Tag Archives: beach

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.

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.

NAS Oceana

The recent ISAP symposium took me to Norfolk VA.  It is a short drive to Virginia Beach and NAS Oceana – the home of the east coast fighter squadrons for the US Navy.  The field trip for the symposium was going to include a visit to Oceana but, since I was there ahead of the event, I decided to pay a quick visit after my arrival.  A slight delay due to travel complications and then the passing through of a pretty significant storm meant I was a little later than planned but no great problems resulted.

The weather was not great so the light was a bit sparse.  Combined with a cloudy sky, photographing grey jets is always a challenge but I was meeting up with a friend from FenceCheck.com who lives locally so there was always time to chat even if nothing was happening.  However, after a pretty quiet period, a few more jets got up and started flying.  I was supposed to be leaving to go and pick up a friend from the airport but the storm that I had come through was not alone and his inbound flight was significantly delayed.  Therefore, I had the time to see what else would fly.

The activity kept going for a bit was the light was fading fast and my ISO settings were getting higher and higher.  Since the time to pick up my friend was now approaching, I decided to pack up my stuff.  Another jet arrived as I did so.  This didn’t bother me until I realized it was one of the CONA painted aircraft so the kit was rapidly extracted again and a few shots taken.  Then it really was time to go.

Thanks for the advice on the spot to those concerned and also for the chance to catch up.  Maybe not the most ideal conditions but still a fun way to kill an hour or two.