Let it Go
Help me to forgive those who sin differently than I
We are all carrying a lot of excess baggage such as resentments, fear, jealousy, self-pity, and dishonesty. This is a huge burden to us and now would be a good time to let it go. Forgiveness involves forgetting, releasing and moving on. When something is removed, it is always filled with something else. If you let go of your defects and replace them with assets, serenity and peace will fill the void.
Dag Hammarskjold one wrote, “Forgiveness breaks the chains of causality, because he who “forgives” you – out of love – takes upon himself he consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice.”
This image was shot off the coast of Maui in Hawaii. The clouds were lingering on the horizon and rolling off the neighbouring island to the right, we set up our gear and took in this beautufil and calm vista. There were few, if any, people at this location, and the gentle wash of the waves and soft trade winds were soothing to the soul. We bundled up some of our negative energy, put it into a “bag” and tossed it into the sea.
“Swoosh” – Maui
Another day of the conference and one of the things that most love watching in Hawaii is how the waves “roll” over… they are quite beautiful, peaceful and you can honestly just sit & watch them all day long. This shot was again taken in Maui by Erik, and he used the trusty Nikon D7000 mounted on a sturdy Manfrotto Tripod. The silky texture of the in and outrush of the waves was achieved using a slow shutter speed. Although the light was quite harsh at the time, he screwed on a variable Neutral Density Filter to the lens which cut down on the available light to the sensor, allowing a slow shutter. For me, I love the colors that are coming through – just beautiful. Drop us a note if you would like to understand a bit more about neutral Density Filters and all the awesome things they allow your creative vision to attain.
Enjoy!
From the Islands
So this week I am away on business in Hawaii- so far each & every day has been so filled that I have not had a single moment to take the camera out of the bag and capture the beauty of this place. I have had time to check out a few key spots for later in the week when the opportunity should be perfect- but in the meantime- I thought you all might like a replay of one of my favorite places in Maui. Erik captured this shot while the waves were crashing all around him trying to keep from falling on the rocks everywhere. For me, I was relaxing, listening to the waves- watching the sun slowly set after island hopping to Oahu and back for a pre-inspection for the conference we are at right now.
I want to extend out to the members of HAIP a simple word that wraps this entire week up so far- – “Po’okela!” Which means, Excellence!
The Green Boat – Kahakuloa Bay
Ready for Anything
This was shot, again, after a hair-raising drive along HWY 38 along the North Shore of Maui after a brief stop to the deadly Nakalele Blowhole. You may recall a previous post. Here we found an isolated cove with killer waves. The beach was virtually deserted except for a few Local Surfers. This was shot with our trusty Nikon D7000, Sigma 10-20mm wide-angle lens, a Variable Neutral Density filter from Singh-Ray all mounted on a Manfrotta Tripod for stability. The boat seemed a bit out-of-place – we assume that it might be a Rescue Craft in the event of a surfing accident. The waves were rather large (For California standards), but likely become huge during a storm, attracting many more intrepid surfers.
Kahakuloa is an area on the North side of West Maui, Hawaii. It is home to the isolated picturesque community of Kahakuloa Village, Julia’s Banana Bread, Kaukini Gallery, Bruce Turnbull Studio and Sculpture Garden, and a few small businesses. After this brief stop, we proceeded to Julia’s Banana Bread Shack. We bought a loaf, some coconut candy (slowly roasted goodness) and some type of spread made out of Passion Fruit called Liliko’i… it it absolutely fabulous!
From her Webpage: “We invite you to our famous treehouse to sample some of our homemade gourmet treats made only on Maui. We offer free samples of our famous Julia’s Banana Bread, Coconut Candy Nuggets, Dried Mango, Roasted Macadamia Nuts, Ulu (Breadfruit – seasonal), Taro Chips, Pineapple & Passion Fruit Jelly, and now our new and amazing Liliko’i (Passion Fruit) Butter Spread. We also carry a variety of island fruit drinks as well, and homemade crafts & gifts.
Once you reach about a 1/4 mile into Kahakuloa Village, you will see Julia’s bright green road signs. Follow and read the signs carefully, and it will lead you to our bright green treehouse. We are located right below the white Catholic Mission that sits on the hill.” Website: http://www.juliasbananabread.com/
What followed was somewhat cute. As we were patiently standing in line on this rainy day, an elder local Lady (70’s) arrived and also waited quiety behind us waiting for her loaf of Banana bread. She knew exactly what she wanted and was greeted warmly by the proprietor who clearly knew her. We received and paid for our delicious treats and hit the road towards Waihe’he. Minutes later, it seemed, she was right on our bumper, probably wondering why we drive so slowly along this twisting, treacherous, almost single lane road with thousand foot drops to the left into the sea. At first opportunity we pulled to the side and she zipped and within minutes gone with her loaf out of sight!
