A sad day for those of us who live in Hawaii. Aloha Airlines, which has served the islands for 61 years, is ceasing all flight operations effective Monday. This is due to extensive competition from mainland Mesa Airlines (operating as go!) and high fuel costs. The shutdown of Aloha's passenger operations will also affect about 1,900 employees.
I rarely write about, or give a lot of consideration to camera equipment, because I see them as tools that allow me to do what I love most. However, I recently purchased a new Nikon F6 as a replacement for an older Nikon F5, and found myself mesmerized by this marvelous camera; it's fit, finish, layout and handling are superb.
Some will probably ask why anyone would buy a new 35mm film camera, especially one as expensive as this one, in this age of digital photography. As we will soon see, this camera is as sophisticated as any DSLR camera on the market, and there are still photographers, like me, who prefer to shoot film for a variety of reasons.
Initial Impressions
When I first received the camera I was immediately struck by the quality of its construction; the rubberized grip feels solid and secure, the layout of its various controls allow for fast and easy operation, without taking ones eyes from the viewfinder, and a build that is as solid as a tank. Being used to the previous generation camera, the Nikon F5, I was immediately aware of what I considered it diminutive size. The camera was just too small!! I questioned whether I could get used to using such a small camera. Fortunately, I had also ordered the optional MB-40 battery pack, which arrived the next day. This made a tremendous difference; the size, weight and balance of the camera was now perfect.
I'm off for a few days on the Big Island, staying in the Waikoloa area. The trip here was uneventful, save the expected minor inconveniences of modern day air travel. I arrived shortly before 11:00am. The Kona area hasn't changed a lot since my last visit here, although there is a lot of road and building construction going on at the moment.
The weather near Kona is good, but the volcanic haze in the air is quite heavy. They said on the radio that the volcano (on the other side of the island) is currently putting out a record amounts of ash and fumes. According to an article in today's Honolulu Advertiser newspaper "Sulphur dioxide emissions on Thursday reached 1,800 to 2,000 tonnes per day, far above the 150 to 200 tonnes per day that is typical at the crater." It made for an interesting sunset, although I was in the wrong place to take advantage of it.
I'm going to add images of the hotel I stayed at, the Hilton Waikoloa, simply because it is a very stunning hotel; I would love to stay here again someday.
All images were taken with a Nikon D200, with a Nikon 18-70mm F3.5-4.5 G lens, at ISO 100. Additional images were taken (not shown here) on a Nikon F6, with a Nikon 24-120mm AF-S VR lens, on Fuji Velvia 50 and Fuji Provia 400F.
Quite often these days we hear of photographers leaving film and turning to digital. It is a rare, although welcome occasion, when we hear one leaving digital and returning to film. In the Kodak ProPass magazine, we can read the story of Singapore based photographer, Chi Kuang Hwa and his return to film. He writes:
Going back to film has also changed the way Kuang shoots.
“It’s a slower process,” he explains. “Using black-and-white film with a LEICA Rangefinder and a fixed lens forces me to think, to slow down, to feel, to anticipate.”
He adds that black-and-white film has a look that is very difficult to achieve digitally. “It has more gray tones, organic-looking grain, and a certain transition from your point of focus to the out-of-focus areas which is gradual and beautiful to look at,” he says. “I would blind-test my clients and they would consistently pick the black-and-white film images over the black-and-white digitally captured ones.”
While there are merits to shooting digital, a growing number of photographers are returning to film. Some say this is a longing for the days when the photographer was more in touch with the process, rather than it being a computer generated process as we find today. Perhaps, there is a quality inherent in film that is missing from digital.
If you are like me, and still like film, I've got a new website in development - http://www.traditionalphotographer.net. This website is for those who shoot film, with resources, articles and a discussion forum for this target group. The site is in development, but should be up in about 2 weeks time.
On one of the Internet forums that I participate in, there has been some discussion, heated at times, about the emotional impact of Black & White photography versus Color. Most of those participating are B&W photographers, and it is surprising how many of them think of texture and form as exclusive to B&W photography, not something a color photographer would consider. The thinking seems to be that color should be enough to make the image successful. However, I have found over the years, that texture and form are very important to the success of a color landscape as well. In this short blog entry, I would like to concentrate on one of these aspects, the aspect of texture, as it relates to a color photograph.
