On my recent trip to Hawai’i, my brother and I stopped off on The Big Island for a few days to explore Volcanoes National Park. Our goal was to photograph flowing lava up close. Since Kilauea is so unpredictable, it’s impossible to know where lava flows will be during your trip or if there will be any at all. One relatively consistent area for lava viewing is the coast line near Kalapana where lava flows from the Pu`u`O`o vent of Kilauea into the ocean. The reaction of 2000 degree lava with sea water is an impressive sight, creating a huge, glowing steam plume that rises into the air. Unfortunately the designated viewing area for the ocean entry is over 2 miles away. If you were to hike all the way out to the ocean entry, you would not only risk a $10,000 fine, but your life as well. The lava is constantly expanding the coast of the Big Island, but the newly created land is extremely unstable and frequently falls off into the water. Many people have been injured and even killed from walking out on the lava bench.
Another option for getting a front row seat to the lava ocean entry point is to sign up for a lava boat tour. Several companies launch boats from Pahoa and take you to within 20-30 feet of the lava…yes, that’s right, 20-30 feet! It was exactly what my brother and I were looking for, so before we left for Hawaii, we booked a sunrise lava boat tour with Lava Ocean Adventures.
Once we arrived at Volcanoes National Park, we stopped by the visitor center to see what Kilauea was up to. We mentioned to the park ranger on duty that we were doing a lava boat tour the next morning. The look that came over his face immediately made it clear that the lava boat “industry” was a major thorn in the side of the National Park Service. He launched into a diatribe about how insanely dangerous it was to be on a boat near the ocean entry. He carefully outlined all of the dangers, including being gassed by the steam cloud which is made up of hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acid, falling off the boat into near boiling water, and being blown to bits by tephra blasts that are powerful enough to toss boulder-sized rocks 30 feet in the air. Perhaps even more scary than those immediate threats was the possibility we could inhale microscopic glass fragments that are aerosolized in the violent reaction of lava entering water. The long term health risks are similar to breathing asbestos.
Needless to say, I was more than a little worried. I spent much of the evening on my iPhone researching the dangers the park ranger mentioned, but I was unable to find any solid evidence that the situation was as grim as he described. We decided to go through with the boat tour and obviously survived the immediate dangers. To mitigate the glass fragment issue, I tightly tied a folded shirt over my nose and mouth. When the boat went near the steam cloud, I held my breath and closed my eyes. Of course, I was the only person on the boat doing this. The captain and crew who have done these tours multiple times a day for twenty years didn’t bat an eye.
The experience was really quite fun. Being close enough to feel the heat of the lava on my face was thrilling and surreal. Photographically, it was nearly impossible to get any meaningful shots. It was very dark and the boat was constantly being thrown around in the choppy water. The autofocus system on my Nikon D300 was totally confused and most of my shots turned out as abstract blurs–even at f/2.8 and ISO 800. Everyone else on the boat with little point and shoot cameras gave up taking pictures early on. The lava boat crew will tell you to bring a wide-angle lens because they get you so close, but you absolutely need a fast telephoto. The 70-200mm f/2.8 VR is about as good a lens as you could have for this.
Was it dangerous? Yes, I’m sure it was, although it didn’t seem like it. There were no major explosions during our tour but we did see a partial lava bench collapse (see photo directly above). Unfortunately, it may only be a matter of time until a lava boat tragedy occurs. The collision of lava and sea water is just too unpredictable. Things DO blow up out there. As for the environmental hazards, this report and a few others on the internet suggest that the park ranger we spoke to may have been exaggerating the danger a little. That’s fine, it’s his job to protect people. There’s no doubt that those toxins exist out there, but there is conflicting information about how high the concentrations actually are.
I guess it all comes down to how badly you want to see lava and what level of risk you’re comfortable with. For me, the lava boat tour was at the upper limit of what I’m willing to do for a photo. I’m very glad that I went and I had a great time though. I think what’s most important in these situations is to get all the information you can–carefully weigh the risks, and especially pay attention to your inner voice. If you don’t feel comfortable with something, speak up. You could always go drink Mai Tais on the beach–just don’t forget your sunscreen. UV rays cause skin cancer you know.
