52 Weeks of Nature – Week 21 | Hawaii Nature Photographer

Posted on May 22, 2010


Anywhere is paradise, 

it's up to you.

~Author unknown

Why not learn to enjoy the little things - 

there are so many of them!

~Author Unknown

Say "yes" to the seedlings, and a giant forest cleaves the sky.

Say "yes" to the universe, and the planets become your neighbors.

Say "yes" to love and freedom.

It is the password to Utopia.

~Brooks Atkinson

For every day that there is sunshine,

there will be days of rain.

It's how we dance within them both

That shows our love and pain.

~Joey Tolbert

Heaven is under our feet,

As well as over our heads.

~Henry David Thoreau

 

Enjoy the little things,

for one day you may look back

and realize they were the big things.

~Robert Brault

52 Weeks of Nature – Week 20 | Hawaii Nature Photographer

Posted on May 15, 2010

Can you believe we are 20 weeks into 2010 already?

This week I'm sharing more Waterfalls and Flowing Water

from our trip to the Big Island.

It had been raining a lot so the waterfalls were flowing full force!

I loved the greenery surrounding this water pipe!

Akaka Falls plunges 422 ft from top to bottom!  The best view is from a helicopter.  

Boy, I wish I had been able to do that!

I love the sound of water tripping over rocks and bubbling into pools.

The base of Onomea Falls was shrouded in shadows.  I loved the mood lighting!

52 Weeks in Nature – Week 19 | Hawaii Landscape Photographer

Posted on May 7, 2010

They lived through the age of the dinosaurs. They survived the earth's age of ice. Sea turtles, the true ancients of the world, have been swimming the oceans for over 200 million years. And for the first time in all these millennia, six out of the seven species are either endangered and on the verge of extinction, or threatened to become endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Hawaii's popular green sea turtle, growing up to 45 inches and weighing as much as 200 to 400 pounds by the time it reaches maturity at the average age of 25 years, has a heart-shaped gray-brown shell. Only her body-fat is green. Her head is proportionally much smaller than that of other turtles, making the dark eyes appear even larger.

In Chinese mythology, the sea turtle represents wisdom. In Hawaii, legend tells about a green sea turtle, Kauila, who could change herself into a girl to watch over the children playing at Punalu'u Beach on the Big Island. When Kauila's mother dug her nest, a fresh water spring surged upward, quenching the children's thirst. Kauila is the "mythical mother" of all turtles, and perhaps of our children as well. It's also said that turtles were the guides for the first voyagers to Hawaii.

The nesting ritual of the sea turtle is as ancient as it is unique. When the female is ready to hatch, she waits bobbing the surf until the calm and coolness of evening. At the right moment she moves over the sand shedding large tears with excess salt. The tears also protect her eyes from the sharp sand. With her flippers she digs a two foot deep hole, then crouches over it, and lays her eggs. During a single season she might fill three or four nests with up to 100 eggs in each. And after filling the nest with sand, she will dart back to the water, her mission complete for two to three years, when she mates again.

But not all her eggs will hatch, and not all the two inch, one ounce hatchlings will be able to run through the salty surf into the freedom of their adolescent turtle life. Rats, mongooses, people, fungi, crabs, dogs, larvae, prey on the precious eggs. The few babies that survive, have to dig themselves out of the sand and run for life.

The sea turtle mirrors the health of our planet and the struggle for survival for these ancient creatures is in our own hands.

All this information and more can be found at Sea Turtles – The Ancients of Hawaii

52 Weeks in Nature – Week 18 | Hawaii Landscape Photographer

Posted on May 1, 2010

I wanted to share some images of Volcano National Park this week.

Nothing like staying in a hotel perched right on top of a live erupting Volcano!

It was cold, grey and rainy while we were there,

but the cold let us see much more steam!

Below is a row of steam vents.

In a volcano, hot magma flows underground.

Sometimes, before it erupts, it reaches a layer of underground water,

whether it is an aquifer or from rainwater seeping into the earths cracks and crevices.

When this happens, the water boils and steam escapes

and you can see the effect here.

This is Helemau'mau Crater on top of Kilauea Volcano.

Hawai'i volcanoes are not the type of volcanoes

that people envision when you say, "Volcano".

They are Shield Volcanoes,

which means that they form in the shape of a shield

as flow after flow of lava builds layer upon layer.

The Caldera forms at the top and there are several "vents" all over the Volcano.

This is Mauna Loa.

The largest Active Volcano in the world.

The summit stands 13,677 feet above sea level and

over 28,000 above the deep ocean floor.

In late 1959, this was an enormous lake of Lava!  

This is Kilauea Iki Crater.

See the path going across?  Yes, you can walk across this crater!

It's still warm to the touch, some of the rocks can even still burn you!

It's been 50 years since this eruption!

