Painted Winterscape

This was taken in Arizona's Painted Desert, on the north end of Petrified Forest National Park.  This was one of the first times I had taken my wide angle lens out on a shoot.  The foreground could be a little cleaner, a little less emphasized, but I like the sense of wide open space, the look of the snow on the desert and the shadows from the clouds on the landscape...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX

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I Need A Shave

This was taken in Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.  A cool, crisp February morning... One of the first times I was shooting with my wide angle lens. I spend a fair amount of time shooting this, pushing in closer, doing laps around it, seeing what the lens could do (and what ideas would be sparked in my mind by using it).  I finally settled on this shot as the best of the bunch...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX

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Bird Of Paradise

When you're in Maui it's impossible to not take way too many photos of birds of paradise. Whenever I review my shots later, I notice that quite a few have major flaws or dried, dead spots, but occasionally I capture one that looks nice...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 85 DX VR Micro

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Taos Plaza

This was taken at the Taos Plaza, in New Mexico.  I was drawn to the contrast of the tan and brown buildings against the blue sky, and the ristras just screamed "Southwest."  I didn't use alter the image in any fashion - the sky was actually that blue...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX

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The Winner

This is my favorite shot from the last Maui trip...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 85 DX VR Micro

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Leaves and Vines

Taken on the trail going to Honolua Bay.  I went with the wide angle lens and looked up, trying to capture the sweeping view of the overhead canopy of leaves and vines, with the light coming in...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX

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Eklutna Lake

I took this shot last August at Eklutna Lake.  Not the perfect shot, but I cropped it a bit, removed a couple of dust spots and tweaked the colors in Lightroom. All part of the learning curve...

Nikon D40, Nikkor 55-300 DX VR

Maui - Seeking The Perfect Sunset

The Background

About a week ago I got back from a trip to Maui.  I’d been to Maui three times previously, but this was the first time I’ve gone in the spring.  My earlier visits to Maui were in the early winter (mid-October, late November).  The other difference  with this trip was where I stayed.  I had always stayed in South Kehei, but this time I chose to stay at the north end of Ka’anapali. 

In my three previously trips I had taken literally hundreds of sunset pictures, almost all with my Nikkor 55-200 DX VR lens.  This time I decided that I would concentrate on capturing images with my Nikkor 10-24 DX wide angle lens.  Between the change in location, change in seasons, and change in lens used I was hoping to capture images that were a bit different than before.

The Location

The view from South Kehei includes the islands of Lana’i to the northwest and Kaho’olawe to the southwest, with the sun setting in the southwest that time of year.

The view from Ka’anapali, about 31 miles north/northwest of South Kehei, includes the islands of Lana’i slightly to the southwest and Moloka’I to the northwest, with the sun setting just a few degrees above due west at the end of March/beginning of April.

The Shots

The first night, March 28, started the trip off on a good note in terms of photographic opportunities.  As the sun set some clouds moved in, the sky lit up with orange and yellow, and I managed to grab a few good shots. 

The next couple of nights were beautiful, warm, but the sky was generally lacking in clouds and the sunsets were enjoyable but not inspiring photographically.  On April 1 the tide turned a bit, some clouds came in, and God rays were cast across the horizon.  I considered switching lens so I could zoom in on the light display, but decided to stick with my initial idea of continuing to learn the ins and outs of my wide angle lens.

Then, the cloudless sunsets returned…  

Both shots – Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX

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Order a print here – bottom photo

Orchid

On my recent vacation in Maui I took my new macro lens out for a spin.  I think this is my favorite shot from the trip...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 85 DX VR Micro

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Maui Two Ways

I just back from nine days in Maui.  While there - other than acting like a tourist and enjoying the sun - I gave myself two "assignments" in terms of photography: 1) use my wide angle lens when taking landscape shots, and 2) use my macro lens for flowers and other plant shots.  Here's an example of each, with more to come...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 85 DX VR Micro

Order a print of the top photo here
Order a print of the bottom photo here