Diamond Head Volcano

Diamond Head is one of the most famous landmarks on Oahu and the entire state of Hawaii. It has once been an active volcano, but hasn’t spewed any ashes for more than 150,000 years. The extinct crater and lookout point at the peak of it is a popular hiking destination for many. In fact, Diamond Head is one of the most photographed and painted spots on Oahu, adorning many wall calendars and postcards. So I naturally had to do the classic postcard shot as the sun set into the Pacific Ocean behind me.  

Looking East toward Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach

Located at the eastern end of Waikiki and right on the ocean, Diamond Head has already made an impression to early sailors. In 1825, British sailors noticed small sparkling calcite crystals in the beach sand nearby the crater and named the mountain Diamond Hill. This name was later changed to Diamond Head. This is how the crater got its English name.The Hawaiian name for Diamond Head is Le‘ahi, a contraction of lae, meaning point of land and ‘ahi, meaning yellowfin tuna. So Le‘ahi means “point (of the) ahi fish.” From a distance, the mountain looks like the dorsal fin of the ahi fish, hence its Hawaiian name Le‘ahi.

Honolulu from the summit of Diamond Head

I thought it would be great to hike up to the top of Diamond Head and take some beautiful sunrise photos and night scenes of the city of Honolulu. There was only one problem, it is a state park, and it does not open that early. ( I think 06:30 Hrs.) Soooooooooo I had to find another way in and made the hike up in total darkness. Diamond Head Crater measures 3,520 feet across and 760 feet in height. A hiking trail leads from the crater up to a lookout point. But be prepared to climb some stairs. In fact, there are two stairs, one has 99 steps and a second one has 76 steps. There’s also a 225-foot hardly lit tunnel through which you’ll have to go. The tunnel is a remnant of the former military use of the crater. So you should be in good physical condition to do the hike.(Which I am not, so I was pretty gassed) But it’s definitely worth the effort once you reach the top.

As usual, Murphy's Law kicked in for me on this hike. I had not attached my tripod plate to my camera yet and had left it attached to the tripod. Well somewhere along the route of sneaking in and hiking in total darkness, my camera plate fell out of my tripod on the way up. So when I finally caught my breath and started to set up my camera I noticed the missing plate. This rendered my tripod useless. So I had to prop my camera on a concrete ledge of the lookout platform at the top and use my self-timer on the camera.

           Sunrise looking East from the top of Diamond Head

There are many things to see do while you are visiting the Island of Oahu, but if you are physically able, you will want to make the hike to the top. Amazing views that go on forever to the curve of the earth. As for my now useless tripod, I had to go buy another new tripod since no camera store could get me the correct plate for mine. I then shipped my useless tripod home in the new tripod box. Let me tell you that shipping stuff from Hawaii is expensive. 

                                                     

Pearl Harbor

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When my wife and I finally decided to plan a trip to the Hawaiian Islands I was really excited for all the amazing wonders I knew that I was finally going to get to see with my own eyes. But before I could go see all the natural beauty and amazing scenery that the islands have to offer, I had to first go the place I wanted to visit more than any other, Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial.

Pearl Harbor as my plane is on final approach to Honolulu Airport

December 7th, 1941, "A date that will live in infamy" - President Franklin D. Roosevelt.That phase has been burned into my memory since I was a small child studying history. I had always wanted to visit and pay my respects to those brave soldiers, airmen, and seamen that lost their lives  during that horrible sneak attack that drew the United States of America into World War II.

Entrance to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor

If you plan to visit the Arizona Memorial  while you are on the Island of Oahu, I recommend getting to the memorial as soon as they open. The crowds that come to visit and tour the memorial are massive. I arrived early and the lines to get in were extremely long. No matter, I would have waited all day.   

The memorial that is attached to the sunken battleship Arizona

The USS Arizona (BB-39) was a Pennsylvania-class battleship of the United States Navy. Shortly after 08:00, a bomb dropped by a high-altitude Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bomber from the Japanese carrier Kaga hit the side of the #4 turret and glanced off into the deck below, starting a small fire but causing minimal damage.At 08:06, a bomb from a Hiryū "Kate" hit between and to port of Turrets #1 & 2. The subsequent explosion — which destroyed the forward part of Arizona — was due to the detonation of the ammunition magazine, located in an armored section under the deck. The massive explosion ripped through the forward part of the ship.