A few more images of Helemau'mau Crater at sunset

when you can see the glow of the lava

flowing about 400 feet below the surface of the crater.

My 4.5yo daughter was so excited that we were going to see the Volcano!

When we got there, and took her to the observatory to see this crater,

she asked where the volcano was!

When I told her she was on top of it, she was rather underwhelmed

until the sun went down and she was able to see

the glow of the crater.

Then, it was cool…

for about 2 minutes!

Ah, the attention span of a Pre-schooler!

Seeing Mother Nature in her majesty

was just awe inspiring!

I wish that I could have done it justice in my images!

52 Weeks in Nature – Week 17 | Hawaii Landscape Photographer

Posted on April 26, 2010

I recently took a trip to 

the Big Island

with my Mom and the girls.

Directly after arriving

(and getting breakfast)

we drove to Waipio Valley

on the Hamakua Coast.

It's gorgeous with both

Black and Red sand beaches

and waterfalls falling directly into the ocean!  

I only wish we'd had more time to take a tour of the Valley!

Our last day on the island,

we visited Onomea Bay.

Yet another gorgeous view of coastline!

I'm hoping to get one more chance

to visit the Big Island

before we move back to the Mainland.

52 Weeks in Nature – Week 16 | Hawaii Landscape Photographer

Posted on April 22, 2010

Little April Shower

Drip, drip, drop

Little April Shower

Beating a tune

As you fall on the ground


Drip, drip, drop

Little April Shower

What can compare

With your Beautiful Sound


Drip, drip, drop

When the sky is cloudy

Your pretty music

Can brighten the day


Drip, drip, drop

When the sun says howdy

You say goodbye right away

Drip, drip, drop

Little April Shower

Beating a tune

Ev'rywhere that you fall


Drip, drip, drop

Little April Shower

I'm getting wet

and I don't care at all


Drip, drop, drip, drop

I'll never be afraid

Of a good little

Gay little

April serenade

If you'd like to hear one of my favourite songs


Bambi – Little April Shower lyrics


Mother’s Day Mini Sessions | Hawaii Family Photographer

Posted on April 21, 2010

Announcing my Mother's Day Special!

Schedule a Mother themed Mini-session

between now and Mother's Day (May 9th)

and receive:

45 min session

8×10 Bevel mounted print with Easel

and

5 images on disk

for $250!

Don't miss out on this great deal!

And the winner is…. | Hawaii Family Newborn Photographer

Posted on April 21, 2010

Me!

Just kidding!  Well, sort of!

I feel like a winner because of all of you who participated

and showed interest in my photography!

The real winner is

Lisa Haglund

with her suggestion of:

Thereasa Gwinn Photography – Finding Life's Natural Beauty

These are some images from Lisa's Newborn session 6 months ago!

I can't wait to get him in the studio soon. 

He's the cutest 6 month old!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

52 Weeks of Nature – Week 15 | Hawaii Landscape Photographer

Posted on April 19, 2010

Ode to a Waterfall
by Bobbi Ann Duffy

My heart sighs with pleasure as I look upon your grace.

How my soul has longed to find this holy place,

 

And watch your cascading flow give birth to healing rainbows;


God’s promises that wipe away all of life’s petty hurts and woes,

And smell the fragrant flowers nourished by your loving mist

Blooming in the supple earth by your magic kissed.

To hear the thundering whisper of life’s quickening essence

Come tumbling down from the heights to find its absolute quintessence.

Would that I could laze my days within your life giving bower,

And taste forever the delicate freshness of your purifying power.

 

When we got to the Big Island

it had been raining a lot

and the waterfalls were flowing

with so much water!

 Gorgeous!

 Unfortunately, by the time we got to Rainbow Falls,

the light was not right for catching that Rainbow for which it is famous.

 Still love this image of it, though!

Tag Line Contest | Hawaii Family Newborn Photographer

Posted on April 11, 2010

I have been trying to come up with a "tag line" for my photography.

You know, like 

Nike's "Just Do It", 

Coke's "The Real Thing",

and so many others.

A friend suggested that I ask my loyal followers for their ideas.

 

So, I'm asking y'all to give me your thoughts.

Have a look at my images,

think back to your session,

let me know,

in 5 words or less,

your idea for a tag line.

 

What's in it for you?

The winning idea will receive a

FREE print up to a 16×20 size!

 

FREE!

 

That means that, if you win, you can choose either:

1.)   An image from one of your sessions

or

2.) Any one of my landscape images

in up to a 16×20 sized mounted print.

 

How do you enter?  

Just leave a comment at the end of this post!

Easy peasy, right?!

 

I will leave the contest open until

Sunday, April 18th at Midnight.

The winner will be announced on

Wednesday, April 21st!

Good Luck and Mahalo for participating!

 

And because no post is complete without an image,

here is one from my trip to the Big Island last week!

So many more to come!

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