Help Needed with June Hawaii Trip

Hello Folks!!

After years of saving and planning, I have finally committed I have confirmed tickets to HNL coming in on 6/3 and departing 6/8. We're at the Hilton on Waikiki. I am of course travelling with the wife and 3 kids so I really need to plan my shoots so as not to interfere with (or least interfere) with family time.

Will probably NOT have a car because hotel charges $30/day for parking and I have heard every where else you go is just as bad. I know land's limited, but damn! I was told to get a bus pass for a week and that the bus system is pretty good there.

I know there's bunches of you in HI, so I would really appreciate it if you could give me pointers on how, when, and where to go to expand my (still amateur) portfolio and also be able to take cute pics for wife's FB I'd really like to shoot big crashing waves if possible. Got the Big Stopper ready as well for the sunrises and sunsets. Any big rockpiles/lighthouses along the beaches where I could go for sunrise and sunsets?

Thinking I should finally dump the 5Dc and the 5D2, get a refurb 5D3 and take that along with the 7D. I have less than a month to plan everything. I need all the help I can get!!

Hey, if anyone needs a second shooter during those days; I can hook up Check out my work in the signature links.

Thanks a bunch!!

Freddy Khan

Freddy, you should be able to get some good shots of the wife and kids playing on the beach infront of the hotel. Normally infront of the Hilton there will alot of board surfing which could present some good candid opportunities. Have you considered what you are going to wrap you camera(s) in to keep the sand out? Being careful will help, but if it's windy, there is a good chance for sand getting into everything. Just beware and forewarned.

Big crashing waves.....see ya on the north side and I would recommend, get up early, RENT a car and head up there for the day or overnight, then come back and dump the car if you desire. My recommendation would be use the bus for a day or so, rent a car for a couple of days (pay the one 30 buck parking charge) then go back to the bus or trolley.

For North shore. Look at Google map and try and get some idea of where you want to try and get a shot. With kids, if you had an underwater case for any of your cameras, Capt Bob's Picnic Sale was a blast for the group of adults I was with a few years back and will spur your kids towards scuba. It was great fun and with right camera....LOTS of great shots possible.

Oh, plan to go up and down Waikiki. Again, lots of photo opportunities with the other hotels, parks, and I got some of the best pictures of the kids around all the water tricycles in the morning before they were drug out from their resting place.

Bob E.

I just spent a week at the Hilton near Waikiki. Not a very pleasant place for photography. After that, we flew down to the Big Island for a week. That was truly amazing. I have no desire to go back to Oahu. The Arizona Memorial was the only thing interesting (1 hour bus ride) to me because without a car it's tough to get elsewhere on the island.

I think you will regret not having a car after a day or two.