land of aloha from a helicopter feb. 10

[phocalphobe]

i hitched a ride on a helicopter for a webpage shoot last week and just wanted to share a few shots with those of you who are currently snowbound and need a diversion.

but before you do, turn up the heat to 22deg. celcius, play your favorite lilting hawaiian tunes at low volume, mix up a maitai, put on your aloha print shirts and blouses or lava-lava, string up a hammock between your bedposts and enjoy.

ps- c&c would be very much appreciated.

1. ala wai yacht harbor channel





2. kahana bay




3. "chinaman's hat" or "pake papale" in hawaiian




4. waikiki beach




5. condominiums under construction across of ala moana beach park



i threw in shot#5 mainly because i would especially like to hear comments on how this particular shot could be improved.

i hope you all enjoyed the hop-skip-jump across the pond(s).

[krazziecliff]

Wow!! U lucky dog!!!

[krazziecliff]

What do I have to do to live there??

[Birdmanc]

Awsome shots! I love being able see down into the clear water.

[rammy]

Not fair! I need a holiday! Great shots. I think a polariser would have helped with glare, colour and reflections. Is number 5 a HDR or over processed shadows and highlights? looks unusual and lost the tone in the colours. Maybe a little more contrast?

[calicokat]

Great looking shots, I really like #1, nice work

[Linkzi]

Nice shots! I suspect you were in the HPD helicopter . I work next door to them and know those guys pretty well. Did you use a polarizer for the Ala Wai shot?

[johnohio]

great shots ,thanks for sharing-brought back some nice memories


john20d,gitzo and stuff

[SeattleSpeedster]

sweet!

[phocalphobe]

kraziecliff, yeah, i guess i am lucky to be born and raised here. however, after traveling some over the years, i've come to realize that no matter where i go, each place i've visited has so much to offer in so many ways, especially so in regards to how many friends and aquaintences i've made.

all you have to do to live here in comfort is to jump into this melting pot of the world and acquire "the spirit of the islands".

birdmanc, ah yes, the ocean calls to me in the same way, without which i would grievously suffer. living a life surrounded on all sides by tropical seas, one can't help but become sentimentally attached to it.

rammy, thanks for the compliment and the comments. you're absolutely right about the polarizer.

the day began so hectically that in following the instructions of the pilot to bring as little gear as possible so as to prevent creating a safety hazard (no side doors or windows on the helo) i left a few very important pieces of gear back at the hangar, one of which was my circular polarizer. i also left behind two 4 gig CF cards, neck strap and lense caps for the lense i had mounted on the camera at the time.

all i was left with was a 1d2n body with a 17-40L mounted and a 100-400L stashed in a helmet bag that was strapped to the seat next to me. i really missed having to bring my 70-200L is as some areas that we flew over was darkened with fairly heavy cloud cover. a 16-35L would have come in real handy too i guess. engine vibration was also a problem for me, as i could visually see the shake in the viewfinder.

for me, the operating phrase for the day was "comedy of errors". things were happening so fast that i truly wished i had brought along a rusty but trusty 10d that i got digitally weaned on years back to alleviate the necessity of switching lenses mid-flight.

changing lenses in an open passenger bay at 50-200 meters alt and moving along at 100-160 kph was precarious to say the least. i really felt sorry for my lenses and aplogized to them profusely after i got home to clean them up.

yes on the shadows and highlights. i was attempting to exaggerate the texture of the glass in the towers as well as to acquire that cheap "post card" look to the shot. i had in mind to add text to the shot to really make it look like a post card as part of the overall theme of the webpage i'm helping to reconstruct. i'll rethink this in light of your comment about it. thanks.

calicokat, thanks for the compliment. i'll make sure to incorporate that shot into the front page of the website.

a few more shots.

6. abandoned radar station "stairway to heaven" overlooking kaneohe bay






7. turtle bay hilton at kahuku






8. helo cockpit view - banking turn





aloha!

[phocalphobe]

linkzi, i'll let shot# 8 satisfy your suspicions. *phocalphobe holds forefinger over lips* >...shhhhh...i was a stowaway! j/k

johnohio, happy to oblige

seattlespeedster, thanks!

[thescottandrew]

wow, these are gorgeous, anymore

[txdude35]

So did you stop at Giovanni's and get some shrimp while you were in Kahuku?

[phocalphobe]

linkzi, ahh, sorry, i forgot to answer your query about the polarizer. no polarizer. all shots are ameturishly pp'd by me to get them to look that way.

thescottandrew, sorry, for now, it's all i've got PP'd as i've currently got a couple of other photo projects that i'm getting embarrassingly behind on. it's already to the point where i'm starting to get that sinking feeling of impending doom every time i think about it.

txdude35, i wish we could have as i didn't eat anything that morning before going up because i didn't know how hairy the ride was going to be. i wasn't about to humiliate myself by hurling chunks all over the helo deck from getting airsick.

btw txdude35, thanks for suggesting that because you and i both know that giovanni's rules! i think i'll take the wife and kids over there tomorrow. i hope they're open on president's day.

[athomefun]

Aloha indeed! Fantastic shots