Happy Hula-days!

One of my most important goals on our trip to Hawai'i this year was to get some images for our annual holiday greeting card. This year's plan was a Hawaiian beach, Hawaiian attire, and a Santa hat. The rest would be up to the spontaneous antics of a three-year-old (plenty of that to go around). Here are the details of the shoot:
Gear
My love of the sharp and shallow depth-of-field results from my 50mm f/1.8 lens has lead me to consider buying a fast zoom lens for more flexibility. The 50mm is sometimes too long for me in some situations. I wasn't quite sure which zoom range to consider: a 17-50mm or 24-70mm f/2.8. So, I rented a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 from BorrowLenses to test out on the trip. This lens was my choice for this series of shots to isolate my subject by blurring background.

I also have been finding many of my portraits get too dark on one side of the face in side lit situations (e.g. Train Engineer). A pop of the flash could fill in the shadows, but so could a low-tech reflector. So, I picked up a 32" 5-in-1 reflector prior to going on the trip. I was very pleased with the ease-of-use and amount of fill that the reflector provided
Setting
The beach was on the eastern shore of Kaua'i. Staying on the eastern side, we saw sunrises rather than sunsets on the beaches here. A morning shoot was in order and provided some benefits: less crowded beach, smooth sand (not too many footprints), and less wind. Of course I had to drag my model and assistant out of bed early in the morning to get some good light.

Wardrobe and Props
Santa hat from home. Hawaiian outfit from a nearby souvenir shop. Lei from a Luau we attended two nights prior. Coconut shells and tropical fruits from a farmers market. Logs and driftwood from the beach.
Assistant
My wife was in charge of wardrobe and the one who held the reflector in place. The nice thing about a reflector as opposed to a flash is that you can see the results as you move it around. This makes it much easier to teach the assistant how to hold and point the reflector.

Holiday cards
After selecting a handful of images, making the cards was easy and fast. We ordered 2 sets: one set from Mpix Press and the other set from Costco as we did in previous years.

Happy Holidays!

Waimea Canyon and Nā Pali Coast

The natural beauty of Waimea Canyon and Nā Pali Coast in Kaua'i can be experienced by car. There are several lookout points that offer impressive panoramic views that I tried to capture in these photos. However, to really experience the full scale and beauty of this island I would recommend a helicopter tour. On our helicopter tour with Sunshine Helicopter Tours, I had to put down my cameras and completely enjoy the towering cliffs, cascading waterfalls and narrow canyons of Kaua'i. Truly amazing.