(We have the same experience on WildCat Canyon Road in Ramona, California). 😉
Thanks for visiting our humble PhotoBlog! Kathleen and Erik
If you have any questions regarding availability of images, or anything technical, just email us at contact@kerstenbeck.com Happy Holidays!
Road to Hana – the African Tulip Tree
Beauty Everywhere
This was shot looking up the coast on the road to Hana after a well deserved break from some hair-raising, white knuckle driving (and this was just the co-Pilot, Kathleen). We saw this outlook and were immediately drawn to these spectacular trees and their brilliant blossoms. It was probably a good 1000ft down from this vantage point and called for the use of a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 which allows these tack sharp images and dreamy backgrounds. This lens rocks. If you look carefully, you will see a small dew drop – just a small touch and shows how lush it is on this side of Maui! Now a bit about this tree!
Spathodea is a monotypic genus in the flowering plant family, Bignoniaceae (If you can pronounce this, kudos). The single species it contains, Spathodea campanulata, is commonly known as the Fountain Tree, African Tulip Tree, Flame-of-the-forest, Rudra Palash, Pichkari or Nandi Flame. It is a tree that grows between 7–25 m (23–82 ft) tall and is native to tropical Africa. This tree is planted extensively as an ornamental tree throughout the tropics and is much appreciated for its very showy reddish-orange or crimson (rarely yellow), campanulate flowers. It is an invasive species in many tropical areas, however. Seems like this is the case here in Maui!
The flower bud ampule-shaped and contains water. These buds are often used by children who play with its ability to squirt the water. The sap sometimes stains yellow on fingers and clothes. The open flowers are cup-shaped and holds rain and dew, making them attractive to many species of birds. In Neotropical gardens and parks, their nectar is popular with many hummingbirds!
Thanks for your visit to our Plototblog – please feel free to drop us a note through comments or by email contact@kerstenbeck.com
Kathleen and Erik
Swoosh, Maui
Along the twisty road on Highway 340, we spotted a local roadside stand where fresh produce was being offered. At the same time, this was a wonderful isolated beach where local Surfers were taking care of the amazing waves. Kathleen took care of business to get the most tastey Pineapple which probably recently harvested. She asked, “Is this a good one?” to which the proprietor said, “They are ALL good”…and they were. In the mean time Erik was scoping the beach for a shot. The waves were amazing and surfers were abound. The reason you don’t see them is that we used a long shutter speed – they just disappear.
This was shot with a Nikon D7000, Sigma 10-20mm Lens, Variable Neutral Density Filter, Manfrotto Tripod and a lot of fun. Thanks for visiting our Humble PhotoBlog! If you have any questions just drop us an email at contact.kerstenbeck.com!
Happy Hollidays! Kathleen and Erik
Nakalele Point, Maui
We took a hike to this Volcanic Outlook during our trek on a stop on one of the most frightening roads we have every driven on. Further along, the road narrowed to 1.2 car widths, twisting along the steep coast, 500 ft up and 1000 ft down with no gaurd rail. Talk about white knuckle driving! However, it was spectacular and lead us to many amazing sights including a small roadside stand where we found the best Banana Bread ever! There was a very patient older local Lady waiting for the Tourists to clear out before buying her loaf. We proceeded down the almost single lane road with this Lady behind us. She was following at a respectful distance, but as soon as we could, we pulled over and she zipped away a breakneck speeds! Gotta get that Banana Bread Home!
Now a bit about that Hike! We went to the edge of a massive cliff for this shot. Nikon D7000, trusty Sigma 10-20mm, Singh Ray Variable Neutral Density Filter. sturdy Manfrotto Tripod…and great sneakers! We saw some naive Folks right down by The Blow Hole which was a bit to the right. It would have been a trek down there and looked somewhat dangerous. Hence, this news below!
Nakalele Point is the northernmost point on the island of Maui. It is famous for a Blow Hole with powerful geyser-like water spouts with the waves and tides. Water spewed can rise as high as 100 feet in the air.
On July 9, 2011, David Potts, a 44-year-old general contractor from San Anselmo, Northern California, was killed while standing dangerously close to the “Nakalele” blowhole. While Mr. Potts was standing near the blowhole with his back to the surf, a large wave swept him into the mouth of the blowhole. A nearby witness states that Potts resurfaced for a moment, but disappeared as another large wave crashed over the blowhole.
Photography is wonderful, but one always needs to judge the risk one would take for “The Ultimate Shot”, yes?
Thanks for the kind visit to our humble PhotoBlog – Seasons Greetings! Kathleen and Erik!
Honolua Bay Part II
This location is absolutely spectacular for Landscape Shots. But what it really exciting is that this isolated location would Rock for Family Portraits and our favourite…”Trash The Dress” post Wedding Fun. The Beach is easily accessible, really nice sand and the Lava formations just beckon to our imagination! This place is also a fine for just hanging out, and is a Marine Sanctuary, so lots of cool snorkeling, body boarding, and surfing opportunities!
