Slickrock and Shadow

Ocean Surface from Sea of Cortez Minimalism is defined as "a trend in sculpture and painting that arose in the 1950s and used simple, typically massive, forms."  Another definition  a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity .   A large swath of ocean with small islands in the distance qualifies as minimalist.  Many areas appear empty.  By emphasizing the uninterrupted ocean surface, those features on the surface get noticed:  the swells, and small ripples.   This is minimalism to me and resembles mindfulness in it's approach to appreciate what's there.

Cottonball Clouds at Sunrise:  They Floated over the Islands Sunrise or sunset at the ocean is a fabulous life experience.  The golden hour light enhances any prime landscape location and a trip to Tonga is included.  The morning clouds were a little of everything during my trip:  overcast and grey, bland blue skies and partly cloudy.  The partly cloudy skies are the best for photography as the clouds take on various hues of the rainbow and contrast well with the clear areas.  My lead photo was taken at the end of the trip when unusually tall clouds floated over the islands like marshmallows or cotton balls.  They were beautiful and seemed like moving islands themselves.  The low angle of light also catches on the boats nearby for better yacht photos too. Sailboats at the Golden Hour:  a sure-fire successful photo Morning light catching an anchored sailboat I had better sunsets than sunrises.  I can't say if Tonga is alwa...

Mangrove Jungle at Low Tide:  a transient photo opportunity This post we're leaving the beautiful beaches and diving headlong into the jungles of Vava'u.  Plenty of photo opportunities with natural and cultural charm await the jungle trekker. Hunga is a dirt-poor island with very nice residents who wave, smile, come out and talk and make a wonderful friendly impression.  We stayed in the inner bay of Hunga one rainy night  At low tide, the mangrove jungle becomes walkable.  I sauntered in and around many jungle plants looking for the right composition.  Here are two of my favorites. Mangrove branches reach out like a parasite! Inland on Hunga we had a wonderful time with the people but I also enjoyed photographing all the pigs here.  They wander openly around.  Most pigs on other islands are wary of people but the Hunga pigs seem to not fear or flee. Pigs of Hunga, Tonga Kenutu is a fantastic anchorage with a legitimate jungle t...

Pololu Cliffs at Sunrise.  The glow on the water is enhanced in post-processing. Processing a photo after taking it is often underestimated in the importance of the photographic process.  There is a lot more glamour in climbing a mountain with all of your camera equipment at sunrise to take a picture.  Comparatively, sitting in an office looking at a computer screen adjusting the contrast and color saturation is not as thrilling. There is also quite a bit of secrecy about how processing is done.  Everyone seems to have their own special technique.  I typically shoot with one exposure and try to process the photograph in my RAW processing software.  Currently this is Aperture from Apple.  (Unfortunately this particular software will not longer be supported by its maker and I will have to switch to light room at some point.  That's a whole another subject.)  After doing the standard adjustments for exposure, highlight recovery, black poi...

A-Bay Sunset with Palms Trees, an Orange Sky and the Pacific Ocean Highly contrasting situations landed themselves to photography of silhouettes.  On my recent trip to the Big Island I found myself gazing at a wonderful sense over "A-bay" in Waikaloa.  The palm trees clustered together in a way that allowed the sunshine to come between a couple of them.  Moving slightly to one side I was able to get the composition I desired. The next artistic decision related to exposure.  If I decided to try to expose properly for the trees, the sunshine and the sky would be "blown out" white.  That would lose the beautiful colors of red and orange.  Instead I exposed for the sky and allowed the palm trees to simply go to black. In another situation on the other side of the island, I did the same thing at sunrise. Pololu Silhouette at Sunrise

Pololu Valley Overlook Sunrise Watching the glowing ball of sunlight rise from the flat ocean is a wonderful experience.  Everyone ought to see an ocean sunrise.  While visiting the Big Island of Hawaii, I used a very helpful tool to figure out whether Pololu Overlook would be a good or bad sunrise location.   SunCalc  is a tool that shows the position of the sun at any time of day on any day of the year.  I checked it out for January in the Big Island and found out the sun would rise just left of the landmass.  Therefore, I felt confident this would be a great sunrise location with the alignment of the Kohala Cliffs and the glowing sun.  Enjoy. Please visit my  Big Island of Hawaii gallery  to see more photos from this awesome place! The Wider View:  Pololu Valley sunrise

A Couple of Dinghy Boats Colorful boats are a perfect companion to the colorful houses in the Cinque Terre, Italy.  Here are a few photographs of them.  They each have their own name.  I discovered Elisa, Vittoria and Lia floating around together.  Every boat has a name and probably has a personality.  I did not spend enough time to learn about that.  I simply enjoyed their beautiful curves and buoyancy. Dry Dock Boat License Detail from Riomaggiore Red Boat in Vernazza Elisa, Vittoria and Lia

Italian Lovers Italy has a very romantic location.  The ocean, the sunlight and the warm water all bring out the romantic side in people.  I remember having a wonderful day in the Cinque Terre with my wife as we hiked from town to town 17 years ago.  When we returned for this trip with 3 children in tow, it was easy to see that the romantic setting remained the same. At the edge of the sea, at the breakwater of Riomaggiore, this couple was enjoying the wonderful setting.  They were quite oblivious to everyone else around them.  I thought it might make a romantic shot with them, the rocks and the ocean.  The wonderful sunlight reflecting off the waves highlights everything. 

Koki Beach and Alau Island Hana is not just the location for waterfalls.  Because it is on the east side of the island of Maui, it is a great location for seeing the sunrise over the ocean.  Just south of Hana, Koki beach has gorgeous sand and the Alau Island off shore makes for a sight at sunrise. On the top of this jagged island, there are a few ragged palm trees. This is actually a bird sanctuary and cannot be visited by tourists.  Like most sunrise locations, I arrived in darkness and set up my equipment. Slowly the light started to come through the clouds and reflected off the water.  The stormy clouds gathered before dawn, but enough orange light came through to make my day. This is my favorite sunrise of the trip to Maui.