Outriggers

Paddlers in the two outrigger canoes practice for racing seaon in Ke‘ehi Lagoon one Sunday afternoon.

I thought the sepia tones would give this photo a nostalgic flair, especially without any buildings in the background.

Spinning Fan

Is this CFM56 main fan spinning for real? I hope not ... otherwise I'll be puréed. That would ruin my day, huh?

Glassy Falls

The waterfalls at Tamarind Park are so clear and smooth it looks liquid glass flowing over the edge.

Wedded Bliss

Josh & Sheri entered a life together of wedded bliss in a beautiful ceremony and reception yesterday. Today's photo was taken during the photo shoot before the wedding ceremony. Photographer Jayson Tanega did a great job taking the photos for Josh & Sheri's wedding. I got to attend the wedding as a guest, though I did take a few photos for fun.

Josh & Sheri, may the two of you have an awesome marriage and life together!

Josh & Sheri

Hope968 worship team members Josh & Sheri "tie the knot" today. I got this shot while taking photos of the worship team, for a CD they were recording to distribute to the congregation. I wanted some artsy shots to throw in, and got this one of Josh's and Sheri's guitars.

Not Afraid

This cardinal does not seem to be intimidated of the water fountain spouting as it takes a bath. The water looks like some sort of monster wanting to attack the bird.

Centerpiece

These used aircraft engine cylinder heads were used as a table centerpiece for a party held for an aviator at the airport.

Red Hot Poker

There was a sign below the tree, and that's what these flowers are called! At first, I thought it was a lehua plant, but not so. Trippy-looking flower, huh?

2007 Great Aloha Run

The Great Aloha Run is a President's Day tradition in Honolulu. Beginning from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium, runners and walkers make the eight mile trek that traverses Nimitz and Kamehameha Highways. Over 18,500 people particpated in this year's edition, which was founded by entertainer Carole Kai.

The finish line is seen here along with the JumboTron at 6am, before the runners arrive.

President's Day

Commemorating President's Day ... honoring our nation's founding president George Washington, and the leaders that followed, and our current persident, George W. Bush.

"Old Glory" hangs among the flags of the 32 teams of National Football League inside one of the spiral walkways at Aloha Stadium for the 2007 NFL Pro Bowl.

I was trying to catch the sunlight through the flag ... it worked ... sort of.

Giant Fountain?

I shot this fountain at a local high-rise condominium while waiting for a friend to take to dinner. A couple of times before, I looked at the fountain, knowing there was a cool photo I could take of it. I also knew the final image had to be monochrome, but I didn't think it would look good in sepia ... I was wrong.

Another friend who saw this photo, thought the fountain was about 20 feet tall(?). He was surprised to find how tall the fountain really is.

Thanks Cris for the opportunity to take this photo.

Happy Face

The blue and gold stripes make it seem that this jet is smiling for the camera. The long nose of the MD-80, combined with the eyebrow cockpit windows, and the right striping gives the impression of a smiling jet. For those old enough to remember Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), they had a smile painted on to their entire fleet, and was well-known for their "Grinning Birds".

This China Eastern Airlines MD-82 is taking a break at HNL after island hopping across the Pacific from Shanghai, China. It's headed for the Arizona desert, after being retired from the China Eastern fleet.

I got this head-on shot while photographing the rest of this bird for the HNL RareBirds blog.

Scoop Net

Kids spending an afternoon searching for little fishies in Nu‘uanu Stream with their scoop nets.

Moonrise Over Diamond Head

A full moon rises over Diamond Head with coconut trees and canoes in the foreground. Only in Hawai‘i!

It was definitely worth the wait for the moonrise to be directly behind Diamond Head. The best part was the aura the moonlight cast before rising above one of Honolulu's famous landmarks.

Happy Valentine's Day!

To all the special women in my life ... :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bird In Flowers

This Mejiro feeds on the nectar of the lehua flowers. I saw the "white-eyes" while videotaping a wedding at Kawai‘ahao Church, and fortunately had my still camera with me.

Aloha ‘Oe Tiki Barber

New York Giants running back Tiki Barber played in his final NFL game, in Saturday's NFL Pro Bowl. Barber announced earlier this season, his retirement from professional football after a ten-year career, all with the Giants. Barber is seen here resting between offensive series under a Big Fog misting fan late in the fourth quarter.

In the Pro Bowl, Barber scored the first NFC touchdown (and the game's first), on a one-yard plunge. He finished the day with four yards rushing on seven attempts, and one catch for eight yards. Barber also had one pass attempt that was intercepted by Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed, on a halfback option throw intended for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver.