This was shot with a Nikon D7000, Sigma 10-20mm Wide Angle, Singh Ray Variable Neutral Density Filter, Manfrotto Tripod and some grippy shoes, lots of rock scrambling, patience and, as always, a lot of fun! Thanks for your kind visit and help us by following on Facebook or just watching what we do next!
Happy Hollidays, Kathleen and Erik
Go with the Flow – Honolua Bay
We had scoped out location a few days earlier on our adventure to the wonderful island of Maui to judge where a great sunset would be prime to shoot. Kathleen had to Island Hop to Honolulu for Business, I took some time to shoot Surfers and Sailboarders in Pa’ia. As soon as her plane touched down, we were zooming up the coast, scrambling down the steep stairs and onto the beach. At 5:15 it was empty, quiet and tranquil. I spent the next 45 minutes scrambling over sharp volcanic rocks looking for the ultimate composition. Carrying a Nikon D7000, Sigma 10-20mm all attached to our sturdy Manfrotto Tripod, not falling, watching the surf and stabilizing the shots was quite a challenge – and yes, it was fun! You may recall a previous post of the magnificent sunset from this location. Here I was fascinated by the rocks and using a very low shutter speed, captured the beauty of the waves as they lapped the shore.
The coastline at Honolua and Mokuleʻia is rugged and is accessed by trail from a parking lot adjacent to the Honoapiilani Highway above. Mokuleʻia Bay has a sandy beach and coral reefs. Honolua Bay consists of a rocky shoreline with small beach, coral reefs in a marine preserve and world-renowned surf break. Honolua Bay hosts the annual “Billabong Pro” women’s surf competition in December. This place is a Must See location – so close to everything, yet so wonderfully secluded. It is also great for snorkeling!
Thanks for visiting our Blog! Kathleen and Erik … if you have any questions please feel free to drop us an email at contact.kerstenbeck.com! Aloha!
Pa’ia Surf Dog
Will Smile for a Snack
As we were wandering around this wonderful beach, we spotted a Doggie patiently waiting for the Surfers to come home from their morning adventures. Although it wasn’t tremendously warm, this smarty sought shade under the truck to which he/she was secured. It was rather funny to see this Dog perk the ear after we took a test shot with the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8. Didn’t want to get too close and we were basically on the deck for this shot! Now a bit of History about this location!
Pāʻia (pah-ee-ah) is a in Maui, on the northern coast of the island. The population is about 2,500. Pāʻia is home to several restaurants, art galleries, surf shops and is just a charming and awesome place to visit! One business, Charley’s, is frequented by Willie Nelson when he visits the island – perhaps he also likes to go “Herb Shopping” when he is in town? The eponymous “Fish Market” at Pāʻia’s main intersection is very well-known throughout the island for its Mexican and Local Food.
Pāʻia is the last town on the Hana Highway and is located close to many internationally known windsurfing spots including Ho’okipa and Spreckelsville. It is therefore sometimes called ‘The World Capital of Windsurfing’. Check out some of the cool Windsurfing shots from this location on previous posts – you will not be disappointed!
Thanks for your kind visit to our humble PhotoBlog and come back again soon! Kathleen and Erik! If you have ANY questions or would like a Print just drop us an email at contact@kerstenbeck.com ALOHA
Along the Road to Hana
The Hāna Highway is a 68-mile (109 km) long stretch of Hawaii State Routes 36 and 360 which connects Kahului with the town of Hana in east Maui. On the east after Kalepa bridge, Hana Highway continues to Kipalhula as Route 31 (Piilani Highway), the first section of which is unofficially considered to be part of Hāna Highway. Although Hāna is only about 52 miles (84 km) from Kahului, it takes about 2.5 hours to drive when no stops are made as the highway is very winding and narrow and passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one-lane bridges. There are approximately 620 curves along Route 360 from just east of Kahului to Hāna, virtually all of it through lush, tropical rainforest. Many of the concrete and steel bridges date back to 1910 and all but one are still in use.
One of our frequent stops lead us to this functioning aqueduct. We were struck by the masonry and, of course, the lush greenery and mossy coverings. This was shot using a Nikon D7000 equipped with a Sigma 10-20mm lens, all mounted on a sturdy tripod for stability. Thanks for visiting our humble blog and come back soon! Kathleen and Erik.
An Island Paradise
Don't Worry, Be Happy
Lānaʻi Hawaiian: is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantations. The only town is Lnaa’i City, a small settlement. The island is somewhat comma-shaped, with a width of 18 miles (29 km) in the longest direction.
