Photographic Resolutions For 2014...

Well, 2013 is almost at an end and 2014 is right around the corner...and that means it's time to make some New Years resolutions. But let's face it, I know I won't be able to stick to any resolutions unless they're something really important or they don't take much effort and are easy to accomplish (but what would be the point of that?). I'm getting up there in years I know I should try to lose some excess weight for health reasons...but that's the standard resolution that everyone makes year after year and I always break it year after year. But I'll put it on my list like I always do...who knows, maybe I'll actually lose weight in 2014.

Okay, so got that one out of the way...now to make some photography related resolutions. For the past couple of years my yearly photography related resolutions would be to shoot more and try to improve...yes, very generic without any any real specific goals. But I think I'm at a place in my life right now where I do want to reach specific goals with my photography. And making resolutions based on these goals is a kind of a no-brainer. So now I just need to get my thoughts together and come up with a list of goals I'd like to accomplish in 2014.

First of all, I've never actually printed any of my photos...what?! Really?? Yes, really. Sadly our walls are bare (except for some family photos) and my wife said we should hang up my photos if I ever print any of them. So this will be one of my resolutions: Print my photos. Of course this means having the photos printed at sizes larger than the normal 4x6 or 5x7 standard prints. Maybe I'll try 11x14 to start with, then move on to the larger sizes once I get the color management and printing specifics all figured out. 

Another goal would be to do a series of Christmas bokeh shots using Christmas lights, Christmas themed figurines and maybe some simple props with the idea of using the images next Christmas as personalized Christmas cards. I've been wanting to do this for some time now, I just never got around to actually doing it. I think I'll actually enjoy doing this too since I can create the images whenever I feel like it...I have a whole year to finish this project. So this will be another resolution for 2014: Create Christmas themed images for 2014 Christmas cards. 

And something else I've been wanting to do is to start selling my photos on-line...this idea came about after I was asked if I sold prints of my photos (which I don't) and I figured I might as well give it a shot. I got some good pointers from another photographer who sells her photos as fine art prints and have signed up for Fine Arts America and will see how this goes...of course, now I need to be sure I create images that are worth selling. So another resolution for 2014: Start selling photos (and get all that G.E. license and other business related stuff, like business cards and taxes, figured out). 

And finally...I do intend to shoot more and try to improve (especially my post processing), but this year I also want to try different things and go outside my comfort zone a bit. I'll be trying a few of those photography projects (simple ones, not a 365 or a 52 week type project), the kind that I've been avoiding all these years...I think I'm ready to try them now, curious to see where they'll take me.

One area I know I need to improve is my confidence as a photographer...I've been shooting with DSLRs for 6 years now and I still feel that my images aren't very good and not worth printing. I think it's about time that I get over this and move on already. Hopefully these projects will help...I'm feeling pretty good about doing the Christmas card one.  Resolution number 4: Do some photography projects.

With all of this going on I should have lots to write about for this blog (I really hope I don't wimp out on the resolutions this time)...I can post updates to the blog on how I'm doing each month and how things are progressing. If I can stick to the resolutions and projects it should make for some interesting blog entries as the year goes by.

So thank you for taking the time to visit this blog this past year and I hope you have a Happy New Year in 2014!

dA Crazies Group Shots From 2013 - Part 3

Back again and it didn't take me 2 months to post another blog entry this time around (at least I hope I didn't take that long again...haha...).

Okay, so this first group shot was taken on August 31, 2013 at Sandy Beach and we were surprised to have Cory Lum join us that morning. We had a nice sized group...not too big and not too small...and that made it easier for me to get everyone setup for the group shot. Larger groups are a challenge, especially when the Nikonians and Canonistas are off in separate groups talking about gear and forget about the group shot.


The next group shot (3 people are a group?) was taken on September 1, 2013 at Alala Point in Lanikai. While we were at Sandy Beach the day before I over heard Kenway and George talking about going out to shoot on Sunday and I managed to crash their party. The weather was nice but the morning colors weren't too good and I didn't get any decent sunrise shots. But this group shot turned out pretty good...I think we were trying to look gangsta or something...haha...

