Posts have been scarce lately due in part to a work schedule putting a crimp on available time. Plus the recent winter here in Hawaii hasn’t presented a lot of photo ops. Yes we have winter here. Typically it tends to be more overcast with rainy periods and strong trades. On a recent day my hang gliding friends got in a flight for the first time in weeks. After landing at Waimanalo Beach we found a new flight companion joined us.
There are several expressions you’ll hear in Hawaii. Lucky you live in Hawaii is repeated when we see people struggling in hip deep snow in the midwest or sliding down an icy street in the southwest. Plus we’ve been fortunate not to get pummeled by hurricanes like the Gulf Coast and eastern seaboard. Sitting above Makapuu Lookout waiting for my hang gliding friends to fly by I considered myself lucky indeed
Taking a picture is a matter of finding the right balance of elements. The right balance of light/dark, highlight/shadow, balancing complimentary colors. The composition of the picture is a matter of balance. Finding the most important part and placing it in the most effective place within the picture. It’s an AHA! moment when you get them all right.
When I took up photography, beyond point and shoot, in the days of film. The photography books I read provided advice for balancing. Using the right film speed, using neutral density and/or color filters, and bracketing. While I never developed my own film. I’m sure that required a balance of chemicals, paper and time.
Digital cameras make balancing “easier”. With HDR “High Dynamic Range”, bracketing an image with multiple exposures and then blending them together on a computer creates a better balanced image.
My Sony a700 comes with a feature called DRO (D-Range Optimizer) which tries to do the same thing within the camera. It won’t be long before camera sensors will be capturing in image without the need for bracketing. They will reproduce how our eyes “see”. “WYSIWYG” will come to photography.
At that point we’ll start using all those filter to create images we don’t normally see!
Hang Glider flying above Makapuu Beach
May 12th marked my one year association with the Hang Glider pilots on Oahu. I was at Makapuu Lookout taking pictures when a voice behind me asked if I’d like to take some pictures from a better spot. Turning around I saw a group of guys with hopeful looks on their faces. They were looking for someone to drive the car back down from the launch point to the landing zone. Having a driver means they can all fly.
I had a good time. Got some great pics. I’ve been helping out ever since. So far this year I’ve got over six thousand pics of them hang gliding and another 2500 of the paragliders. The number on my Smugmug site is considerably less than that.
I know what you’re probably thinking. Have I gone for a flight? WHAT!? Are you insane!? Why should I jump off a perfectly good cliff? I’ll help them do it instead.
Windows Live Writer
Tags: hang gliding, Waimanalo, waimanalo bay, Windows Live Writer
This afternoon I downloaded the new program from Microsoft that’s part of their Windows Live Essentials Suite. My initial impression is how easy to sync with my WordPress blog. The layout is clear ,uncluttered and all the commands are easy to see or find and use.
When you set it up it allows you to download the blog template you use on the blog. Inserting a picture is easy. Once inserted you can control the size, the type of border (this one has a drop shadow). a margin, text wrapping, and add a watermark. You can also change the picture to black and white or sepia; add sharpening or gaussian blur; and a few more effects.
I certainly like this over directly posting within the Dashboard or using Scribefire (my Firefox Add-on).
Plus, I can do something nifty, like add a map just for the heck of it.
You can also add plug-ins. Give it a look you might like.