Tree in Fort DeRussey

There are many trees here on Oahu that are very interesting to look at. The person with a camera strapped around the neck will take their best shot to capture the natural beauty that lays before them. The problem is trying to capture what is actually seen, only to look at the image that lacks detail. High dynamic range photography helps alleviate this problem. Yes other problems seem to present themselves such as the ghostly leaves blowing in the wind. Oh well, this tree still has a majestic beauty about her. 

Diamond Head Crater on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii

Diamond Head Crater is the most photographed natural landmark in the world. It is easily recognized the moment you see it. No marketing firm on earth could ever create a more recognized icon.

Body Boarding off Kapahulu Pier

Here are some body boarders catching waves off the Kapahulu Pier.

Hilton Lagoon in the morning

I love the mornings in Waikiki. The pictures just have a better look and there are less people around. Here is an image of the Hilton Lagoon in Waikiki, Hawaii.

Net Ball? Yes, Net Ball

A month or so ago, a group of Australians gathered at Kapiolani Park near Waikiki Beach. What were they there for? Well, that is what I wanted to know as well. They were dressed in cheerleader type uniforms, but they carried balls that looked like volleyballs. Maybe they were volleyball cheerleaders? Nope. They were net ball players. What? Yea, net ball players. It is very popular in Australia, but me being on top of things rather than down under (I know, stupid joke), I did not have a clue it even existed. Here is what I found out. The sport is normally played on a wooden court. The Kapiolani games were played on grass. That is no big deal since the game is like basketball, only you cannot bounce the ball. Players with the ball need to keep a foot stationary as well. The basketball style nets were a little lower as well and they lacked a backboard. That makes it much harder to get the ball in the hoop.

While speaking with one of the coaches, they said that the team from Hawaii played outstanding and I think they even beat the Australians at their own game. Congratulations! I only had about ten minutes to get a couple of shots off (okay four shots), and here they are.

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Seoul Fish Market Closer Up

While killing time at the fish market waiting for my sister in law, I got a close up view of the activity down below. Everything from crabs to sharks were being sold. If you love seafood, this would have been paradise. For the non-seafood lovers, there were vegetable vendors just outside the fish market.

Seoul Fish Market

Here is a view of Seoul's Fish Market from the bridge that led from the subway terminal. You can tell that there are a lot of different fish being sold. Each sign represents the company that is located beneath the sign. I guess this is derived from the saying that you should keep your friends near, and your enemies even closer. That is, the competition here is side by side. You cannot get closer than that. The theory behind this business practice is that people will come from all over to purchase their fish here, therefore there are more customers at this location. In America, the business practice is less common, and leans towards keeping your competition out of a five mile perimeter. We purchased a lot of seafood there for supper that evening.

Shopping Cart in Canal

This is an image of a shopping cart in the Ala Wai Canal that separates Waikiki from the rest of Honolulu. The homeless use them to carry their belongings from one place to another. There are others who use the shopping carts to carry their groceries all the home. They then leave the carts in front of where they live, even if it is on the 12th floor of a luxury condo.

Fan Palm and Pink Plumerias

These images were taken in the Waikiki area of Honolulu on the Island of Oahu. I love the beautiful foliage here in Hawaii. My wife says that I take too many photographs of flowers. Oh well, after taking some bikini photos and bragging to her that I stopped taking flower pictures, she agreed that flowers make a great subject. :-)

Foliage of Hawaii

The great weather of Hawaii allows plants to flourish here. These are examples of the plants here.

Fresh Caught Fish

I walk a lot around Magic Island to keep the body from becoming an out of control marsh mellow like glob. These ladies are out fishing several days a month. The guy on the right holding up the newly caught Sergeant Major fish is a walking buddy of mine.

Discarded Bottle

This bottle was laying along the path for several days. There is a bottle tax that can be partially refunded at recycling centers. The homeless use this as an opportunity to earn some money. My guess is that this little bottle is excluded from the bottle tax.

This blueish flower with a yellow center grows in front of the condo building here in Honolulu, Hawaii. I just love the small details in these intricate flowers.

View

Some days at the Kapahulu Pier look better than other days. It does not always have to do with the weather.

Honolulu Fire Rescue Helicopter

The Honolulu Fire Department has all kinds of equipment readily available. This includes trucks, boats, and helicopters. Here is an image of a helicopter looking for a missing person just off of Waikiki Beach.

White Flower

This photograph was taken during the month of April in South Korea. Spring is a beautiful time in Korea with all of the flowers blooming and the time nature comes to life once again.

Bench Sitting on Kalakaua Ave. Waikiki, Hawaii

Here are a couple of visitors sitting on a bench taking a break from all of the activities Waikiki has to offer.