I don't even remember where we were for the sunrise on September 7, 2013, but I think it started to rain and we couldn't do the group shot on the beach (I just checked...we were at Makapuu Beach that morning and yes, it poured just before we left). So we did the group shot after breakfast in front of Moke's Bread & Breakfast in Kailua. This was a special morning for me as this was the first time I got to meet Bruce Omori in person. Bruce and Tom are the photographers and owners of the Extreme Exposure gallery on the Big Island. Check out the gallery if you get a chance, you won't be disappointed.

We shot the sunrise at Kualoa Regional Park on September 14, 2013. It looked like the rain would get us a few times that morning but we lucked out as the rains went in other directions. The sunrise wasn't particularly good with only a hint of color touching the sky and clouds...I struggled that morning trying to get a decent shot and ended up just doing a few photography exercises instead. For the group shot I wanted to try something different and had everyone gather around one of the picnic tables instead of just standing along the beach. I like the relaxed feeling of this group shot.

The next group shot was taken on October 5, 2013 and again we were at Kualoa Regional Park for the sunrise. The morning was sort of cloudy and it looked like we might get rained on again, but again the rains went elsewhere and we stayed dry. But the sunrise colors didn't show up like we were hoping and I wasn't able to get any good sunrise shots. So I did some photography exercises using minimalist compositions until we were ready to do the group shot. Since the previous group shot using the picnic table looked, I decided to try it again this time...but this image doesn't seem to work as well as the other one...I think the lack of trees in the picture is to blame...and I look like a real dork in this one. 

The next group shot was taken on October 12, 2013 at Sandy Beach where we ran into a few of the "I Wanna Shoot So Badly" photographers. It's always fun to hang out with those guys. The weather was really nice and we actually got some nice colors that morning with some pinks, purples, orange, yellows and reds showing up in the clouds. I was busy working on my composition skills and shooting on the far right side of the beach. Most of the others were shooting the waves (which were pretty big that morning) by the larger rocks that are so popular (especially if you like to do long exposure shots). It was really hot that morning and with a large group of hungry photographers I had to hurry to get set up for the group shot and was sweating by the time this shot was taken. Another great Saturday morning. 

The guys were excited to hear the Hokulea was moored off Kailua Beach and that's where we went on October 19, 2013 to shoot the sunrise. The weather was mild with hardly any wind and there were some nice clouds hovering above the horizon. We got some nice colors during the Blue Hour and some really nice warm colors as the sun rose. The Hokulea made for a really nice subject as it slowly rocked in the calm waters off Kailua Beach and I ended up taking more shots than I ever have during a Saturday sunrise shoot...485 frames taken in one morning. The group shot was fun to do, although a bit challenging in the bright (and hot) morning sun...I used a ND filter to help with the exposure and this was one of the few times I had to set my flash to full power to get the shot. But I'm really happy with how this group shot turned out.

Later that afternoon we attended a lighting workshop being held at Kaneohe District Park with our buddy Brandon as the instructor. Brandon had offered to do a lighting workshop if any Crazie wanted to learn the basics of using flash or studio strobes and we told him we'd love if he'd do one. Brandon has done a few small workshops before and he's a really good instructor...he knows his stuff and is really good at explaining the different aspects of photography in a way that anyone can understand. We were all surprised to see Kyle show up for the workshop...haven't seen that guy in a long time. The workshop went for about 2 hours or so and then Brandon let me use his softbox for the group shot...it produces really nice soft light...you almost can't tell this shot was 'lit'.

I was fighting a persistent cold for almost 5 weeks and missed a bunch of Saturday sunrise shoots so I was really glad to join dA Crazies for the Saturday sunrise at Kaneohe Bay on November 30, 2013. The morning was mostly blue/grey and not too inspiring...until the sun started to come up and we got a splash of reds, pinks and orange in the sky for about 10 minutes. I tried to capture what was happening before the colors vanished but I struggled to get back into my shooting groove and didn't get much. As I was getting ready for the group shot I found I forgot to bring a threaded spigot for the super clamp and that meant I couldn't put my flash off-camera like I usually do. So I put my flash on-camera but had trouble getting my wireless remote shutter release to work...ugh...so I had to take the group shot using the timer on the camera and that meant I only had one chance to do the group shot (because everyone was hungry and wanted to go eat..."Hey photographer! Hurry up! We hungry!"). Glad this shot turned out. The guy in the orange is someone we met at the location. I forget his name but he said he was a lawyer and I think he was on his way to the Philippines to live a simpler life or something like that. Interesting guy. Tall too.

