Aloha Suckers

In a classic original Hawaii 5-O episode, McGarrett poses as a pilot.  He boards a plane full of people who just committed a massive traveler check scam.  To the surprise of the passengers, he informs them that the plane is surrounded by HPD- there will be no escape.  Instead of the 5 hour flight to the mainland they will likely get "5-10 years" in the big house.  And he signs off in a cool-as-ice voice saying: "Aloha...   Aloha Suckers."  

Why I am  writing about this?  I just thought it was a cool way to end the episode.  And to tell you there is an abundance of Aloha to be found in Oahu.  

   Sunset from Turtle Bay Pool 

One of my favorite things to do at any beach... watch kids navigate the shore break!  

                                              

                                              Local Color... 

Local Bird

Blue Stop Sign.  No joke.  

North Shore Power

Ha ha - A really bad shot with a fish eye lens

                                               Diamond Head 

    

                                                Sunset Beach

                                            Sharks Cove 

       Palm Trees?  Uh... pretty much everywhere.  Abundant and ubiquitous.  

Aqua colored aquatic area 

I worked really hard to get this one using a long exposure.  It was fully dark when I took it.  I was really surprised to see so much color. 

That's raindrops on the lens not dust.  

Darn building in the way. 

"The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hands of man" -Anonymous 

Using a Polarizer

I'm a big fan of using a polarized filter on sunny days.  How do they work?  Well think about wearing sunglasses.  They always tell you to buy polarized sunglasses right?  They cost more but they reduce the glare.  That's the same idea in photography.  Cameras work best in diffused lighting conditions. When the sun is directly overhead you get strong reflections off water or other surfaces.  This confuses the exposure system.  By attaching a polarized filter you can get better mid-day photos.  Here is an example below:

Not the best photo ever taken but given the lighting conditions I am quite certain it would have been totally blown if I had not used a filter.  There was intense glare coming off all the white water especially from this position at about 1:30 PM in the afternoon.  The polarizer also deepens blue water or sky and you can see that in the picture if you look at the water in the distance.


Kudos to anyone who can guess who that surfer is...

Kolohe Andino

This guy is one bad shredda yeah?  

Here are some pics from the US Open in HB.

Some additional views of the same thing 

I think I like this one best... simple black and white... shadowy surfer with blown highlights of the spray. 

Upside down?  WTF? 

More Kolohe Pics possibly from his Junior event if I recall correctly.  I always wonder if pros remember each board they ride... doubtful.