Monthly Archives: October 2012

Bear Play

I did something that must have caught Nancy by surprise recently.  We were going to take a trip to the zoo to see what was happening since this is a good time of year for the animals to be a bit more active before it gets too cold and they are likely to be kept indoors.  The oddity was that I left the cameras at home.  We discussed whether this would result in a lot of wildlife in very photogenic situations.

On the whole, I got away with it.  There were some shots to be had but it was fun (and a lot easier on the back) to walk around sans gear.  However, one resident did perform.  One of the polar bears was playing with a ball in the pool which has a glass side to it.  A large crowd was having a great time watching this.  We were no exception.  This was time to grab the phone and get a bit of video.  Enjoy a bear enjoying himself!

Little Birds

There are plenty of interesting birds when you visit Hawaii.  The large birds that live on the cliffs like the frigates and boobies are cool as are the Nene, the state bird of Hawaii which is a rare type of goose.  However, there are a few other birds that are plentiful to see and, where we stayed, it wasn’t difficult to find a lot of them coming to visit.  Some were even rather brave about landing on the balcony while we were sitting there.

Two types of bird caught my eye on a regular basis.  One was the red-crested cardinal and the other was a mynah bird.  The cardinals showed up pretty regularly.  According to a friend of mine, they have a duller color to the crest when they are immature and then it becomes fully red when they are adults.  We saw plenty of the immature birds and a reasonable number of those that don’t make fart jokes!

The mynahs are less dramatic but, with the right light on them, they still look pretty good.  They certainly made for something to keep an eye on while we were otherwise taking it easy!

Onset of Fall Colors

When talking about fall, the most obvious photography option is foliage.  A favorite spot to go to see the fall colors is the Morton Arboretum out at Lisle.  The full colors had not come into their own but, with a number of trips coming up for work and pleasure, I wasn’t going to have a chance to get out there before it was all likely to be over.  When it is done, it is done very quickly.  Therefore, an early visit seemed worth a shot.

We were certainly too early.  However, there was still some interesting color developing with some of the trees.  You could see what was going to look very good before too long so, while the conditions this year might not have been ideal for fall color, I suspect the large number of visitors they get at this time of year won’t be too disappointed.  We got there later in the day to make the most of the nicer light and had a wander amongst some of the trees.  Irrespective of the color or time of year, the arboretum is one of the more pleasant places to be.

I also wanted to play around with the fish-eye amongst the trees.  This was something I had been thinking about for a while so had a quick roam amongst some of the stands.   However, it was getting a little late so I had to get some quick shots.  This is something I will come back to try again and spend more time finding the sort of trees that might suit what I have in mind.

Underwater Shooting

Something I have never done before is snorkeling.  Having grown up by the sea, I am not sure why this would be but perhaps it is down to the lack of reefs with plenty to see.  Snorkeling is very popular on Kauai and I figured I should really try it out.  I grabbed a mask and snorkel at a store in Hanalei and headed out to the reef at Tunnels.  Having never used a snorkel in anger, I was a little unsure of how I would get on.  After a bit of practice breathing while having my face underwater, I started drifting around the reef.

At first there was nothing special to see but suddenly I found myself surrounded by tropical fish.  They were everywhere and seemed not terribly perplexed by my presence.  It was like being in a documentary except it was right in front of me.  Time went by very quickly without me realizing it.

I decided to take along the GoPro with me while I was swimming about.  With so much activity in front of you, it is something that you really want to be able to share.  The GoPro is a great little device but it is not the perfect solution for underwater filming.  Basically, filming underwater is not straightforward and requires good planning and the right equipment.  The light is flat and the colors muted.  I was chatting with a a pro underwater photographer and we compared notes about what we need for our respective areas.

Having said all of that, I did get some footage so here you go with a sample of what I saw.

Boat Time Lapse

I mentioned previously that I was out shooting the bridges opening for the returning boats.  What I didn’t mention then was that I was primarily looking to shoot a time lapse piece.  With the movement of the bridges and the boats progressing along the river, I thought that this might make for an interesting time lapse.  It wouldn’t be a lengthy piece but it might be a useful addition to the library for a larger piece about Chicago if I were to do it at some point in the future.

The schedule of the lifts of the bridges is always a bit flexible.  How quickly the openings take place, how fast the boats are getting through, how many of them there are and how quickly the crews can move from bridge to bridge.  Coming this way, though, they are only at the third bridge so they are usually quite predictable.

I got myself in position, had the camera set up on a mount and the remote timer configured for what I was looking for.  I saw the previous bridge open and close so knew it wouldn’t be too long.  Sure enough, a short while later, the bells started to ring for the bridge closing.  I started my sequence of shots so I would have a run in along with the actual movement of the bridge.  Then I waited – and waited – and waited.  There were some unfortunate sounds coming from the bridge but nothing was moving.  After a while, the bells stopped and people started to cross again.

