Strobist rocks. Generous detailed lessons in dealing with light and a very helpful active community make it better than any photography class I could attend.
“Cooking Light” is the first assignment in the new Lighting 102 online “course”. The task seems easy at first — photograph a kitchen utensil. The hard part? Making a simple object look like fine art.
So, I figured I’d use one of the original Hawaiian kitchen utensils, the poi pounder! I didn’t have one though, but I was lucky enough to know someone who knows someone that does. Foliage was from my backyard.
This was actually light painted with a mini maglite snooted with my hand, 30 second exposure.
Check out the other great looking submissions too! I had a lot of fun with this one.
My friend Sunny got married this pass 7/7/7 on Coconut Island… and I offered to help take photos along with the professional photogs while trying not to get in their way (he hired two for the day). I was happy to do it to practice my strobist techniques especially since I didn’t have to worry about missing shots since the pros would get them.
vivitar 285hv on tree behind bride
"abetterbouncecard.com" for quick candids
direct vivitar285hv camera left - the "pros" tried taking photos facing the sun, but said the sun was "too bright" 
not for a strobist!
direct vivitar285hv camera left
this was their first dance…long exposure… no flash..
Looking back I really wish I spent more time planning a shot than worrying about where to put the light and what exposure, etc… can’t wait till the technical stuff becomes second nature. I really respect wedding photogs… the pressure is tremendous, and I’m not sure if I’d like to get into this field.
I also must note that the "professionals" doing the real job were both using on camera direct flash… for everything!…but I don’t want to judge their work without seeing their photos.
See the whole set here.
Congrats Sunny!
Aloha All! It’s officially the first day of summer! This only means one thing…Fun in the sun! It’s been a while since my last post so I’ll brief you all with whats been going on. As James had mentioned I have recently made the decision to take my obsession of photography to the next level and invested in a Canon EOS 30D digital camera! Unlike James, who is currently working on various flash lighting techniques by Strobist, I need to rely mostly on natural lighting only due to the fact that I lack the luxury of owning a flash. But as you all know now, We just ordered more and I’ll be getting my hands on one soon! Yippee!
For someone who has been using a point and shoot camera, upgrading to a SLR has been a whirlwind of fun! So many possibilities and even more to learn! Here’s some samples of what I have been doing so far with just natural lighting:
You can see more at Techy3’s very own Flickr page! Have a Happy and Fun Summer everyone!
Happy Chinese New Year from Techy3! These are photos were taken in Downtown Hilo and Kalakaua Park.
Da Grinds was mean! More photos at Big Island Grinds and my flickr.
This beautiful gourd was found at a local craft fair here in Hilo, Hawaii. I love how it’s almost a perfect circle and that some of the flower’s petals are curling up, adding a dynamic dimension to it, almost like the flowers are still alive.
Hand-cut and wood-burned, you can tell it took a lot of work with all the detail. I don’t remember the name of the artist, but the little marking on it says “Maekane”, I think?
Anyways, all this walking on campus during the hot day made me want to cool off with something cold… and what better way is there than to indulge in a frosty ice cream…So I decided to take a trip down to Hilo Homemade Ice Cream in Keaukaha with my girlfriend Stacy…Inspired by James’ Big Island Grinds Food Blog, I’m going to attempt to express my experience there…
In my opinion, I believe they make one of the best Ice Creams in Hawaii! Hilo Homemade Ice Cream emphasizes in using the freshest in Hawaii grown products and will definitely please anyones flavor palate.
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It was a beautiful day out in Hilo town, so I thought it might be a great opportunity to check out my old stomping ground where I ended up getting my college education and also where I first met my fellow techy3 parthers! Here’s a quick recap of where I spent some of my most exciting and memorable years…
As you might already know, I attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo where I ended up earning my degree…I really believe that they stand by their mission: To offer excellent undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in an extraordinary natural and cultural environment.
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The Big Island of Hawaii has beautiful black sand beaches, and Punalu’u, located on the south side of the Island, has one of the more accessible ones with great camping facilities. So, taking advantage of the recent long weekend and to celebrate our 4 years together, Bev and I went camping. Here are some photos.
A warm sunrise gently lights a row of coconut trees
White water on black sand
This guy was just chillin’
Our sweet camping spot 
You can check camping availability and get camping permits online at this site.