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Ride in Jeju, South Korea

While visiting Jeju, South Korea, we hired a car and driver to take us around the island for a couple of days. This was one of the stops we made. It was a small carnival type of place that had a lot of school age kids. The line to this ride was fairly long, but the ride kept going mostly empty since most kids wanted the seats that gave the most thrill.

Butterfly

This is not the best looking butterfly or the best butterfly photograph, but it does show a photography trend of square images. The vocal point of the image is in the center with the butterfly brighter than the surrounding area. The butterfly is also in focus with a blur going out from it. The photograph was taken in Hawaii.

Duck in Kapiolani Park

This duck was just sitting there waiting for someone like me to take his photograph. Well I did. If you click on the image, the original size file will come up. It takes a long time to load, but if you like to see detail, it will be worth it.

Body Boarder Riding a Beautiful Blue Wave

Hawaii has great waves, and this body boarder knows that first hand.

Body Boarder Preparing for Jump

If I stopped to think about the jump, I would chicken out.

Nothing but Foam

Sometimes at the end of the ride, you see nothing, but foam.

More Kapahulu Jetty Jumpers

A couple of young guys jumping off of the Kapahulu Jetty.

Kapahulu Pier Splashes

When the waves are high and angled just right, the water will splash high into the air at the end of the jetty.

Rooftop Plant

Here is another plant from the rooftop garden. Not bad for 24 stories high!

Namsan Tower in Seoul

The earlier posted Seoul Tower blog posting raised some questions about the tower. All these years I have known the tower as Namsan Tower. Upon this year's visit, it seems to be called Seoul Tower. I guess it is just easier for the foreigners to call it the latter.  Namsan translates to south mountain, Nam meaning south and san meaning mountain. There is an observatory that provides a view of the surrounding area of Seoul. You can say it is very similar and has the same purpose as the other famous towers around the world. There is a very large park that the tower sits on. We took the gondola to the top of the mountain to reach the tower. For more information, you may check this site out: http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_4_4_3.jsp


More photographs from Namsan Park will be posted if a few days.

Seoul Tower photograph of.... Me!

Well here I am on a visit to Seoul Tower on April 14, 2010. This was one of the best weather days that we had during our two week visit to Korea. It seems that I  go to the tower upon every visit to Seoul. I am not sure why, but it just seems to be the place to go. By the way, I am much better looking in person. :-)

This photograph was taken by my wife, so it is probably much better than my photographs (accept for the subject matter).

White Bougainvillea

Our condo in Honolulu has a rooftop garden. This is a bougainvillea plant in that garden.

Hula Dreams

This image was taken at the Lantern Festival that occurs every year at Ala Moana Beach Park. The event is shown live internationally. This slow exposure of the hula dancers shows the beauty of hula dance in a unique way.

Side Entrance to Gyeongbok Palace

This is a really cool angle taken from the right side entrance. There is a moat between this gate and the palace seen inside. It almost makes you want to travel back in time to see the palace during the Chosun Dynasty.

More palace pictures where posted on May first.

Surfing in Hawai'i

Surfer in action just off of Magic Island at the Ala Moana Beach Park on the island of Oahu.

Sunset Sail

Sunset Sail.

This photograph was taken from Magic Island near the lagoon area. This is a great place to take sunset photographs from the Island of Oahu, Hawaii.

This image is best viewed in the larger version, so please click on the image for the larger image.

Na Hoku II Sailboat

This is Na Hoku II sailboat. The boat takes people for short sails for a fee from the Waikiki Beach area of Oahu. The name translates to "The Star."

High School Student from Wonju

It seems everywhere I went, the sound of voices were heard, "Hello, Hello." It seems students were eager to practice their English skills on anyone that looked America or European. This high school student from Wonju wanted me to take his photograph near the top of Sunrise Peak Crater on the island of Jeju in Korea. Sunrise Peak is the "Diamond Head" of Jeju Island. Like Diamondhead Crater on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, you can climb to the top for a dramatic view.

We ran into this student one more time at the Jeju Airport. The world seems so small sometimes. Oh, and yesterday, I met a couple of young ladies that were on the same flight here in Waikiki....

Dear Wonju student,

I gave you the link to the blog at the airport. If you see this, "Hello, Hello!"

Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul Korea

This is a tranquil image of Gyeonbok Palace located in Seoul Korea. The history of this place goes back to 1394 when King Taejo of Chosun built the palace. The buildings on the palace grounds are beautiful and the paint is intricate. It is a must see for anyone visiting Seoul.

The second view shows the cherry blossoms in the early stages of blooming. It is interesting trying to imagine the palace when it was used as the main palace of the Chosun Dynasty.