Step into my office...

Just another hard day at work!  Just a few steps from the beach and fantastic sunsets. It doesn't get much better than this!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes from Northern Vancouver Island!

I just took this picture a couple of hours ago and it's still snowing so it looks like we're in for a "White Christmas" this year.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Merry Christmas everyone!

In the curl

The big winter waves are starting to roll in and I had a chance to "shoot some curls" last week. I found a pretty good spot to get in the water and not get killed so I will be going back to that spot the next few weeks to try for bigger and better waves.

On the reef

Just another local surfing in the ocean!

Sunset in Paradise

It's a great place to be!!

They're back......

The whales have started to arrive in small numbers now. The peak season for the whales is the end of January all the way through February. I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time on and in the water during that time looking for those shots I never had time to get during a vacation.

Cool green

The dew on the grass caught my eye this morning so I took a few pictures... I was able to get most everything in focus by using a smallish aperture setting (f16).

Just another day in paradise

As much as I hate to admit it, it's been tough getting the time to take any photos the last few weeks.

I am changing up my schedule next week to include some mandatory time off every week so I can enjoy my surroundings. Money is a needed thing and a good thing but you have to enjoy life too and I have forgotten that lately.

After I sleep one a day I will be ready to get out and enjoy myself a little and get some new photos!

ఫెర్రీ & పక్షి

I was taking pictures of the Ferry after sundown this evening when a little bird lands close by so I took it's picture too!

Thus the post's title...

ఫెర్రీ (Ferry)  పక్షి (Bird in Telugu language)

The blowing of the conch shell...

I think that means it cocktail hour!!

One of the new shows I am doing is actually a show all by itself. I have started showing my photos at the Westin Ka'anapali every Tuesday and Thursday nights during their luau.

Not only do I get to be on the beach watching the sun go down while selling my photos, I also get to see the luau twice a week. It's great being entertained while I'm working!!

Just a few clouds...

...and an ocean.

When it rains it pours as the old saying goes. When I first arrived on Maui I couldn't get into any of the art shows on the island to save my life. Nobody wanted to see another photographer and they didn't even want to look at my photos to see if they were good, bad or different. They just didn't care. And these are the art groups that are supposed to be about nurturing and helping Maui artists. The galleries here won't talk to you unless you've been on the island for at least a year and have had some sales. It's a catch 22 situation in that if you can't get into the shows or galleries then you can't have any sales and for the most part, you can't afford to live here for a year.

Now, after being here a while there is another old saying that has come to life; it's not what you know but who you know.

I have been doing one weekly show for a few months now (I must have had my sad puppy dog face on when they agreed to let me in) and that has afforded me the time to have my work seen and commented on. It has also introduced me to a multitude of people that have either been in a position to help or know someone that can help. All that has lead up to this past weekend where I was offered two more weekly shows and a new once a month weekend show under the banyan tree in Lahaina, which is one of the premier spots on Maui to sell art. That show starts next month and I'm really looking forward to that show for several reasons. Another old saying; the best revenge is success!

The only thing I can say is that if you have a dream, go for it! There's nothing wrong with trying and failing and you never know, things may work out just like you want them to. I'm still waiting to see how my dream plays out but I feel good about trying. As a friend of mine told me, "build it and they will come". Hopefully that movie line will prove to be true.

Sunrise on Baby Beach

You would think that living in Hawai'i I would have a nice relaxing life but for some reason it hasn't been working out that way. With running the gallery and doing weekly art shows plus handling my on line business, I find myself not getting to enjoy the island as much as I would like.

I need to win the lottery so I can retire but they don't have the lottery in Hawai'i. The price you pay for paradise!