A crew got to work on the lower level trying to fix whatever was not playing ball.  The bridge had opened the previous Wednesday so it wasn’t lack of use that was the issue.  My decision was how long would I wait before giving up and going home – an easier option than for the boat crews that were stuck between Columbus and Michigan!  Finally they fixed it and the bells started again.  I got the sequence restarted and everything then happened as planned.  It is a short clip but below is the resulting sequence.  Now to find something in which to use it.

Hanalei

The place we stay on Kauai is a short journey from the lovely town of Hanalei.  You drop down the side of the hill and cross the river to get to the town which is beside a lovely bay.  It certainly isn’t a large town – this is Kauai after all – but it has a few nice shops and some good places to eat.  However, the best feature is the bay.  (No sign of Puff the Magic Dragon though!)

As the sun goes down, the light on the beach is really attractive.  Not only is it a beautifully curved beach but the mountains in the background make the whole place feel even more special.  I really could stay there for a very long time.  It is an attractive spot to others as well.  If you have seen the Descendents, this is the beach they walked along and the house that the other family were renting.  Here it is below for those movie buffs amongst you.

The Boats Return

The return of fall also means the return of some boats.  The boats that live out in the lakeside marinas during the summer start their migration back to the boat yards for the winter.  For those with masts that don’t fit under the bridge, there are but two options.  Wednesday or Saturday.  Okay, it is one option but it happens twice a week.  These are the days that the bridges along the Chicago River are opened to allow the boats to make their way back inland.

I wanted to grab some shots of the returning boats on one of the Saturday runs.  The weather was looking promising so I decided to head out.  It is not the best time to shoot since the light is a bit in front of you and behind the boats but it is worth a look.  What is trickier is that the buildings are casting some strong shadows which make for a very contrasty scene.  However, that’s what RAW is for!

As it turned out, the run was not trouble free.  I will save that for an upcoming post and just share a view of the bridges doing what they were designed to do.

Reno Air Races

This year I made my first trip to the Reno Air Races.  I have no clear explanation why I haven’t been before.  It has been in my calendar for many years but other things always seemed to conspire to stop me from making the trip.  This year, I finally made it.  I could almost have never made it.  With the accident at last year’s races that killed a number of spectators, there were plenty of questions about whether the event would go ahead.  Fortunately it did.

I was covering it for Global Aviation Resource.  My article will shortly be published in their monthly digital magazine so, if you want to get the full story (and the better pictures) pop along to www.globalaviationresource.com to buy the magazine.  I will not reprint anything here that is in the piece for obvious reasons.  However, to tempt you a little, here are some other shots from the event that will hopefully give you a feel for what went on.

It was quite a learning experience for me.  Fortunately, I had a number of friends their to give me guidance on what to do, where to go and what to look out for.   The bus trips to the pylons were a great experience (if a little odd sometimes when we were shuttled about between heats) but getting so close to the aircraft as they turn was something special.

Planning became a real priority.  Each race is relatively short with most being six laps.  In that time you have to get all of the shots you want.  Tight crops, loose views, pylon in the shot, video, slow shutter speeds and there you have used up your race!  Getting into my stride took a little time but I soon got a feel for what I wanted.  This does mean there aren’t many opportunities for a second chance so you have to shoot a lot quickly to make sure you get enough to work with.

This does result in shooting a lot of images over the time there.  All of these have to be downloaded and checked.  I won’t say exactly how many I shot but it was a very large number and culling the crap out was a time consuming business.  I am still weeding out some now!

The media relations team at RARA are unbelievably helpful.  They have a lot of people covering the event yet handle it all with a friendly approach and they really do make your life genuinely easier – not always the case!  I planned out my time at the event to get me to the pylons at some points, in the pits and the flightline at others and the final day was mainly spent in the stands.  My friend Paul had traveled up for that day so it was nice to have someone to chat with while watching the racing from the spectators’ viewpoint – even if I did have to leave that for a while to cover part of the ceremonies.

A great experience all round.  I hope to be back again next year.  In the mean time, please do head over the GAR’s site and pick up a copy of the magazine!

National Tropical Botanic Garden

The climate on Kauai varies depending on which part of the island you are on.  It can be tropical or almost desert like.  Some places are drenched with rain almost continuously.  The tropical area makes a great place for a tropical botanic garden so that is exactly what is there.  The garden is located inland from the entrance so you need to take a shuttle to get into it.  Once there, you are free to wander around.

There are some really interesting plant types and the landscaping of the place is very attractive.  There were a few other visitors when we were there but it certainly wasn’t busy and we could be pretty much alone as we wandered around.  It did rain a little while we were there.  This is supposed to be the drier side of the island but I guess we brought the rain with us from the north side of the island.  However, the showers were only occasional and we had borrowed umbrellas from the office so we were fine.

Not only were there great trees and plants to check out but we also got to feel what it was like to be surrounded by a plant.  Check out this battle between nature and the road!