With the Soft Side of the Hand

What Flash?, August 22, 2009
Seattle, Washington
Taken with Palm Pre
Unadjusted

I am so going to take crap for posting this photo.

This is the very first photo I took with my new Palm Pre. Since I wasn't aware that it had one, I had no chance to warn the wife that the flash was going to go off. Haven't played much with the phone's camera since then, though it seems more limited than the one on my old phone. Here's hoping Palm gets off their butts and makes some proper camera controls.

(Side bar: some of you probably wonder why I bought a Pre instead of an iPhone, especially now that the newest version of the Apple gadget has focus control. Suffice it to say that I had my reasons, and if you want to know more you know how to contact me.)

Speaking of my old phone, I just spent half the evening retrieving all the photos off it and arranging them nicely into my gallery. They are now available for your viewing pleasure. Farewell, little Samsung ACH-930, you were a decent handset.

Walk This

Elliott Bay Sunset, July 18, 2009
Seattle and Elliott Bay, Washington
Nikon D80, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 @ f/5.6, 1/100s, ISO 400
Developed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4, Camera Landscape Profile

Yes, it's been a while since I posted. After the Hawaii trip and a short jaunt down to Southern California I had some other business to attend to, and since then I've been settling back into routine.

One of the bits of business was the 2nd Annual Worldwide Photo Walk. A co-worker and I decided that since the Big A sponsors this event, as employees we should represent by leading one of the walks. So we did. Tina did all of the real work, I just helped by suggesting routes and then using my 6'2" frame to head up the camera parade while she brought up the back end.

It was quite fun, though I didn't take many photos. We started the walk at Kerry Park, the source for all postcards of Seattle. We looped through the neighborhood and stopped at the foot of the Queen Anne retail district. Those of us so inclined had pizza and beer and conversation, then hoofed it back over to Kerry Park to catch the sunset. The end result was this panorama.

Not my best work, no. But not bad for an impromptu, slightly drunk, hand-held pano.

Roadside Attraction

Red Dirt Falls, July 5, 2009
Waimea Canyon Drive, Kaua'i, Hawaii
Nikon D80, Tokina 12-24mm (AT-X 124 II) f/4.0 @ f/16.0, 1/4s, ISO 100
Developed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4, ACR 4.4 Profile

Back at home now. We really didn't want to leave Kaua'i. Sure, we wanted to see our kitties (who have been terribly affectionate and purry), but whatever magic is in the Hawaiian islands seems to have taken hold of us. Yes, we discussed the practicality of moving to Kaua'i several times. No, I don't think we were serious. Yet.

This photo was an awesome opportunity that we caught on the drive up to Waimea Canyon. (Ignore any bunk you hear about Mark Twain's "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" quote. He never set foot on Kaua'i.) This slash of dark red cut through the otherwise brown and green roadside landscape. There weren't any signs or much room to park, but stopping the car was mandatory.

This shot was almost a blessing. A couple of days before we had driven to two different waterfalls on the island, only to be disappointed by low waterflow and poor sightlines. Despite dragging my tripod to them I didn't take a single photo. Now, here at this little natural wonder, I was glad that I had brought the tripod all the way from Seattle. To get the optimal shot I had to set up in soft soil on the side of a hill. It was slippery and difficult to get the perspective I wanted, and maintaining my body position was painful for my feet. But I got my Hawaiian waterfall shot, so I'm happy.

FYI - I processed this photo on the flight back home, cramped up in an economy seat with a 17" laptop. I don't recommend this as a regular work environment.

Pointy Things

Cathedrals, July 2, 2009
Na Pali Coast State Park, Kaua'i, Hawaii
Nikon D80, Tokina 12-24mm (AT-X 124 II) f/4.0 @ f/8.0, 1/160s, ISO 400
Developed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4, Camera Landscape Profile

Here, as promised are pointy things. Enjoy.

More specifically, these are the Cathedrals formations on the Na Pali cliffs of Kaua'i. We saw them from a catamaran (not unlike the one in the lower right of the photo), which took us around the western side of the island for snorkeling, dinner, a sunset, and a hell of a lot of fun.

I had to whip this out quick, as tonight is our last night on the island and I really ought to be packing. Tomorrow we make the sad, sad trek back to our regular lives.

Fresh Fish Foto

Bluespine Unicornfish, July 4, 2009
Po'ipu Beach Park, Po'ipu, Hawaii
Canon PowerShot SD700 IS
Developed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4

E. None of the above.

Since only one of you (and I'm tickling her toes right now) responded to the last post's poll, the results will be postponed. Instead I bring you this tasty tidbit straight from the ocean.

Snorkeling is tons of fun. Especially when you have an inexpensive underwater camera case and lots of fish swimming around you. I even spied a humuhumunukunukuapua'a, but he was a bit camera shy. These unicornfish were plentiful, and tended to stay in one place long enough for me to get good shots.

Incidentally, Happy Fourth of July from our 50th State.

Island Life

Island Life, June 30, 2009
Kiahuna Plantation Resort, Po'ipu, Hawaii
Nikon D80, Tokina 12-24mm (AT-X 124 II) f/4.0 @ f/11.0, 1/80s, ISO 100
Developed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4, Camera Landscape Profile

Ah, you can feel the warm, tropical breeze blowing around you, can't you? You can feel that, right? It's tickling my ankles right now.

Here the wife is kicking back with one of her favorite hobbies, but still playing model for me. Until my intervention she had been sitting about ten feet to the right, in a less photogenic spot. Such a sweet girl.

Two bits of trivia about this photo. One, notice the moon between the fronds of the palm tree. Two, the building in the background is not really tilted like that. When shooting at extremely wide angles, straight lines have a habit of distorting, and I have not yet invested in perspective correction software.

A few more days left in the islands, and lots more photos to share. What would you like to see next? Vote by leaving a comment for one of the following:

A. My brief encounter with a tropical insurance agent.
B. One more reason why I am NOT a professional photographer.
C. Yet another super-wide angle photo in which I let the sky dominate the image.
D. Pointy things.

Island Wife

Island Wife, June 29, 2009
Koko Marina, Honolulu, Hawaii
Nikon D80, Tokina 12-24mm (AT-X 124 II) f/4.0 @ f/4.0, 1/250s, ISO 100
Developed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4, Camera D2X Mode 2 Profile

The wife very generously puts up with my hobbies. With a smile, even.

The islands are beautiful. We completed our three-day sojourn on O'ahu, and have now retired to the beaches of Po'ipu for the remainder of our holiday.

For our last night in Honolulu the wife let me indulge in another of my hobbies: we went to Kona Brewing's Koko Marina Pub. I would have much rather gone to Kona's brewery, but alas, we were on the wrong island. The food was good and the beer was excellent (though a little less hoppy than my northwest palate is accustomed to), but the service sucked. Also, the cab ride was ridiculously expensive. Taxis cost $3.20 a mile in Honolulu; I'll let you work out the cost between Koko Marina and our hotel at Waikiki.

Today is a different day, a different island. I've already got my eye on the two breweries here on Kaua'i, and this time I've got a rental car. I've also got some good shots from this evening's sunset that I wanted to share, but it's late enough already. Maybe tomorrow I'll work them up for you.

Until then, aloha.