I missed a couple of Saturday sunrises in the beginning of December and joined dA Crazies for a sunrise shoot at Waiahole Beach Park on December 14, 2013. It had rained really hard the night before and I wasn't sure if we'd be able to shoot anything in the morning. We really lucked out as the sky was clear and the stars were shining in the early morning hours. The sky was already beginning to lighten when we arrived and I rushed to get setup for some shots as the others did the same. I started with some long exposure shots during Blue Hour but I wasn't happy with most of those. So I moved to a different spot on the sand and tried some low angle shots while experimenting with the compositions. The colors were sort of drab early on and I just kept moving around looking for something interesting to work with. I did some long exposure shots and some bracketed shots that I hoped I could process later. Then the sky teased us with some reds and orange for a few minutes and I was able to shoot a few frames before it was gone. I was walking back and forth along the shore line looking for anything interesting when the sun came out and started to hit the Koolaus above Kualoa Ranch and that's what I was waiting for. I looked for a nice spot to shoot from and set up for a low angle shot. I managed to get a good series of shots and then went to look for the other Crazies so we could do the group shot. I found them by Kenway's Tree and that's where we did this group shot. 



This is a bonus group shot from December 14, 2013 and was taken before the normal group shot. The Nikonians were off to the side talking among themselves as I was prepping for the group shot. The Canonistas were all ready to go so they told me to take the group shot without the Nikonians. I rushed to snap off a few shots and forgot to jump into the picture...I think we were all laughing because the Nikonians didn't know what was going on. These guys...always having too much fun.

I know there are still a few weekends left in the year, but I thought I'd better not take any chances of letting procrastination set in and thought I'd better post this now. I have a few ideas of what I might be blogging about next year and I'm letting those ideas stew in my head and will see what comes out in a few weeks. Thinking about shooting more often...different types of photography...toys...bead jewelry...silliness...projects to learn from...and other photography related things.

Thanks for checking out Lost in Kaneohe this year!

More Random Sunrise Pictures

Kaneohe Bay 4/5/2013

Makapuu Beach 4/20/2013

Kahana Bay 5/11/2013

Makai Research Pier 5/26/2013

Lower Pali Lookout 6/8/2013

Kaneohe Bay 6/27/2013

Makapuu Beach 7/14/2013

Kahana Bay 7/21/2013

Waikiki and Diamond Head from Magic Island 7/27/2013

Sandy Beach 8/31/2013

Makapuu Beach 9/7/2013

Sandy Beach 10/12/2013

The Hokulea from Kailua Beach 10/19/2013

dA Crazies Group Shots From 2013 - Part 2

Back again with Part 2 of the dA Crazies group shots from 2013...thought I'd better work on this since it's been over 2 months since the last blog entry.

I've been thinking about things and thought I'd try something a little different from the last blog post...instead of going over the technical aspects of each shot, I think I'll just type whatever comes to mind as I look at the shots...lets see if I can interpret what I'm feeling as I view each shot and put that feeling into words. Here goes...

The first two group shots were taken at Pounders Beach on June 15, 2013. I believe this was the first time I'd ever been there and was surprised to see Norris and Brandon that morning. I see Kyle was visiting from Kauai too (for Mother's Day?). Its been a while since that morning so I don't really remember much, except we did get some nice clouds and colors after the sun came up.

I really like how the first group shot turned out, although you can't really tell we were at Pounders Beach unless you know this cliff face well. But I wanted to avoid shooting into the sun or have the bright sky to deal with. I like the texture of the cliff face behind us although it does seem a little busy. Really enjoy seeing all the happy faces...reminds me how much fun we always seem to have when we go out to shoot the sunrise.

The second group shot was a challenge...they wanted to have the sun behind us (although I don't recall why) and it was really difficult to get the exposure right. I think I had a 2 stop ND filter on and I had to set the flash to full power (which wasn't quite enough power...I should have moved the flash closer to the group to get more light on the faces). I wasn't really happy with the situation, but it's good to get out of your comfort zone once in a while. And seeing all the smiling faces when I'm processing the image makes it all worthwhile.
 