                                The names of the 1,177 crew killed in the attack

Due to large crowds that are moved through the memorial, I did not get to spend nearly enough time there as I would have liked. It is a very moving experience, and it is one of the few places I have been where everyone was quiet and respectful.                                                                                

    

                                           

#3 Gun Turrent USS Arizona

The Arizona continues to leak fuel oil into the harbor causing a slight oily film to be observed on the water.

Anchored nerby is the USS Missouri, site of the Japanese Surrender. It is also open to tours, but I did not get to that as the lines were just to long. Hopefully on my next trip. I would love to stand on the deck next to the spot where that surrender was signed. 

                                              

                        USS Missouri ( BB-63)

On the launch pulling away from the memorial

Ths is my favorite photograph from my trip to Pearl Harbor. As the launch pulled away and headed back. I stepped to the rear of the boat and framed in the waving flag from the back of the boat. Although I did some more sight seeing later in the day, it was not nearly as enjoyable as it could have been. I just kept thinking of what happened that day Pearl Harbor was attacked, and how so many of the men killed there had no chance to even fight back. I am so grateful for all the men and women that serve our country!

Have a great weekend...............

Sunrise At 10,000 Feet

In February of 2005 I was finally able to make a trip to the Hawaiian Islands. I spent 10 days trying to see as much as I possibly could fit in on three of the islands. The islands are truly a paradise. I had just purchased my first digital SLR, a Canon 20D. I knew I would not be happy with the kit lens so I dug into the piggy bank and also bought a Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L wide angle zoom. Being able to only afford one good lens, I opted for the wide angle since I figured I would be doing mostly landscape photography there. For the most part this ended up being a good choice, but there were times it was very limiting.

Sunrise from the summit of Haleakala Volcano

I had watched a special on the travel channel of the things you must do when you visit the Hawaiian Islands, and high on the list was traveling to the summit of the Haleakala Volcano to watch the sunrise. Haleakala National Park is located on the Island of Maui, near the costal town of Lahaina. So I set the alarm for 4:30am and made the 2 hour drive to the summit at just over 10,000 feet. When I left my hotel at sea level it was about 75 degrees, and at the summit it was about 30 degrees with a strong 30+ mph wind. This sent the wind cill factor to single digits. I have watched many beautiful and inspirational sunrises in my lifetime, but I will admit that watching the sun come up above the clouds at 10,000 feet gave me goose bumps and had me completely awe struck. I was so riveted watching the light come up that almost forgot to take photographs.

Haleakala in Hawaiian means "House of the Sun". I cannot think of a more fitting name.

 

                Inside the crater of Haleakala Volcano

From the summit you look down into a massive depression some 7 miles across, 2 miles wide, and nearly 2,600 feet deep. The surrounding walls are steep and the interior mostly barren-looking with a scattering of volcanic cones. The potentially active volcano has produced numerous eruptions in the last 30,000 years, including in the last 500 years.

 Silver Sword

One of the most fascinating members of the sunflower family is the infamous silver sword that grows in the cinders of Haleakala Crater on the island of Maui. The rosettes of sword-shaped leaves are covered with silvery hairs that reflect light and heat and provide insulation against the intense solar radiation and extreme aridity of this 10,000 foot volcanic mountain. In addition, the leaves contain air spaces filled with a gelatinous substance that absorbs and stores large quantities of water during the intervels between rains. This stored water is especially important when the plant blooms, because the fast-growing flower stalk requires a lot of moisture as it develops into a massive inflorescence. Another subspecies of silver sword grows on the upper slopes of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. Pretty amazing to stand and look at a plant that only grows in the small area of the summit of the volcano. 

If you ever make a trip to the Hawaiian Islands, this is a must see place to visit.

The Saint Louis Zoo

When I have a desire to shoot the more exotic wildlife of the world, I again consult my checkbook and figure out that an African safari is out of the question and still only a dream. So I do the next best thing and I visit the Saint Louis Zoo. Now if you are from the St. Louis area and have visited the zoo, you appreciate how really great it is. The Saint Louis Zoo is consistently rated as one of the top zoo's in the country. The best part is it is free. Now let me repeat that. No admission, It is free!

                                  Amur Tiger

I really enjoy visiting  zoos, and do so whenever I travel to a destination that has one. I cannot recall ever getting into any other zoo free. They all have an admission charge of some type. Many are way over priced for what they offer, but I understand that it is very costly to run a zoo. So I am happy to pay the entrance fee to help support that institution. 

                                            

                                Polar Bear

The Saint Louis Zoo is celebrating it's 100th anniversary this year. They continue upgrade and expand the facilities there. The animal exhibits are designed to resemble their natural habitat and give the animals as much space as they can. The zoo is a world class facility, and I am lucky to get to visit as often as I do. 