Imagine for a moment if you were to go on a photographic expedition to Hawaii. The scene that probably unfolds in your head is a very pleasant one… you casually setting up your tripod on the beach with a warm tropical breeze at your back. It’s hard to imagine worrying about anything more than maybe getting a sunburn or missing first light because you had too many Mai Tais the night before.
You can probably guess by the title of this post that my brother and I had a somewhat different experience when we recently spent 5 days on Kauai and 3 days on the Big Island taking photos. In reality, it was a humbling experience because we had greatly underestimated the extreme nature of the Hawaiian landscape. Like any place, it has it’s dangers and those dangers often become worse when you’re setting up sensitive photo gear in precarious places to get the shot of your dreams.
Our overall experience on this trip is perfectly illustrated by our very first morning photographing the sunrise from the Mokolea Lava Pools on the eastern shore of Kauai. We had scoped out the location the previous evening and figured out that we would have to drive to a small beach about a mile away and hike in. With our 30 pound packs of camera gear, we hiked across the sand in the dark until we came to a large river that separated us from the lava pools. No problem. We found the narrowest part of the river and waded across, being careful not to fall because of the soft sand under our feet. After a little bush-whacking we made it to the lava bench and began looking for the famous maelstrom that fills with seawater when the waves hit it and then empties out like a toilet flushing as the waves recede. Immediately, we noticed the lava bench we were walking on was covered with algae making it extremely slippery. It took us several minutes to locate the lava formation (still in the dark at this point) and we proceeded to get inspired and find locations to set up our cameras.
Because landscape shots are often more interesting when there are extreme foreground elements to complement the middle and background, you have to use a wide angle lens and get very close to the ground. This was precisely my strategy for the Mokolea Lava Pools except that getting close to the ground meant getting close to the crashing waves on the lava bench…and when I mean crashing, I mean CRASHING. I literally got into the water with my camera and tripod, screwed on my brand new Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo filter and started setting up my composition. I noticed the image in my viewfinder getting progressively hazier as I adjusted the tripod. Sea spray was the culprit. Knowing that salt water is the kiss of death for digital cameras, I quickly ran back onshore (being careful to not slip on the algae) to get my rain cover out of my pack so I could protect my camera while I waited for the sun. No sooner than I got back to my camera, a huge wave hit me, grabbed the rain cover and started to wash it out to sea. A quick poke with my tripod leg saved the rain cover, but now it was soaking wet…with sea water. It was useless to me now.
My Camera in Peril on the Mokolea Lava Bench
While dealing with that and trying to stretch my thin t-shirt over my camera to protect it, I didn’t even notice the storm that was brewing just off shore. With no warning whatsoever, it started pouring rain. It was like someone just turned a dial to “torrential” and flipped the switch to “ON”. My pack on shore with all my camera lenses was getting soaked. So were all my Singh-Ray filters that I had set out on a rock. But I was in triage mode…save the most expensive gear first which, of course, was the camera I was using. The rain turned off and on a few times and during the breaks, I would wipe off the lens and make a few exposures and then switch back to protecting the camera from more rain…though it got soaking wet anyway. I have a new appreciation for Nikon’s weather sealing!
Fortunately, the only equipment casualty of the morning was my brother’s GPS geo-tagging device which stopped working after a suspected dunk in the water. In all the chaos I did manage to come away with an image that I’m pretty excited about (see above). But just about every other worthwhile image from the trip had some similar adventure associated with it. It is fair to say that Hawaii is a very challenging environment for serious landscape photography. But I honestly had a great time and would do it all again in an instant.
On the hike back to the car, there were a few more instant-on hurricanes and I tripped and fell face-first on the rocks (damn algae). Welcome to Kauai!
My brother and I recently hiked up to the base of Notchtop mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park to get some dawn images of Lake Helene. To have enough time for the 3.2 mile hike up, we had to meet at the trail head at the ungodly hour of 3:15 AM…which actually meant that I had to get up at 1:45. Ouch. It was a great hike though and we had the advantage of an almost full moon which provided some nice light on the trail.