The next group shot was taken at Sandy Beach on June 22, 2013. Boy this was a big group...I see this was the weekend we got to shoot with Kiall Frost (a really good landscape photographer from Australia!) and I recall this was the morning we ran into Alvin from the "I Wanna Shoot So Badly" bunch...he was leaving the parking lot just as we got there and didn't know it was him until we got to the rocks...was a nice surprise to see it was him. 

As I recall, we didn't all meet up at the same time...as the morning passed and the sky started to lighten, more and more Crazies would walk down from the parking lot. There were 15 of us by the time we were ready to do the group shot...and let me tell you, it's not easy to do a group shot with this many photographers...they're all busy talking about gear or other photography related topics while I'm setting up  and it takes a while to get their attention and rounded up into place for the shot. But the shot came out great (I think it's one of my best group shots ever) and I'm really happy with it. What a morning that was. 

Oh...Janet isn't in the group shot because she was in Italy for a photography workshop (we were all jealous of her, but we all missed her).

The next group shot was taken at the Waimanalo Boat Ramp on June 29, 2013. And no, there's nothing wrong with your eyes...Kenway and Janet are not in the group shot. Janet was still in Italy at the photography workshop and I think Kenway was in Canada visiting friends. We sure missed both of them as well as the other Crazies who weren't able to join us that morning. But having a smaller group meant the group shot was a little easier to setup and do. 

I think I processed this one only in Lightroom and didn't take it into Photoshop...I think I wanted to streamline my workflow a little, but I'm not really happy with the image...just doesn't seem as sharp as the others...but at least you can see Reid's face. Another great Saturday morning...

The next group shot was taken at Makapuu Beach on July 4, 2013 and we had another big group that morning. We were joined by Monica Royal (a macro photographer from San Diego), as well as a few members of the "I Wanna Shoot So Badly" group (Alvin, Phil and 2 others) and even Jared showed up (hadn't seen him in ages). Looks like we had a really nice morning (although I honestly don't remember) and with a group this big I probably had a rough time setting up for the group shot, but it turned out okay.

Shooting with a big group is different...lots of people to chat with, but who do you hang around with while you're shooting? Sometimes I'll just watch the others as they move about looking for a good vantage point for the shot they're trying to get. It's neat to see how others work and I try to imagine what they're thinking as they look for that one shot. And then it's always fun to see the images that are posted later...everyone's vision is so unique.

The next group shot was taken at Castles Beach on July 6, 2013...and no, I didn't know this was going on behind me as I took the group shot. I learned later that Glenn was pointing to a hole in Norris's shorts...Norris said he was sitting on the rocks (which were pretty jagged and sharp) and a sharp rock ripped a hole in his shorts. 

This was the first time I'd been at this particular spot and since it was a fairly clear morning I was hoping the colors would be really nice, but the bold colors didn't appear and most of my shots were kinda bland. But no matter, it's always fun to do the Saturday sunrise with dA Crazies.

The next group shot was taken at a beach access spot in Lanikai on July 20, 2013 that was really different from most other locations...there wasn't much room for all of us in this spot, so a few of the guys braved the slippery rocks and went to shoot the sunrise from the water. 

After a morning of shooting what we could, we managed to squeeze in for a nice, tight group shot. The guy with the foam shaka sign? I forget his name but he just happened to be there that morning to enjoy the sunrise and we asked him to join us for the group shot...he seemed to fit right in.

The next 2 group shots were taken at Kahana Beach on July 21, 2013 and this was the morning that the sunrise didn't disappoint one bit. Janet was letting me use her EF 16-35mm lens and I had a great time playing around with the wide angle aspect of that lens. It was this morning that we were treated to an amazing display by Mother Nature...the colors that morning were truly epic and pretty unforgettable. 

After the sunrise we did our group shot on the beach and then as we were heading back to the cars I wanted to do another group shot under the trees. We were trying to look "gangsta" for the second group shot but I don't think we were able to pull it off. But I am pretty happy with the way the second group shot turned out, although I do wish I moved the camera a little more to the left so that the group was framed by the trees a little better. Oh well, next time...

The next group shot was taken at Magic Island on July 27, 2013 and it was the first time I've shot the sunrise from a location in town and I gotta admit, it was pretty good...Blue Hour provided some nice deep colors and the clouds were cooperating, showing nice red and orange colors as the sun started to rise. Tried to incorporate some of the lights from Waikiki in my early morning shots, but none of my pictures really stood out. 

