A Hawaiian canoe paddles during sunset near Poipu Beach. (d)

Butterfly near spouting horn. By using a large aperture (the size of the opening that allows light to enter while
the camera shutter is open) or, smaller f-stop, I am able to selectively limit the depth of field.
The limited depth of field keeps the butterfly sharply in focus, while intentionally de-focusing the distracting fauna in the background.
Longer lenses (telephoto) tend to pronouce this selective focus effect more easily at larger apertures.
The converse is that smaller apertures, or larger f stops, lengthen the depth of field (what's in focus), however, since
the aperture is smaller, you need to keep the shutter open longer (slower speed) to fully expose your flim or CCD. (d)

Kilauea Lighthouse. (d)

I barely caught this Humpback whale jumping during a sunset cruise.
I used an 80-400mm lens with image stabilization mostly zoomed near the 400mm range to catch up to his 45 tons leaping.
These Humpback whales swim 3,000 miles from Alaska to spend winters near Hawaii from December through April.(d)

Once you spot the whale, you have to aim your camera, zoom and frame your shot, focus, and shoot immediately before
the jump is over - if all this takes more than about one second or so, you will miss the shot.
This picture could be a bit sharper, but I'm pleased at having seen him at all. (d)

An endangered Monk Seal resting on Kauai's South Shore.
Their common name stems from their mostly solitary existence. (d)

I waited a bit, and this Monk Seal scratched its face after a wave splashed on him (or her). (d)

Above, the strong currents and crashing waves smash on the Na Pali coast. (d)

Na Pali Coast. (d)

A mid-morning shot at Anini Beach. (d)

The Northern point on Anini Beach. (d)

Waterfall bringing fresh rain water from the mountain range above. (d)

A cloudy sunset on Hanalei Bay created a muted image. (d)

The sun setting on Hanalei Bay. The clouds led to this monochrome image.. (d)

Just before catching a night flight home, closing our week with dinner at Tidepools. (d)

© 2006 John Miranda