Nikon D300, 18-200mm, Singh-Ray Gold & Blue Polarizer, f/16, 30 sec, ISO 200
We arrived at Lake Helene well before twilight so we had enough time to explore the area before we had to set up our cameras. We ended up finding Two Rivers Lake which is just to the east of Lake Helene. Above you can see the nice pre-dawn view from Two Rivers Lake. We both stood in the shallow water to take the shot. I used my Singh-Ray Gold and Blue Polarizer to accent the great colors of the sky.
After grabbing a few shots at Two Rivers, we had to hustle back over to Lake Helene to setup in time for sunrise. We ended up getting sorta cornered in a marshy area along the shore and weren’t able to navigate to the best vantage point in time for first light. But I think I came away with at least a “blog worthy” image of Lake Helene. I would have preferred some clouds in the shot, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers :)
Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16mm, Singh-Ray Color Combo, f/16, 2.5 sec, ISO 200
It was pretty chilly up there at 10,580 feet. / 5AM. I thought a lot about the approaching fall and winter and how I need to discover a new level of perseverance and determination in myself if I’m going to get some good winter shots this year.
For awhile now I’ve been wishing I had a simple point and shoot camera to take with me on trips so I could capture some of the more typical vacation moments and leave the serious photo work for my Nikon D300. Of course the Nikon would provide much better image quality and features than a compact camera, but who wants to lug a bulky DSLR and lens around if you’re just going out to dinner or documenting some touristy moment?
Since I’m going to Hawaii in September and might be doing some snorkeling…I thought it would be nice to get a compact camera that was waterproof…actually submersible, not just weather sealed. I didn’t know if such a camera even existed. I also wanted some video capabilities since my D300 was made just before the recent DSLR video feature craze. With these parameters in mind, I quickly discovered the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1. I had already been impressed with the Lumix TZ5 that my family and I got my Dad for his birthday last year, and the TS1 seemed to have all the features I wanted, so I went ahead and ordered one.
Overall, I have been pleased with the TS1. The very first time I took it out was on a whitewater rafting trip with my co-workers down the Poudre River near Fort Collins, Colorado. It was the perfect test for a camera like this. The TS1 got completely submerged in water several times, knocked around in the class 3 & 4 rapids and even smashed between the floor of the raft and the sidewall. It performed very well in this environment. The still photos that we took that day impressed me for their sharpness, low noise and relatively good exposure. Of course, the TS1’s quality is no where near that of a DSLR, especially at ISOs over 400, but I never expected a tiny waterproof camera to blow my socks off with image quality. It does, however, produce more than adequate images for casual snap shots and video clips.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1, f/3.3, 1/1000, ISO 80
Speaking of video clips, you can see one below. It’s a little choppy, but that might be because I de-interlaced the video when I converted it for the web. Finding a program on the Mac that could open the AVCHD lite video files was a major challenge. Toast Titanium 10 of all programs was able to open and convert the videos.
The most serious flaw I’ve encountered with the TS1 is how easily it is disabled at cooler temperatures. On a recent sunrise hike up to Lake Helene (10,580 feet) in Rocky Mountain National Park, the TS1’s autofocus system became totally confused and would not focus on anything. The temperatures up there were likely in the upper 30s to low 40s which is really nothing as far as cold temperatures go. Granted I was not carrying it close to my body to keep it warm during the hike, but I really think a camera that’s touted as being so rugged should be able to stand a few hours of 40 degrees.
Other gripes about the camera are really very minor. Overall it produces nice images & HD video, is reasonably compact and rugged with regards to water and being knocked around. I’m sure it will serve me very well. Just be warned that it may let you down on those cold alpine mornings!
Dream Lake Reflection - Nikon D300, 18-200mm, Singh-Ray Color Combo, f/16, 2 sec, ISO 200
I got up at 2:30 AM yesterday, drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park and met my brother at the Bear Lake trailhead. We hiked up to Dream Lake in the dark and proceeded to find a good location to capture the sunrise on Hallet Peak. The traditional vantage point from which Dream Lake is photographed had so many photographers packed into it that it looked like a presidential press corps. I was looking, however, for as much of an untraditional way to capture Dream Lake as I could find. I saw this very artsy looking log along the shore and decided it looked great with the reflection behind it.