As the sky began to lighten, a few other Crazies showed up and I finally got to meet Tina Mahina in person. She's a really funny person and it was great to spend the morning with her. George got a great picture of her photo-bombing Kenway and Janet. I think I'm finally getting the hang of using fill flash for the group shots...I think this one turned out pretty good (although it's still kinda tricky finding balance between ambient and fill).

The next group shot was taken at the Hukilau Cafe after we shot the sunrise at Pounders Beach on August 3, 2013. We had been shooting the sunrise at Pounders Beach, but just around the time we were going to do the group shot, it started to rain really hard and we decided to skip the group shot and go have breakfast at Hukilau Cafe. 

After breakfast Tom said he wanted to do a group shot and Anthony wanted to do one too, so I grabbed my tripod and flash from Kenway's car and we setup the cameras in the middle of an intersection (why yes, we do own the road...haha...) facing the cafe as the others got into place. Good thing it was early in the morning as traffic was pretty light and we didn't have to worry about our gear getting run over. So funny that we all didn't know which camera to look at as the shots were being taken.

I wonder if Hukilau would hang our group shot on one of their walls?

The next group shot was taken at Laenani Neighborhood Park on August 24, 2013. We were hoping that it wouldn't be windy and the bay would be glassy, but it wasn't to be. The weather was pretty nice and there were some clouds in the sky, but the colors just weren't there. At one point some high clouds did light up with some reds and orange, but it only lasted a few minutes and was gone. 

Rather than shooting the sunrise I spent most of my time taking silhoutte shots of the others just to keep myself entertained. For the group shot I put on a 2 stop ND filter to help keep the sky from blowing out, but struggled trying to find a good balance with the flash power. And for some reason I really struggled with the processing on this shot...could have used a little more contrast with deeper blacks.

It took me a long time to get Part 2 of my dA Crazies group shots out...I'm going to try to get Part 3 out sooner. There has been a change in my work life that will actually allow me to focus more on my photography again. I'm no longer temporarily assigned as the supervisor of our section at work (which is a load off my mind, let me tell you)...the BWS finally filled the  supervisor position (after almost 2 and a half years) and I don't have to worry about all that supervisory stuff anymore and I find myself looking at more photography websites and wanting to go out shooting again. 

Hopefully Part 3 will be posted soon.

dA Crazies Group Shots From 2013 - Part 1

Continuing from my last blog entry, here are the group shots of dA Crazies from 2013. I didn't take group shots at every Saturday Sunrise Shoot, but I wish I did. I think what happened was I didn't go with dA Crazies every Saturday because of illness or other matters, and when I did go I was reluctant to do the group shot because I take kinda long to set up for the shot and I know they're all hungry for breakfast and getting impatient. 

This first one was taken at Kokololio Beach (Kakela Beach Park) on January 26, 2013. I don't remember if this was shot with on-camera flash or not (the bright sand in front of us suggests I might have), but I do know I was able to use my old Canon RC-1 wireless shutter release (you can see the remote in my left hand) with my new 5D Mk III (a Christmas present to myself). The reason for my strange pose was I wanted to look like a sumo wrestler, but I didn't look very imposing...especially with all the bunny ears hovering behind me...haha...

The next group shot was taken at Lanikai Beach on February 16, 2013. I don't remember if I used on-camera flash or not, I'm thinking I didn't since the sky was all blown out. And yes, it was pretty windy that morning...I remember the sand pelting my legs for most of the morning. For my crazy pose I was using my invisible camera to take a picture of my real camera on the tripod.

The next group shot was taken at Alala Point, this rock out-cropping between Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach on March 2, 2013. This was a big day for me as I finally got to meet a friend in person that I had met on-line a few years earlier. Roni is front and center and lives in New York. Such a wonderful person. A few other Crazies showed up just because they knew she would be there. It was also the first time I'd met Wayne (between Kenway and Janet). To mark the occasion I decided to copy a scene from the movie "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb."

