From: "Daniel J. Mitchell"
<snip>
>" We'll be in a hostel in Waikiki for the first 10 days; from there, the
boat stops off at Lahaina on Maui for a couple of days, and Hilo for one day
before it heads off to the emptier bits of the Pacific."
The thing that will immediately strike you as you get off of the plane is
the quality of the light. Hawaii is at the same latitude as Mexico City and
the difference between Calgary and Honolulu will be almost staggering.
Lots of blue light when clouds are absent, usually early morning.
Polarizers are a mixed blessing - some like what they do to water and
reflective sand, some don't. I think in some cases graduated ND's work
better.
Get a map. Waikiki is actually not a bad place to shoot. Keep an eye on
your camera stuff, though. It is a fairly large area encompassing a
beautiful public park (Kapiolani), a notorious beach (Waikiki) and a canal
(Ala Wai) that separates it from the rest of Honolulu. It is great for
"people" shots. Winter is the rainy season and it will probably rain every
day; you might consider a warming filter (KR3?). Everything is green -
bring some Velvia. You can get great clearing shots if you can get the
right vantage point (up high). A good place to shoot panoramic scenes of
Honolulu is from Makiki Heights/Tantalus Drive; Honolulu's answer to LA's
Mulholland Drive. The North Shore (Kaena Point northeast to Kahuku Point)
actually faces northwest and is usually broadsided all winter by storm
swells out of the Sea of Japan. Waves to 50' (yes, fifty FEET) have been
recorded. Good shooting spots are Waimea Bay, the Pipeline and just about
anywhere you see a gathering of cars or throngs of people. Bring
telephoto/hood. Be careful, tourists DO get washed away. Have a "Shave
Ice" at Matsumoto's Store in Haleiwa - everyone does it. The Windward side
of the island (Kahuku Point southeast to Makapu'u Point) features a lovely
winding two-lane road, weaving along lush, barely-inhabited valleys, farms
and the occasional (yawn) waterfall. Most (if not all) of the beach
parking is free. The Waianae Coast (Kaena Point south to Ewa Point) is a
collection of old, small settlements, tract homes and resorts; Makaha Beach
used to be the highlight. As others have mentioned, Diamond Head (in
Honolulu) is something that probably every photographer should attempt to
photgraph - once. My favorite, though, would have to be the Pali Gap. A
highway (oddly enough, the "Pali Highway") runs through it and at the
vantage point there is a view that ... well, Jimi Hendrix wrote a song about
it. The Pali is actually the side of a volcano cauldron and is quite
steep - some 1,000 feet or so. It has figured prominently in Hawaii's
history. In Honolulu, there are bamboo forests, a world-class arboretum,
the Iolani Palace, Punchbowl Cemetery, etc. You get the point.
Maui is great; less populated than Oahu, more farms, but (IMHO) somewhat
more touristy, esp. Lahaina/Ka'anapali. They are currently selling Maui
"by the pound". Haleakala is just like being on the moon, only more gravity
:-). Seriously, astronauts train there and it IS cold in the morning.
The Big Island (Hawaii) is the "newest" island and has the most diversity.
Cattle ranches, lava tubes, Moana Loa and Kilauea (volcanoes), one of the
most beautiful black-sand beaches in the world (Ka'u) and "only" approx.
60,000 (my #'s may be a little dated) people.
You're going to have a great time.
Jamie
Fort Myers, FL
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