                        Python

As a photographer the Saint Louis Zoo is a great place to visit and create some amazing photographs. My goal on each visit is to come away with great photographs of the animals and the viewer not be able to say that is a zoo shot. I can't always accomplish that, but I will work extra hard to find a background or odd shooting angle to make the scene look as natural as I possibly can. Many times it will be a very tightly cropped shot, or carefully selected DOF to blur the background .

 

          Crested Screamer - South America

Not only do I enjoy creating a good photograph, but I also enjoy learning as much about the animals as I can. I doubt I may ever see many of the animals I  photograph at the various zoos in the wild. I am not here to debate the whole issue of  keeping perfectly healthy animals in zoos, or the whole other issue of shooting captive verses wild animals. My personal opnion is zoos are vital for education and research into protecting and saving many species.  

                                                

                Chinese Water Dragon

There are many factors that work against you as a photographer shooting at a zoo such as bars, wires, horrible lighting and backgrounds. But the good thing is the animals are accessible and not bothered by your presence. This allows you to take your time and figure out how to create the best possible shot. In the wild you may only have a few seconds to get a few frames off before the animal dissapears.

 

                        Grizzley Bear

I took Wednesday off  last week since the weather was going to be perfect. Although the zoo does not offically open until 9:00am, I walked in at 7:00am and found plenty to shoot and had the place to myself except for the keepers working in their areas. All was going well until every grade school in the metropolitian St. Louis area showed up at 9:00am for their field day at the zoo. WOW! It would have been safer to climb into the bear pits to avoid the mobs, but I beat a hasty retreat and got out before I was trampled by thousands of out of control children. So if you live in the Saint Louis area, you ought to visit the zoo again just to realize how lucky you are to have a world class zoo so close to you. If you are ever visiting St. Louis, put this place on your must see list.  Here is a link to the offical zoo website:  http://www.stlzoo.org/

I hope you found this useful. Let me know if you think they look like zoo shots, or something a cut above that.

Thanks,

Scott

My Own Yard

While I am always dreaming about going to amazing places to photograph nature and wildlife, the reality is I will not get to those places very often. I will check my bank balance and say, nope, not going anywhere real soon. Then I might feel sorry for myself for awhile, but I just have to grab my camera and step outside.

   

I live in a condominium in the middle of a mid-sized town. Now my condo. is actually a duplex on a small cul de sac. I do have a very small yard. Between my wife planting flowers everywhere, and  me putting up several different types of bird feeders, We have managed to create a micro sized wildlife habitat. 

All the photographs in this post, and many others you may see here or in my portfolio on my website, were shot in my postage stamp sized yard. It is easy to make excuses about not having somewhere to go shoot, but that does not cut it. There is plenty of things to shoot in your own yard. You just have to look and find it.

I came home the other evening and found a wild turkey eating some seed on the ground under one of my feeders. Even in an urban environment there is plenty of chances to capture some amazing wildlife photos with a little planning and desire. If you are, or want to be a good photographer, you will find a way to get the shot.

 

I have located feeders and bird baths in specific locations to maximize my available light and shooting angles from my back pourch. (Hey I don't want to work to hard) My wife's flower beds provide many macro opportunities of both flower and insect shots. 

So you see I have no excuse, even if I only have a few minutes, I can usually find something in my own yard.

No excuses! Get out there and make some good photographs!

Butterflies

One of my favorite subjects to photograph are butterflies. They are amazing creatures. The intricate colors, patterns, and detail found in their physical makeup all have a distinct purpose. Butterflies are beautiful, flying insects with large scaly wings. Like all insects, they have six jointed legs, 3 body parts, a pair of antennae, compound eyes, and an exoskeleton. The three body parts are the head, thorax (the chest), and abdomen (the tail end).

                                                       

                    Hairstreak Butterfly on a Cone Flower

The butterfly's body is covered by tiny sensory hairs. The four wings and the six legs of the butterfly are attached to the thorax. The thorax contains the muscles that make the legs and wings move. 

                                        

                                 Achilles Morpho Butterfly

These patterns or markings can be everything from camouflage to a warning to stay away that they are poisonous. The monarch Butterfly is poisonous to many creatures because it feeds solely on Milkweed which is a poisonous plant. The Viceroy Butterfly has evolved to look almost exactly like a Monarch Butterfly, but since it does not feed on Milkweed, it is not poisonous. Due to its almost perfect resemblance to the Monarch, many creatures avoid trying to eat it.