According to the Hawiian Legends, man-eating spirits occupied the island before that time. For generations, Maui chiefs believed in these man-eating spirits. Differing legends say that either the prophet Lanikāula drove the spirits from the island or the unruly Maui prince Kauluāʻau accomplished that heroic feat. The more popular myth is that the mischievous Kauluāʻau pulled up every tree he could find on Maui. Finally his father, had to banish him to Lānaʻi, expecting him not to survive in that hostile place.
However Kauluāʻau outwitted the spirits and drove them from the island. The chief looked across the channel from Maui and saw that his son’s fire continued to burn nightly on the shore, and he sent a canoe to Lānaʻi to bring the prince, redeemed by his courage and his cleverness, back home to Maui. As a reward, Kakaʻalaneo gave Kauluāʻau control of the island and encouraged emigration from other islands.Kauluāʻau had, in the meantime, pulled up all the ʻulu trees on Lānaʻi, accounting for the historic lack of ʻulu on that island.
Thanks for visiting our humble Photography Blog. If you would like a Print, please send us an email at contact@kerstenbeck.com.
Photography Tip: A good practice is always to use a Tripod for Landscapes. Sometimes hauling that gear is tough. This was executed by scrambling amongst Lava Rocks to find a level spot, hold the Camera steady on a rock, Compose, use Manual Setting … and watch out for waves!
Aloha, Kathleen and Erik
Rescue Ready
We took a drive along Highway 36 past the Kahului Airport in the direction of Hana in Maui one morning to catch the surfing action at Ho’okipia Beach. This is one of Maui’s world-class surfing and windsurfing spots, popular amongst local and tourists. There was a distinct aroma of Hawaii emanating the air as we approach (I think you can guess). By agreement, the surfers have the ocean to themselves until around 1PM, then it belongs to the windsurfers. Windsurfing has evolved to kiteboarding where Kanaha Beach is Maui’s hot spot.
This picture reminds all that wave and rip currents can be rather treacherous. Although the waves were not as high as we have seen during our visits, they did look powerful and eventually crashed onto a rock corral shore which certainly could do some severe damage to the un-prepared.
Photo Tip – most of the windsurfing and surfing shots were taken with a Nikon D7000, ISO 400, equipped with a 70-200mm f2.8 Nikon Lens and a Nikon 2x Doubler. All of this was mounted on a tripod which only had one leg extended (ie improvised Mono-Pod) so we could pan the camera to follow the action. All shots were captured in RAW for maximum flexibility in Post Processing.
Thanks for you kind visit and come back soon!
Coconut Glen – Parked for Good
No Gas, No Go, Who Cares!
We stumbled up this parked Chopper in the front yard of a gentleman, Glen, who had decided to hang up his Executive Chef hat at a premier restaurant in Boston to set up shop (sight-unseen) in a remote location on The Road to Hana in Maui. He said that he started by selling Coconuts for “Beer Money” and soon after branched out to make several delicious flavours of all natural Coconut Ice Cream. His establishment is called Coconut Glen’s. In this shot you can see his colourful likeness in the background. We had to sample his offerings which were served in a simple cup with a hand cut Coconut husk spoon. Needless to say this was one of the best things we sampled during our visit. You must pay a visit next time you are on Maui!
Here is his story: http://coconutglens.com/story.html
Highway 360 is a scenic and twisting paved road that skirts the coastline and into a dark tropical forest. There is a narrow section of road just wide enough for one car, with turnouts every 100 feet or so. There were several times when another car wanted the same section of road that we did – decisions had to be made in a hurry. This road is not for the faint hearted, but a Must Drive for those seeking raw beauty and a bit of an adrenaline rush!
Honolua Bay, Maui
This was our first trip to the beautiful island of Maui. We have explored several of the other islands in the past, and this one has its own unique character (as they all do). We were staying just a few miles south and were amazed by the spectacular sunsets, something we only see in Southern California before or after a Winter Storm. On the Islands, Windward conditions are often harsh, windy, rainy and lush with tropical goodness. Leeward is calm, warm and just perfect for snorkilng, or just hanging out.
This image was composed after a visit earlier to scope the concept. We later returned next day when we saw clouds. When the sun sets, the entire spectrum of colour will appear. It starts with the yellows, transitions to oranges, purples and blues. (I could explain this in details as an Engineer – just drop an email).
We scrambled over the Volcanic Rocks which are very abrasive and could cause severe lacerations, to find the one perfect image. The sun had almost set and it was getting dark for the trek back. Regarding Photography Tips, this was executed with a Nikon D7000, Sigma 10-20mm Lens, Singh Ray Variable Density Filter, Manfroto Tripod and random rock worthy flip flops!
Thanks for your kind visit to our Blog – please feel free to explore and Please Comment! We Really appreciate your feed back – it makes us better!
Kathellen and Erik
Kerstenbeck Photographic Art 