Beaver and a Goose

A bit of aviation history still at work after all these years!

de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver on the left

The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing propeller-driven short takeoff and landing aircraft developed and manufactured by aircraft company de Havilland Canada. Wikipedia

Wingspan: 15 m

Cruise speed: 230 km/h

Length: 9.22 m

Top speed: 255 km/h

Range: 732 km

Weight: 1,361 kg

Engine type: Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior

First flight:  August 16,  1947 Produced 1947 - 1967

Number built: 1,657

http://www.bush-planes.com/DeHavilland-DHC-2-Beaver.html

Grumman G-21 Goose on the right

The Grumman G-21 Goose is an amphibious aircraft designed by Grumman to serve as an eight-seat "commuter" aircraft for businessmen in the Long Island area. Wikipedia

Length: 12 m

Number built: 345

Unit cost: 62,180–62,180 USD (1942)

Manufacturer: Grumman

Number of seats: 10

Primary users: United States Navy; United States Army Air Forces; Royal Air Force; Royal Canadian Air Force

First flight: 1937

https://disciplesofflight.com/grumman-goose-aircraft-profile/

More infrared

Although infrared photography can be interesting, I'm not really sure it's my cup of tea.

I used photoshop to change a couple of my old photos into infrared to see how they would look. They are interesting and to the right person might even be something they would want in their home but for me, I think I will probably just stick to "regular" photography for now.

Ouch!

This small float plane hit one of the local reefs in Hardy Bay during landing or take off several days ago. The pilot was very lucky, accidents of this sort usually don't end so well...

Something a little different

I thought I would play around with something a little different. I had a customer ask me if I ever did any infrared photography and I had to tell them no. That made me think I should look into infrared photography a little and thought I would try a few things.

It takes specific subject matter to make this look good and it may take me awhile to form an eye for the right subject matter but I'm going to give it a try every now and then.

Surf's up!

A windy day at the Airport Beach near Port Hardy.

Also here is a cell phone / YouTube video of the same scene. (looks best at a quality setting of 720 or 1080 and speed set to .75)

Fall colors on a drismal day...

Nothing much to do on a rainy Saturday but drive around looking for something to take pictures of. Sure beats staying home and trying to get everything done on the honey-do list! :)

Well......

.... I did it!

Welcome to the Trade Winds Gallery in Makawao, Hawai'i.

We opened yesterday and are still tweaking the set up a little but our Grand opening is this Friday.

If you ever find yourself on Maui please come upcountry and take a look.

You can also like us on facebook. Yes, I actually signed up for facebook. As much as I don't like it, facebook is the way to keep in touch with customers and show the new and exciting things that we will have going on in the gallery.

Besides fine art photography we also have two jewelry makers, a silversmith and a bead and gold worker, and a family of wood carvers carrying on a family tradition through four generations.

Come see us! Even if you don't find anything you would like to buy you will get a trip to Maui out of it!

Hardy Bay estuary

Ron & Q mark the first two weeks of October as the time to come up to Northern Vancouver Island if you want some Eagles to photograph. I spent about 5 minutes and zero effort in the rain taking pictures yesterdy afternoon and came up with these shots. Imagine what I could have gotten if I had spent all afternoon on a dry day with a good camera / lens combo and a tripod!

More sunrise photos

These are a couple of more shots from Ke'anae Point taken early in the morning as the sun was coming up.

I actually haven't had a chance to take any new photos for a few days. I plan to remedy that tomorrow hopefully with a few sunset shots. I think I need some palm trees now!

Psst! Wanna buy some rocks?

I guess selling rocks must be big business, around here they sell the stuff by the freighter load!

Here are a few pictures of the gravel loading facility about 30 minutes drive from where I live. Nearby is a very large glacial deposit of sand and gravel. From here the sand and gravel is shipped to Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States. 

So next time you stroll the sandy beaches of Waikiki...

Colorful Mushroom...

Our warm, sunny Summer days over here on Vancouver Island have given way to cooler, wetter Fall weather. I found this colorful mushroom a few days ago while exploring an old overgrown logging road.

Another Sunrise at Ke'anae Point

Ke'anae Point may turn out to be one of my favorite places on along the road to Hana.

