A few years ago we were visiting our youngest son, Jon, on the Big Island in Hawaii. As is his nature, he took us to a place that wasn't exactly easy to get to but which was stunning in it beauty. It is called the Waipio Valley. This is a small creek that we encountered and I would have liked to have had much more time here. As it was, because we had two cars full of family members, I had about 5 minutes to photograph this spot. Maybe next time. . .
Hawaii
A Walk On the Moon?
in Travel
This is clearly not the moon. It is the kind of terrain you will find at South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. If you have never been to Hawaii, I hope you get to the Big Island because there are such amazing contrasts. It has lush, tropical rain forests, and nearly barren, wind-swept areas like the one pictured here. And it has everything in between, including rolling cattle ranches.This photo was taken very near the famous Green Sand Beach, which our son Jon took us to several years ago. Getting there was difficult but well worth it. I doubt I would have gone if it hadn't been for Jon. It is also close to the spot where you can jump off the most southern point in the US.
Swan Dive
Some peered cautiously over the edge (me). Some jumped in feet first (Brian). And one did a swan dive (nicknamed "Grom.")This was taken at a place called South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. I don't know Grom's real name but I do know that he was very athletic and half crazy, from what my son Jon told me.
11-22-09 Parallel Universe
in Nature
These furry objects are part of the reproductive system of a tropical flower. I call this photo "Parallel Universe" because the casual observer often misses the minute and often fascinating details of things like the not-so-private parts of flowers.
05-17-09 Maui Seascape
in Travel
By Scott Shephard
We were at a road-side turn-out watching for whales when this very fast sailboat came into the picture. From the speed of the boat, I'm guessing it's a catamaran. Life is good on Maui!
Canon 5D 1/250s f/11.0 ISO160 24mm
05-09-09 Green Abstraction
in Nature
This is close-up of one of the many plants growing in the back yard of the house we stayed at on the Big Island in 2006.
;
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
05-02-09 Starfish Cactus - Hawaii
This photo was taken with a macro lens, which allows the camera to get within inches of the subject. The actual cactus is hard to see in this photo and the flower itself is less than 1" across. When my son, Jon, who lives in Hawaii, saw the photo, he said I was lucky to get this photo since they don't bloom very often. I wish I hadn't cut the tips off the ends of the star - I need to go back to Hawaii to get it right!
Canon 5D 1/30s f/10.0 ISO250 100mm
;
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
04-10-09 Eucalyptus Tree - Maui, Hawaii
The Hana Highway on the east coast of Maui covers 50 miles of some of the beautiful scenery I have seen. There is an amazing variety of vegetation but the eucalyptus trees that grow here caught my attention. They are so different from anything South Dakotans like me are used to seeing - especially their colorful, camouflage "bark."
My family waited while I got out of the car and photographed a small grove of these stately trees. From all of the photos I took, this is the one that seemed to best represent the nature of this tree.
Canon 5D 1/320s f/13.0 ISO400 24mm (Canon 24-105 f/4.0L IS)
03-20-09 Mauna Kea - View East At Sunset
in Travel
13,350 feet
03-03-09 Take A Leap (01)
in Travel
By Scott Shephard
This is South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. South Point is billed as the southern-most point of the United States. So why not jump off the edge of the US? I didn't jump but my son, Brian, did. I love the scream that seems to be frozen at the time the photo was taken. It turns out that Brian over-rotated and landed a little on his tailbone, which hurt for a few days after this jump. I sometimes use this picture to illustrate the concept of a "leap of faith." It is one of my favorite family photos.
Canon 1D f16 1/640 Lens unknown 28mm iso500
02-23-09 Rain Drenched Leaves - Hawaii
We were visiting our son Jon, who lives in Kona, Hawaii, in March, 2008, and ended up driving to the famous Painted Church, which is about 30 minutes from Kona. Though Kona is on the sunny side of the island, it had just rained, which was fine, because the overcast skies created a very soft light and the rain left all of the vegetation sprinkled with water. This is a very simple photo: the green stripes, the random arrangement of the leaves and the rain drops create the interest. I shoot a lot of vegetation and find that dark green is especially hard to shoot because in trying to expose the dark part of the photo, the highlights are easily blown out. Maybe this photo appeals to me right now because as I look out my window, I see snow.
Canon 5D, 24-105 4.0, f7.1, 1/125, 400 iso