Kapoho Tide Pools on the Big Island

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You may be wondering what the heck this is, but be assured it’s all part of the lifestyle along the coast at Kapoho on the Big Island south of Hilo. Homes along the volcanic coast, dig out their backyards and volcanic heat  seeps up through the ground heating these tide pools. Nothing like a nice warm pool in your backyard. The tide rolls in keeping a nice balance of hot and cold. As you’re standing in one of these tide pools you can feel the heat coming up from the floor of the pool. They all have fish in them and a variety of other sea creatures. One pool we were in, would trap sea turtles that would hang out until the tide rose again. It was fun swimming with them. The mix of fresh and salt water caused the water to be brackish and that made for some interesting underwater distortions in vision. Kinda cool!

Kapoho Tide Pools
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Dave Morgan-Creative Commons

Sunset Over Hilo

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We had just arrived in Hilo, Hawaii and the sun was quickly going down. We had no reservations and clueless on where we were going to stay. Not out of the norm for us. I always feel that if we have a rental car, we at least can stay out of the elements in a pinch. The clouds were thick cumulus and I knew it was going to be a spectacular sunset, but where to go to catch it. Problem was we were facing east which would have been great for a sunrise shot. We decided to drive south and see what might come up. We managed to find a dirt road that seemed to head toward the ocean, so we scrambled down to see where it might lead. We got to the water’s edge just in time and quickly got in position with tripod and camera. Alas, we ended up getting these amazing shots. I usually like to plan ahead for positioning a composition with regards to the light. Sometimes it’s just a matter of being intuitive enough to be at the right place at the right time.

All photos are Creative Commons-Non-Commercial. Use for fun, blogs or whatever but you must link to: http://www.travelbugster.com and give credit to Dave Morgan

HD photography tidbit- 3 photos were taken in succession, -2,normal,+2 then merged in Photomatix, finetuned in Topaz Adjust and finalized in Photoshop CS5

Hilo Hawaii-“Serenity Pond”

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“Liliuokalani Gardens is located in Hilo on Banyan Drive next to Coconut Island. The Japanese Gardens were named for Queen Liliuokalani, a Hawaiian Monarch and dedicated to the many immigrants that live in Hilo” (www.hiloliving.com). We waited for the evening light to set in to take the short walk from our hotel to these gardens. The temperature a pleasant 80 degrees and the air was still, allowing me to get a mirror-like reflection from the pond.  On our many trips to the Big Island of Hawaii, we always seemed to end up on the rainy side of the island with it’s many waterfalls and abundant flora and fauna. I remember back in the 80’s visiting this beautiful island and having a rare opportunity to find a hidden waterfalls flowing into the ocean surrounded by coconut and banana trees. Pure paradise and Pam & I had the place to ourselves the whole day, with permission from the owner, an hawaiian lady known as “Aloha”, who we had a chance to re-visit after 20 years.

All photos are Creative Commons-Non-Commercial. Use for fun, blogs or whatever but you must link to: http://www.travelbugster.com and give credit to Dave Morgan

Hdr Photography-3 photos were blended in Photomatix and tweeked in Topaz Adjustment and de-Noise.