Monarch Butterfly on a Milkweed Plant

Butterflies are very good fliers. They have two pairs of large wings covered with colorful, iridescent scales in overlapping rows. Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) are the only insects that have scaly wings. The wings are attached to the butterfly's thorax.. Veins support the delicate wings and nourish them with blood.

                               Silver Spotted Skipper Butterfly

Butterflies can only fly if their body temperature is above 86 degrees. Butterflies sun themselves to warm up in cool weather. As butterflies age, the color of the wings fades and the wings become ragged. The speed varies among butterfly species (the poisonous varieties are slower than non-poisonous varieties). The fastest butterflies (some skippers) can fly at about 30 mile per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies fly about 5 mph.

Yellow Sulpher Butterfly on New England Aster

Butterflies are found all over the world and in all types of environments: hot and cold, dry and moist, at sea level and high in the mountains. Most butterfly species, however, are found in tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests. Many butterflies migrate in order to avoid adverse environmental conditions (like cold weather). Butterfly migration is not well understood. Most migrate relatively short distances (like the Painted Lady, the Red Admiral, and the Common Buckeye), but a few (like some Monarchs) migrate thousands of miles.

                                           

                       Rice Paper or Paper Kite Butterfly 

Photographing butterflies is not extremely difficult, but to get the very best results I use a 180mm macro lens and a tripod. The longer focal length gives me more space to work so I do not have to get close and scare the butterfly. Also the longer focal length allows me to create the more soft out of focus backgrounds. The use of the tripod will almost always give you sharper images over hand held shots. I photograph them from my backyard butterfly garden to exotic butterfly houses. You can never have enough good butterfly photos in your portfolio.

The Wood Stork

The Wood Stork - Mycteria americana is a large American wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was formerly called the "Wood Ibis", though it is not really an Ibis.

            Wood Stork wading in Ding Darling NWR, Sanibel, FL.

The adult is a large bird 33-45 in tall and has a 58-71 inch wingspan. Males typically weigh 5.5-7.3 lbs. Females weigh 4.4-6.2 lbs. Although large birds are up to 10 lbs.

 Striking a pose, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Naples FL.

 It appears all white on the ground, with blackish-gray legs and pink feet. In flight, the trailing edge of the wings is black. The head is dark brown with a bald, black face, and the thick downcurved bill is dusky yellow. Juvenile birds are a duller version of the adult, generally browner on the neck, and with a paler bill.

                Notice the bubble gum pink feet of the  Wood Stork 

These waders feed on minnows in shallow water by using their bills to perform a rare and effective fishing technique. The stork opens its bill and sticks it into the water, then waits for the touch of an unfortunate fish that wanders too close. When it feels a fish, the stork can snap its bill shut in as little as 25 milliseconds—an incredibly quick reaction time matched by few other vertebrates.The storks prefer to employ this technique in isolated pools created by tides or falling freshwater levels, where fish congregate en masse. In some areas, such as Florida, breeding begins with the dry season that produces these optimal fishing conditions.

                                                   

Closeup portrait on a foggy morning, Ding Darling NWR. Sanibel FL.

Though wood storks eat small fish, they eat a lot of them. An average nesting pair, with two fledglings, may eat over 400 pounds of fish during a single breeding season.Wood storks are social animals. They feed in flocks and nest in large rookeries—sometimes several pairs to a single tree. Females lay two to five eggs, which both sexes incubate for about one month. Young fledge about two months after hatching.

Wood Stork in flight over Ding Darling NWR, Sanibel FL.

                                                                           

Wood storks breed in the southeastern United States and are the only stork to breed in the U.S. They also breed in Central and South America from Mexico to Argentina. Though U.S. populations are endangered—probably because of the loss of optimal feeding habitat—the South American stork populations are in better shape. This species seems to have evolved in tropical regions; its North American presence probably postdates the last ice age. 

New Website

I ran out of time to do a long post for today. I have some other projects I had to finish and I have been working on my new website. Although I still have galleries and photos to add to the site, I have it up and it has replaced m old site. Please take a look and let me know what you think.

http://www.scotteversphotography.net/

Great Smokey Mountains National Park

Receving 8-10 million visitors a year makes Great Smokey Mountains National Park the most visted park in the National Park Sysytem. It encompasses 814 square miles, making it one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States. The main park entrances are located along U.S. Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) at the towns of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Cherokee, North Carolina. It was the first national park whose land and other costs were paid for in part with federal funds; previous parks were funded wholly with state money or private funds.