We are touch sensitive beings, which shouldn't surprise anyone. Manufacturers, aware of this, have made tactile sensation part of every product we buy, from automobiles to sweaters. They understand that touch brings about an emotional connection to a physical object in a way that color alone could never do. Texture is what ties touch to a physical object. As landscape photographers we can tap into knowledge this as well. I'd like to devote the remainder of this post to exploring texture in the color photograph.
Let's start by examining an image that I feel is only successful because of the texture that it shows.
This image was taken just as the sun was beginning to rise above Makapuu Point on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In this image, I wanted to make the viewer feel as if they were walking along the beach, watching the sun, I wanted the viewer to feel as if they could feel the sand between their toes as they walked.
In order to do this, I chose a low point of view, which I knew would allow me to capture as much texture (or detail) on the sand as possible. In addition to the low tripod level, I waited until just after a wave had washed the shore, but before the sand had time to dry out fully. This caused the rising sun to leave a seeming path for the eye to follow, to the mountain in the background, as well as emphasizing the texture of the sand itself.
Image details: Toyo 45AII camera, Nikkor-SW 90mm F8 lens, Fuji Velvia film. Exposure unrecorded. For a larger view of this image, see: Dawn, Makapuu Beach, Windward Coast, Oahu, Hawaii on my website.
I just felt the Blue Angels flying over my house, so I grabbed the digital camera and ran outside. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any close shots, since they were flying over the bay, a good distance from the house. This image is with a Nikon D200 and Nikkor 28-200mm Zoom (at 200mm), ISO 200.
Today I'm off on a day cruise with South Sea Cruises. I'm taking what is called the Combo Cruise. The high speed catamaran leaves Denarau Marina at 9:00 am for South Sea Island (privately owned). After lunch the cruise passes Matamanoa Island, Tokoriki, Matamanoa, Treasure Island and Bounty islands along the way.
South Sea Island
Our first stop after leaving Denarau Marina is South Sea Island. What do you do on an uninhabited island? Plenty as it turns out.
After our arrival we were told that it should take us about 5 minutes to completed walk around the island if we so desired, leaving is with plenty of time for other activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, riding the submersible ship Captain Nemo, around the reef, or just sitting on sun chairs on the beach and soaking up the sun. The water here is crystal clear, and as I was soon to find out, these little coral islands dot the whole area.
Next, it was back on the boat for a trip around the other islands. First up was Bounty Island, followed by Treasure Island, Beachcomber Island, then off to the most northern island in the Mamanuca Group is Tokoriki Island. With all the islands we only stopped long enough to take on or drop off passengers, however at Tokoriki we docked - all other transfers were by boat.
After leaving Tokoriki it was time to begin the return leg of the journey stopping at Matamanao Island as several other exclusive resorts (Mana and Malolo) before returning to Port Denarau Marina.
The island of Vitu Levu boasts few beaches except along the Southern "Coral Coast" where tropical forests converge with white sand beaches backed by coco palms and resorts. Sigatoka marks the western end of the Coral Coast, and stretches all the way to Suva, the capitol of Fiji.
I began the drive from my hotel near Nadi, intending to drive all the way to Suva, a distance of some 200km. However, I only drove as far as Pacific Harbour, 49km west of Suva. As I reported in an earlier post, the roads are not very good; the potholes made driving tedious. Additionally, every village has 2 or 3 speed bumps at each end, requiring slowing down to 20 kph - the national speed limit is 80 kph. Needless to say, by the time I reached Pacific Harbour I was pretty well worn out. I spent a little time wondering around a tourist area in town before leaving. I passed Sigatoka Sand Dunes park on the way, but it was closed, despite the sign saying it was open daily. Well, today is Fiji Day, a national holiday.
I arrived in Nadi, Fiji at about 1pm this afternoon. I checked into my hotel, the Fiji Macombo, shortly after arriving. I'm quite impressed with the hotel, and will talk about this later. The weather is quite warm, it was 32 C when I arrived with a high humidity. This will take some getting used to.
Initial Impressions
The first thing I noticed about the people on the island is how warm and friendly the are. Almost everyone I've run into today has greeted me with the Fijian greeting "Bula". People wave towards you as you walk by or as you drive down the street. Everyone seems to go out of their way to be nice. Hopefully, this will be repeated in other parts of the island, and isn't just restricted to the Nadi area.
