Our Hawaii preparations began in December 2008 when we decided to spend three weeks exploring Hawaii.
The Preparation
Aside from the obvious tasks such as booking hotels and flights, we have adopted a fairly prescribed ritual... Photography is a hobby and I take it quite seriously. I have gathered all the gear I could possibly need over the past five years but I have learned that you must get out and continue to exercise the "photography mind" regularly. I learned this the hard way when we went on a cruise in January 2008. I had all the gear but brought home an abundance of lousy pictures. Composition was off. Exposure was questionable. Many of the images were just plain dull. I had a laptop on the trip but it was an old slow beast so I did not spend as much time evaluating images as I should have. Lesson learned. We were in Europe in May 2008 and the results were much better but I still had a large number of poor shots. There is a balance of taking pictures and being on a holiday and I am still trying to find it....
The first apparent problem to solve was carryon luggage. One of the connector flights to Denver was a Canadair CR7. I happened to be on one returning from Winnipeg earlier in 2008 and we had to leave our bags on the sky check cart before boarding the plane. That's OK for clothes but not my precious camera gear! After searching the web and contacting our travel agent at the Alberta Motor Association, I believe I have the answer:
1-Overhead bin on CRJ700 United Express is 9"x15"x11"
2-Real size under the seat-9"X14"X22"
3-The measurements for carry on not to exceed 45" (9"X14"X22")
This led to a realization that we needed to be creative so we could carry on our valuables. Laptop, two camera bodies, six lenses, chargers and odds and ends. The plan is to stuff as much as I can into my Lowepro Slingshot 300 and the remainder in a small backpack that Heather will carry. I will have to check my camera backpack and tripod into a suitcase and hope it gets to Hawaii. I ended up with a Lowepro Vertex 200 which will carry all our camera gear and be comfortable on long hikes. I've become fond of Vistek in Edmonton for most of my camera gear and will also shop at McBain Camera depending on stock and price. The experience of the sales people is sometimes hit and miss so do your homework before you spend the money! So now, we can carry all our camera gear on the plane, yea!
The next part of preparation was to address the physical requirements of this trip. We tend to get up very early and hike for most of the morning. This has two benefits. The first is that you are awake before the tourists and you have the run of the whole place before you are over run with people. The second is that you get the magical early morning light. Photographers know that, along with late day light, this is the best time for most pictures. Anyway, we are hiking each weekend, took up cross country skiing, are using our weight machine and we play badminton twice a week. If you don't think badminton is good exercise then think again. Physical conditioning is crucial to enabling us to hike for hours and not get tired or sore! Besides, we tend to walk upwards of 20 KM's per day and we will be hiking at higher elevations for portions of the trip ( Between 10,000 feet and 14,000 feet). If you have ever been at that altitude, you know that there is less air and there are risks that need to be managed. Altitude sickness, dizziness, disorientation and weakness are all possible side effects of being at this altitude for a period of time. Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Haleakala (on Maui) are all above 10,000 feet! While in Switzerland last May, we were at 12,000 feet and I certainly felt the effects.
Nothing severe, just that activity was more exhausting. The other side effect was that drinking a beer at this altitude seems to double the effect, maybe triple :). Don't lecture me for being silly, it was in a restaurant AFTER we had explored the area.....
The next task was to get the camera gear ready and focus (no pun intended) on the art of photography. I set a goal of completing one self-assignment per week so I would ensure I was ready for the trip and would not fumble around with the camera gear.
One part of the trip would take us to the 10,000 foot elevation on Haleakala volcano. There are many world class observatories on the volcano as it is above the clouds most of the year and has no light pollution. Maybe I will take some sunset and night pictures so I needed to practice bulb photography! This assignment led me to the realization that my tripod and head were less than suitable. I bought my original head before I bought my 100-400mm lens. The old aluminum tripod was a tad on the heavy side and the head was wobbly with the bigger lens. I replaced both with an Induro CX114 carbon fiber tripod and a Manfrotto 488RC2 head.
As one of the primary goals was to photograph an active volcano during the day and at night, I found good information on the Photovolcanica site and on the Nature Photographers Online Magazine. Both were excellent resources!
Another assignment was to prepare for aerial photography. We've chartered a Hughes 500 on Kauai and will be flying with the doors off. I had flown in a small four seat plane over Mount Logan in the Kluane National Park in the Yukon and managed some pretty good pictures through a window.
That said, and given the cost of chartering a helicopter, I figured I best do some research. There is lots of information out there but here is one link covering the general aspects of aerial photography on NatureScapes.net. I was on a helicopter quite a few years ago, flying over the frozen land near Norman Wells and thought that it was the coolest way to see the country! Planes are cheaper and can provide a good platform but I just like helicopters. We booked a charter at Jack Harter Helicopters. Heather and I get the whole helicopter and can go anywhere we want for a mere $1050 per hour. In reality, that is only $400 more than booking a tour so it is money well spent in our minds.....
There are eight other assignments planned before we go. Flash photography in caves, wet weather photography, macro photography, portrait photography and long exposure photography for waterfalls to name a few. While some of this stuff may be basic, being prepared will help maximize the percentage of "keeper" photographs.
Our primary research tools are:
Google Earth
Trip Advisor
About.com
The Big Island
Our first three days will be spent in Kona at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel. The basic plan for these three days is to slowly build up to the pace we need to explore all of the areas we have identified as "interesting". Some of these include Hapuna State Park, 'Akaka Falls, Hilo, Kamuman Caves and a host of other Hawaiian landmarks. Ok, we may look at a beach....
The next three days will be spent on top of Kilauea. Yes, on a volcano, next to an active vent. Sweet! I've been fascinated with volcanoes since I was a kid so this was my main reason for heading to Hawaii, to see and photograph active volcanoes. The hotel is aptly named Volcano House http://www.volcanohousehotel.com/. The hotel is in the Volcano National Park so this will afford us easy access to the area 24 hours a day.
Kauai
The next six nights are on Kauai at the Resortquest Islander. We have lots of activities planned including Ha'ena State Park, Waimea Canyon, Limahuli Gardens, Na Pali Coast Wilderness Park and, of course, chartering a helicopter for just the two of us!
Maui
The rest of the trip will take place on Maui where we will be staying at the Resortquest Paki Maui. The Haleakala volcano will be the high point for me, again, no pun intended. You drive up to the 10,000 foot level and hike around the top of a temporarily dormant volcano. Not extinct..... There are many scenic sights available on Maui. We will update the blog as soon as we finalize the plans!
Aloha!
1 comments:
Sounds like a great trip!!! Maybe you could smuggle us over in your luggage.
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