View toward Gatlinburg TN from the park

The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to southwest through the centerline of the park.

View from the top of Clingman's Dome

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a hiker's paradise with over 800 miles of maintained trails ranging from short leg-stretchers to strenuous treks that may require backcountry camping. But hiking is not the only reason for visiting the Smokies. Car camping, fishing, picnicking, wildlife viewing and auto touring are popular activities.

Cades Cove Barn

The park has a number of historical attractions. The most well-preserved of these (and most popular) is Cades Cove, a valley with a number of preserved historic buildings including log cabins, barns, and churches. Cades Cove is the single most frequented destination in the national park. Self-guided automobile and bicycle tours offer the many sightseers a glimpse into the way of life of old-time southern Appalachia. Other historical areas within the park include Roaring Fork, Cataloochee, Elkmont, and the Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill at Oconaluftee.

                              

                                                                         Trail to Laurel Falls

When I visted the park in early November, the fall colors were past their peak, but still amazing to see. I was only going to have a couple days to photograph so my plan was to do mostly lndscape photography and wildlife on another visit. On my first day my wife and I hiked up the trail to Laurel Falls to do some waterfall photos. 

                                                                          Laural Falls

I had just started taking a couple photos and picked up my tripod to change locations. I was walking on some sloping rock that was wet and moss covered. My feet went out from under me so fast I had no chance to catch myself. I rotated my body instinctivly to try and protect my camera. I hit directly on my left shoulder full force. (camera and tripod on same shoulder) This caused some bad things to happen! I smashed my Canon 40D, Canon 16-35mm L series II lens, and my tripod. I really torn up my shoulder pretty bad, although I was way more concerned about my equipment.. Watching my 16-35 lens bouncing across the rocks was more painful at that moment than my shoulder which was numb. Luckily I did not go over the next falls as that was a really far drop.

Road through the park

So after picking up all my busted gear, I had a 1.5 mile hike back down the mountain. My wife was insisting I go to the hospital, but since I had just got there and did not have many photos yet I decided against that. Besides, I had my older 20D body as a backup and my trusty 70-200mm f2.8L IS. So for the rest of that day, and all the next day I was a one armed photographer shooting with only a 70-200mm lens and using a mono pod for my only support. After returning home I did have a torn rotator cuff and major ligament damage in  my shoulder. A major surgery and 6 months of rehab. fixed that, and insurance covered most of the camera equipment.  

Fall colors in the woods

I am planning a return trip this fall to capture the fall colors and beauty of this great park. Here is a link from the National Park service with great information on the park.

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

Small Shore Birds

I love the beach! Listening to the waves, soaking up the warm sun, and watching the small shore birds run back and forth feeding in the receding waves. It always adds to the enjoyment when you have a comfortable beach chair and a cooler full of Corona's and some cut up limes!

Sanderling watching the tide, Ft. Myers Beach, FL.

Getting good quality photographs of these little guys is a bit of a challenge though. They seem to get pretty close , but when you really realize how small they are, you need a pretty good focal length to fill the frame. 

 

Wilson's Plover, Sarasota Beach, FL.

A focal length of at least 300mm is needed, but 400-500mm would be better. Then getting down low to their level is really necessary to make some good photographs. So getting down low right at the tide line means you are probably going to get a little wet. 

Willet missing on a grab for food, Estero Lagoon, Ft. Myers Beach, FL.

Some of the birds such as Plovers, Willets, Skimmers, Seagulls, Terns, and others are bigger and will fill the frame easier than the little Sanderlings, and Sand Pipers.

Ruddy Turnstone, Sanibel Island Beach, Sanibel, FL

These little guys run really fast so your shutter speed needs to be between 750-1000 of a second to freeze the action and get a sharp image. The good thing is the light at the beach is pretty bright, so there is usually no problem being able to shoot at a very high shutter speed.

Black Skimmers, Naples FL.

On the photo of the skimmers I went for more depth of field to keep them all fairly sharp. When shooting single birds I really like the effect of the shallow DOF that you can create shooting wide open with a fast lens.

                                                                 

Sanderling scratching an itch, Sanibel Island Beach, Sanibel, FL.

On my last trip to Florida, Canon Professional Services was kind enough to loan me an 800mm lens to try out. That made phtographing the little guys fairly easy. Just set my tripod up at ground level right at the tide line. I could fill the frame with a tiny Sanderling that was still 30 feet away and totally unaware of me.  

There are a large and varied amount shore birds in just the USA alone, and I have only covered a few here. Guess I will just have to go back to the beach to keep photographing.