Early morning up in RMNP is a beautiful experience. It’s painful to get yourself up for it, but I highly recommend hiking up there for dawn, whether you’re a photographer or not. After I was done taking pictures, I thoroughly enjoyed just sitting on the shore of the lake and observing the start of a new day (while swatting mosquitos, of course).
Mt. St. Helens - Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16mm, Singh-Ray Color Combo, f/22, 1/5
Just returned from a great trip to Portland, OR. This shot is one of those that surprises you after being discouraged by weather/light conditions. We had been told by the rangers that the mountain was obscured by clouds and not worth going out of our way to see. Well, good thing we pressed on because this beautiful field of wild flowers was one of the most spectacular I’ve seen. And I kinda like the fact that part of Mt. St. Helens is covered in clouds in this photo…it gives it a more mysterious quality.
Bryce Canyon - Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16mm, Singh-Ray Color Combo, f/18, 1/20, ISO 200
My brother and I just returned from a Memorial Day weekend photo outing in Southern Utah. From past trips around this time of year, we were expecting the usual weather…hot, dry and sunny during the day and cool at night. Instead, we experienced gray, stormy skies and near constant rain. The sun was seen for only a few rare and fleeting moments during the trip and on each occasion my brother and I scrambled to grab our cameras and capture whatever was being bathed in light. Most of the time, though, the sun was well behind a thunderstorm that was either raining on or threatening to rain on us. It was challenging to find creative ways of capturing the iconic Utah landscape without the low angle sunrise/sunset light that makes it look so stunning. I think I’m glad for the weather we had because we came home with some images that are probably more unique than the many other Utah photos out there. The photo above, however, was taken in one of those few moments where the sun broke through. Stay tuned for more images…
Early on in processing my Africa photos, I stumbled upon the Nik Software suite of plug-ins for Photoshop and Aperture. I had heard good things about Silver Efex Pro for converting color photos to black and white, but I was also in need of a output sharpening solution. So I decided to give their whole set of plugins a test drive. I immediately saw how powerful they were and bought the Complete Collection which includes Viveza (dodging and burning on steroids), Color Efex Pro (tons of useful color processing filters), Silver Efex Pro (black and white tools), Define (noise reduction), and Sharpener Pro (creative and output sharpening).
I have used at least one of these plugins on almost every single photo I have processed from my recent trip to Tanzania. The thing I love most about these plugins, is that they work as Smart Filters in Photoshop so I can work completely non-destructively. This has been a huge workflow victory because I generally create two versions of each photo…a screen version for display on the web and then a print version which is tweaked to look good printed with pigment inks on my favorite paper, Museo Silver Rag. I can easily go back to any stage of my editing process and change settings so that the image looks good for the output medium.
The feature that makes these plugins so powerful in the U point technology which lets you chose areas of the photo that you want to be affected by the plugin. It creates very accurate masks of whatever you’ve clicked on which greatly reduces the need to create complex layer masks to isolate certain areas of a photo. I just wish there was a way to export the masks that it creates so that I could use them with other Photoshop tasks.
I also use Capture NX 2 from Nik Software to initially process most of my RAW photos. Although Capture NX 2 is powerful, it does lack the nice intuitive user interface that the plugins have. In fact, Capture NX is so clunky, I sometimes find it hard to believe that it came out of the same company as the plugins. The reason I use it instead of Adobe Camera Raw or Aperture is that it is specially designed to process Nikon NEF RAW files and gives me access to some of the in-camera processing features on the Nikon cameras. In side by side comparisons, it also yields the sharpest RAW conversion between ACR and Aperture…although Aperture is a close second. Strangely, ACR is in distant last place in my quality tests of RAW conversion.
Anyway, I just thought I’d share my experience with the Nik Software plugins. If you’re curious, download the trial, but be prepared to fall in love and thus have to spend money :)