During the two-minute warning of the second half, the NFL showed a highlight reel of Barber on the Aloha Stadium JumboTron. The fans gave Tiki a standing ovation after the video, and he responded with a wave back from the huddle. The game also provided Tiki one last opportunity to play with (instead of against) twin brother Ronde, a cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

AFC Wins 2007 NFL Pro Bowl

San Diego Chargers place kicker Nate Kaeding of the AFC (#10 white jersey) watches the ball split the uprights in the walk-off field goal, while Buffalo Bills punter Brian Moorman (#8) celebrates in yesterday's 2007 NFL Pro Bowl.

In one of the best finishes in Pro Bowl history, the American Football Conference (AFC) all-stars beat the National Football Conference (NFC) all-stars by a field goal, 31 - 28. The winning field goal was made possible by a defensive pass interference penalty on the NFC at the three yard line, when Cincinnati Bengals qurterback Carson Palmer threw an attempt to teammate Chad Johnson. Kaeding hit a 21-yard chip shot with four seconds left before the snap. The crowd were on their feet as Kaeding made his game-winning attempt, and erupted as the kick converted.

The only press photographer to get Kaeding's winning field goal was Dennis Oda of the Honolulu Star*Bulletin.

Pro Bowl Ohana Day 2007

The National Football League holds Ohana Day the day before the Pro Bowl, the NFL All-Star Game. It features performances by team mascots, and all-star NFL cheerleaders [above]; and NFL all-star player warm-ups. Some of the mascots and players signed autographs, and posed for photos with fans. Both the AFC and the NFC teams did their run throughs separately. There were also on-field activities and contests with the fans as well.

The 2007 Pro Bowl was moved to Saturday, thus Ohana Day was on a Friday. The NFL and Aloha Stadium hosted 5th graders from around O‘ahu with their own section and lunch.

Getting shots of the NFL cheerleaders ... What a tough assignment! Somebody's gotta do it. :-)

Gone Fishin'

I was doing a model shoot, and got this photo while we were taking a break. I thought the sunlight sparkling off of the water was a great background to cast the silouhette. Don't know if the guy caught any fish.

Orbs

Some of the water droplets look like they are complete glass spheres resting the surface of the leaves.

Candle & Bouquet

A lit votive candle and a red rose bridal bouqet rest on the head table at Kirk & Merilyn's wedding reception.

Gulfstream G550 - Part 1

Hmm ... got an extra $50 million laying around? And tired of those long TSA lines at the airport? Here's a solution ... a Gulfstream G550 private jet. It has room enough for you and 12 of your closest people to fly anywhere within 5,000 miles. Once you experience this, you'll never want to fly commercial again. Well, maybe first class would come a distant second. I'll post a photo of the interior later on.

I had the opportunity to check out this G550, when it stopped off at HNL on its way to Singapore for an airshow. Made friends with one of the marketing guys from Gulfstream, and invited me to tour the jet. It was one of the quickest decions I ever had to make. :-)

Big Palm Leaf

When I saw this big palm leaf, I knew that the photo had to end up as a black and white photo. I shot this palm leaf at Foster Botanical Gardens, on an afternoon shooting photos with Kekiinani (see link on the right). She came up with some great shots as well.

A Day At The Races

The Hawai‘i Radio Control Car League holds RC car races in the parking lot of Honolulu Communtiy College's Aviation Trade School. It was a good way to shoot with high shutter speeds. These cars have been clocked over 50 mph on a long straight-away!

Final Approach For Runway 26L

I got these four airliners making their landing approach for HNL's "Reef Runway" 26L last night, in a five minute exposure from Kaka'ako Waterfront Park. Due to the chilly northwesterly winds, the air traffic was re-routed to the reverse pattern (east to west), in which all flights make their final approach abeam Waikiki, and the southern O‘ahu coastline. A couple of guys were night fishing as seen by one of their fishing rods in the right edge of the frame.

Queen Emma Lilies

These Queen Emma Lilies are in full bloom. I found this hedge on the campus of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. The flowers were named after one of the Na Ali‘i of Hawai‘i. Queen Emma was the wife of King Kamehameha IV, and the foundress of the Queen's Medical Center.

Winglet At Dusk

The left Blended Winglet of an Aloha Airlines 737-76N(W), N740AL "Kamohoali‘i" (c/n 28640), as the sun sets behind us while we are 33,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, headed to the John Wayne Airport (SNA - Orange County, CA).

Can you believe today is already February 1st!?! Wow!!! January went by wa-a-ay too fast!