The roads on the island are not very good, with signs being few and far between. Drivers seem to pass at will, regardless whether they are in a no passing zone or not. It really isn't too bad, since there isn't a lot of traffic anyway. I noticed a lot of people walking, and a lot of busses - most had no windows, with the air conditioning being the wind.
Today, being Sunday, all the stores in town were closed. I also hear the tomorrow is Fiji Day, a national holiday, so I don't know if anything will be open tomorrow or not. Today, I saw large groups of people walking with their bibles, obviously just coming from church. But, I found a Hindu temple in Nadi, and a glimpse of a mosque. Seems like there is a lot of religion here.
Port Denarau
This afternoon, being my first here, I decided to take it easy. I went to the Port Denarau Marina for some shopping and sightseeing. The Marina offers so many promises, but little in the way of delivery. The promised coffee shop is "coming soon" as is the Hard Rock Cafe, and Bookstore. There is a nice New Zealand Naturals Ice Cream store which partially makes up for the others!! Port Denarau is in the middle of a very upscale housing and hotel area, so I expect it will do fine.
There are a number local cruise ships based here, and I'm trying to decide which one I will take. More on this later.
Just to leave you with an image from this afternoon. The ship shown here is one of the ships used for full day cruises around the islands. The whole harbor is quite beautiful with a mountain range in the background. the plan for tomorrow is to drive along the Coral Coast to the capitol city of Suva.
This afternoon, I visited some of my favorite spots in the city. I started by riding the subway into town, and then walking over to Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour is home to the Sydney Aquarium, Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Convention Center and many other attractions. It seems to be a spot where tourists and locals alike come to relax, enjoy the cafe scene and just enjoy the things this vibrant city has available.
This image is of the city skyline from Cockle Bay at Darling Harbour. In the foreground is a floating restaurant, and in the background the Sydney IMAX Theater and city skyline.
After leaving Darling Harbour, I rode the Monorail around the city, passing through the China Town area, finally getting off at city center. From there I walked along Pitt Street, back to Circular Quay.
Later, I took what has become one of my favorite walks within the city. It starts at the entrance to the area known as "The Rocks", wonders past some of the oldest pubs and hotels in city, to the Ken Duncan gallery, then backtracking a little and taking the walk over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and back.
As I walked across the bridge, I noticed a number of people out for their daily run. I can't help but be a little envious of them, being able to cross the the bridge spanning, what is undoubtedly the most beautiful harbor in the world, as a matter of daily exercise. I'm sure that the weather probably only allows this during only a portion of the year.
I'm not really much of a city person, but I've grown to love Sydney. The wealth of its history and architecture are evident everywhere I look. The little out of the way coffee shops and pubs make relaxing every day of the week part of the culture. Whenever I leave, I long to return.
My time in Victoria is over, and I must begin the long trip home to Hawaii. Before then however, I'll spend two more days in Sydney, then three days in Fiji. It seems amazing that despite all the rain we have had in Victoria the past week, since I arrived, there are major fires raging further north, near Sydney. Truly, this is a country of extremes.
It is spring time here in Australia, and to top it off, the sun is shining brightly. It has been raining since I arrived last week, and this is a welcome change. I took the opportunity to take an early morning drive through the historic township of Wandiligong.
Here is an image from this morning as I was driving around.
The weather is still a bit unsettled today, with a bit of light rain and overcast skies. Yesterday it rained all day - quite hard at times. According to the weather report, the weather should be back to normal in a day or so.
This afternoon, I visited the historical town of Beechworth. Beechworth is one of Victoria's best-preserved gold rush towns. With over 30 buildings listed by the National Trust, Beechworth has a remarkable architectural heritage, from imposing hotels, churches and government offices to miners’ cottages and the gaol where bushranger Ned Kelly was imprisoned.
Ned Kelly (1855-1880), outlaw and folk hero of the Australian bush, was tried for murder, at the courthouse in Beechworth. being aware of the story of Ned Kelly, it was obvious that a visit to the Beechworth Historic Courthouse was a good place to start. The Beechworth Courthouse was built in1858 of local honey colored granite. In this building, Ned Kelly was tried, as were other members of the Kelly gang, including Joe Bryne and Dan Kelly (Ned's brother). Ned's mother, Ellen, surviving brother Jim and various cousins also appeared in the Court at various times.
