« Previous topic | Next topic »  
Reply to topic  
 First unread post  | 7 posts | 
by E.J. Peiker on Tue Jun 19, 2018 1:21 pm
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86760
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
Hi folks,

After just returning from my 22nd trip to Hawaii over the last 32 years and visiting every island that is possible to visit for photography (and some that aren't anymore), I have rewritten and significantly expanded my "Photographing the Islands of Hawaii" guide and it is up in the articles section.  Please give it a read if you are going to Hawaii, thinking about it, or just want to know more about these amazing islands including a brief history...
https://www.naturescapes.net/articles/t ... i-islands/
 

by Richard B. on Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:42 pm
Richard B.
Lifetime Member
Posts: 283
Joined: 14 Feb 2004
Location: Central Massachusetts
Member #:01199
Well done E.J. and beautiful images. Interesting historical information adds to the value.

Thank you for doing this.

Richard B.
 

by WJaekel on Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:43 pm
User avatar
WJaekel
Forum Contributor
Posts: 663
Joined: 30 Jun 2007
Location: Germany
Thank you very much for this excellent article and images of these marvellous islands. I had visited Hawai'i in the late 1980s. Probably a lot has changed since then. Kauai'i and Big Island had been my favourites though the volcanic activity was low at that time and nowhere near spectacular as now.. My slides partly are faded, unfortunately, and I would love to return one day to rework all the places digitally.

Wolfgang
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:51 pm
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86760
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
WJaekel wrote:Thank you very much for this excellent article and images of these marvellous islands. I had visited Hawai'i in the late 1980s. Probably a lot has changed since then. Kauai'i and Big Island had been my favourites though the volcanic activity was low at that time and nowhere near spectacular as now.. My slides partly are faded, unfortunately, and I would love to return one day to rework all the places digitally.

Wolfgang
You are right, a lot has changed but by far the most affected is Kauai.  In the 1980's there were many places you could go and be in solitude, not so much today.  Also, the most disappointing thing to someone that has been going there for 30 years is how much of Kauai's beauty that was photographable back then and public has been swallowed up by mega wealthy individuals and made private with no access allowed.  This is true for large swaths of the northern shore.  Some former beautiful small beaches are now part of private estates.  The other islands, for the most part, still have the same areas available but just a lot more people visiting them.  That's why i love Lanai and Molokai so much, it's the real Hawaii as it was in the past.  I just wish there was a a really great place to stay on Molokai like there is on Lanai.
 

by WJaekel on Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:20 pm
User avatar
WJaekel
Forum Contributor
Posts: 663
Joined: 30 Jun 2007
Location: Germany
E.J. Peiker wrote:
WJaekel wrote:Thank you very much for this excellent article and images of these marvellous islands. I had visited Hawai'i in the late 1980s. Probably a lot has changed since then. Kauai'i and Big Island had been my favourites though the volcanic activity was low at that time and nowhere near spectacular as now.. My slides partly are faded, unfortunately, and I would love to return one day to rework all the places digitally.

Wolfgang
You are right, a lot has changed but by far the most affected is Kauai.  In the 1980's there were many places you could go and be in solitude, not so much today.  Also, the most disappointing thing to someone that has been going there for 30 years is how much of Kauai's beauty that was photographable back then and public has been swallowed up by mega wealthy individuals and made private with no access allowed.  This is true for large swaths of the northern shore.  Some former beautiful small beaches are now part of private estates.  The other islands, for the most part, still have the same areas available but just a lot more people visiting them.  That's why i love Lanai and Molokai so much, it's the real Hawaii as it was in the past.  I just wish there was a a really great place to stay on Molokai like there is on Lanai.
Wow, it's really sad that Kauai evidentally has changed so much. I didn't know that. I remember the Kalalau trail and the Napali coast as areas of unique beauty. I just had hiked a section at the intro of the trail but did not the 5,5 hours walk because I wasn't prepared to stay on the trail overnight. Anyway, if you walk slowly for photography it's difficult to manage the whole trail forth and back within one day. At that time I had hoped that I could do the whole trail once in the future but it seems impossible now given the changes and regulations. 30 years ago some hikers obviously had camped at the trail end for the night but the trail wasn't very crowded at that time. Right now, some parts seem to be closed because of flooding, too. I also did a Zodiac ride and a helicopter flight along the Napali coast though open door heli flights were not possible at that time -at least I didn't know about that option. An image of the Napali coast I had captured with Kodakchrome 64 during the boat trip still hangs on the wall in my room. I've been on daytrips on Molokai and Maui and have seen the Haleakala crater at sunrise. But I don't know Lanai. In the 1980s we had an exchange program with the Punahou High School on Oahu and I made friends with my exchange partner who is native Hawaiian and has visited me several times here in Germany. But he moved to Japan last year because his wife is Japanese. Anyway, in the meantime I've travelled to many parts of the world but the Hawaiian Islands simply are one of to most beautiful places on earth, IMO. So I still hope to revisit the islands sometime in the future though I have no concrete plans right now.

Wolfgang
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Jun 20, 2018 10:54 pm
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86760
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
Fortuantely all of the things you mentioned about Kauai are still there :) Just a whole lot more people now.
 

by Scott Fairbairn on Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:56 am
User avatar
Scott Fairbairn
Forum Contributor
Posts: 5131
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Member #:00437
Great write up, and I agree about the increase in people. I spent a couple of weeks in Kauai back in the early '90's and did the helicopter tour inside Wai’ale’ale, and it was one of the greatest experiences I've had. I was back a few years ago to Kauai, and it is so much busier than I remembered.
I've been to four or five of the islands over four trips, and Oahu was my least favourite, and that was back in the early '90's that I visited it. Very built up and endless numbers of people. The big island was fabulous, a bit of everything all on one island. We were lucky(although that is a subjective evaluation in light of what is occurring now) and volcanic activity was present, so I lucked out with lava flow images. We walked out to where the lava was flowing into the ocean, a truly incredible sight to see. They had placed signs up about the dangers and people being what they are; one character decided to through something into the lava. It promptly exploded into a plume of gas that blew in his face, and he spent the next few minutes coughing and gasping.
Thanks for the write-up and images, it brings back pleasant memories!
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by:  
7 posts | 
  

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group