The next group shot was taken at Makapuu Beach on April 20, 2013. I believe I used on-camera flash for this shot. I think this was about the time I stopped doing silly poses and just tried to look normal in the group shots (and I think I got a little heat for it too). Notice that the guys on the end are cut off? That's because George (on the right) was a little out of frame so in order to balance to image I cut Juro off a little on the other side. Lesson learned...triple check through the view finder to be sure everyone is in the shot. Also gotta give more direction while setting up the shot. 

The next group shot was taken at Laie Point on April 27, 2013. This was another special day for dA Crazies as we had Billy and Diane of Canada (between Derrick and Kenway) and Dustin from the Big Island (between George and Derrick) meet up with us. Billy said he found this blog while doing research for their trip to Hawaii and tried to contact me, but that was when I wasn't updating the blog and hardly checked in. So Billy contacted Kenway instead (I think through Kenway's flickr account that I have listed on this blog). I think Dustin said he knew Derrick somehow. I took several shots of the group and in every one George was looking elsewhere...later I found out he was watching some girl in a skimpy bikini running around the point. 

The next group shot was taken at Kahana Bay on May 11, 2013. I believe this was the first time I met Scott (standing between Kenway and Janet)...I actually met him on-line a few years earlier but never met him in real life. Jeffrey told Scott about dA Crazies and Scott was brave enough to come out and shoot with us. And Kyle, Reid's younger brother, had come over from Kauai for Mother's Day and joined us this morning. And Norris and Brandon surprised us by coming out this morning too...I've know Norris and Brandon since 2008 and shot with them many times in the past, but I hadn't seen them in a long time and it was great to shoot with them again. As for my pose...I was trying to be like those pictures you see of young Japanese girls who always give the peace sign when they have their pictures taken...not sure what the significance is though.

The next group shot was taken at Kualoa Regional Park on May 17, 2013. I believe this may have been the first time I shot the group shot with off-camera flash. I bought a Manfrotto Super Clamp and used it to clamp a umbrella swivel bracket to Janet's tripod. I have a set of Studio Hut radio triggers that I used to trigger the flash and used the Canon RC-1 wireless remote shutter release to trigger the camera. Since the sun was to our right (camera left) I set up the flash to fill in the shadows on our left (camera right). I took several test shots to get the exposure right and then took several group shots and was happy with the way this one turned out. I was doing that weird peace sign thing again.

The next group shot was taken at Waiahole Beach Park on May 25, 2013. Lynnette (standing between Janet and Jeffrey) was visiting from the Big Island and came out to join us this morning. I met her on-line thanks to Derrick and it was really great to finally meet her in person. The person behind Lynette just happened to be at Waiahole that morning to shoot the sunrise and I think George knew him so we asked him to join us for the group shot. Looks like I shot the group shot with on-camera flash this time. 

The next group shot was taken at the Makai Research Pier on May 26, 2013. Since Lynnette was visiting from the Big Island the group decided to do sunrise again the next morning. This time we headed over to the Makai Research Pier where we met Glenn for the first time. Seems Glenn had met Lynnette on-line and knew she was going to be at the pier and came out to meet her and we're all very glad he did. I used off-camera flash for this shot. 

The next group shot was taken at The Boat Place on June 1, 2013. We were all hoping that the water would be really flat so that we could do reflections, but the weather didn't cooperate and there was a slight breeze that morning that messed us up. The tide was low, but not as low as we thought it would be. There were some really nice colors that morning and the clouds were pretty good. This was shot with off-camera flash. Looks like I stopped doing the peace sign and just tried to look normal.

This next image isn't a group shot (obviously) but was a test shot I did prior to the group shot shown above. I was setting things up for the group shot and Kenway was kind enough to be the test subject. The flash was off-camera to camera right and I was trying to adjust the exposure and flash settings, but the changing light was making things a little tough for me. I took several test shots and was surprised to see how nice this one turned out. 

The next group shot was taken at the lower Pali Lookout on June 8, 2013. Brandon and Norris surprised us by showing up again and it was great to see them. But it wasn't great seeing tons of bread slices strewn around the grass when we got here...there was bread slices everywhere and the place looked terrible. I had to clean the group shot spot by kicking the bread slices down the embankment...I didn't want it to look like we took the group shot in a third world country.  Brandon loaned me his light stand for the group shot and it was set up camera right. 



I'll be posting more group shots from 2013 in the next blog entry. Thanks for dropping by.