After visiting the Courthouse, I decided to walk through the town and look at the historical buildings.
Australia is in the midst of a major drought, but it has been raining for most of the past two days. While it makes photography hard, I understand that the country badly needs the rain.
This afternoon, the rain lightened up a bit, so I took the opportunity to visit the Milawa Gourmet Region, located in the Ovens & King River Valleys of North East Victoria. This Region is known for it abundant agricultural land and includes wineries, mustard, olives and lavender fields among other crops grown here. Also located in this region is the Milawa Cheese Factory, which produces many varieties of cheese. This is one of my favorite spots to visit, which I do whenever I am in Victoria.
The first image was taken inside the Brown Brothers tasting room in Milawa, and shows the selection of wines that are available for purchase. The selection varies from year to year, based upon the quality of the harvest. Family owned Brown Brothers, is one of Australia's largest wine producers, having been established over 100 years ago.
The Image below is of the Milawa Mustard shop in Milawa. This shop has an excellent range of mustards and other local products. For example, I purchased a very nice Sundried Tomato & Capsicum Pate and a Chili & Tomato Pesto, both of which are local products from the King Valley.
I also visited Milawa Cheese Factory Bakery & Restaurant, but unfortunately, the cheese tasting was closed as they were preparing to close for the day. I may be able to return later during my visit.
Living in Hawaii leaves me with little opportunity to travel long distances by car. So, when I visit Australia I take the opportunity presented me. One of my favorite drives is from Sydney to Northern Victoria, a distance of about 600km. I left at 4am this morning, intending on photographing the sunrise along the way. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't in a cooperating mood, with overcast skies, and a general dreary feeling. Fortunately, by mid-morning, the sky has pretty much cleared up, and the sun shone.
About 300km south of Sydney, the first image of the day presented itself, in a beautiful field of rapeseed (canola). This is a subject I have photographed a number of times, but have never really been happy with. These fields can be quite colorful, in fact, so colorful that it overwhelms the scene. Rapeseed, which is a member of the mustard family, is grown both as feed for livestock and for its seeds, which are used as birdfeed. The seeds are also processed into an oil, known to us as Canola oil.
A lot of people think of Australia being primarily desert, and while this country does have large tracks of land that is desert, parts of New South Wales (where this image was taken) and Victoria are quite fertile. Later this week, I will travel through some other agricultural areas in Victoria, and will visit a couple of the local wineries. I have a few pictures to share from these visits as well.
A major accident caused the main road (Hume Highway) between Sydney and Melbourne to be closed near Holbrook, with southbound traffic being detoured through Waga Waga. This meant at least an additional 50km was added to the trip. Needing to get to Bright, where I would be spending several days, this left me a little pressed for time.
This has been a very long day. It started at the Honolulu International Airport and ended with the sun setting over Sydney Harbor, in Sydney Australia. I arrived in Sydney on a flight from Nadi, Fiji at a little after 12:00pm. After clearing customs, and picking up a rental car from Hertz, I checked into the Mercure Hotel, near the airport. That done, I hopped on the subway and rode into Circular Quay, which is pretty much the heart of the city. I started by visiting Ken Duncan's photography gallery in The Rocks, then over to the Sydney Opera House. I spent an hour just photographing the tile patterns on the roof of the Opera House, then I decided to sit on the steps of the Opera House and wait until sunset. This whole area comes to life after sunset, with the Opera Bar starting to fill up, as patrons order beer and just watch the sunset. Finally, it was time to return to my hotel on the subway system.
Without a doubt, Sydney, Australia is the of the most recognizable cities in the world. In large part, this recognition comes from the iconic Sydney Opera House, with its backdrop Sydney Harbor Bridge. Originally founded as a British penal colony in 1788, today the natural harbor forms the centerpiece of a modern, cosmopolitan city.
Tomorrow, it is onto the southern state of Victoria. Since it is a 600km drive to my destination, I will be leaving around 4am - partially so I will arrive at a early hour, and partly to be able to photograph the sunrise, from the plains south of Sydney.
I'll leave you with a photo of the Sydney Opera House taken this evening.
