 mile long trail began nor did she mention the size (or lack there of) said rock!
The search was on, and it coincided with our recent off road camping trip in The Na Pali-Kona Forest Reserve. Day one was all about finding the trail, and after two false paths and a little more off roading we finally found it. Next came the hike, which was really easy and really quick. You start at the Poomau Canyon Lookout Trailhead and sure enough, .25 miles away lies the "END" marker, and beyond that sits the rock.
Now, between the END marker and the ROCK lies a narrow and eroded shrub-lined trail that may leave you more comfortable resting at the END marker. Being adventurous souls, we took our chances and carefully scurried down the trail to the safety (?) of the ROCK where we found the views to be quite magical.
Magical indeed.
But the mid day light was not. So successfully reconnoitered we called it an afternoon and went back to camp to relax in the hammock and plan the next morning's sunrise shoot.
Interlude
Up at 5am and in the FJ by 5.30. On the trail by 5.45 and sitting on the ROCK at 6, where we sat for 2 and half hours. It was a small rock and a hard rock. And when Naomi dozed off and almost fell off the ROCK it scared the shit out of me! I still don't know how I managed the tripod and at what angle I sat at in order to peer through the viewfinder. All I know is that my back and butt hurt for two solid days after our sunrise vigil to the photography gods.
After two days at the lookout, I'm still unsure as to when the best light would be. Sunrise was a little weak. But once the sun came up, the shadows were strong. Midday saw a lot of overexposed clouds (time for a graduated nd filter???) and sunset you would be shooting directly into the light, and once the sun went behind the western wall of the canyon, i'm sure a lot of shaded areas would be hard to bring up. Yes, I still find Waimea Canyon one of the most difficult places to shoot on Kauai.
I loved this section of the trail. Giant cedars (Japanese Sugi) in the morning light.
And on the way back to Koke'e these other scraggly trees under radiant blue sky.
Mahalo mama Kauai!
Aloha,
lee