I'll be back out that way again in about a week. I've been finding more and more places that I need to go see that are off the beaten path. Places that most tourists don't get to see because they involve a pretty long and sometimes slightly risky hike or they just aren't in any guide books. Meeting more locals has pointed me to so many more spots I never knew about that I don't know if I will ever get to all of them.

Ke'anae Point is one of those spots, thankfully for me I can drive right up to, no hiking necessary!

More Viktoria Viking

A couple more picturs of the Viktoria Viking, this time with the Nikon 10-20mm ultrawide lens. Just for a change post processing was done using the Nik Collection HDR Effecs Pro 2 free plug-in software for Photoshop.

Branch 1 Bridge

Branch 1 was one of the first logging roads leading out of Port Hardy back in the late 40's early 50's and this is the bridge over the Quatse River. A number of years ago this portion of Branch 1 was decommissioned but became part of the network of walking / biking trails all around the Port Hardy area.

Rain / Sun / Rain / Sun...

It rained on and off again all afternoon on the North end of Vancouver Island but it made for some nice rainbow pictures like this one at Storey's Beach near Port Hardy.

A $4000 photo!

No, I didn't sell it for that (I wish). That's what the equipment cost that ended up in the bottom of the creek when I fell!

That's one of the hazards of trying to shoot waterfalls. To get the good shots you almost always have to cross water to get to the "sweet spot". In my pursuit of the shot I slipped on a slimy rock and ended up in the water. My arm that I was holding the camera in hit a rock and the camera popped loose and ended up in the bottom of the creek.

It was a VERY bad day!! I brought the camera and lens home and stuck them in a bucket of rice to try and draw the moisture out but the electronics were fried. So now I have a really great paper weight for my desk!

This was the last shot in that camera. The only thing that worked when I got home was the memory card so I at least got to have a photograph for the day.

Looking back

This is another shot from Ke'anae Point along the road to Hana. Instead of looking out over the ocean I turned around and looked back behind me to make sure I didn't miss a view (or photo opportunity!)

There is a small church on the point that was built in 1856 and this is the view from in front of the that church. The mountain that you see in the far background is the "backside" of  Haleakala Volcano.

Table Wolf...

Waiting patiently for dinner time even though he never gets fed scraps from the table! Have to give him credit for his persistence I guess...
Either that or he's gotten himself trapped under there again. He's not the brightest Wolf in the pack...

More from Ke'anae Point

These are a couple of more shots I took while at Ke'anae Point last week. Hopefully I will be heading back that way later this week to photograph the 7 pools again since the location of the sun has changed.

It's going to be a busy two weeks coming up so I'm not sure how much I will be able to get out and shoot but around here, you can find a good shot almost anywhere so I plan to take advantage of that.

Oh-oh...

These definitely weren't dog prints on the beach I was exploring earlier today... 

2 1/2 inchworm...

Everyone has heard of and likely seen an inchworm, right? And it was likely an inch or so long.
I don't know what the story is with this one but it was easily 2 1/2 inches long if not a bit more... Be interesting to know what kind of Moth or Butterfly it will turn into.

Sunrise on Ke'anae Point

I took another trip along the road to Hana yesterday morning. I really love that road during the very early times of the morning because you pretty much have it all to yourself.

My intentions were to spend the morning shooting waterfalls however none of the falls were running with water, not a drop! It's been a little dry here the last 10 days so I'm hoping for a little rain and then I will head back out on the road again. It has actually just started raining as I am writing this post so the falls should start "falling" soon.

Since I couldn't find any waterfalls I headed to Ke'anae (pronounced kay-ah- nigh) Point which is about 18 miles before you get to Hana. Ke'anae Point isn't known to most of the tourists and the water is rougher and not something you would want to swim in so you don't see too many people there during the week. It does make for some great photo opportunities during the sunrise and a for a few hours afterwards.

It's a great spot to visit if you are ever on Maui. The rocks at the beach are all volcanic in nature with a lot of dark tones and black so it contrasts dramatically with the blue water.