Arrived in Nadi, Fiji at 5:10am after a short 6 hour flight from Honolulu. After getting off the plane, and walking along the open air corridor, the first thing I noticed was the sounds of birds everywhere, obviously waiting the rising sun. I found it a very peaceful way to arrive in an unfamiliar place. After leaving the gateway, we were directed to transit desk, where three Fijian men in native dress, two with guitars and one with a ukulele, serenaded us with traditional songs, and shouts of "Bula" or welcome. I can't think of any better way to greet arrivals to Fiji - I wonder if this is the way visitors were greeted when they arrived in Hawaii in days gone by. All the people I have met here so far, seem to be very friendly and open.
Unfortunately, there were at least a hundred people - or more - waiting in line at the transfer desk, and only two people working it. It took over an hour to get through the line and get cleared - requiring another pass through security - to get into the lounge where I could wait for my flight to Sydney. Also, unfortunately, I was charged an extra fee for excess luggage at the Honolulu airport before boarding. It seems my luggage allowance is only 30kg (about 90 lbs) total. While this may seem like a lot, for a large format photographer, it was not much at all. In fact, I left a lot of items at home, and even carried three lenses in a fanny pack on the airplane.
As I alluded to earlier, it was still dark upon arrival, so naturally I was unable to see any of the island from the air. However, now that the sun has risen, I can see that the airport is surrounded by a small mountain range. Not unlike what I can see from home, although a little more rugged, and somehow more inviting (not as much vegetation). However, there are very few homes or buildings of any kind. Nadi, is on the Leeward side of the island, so I assume it is drier here than the rest of the island. I'm really excited about being able to return here in a couple of weeks, to spend time photographing it. One final note, it is about 23° C (75° F) and quite humid.
In an AP Business report by Ben Dobbin comes news that film is still popular among professional photographers. This in spite of the many photography magazines that try to convince us otherwise.
Eastman Kodak Co. mailed a survey in mid-August to some 40,000 of the nation's estimated 64,000 full-time and part-time professional photographers, and 75 percent of the 9,000 who responded said they will continue to use film even as they embrace digital imaging. Sixty-eight percent said they prefer film over digital for a variety of applications. Many cited its superiority for shooting larger-format and black-and-white images, the adaptability of color film to a wider range of lighting conditions, and film archives being far easier to store than electronic ones.
“First and foremost, photographers are artists, supported by the science of the tools that help them do their job,” said Mary Jane Hellyar, President, Film Products Group and Senior Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “This survey indicates that film remains an important tool on which professional photographers rely to effectively create their work, so providing choice is of utmost importance. It’s an ‘and’ world where digital and film co-exist and complement each other.”
While no one is predicting the demise of digital photography or a great resurgence of film-based photography, this is heart warming news for those of us who continue to use film as our preferred medium.
I'm off again on another photography trip this coming weekend. I normally take at least one trip a year to Australia, and it has been almost a year since I was there last.
This trip will be a little different from past trips; I almost always try to spend a little time in the Outback, but this year I am going to concentrate on the Alpine National Park - including Mount Buffalo National Park - area of Victoria. This is an area about 300 km north of the city of Melbourne; well known for its vineyards. Snapshot map:
Ovens River Valley
I'll start the trip in Sydney as usual, and drive down from there. It is about a 600km drive, taking most of the day. I don't mind, since it is a very relaxing drive, and long distance driving is an activity that one doesn't get to do much living in Hawaii.
I'll be in this area for about 10 days, then I'll return to Sydney.
From there it is off to Nadi, Fiji to photograph on the island of Viti Levu. I'll be staying in Nadi, and photographing primarily around the towns of Nadi and Suva (the national capitol). I'm also planning on spending a bit of time along the Coconut Coast - more on this later.
I'll do my best to keep this blog updated along the way, assuming that I can find an Internet connection - from past experience, finding one around Bright isn't easy, when you are wanting to use your own computer (using theirs is no problem at the Bright Backpackers Hotel).
To give you a little better idea of how I travel and the type of photography I do, the equipment for this trip includes: Toyo 45AII (primary landscape camera), Nikon F6 (primary travel camera) and a Nikon D200 (backup camera), along with various lenses and a Nikon SB-800 flash unit. I'll be shooting a combination of Fuji Velvia 50, Fuji Velvia 100 and Fuji Provia 400X, and a SanDisk 4GB Extreme IV CF card.
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