Thursday, December 31, 2009
The last sunset of 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Cranes in the Fire Mist - A story of pre-visualization & patience
Back in September I attended the first-annual Maui Photo Festival and Workshops. Met a lot of awesome photographers who shared amazing stories. One of those was Scott Bourne who told the story of how he captured the image, "Cranes in the Fire Mist." It's an incredible story of how he spent 12 years trying to re-create his own version of an image he had seen captured by another photographer.
For the image to happen, he knew several factors would have to converge. What were the chances? You have to read his story and see the final image. Scott Bourne's story of Cranes in the Fire Mist
I couldn't get the story and image out of my mind. I was struck by his incredible patience, discipline, and tenacity for getting what he wanted. The result is breathtaking!
UPDATE: On a whim, I called to see if there were any prints of this image available. To my surprise, there was ONE LEFT, so I purchased the last remaining print! It's now hanging in my office and is a daily reminder to stay focused on what I want, have patience, and know that the rewards will come.
For the image to happen, he knew several factors would have to converge. What were the chances? You have to read his story and see the final image. Scott Bourne's story of Cranes in the Fire Mist
I couldn't get the story and image out of my mind. I was struck by his incredible patience, discipline, and tenacity for getting what he wanted. The result is breathtaking!
UPDATE: On a whim, I called to see if there were any prints of this image available. To my surprise, there was ONE LEFT, so I purchased the last remaining print! It's now hanging in my office and is a daily reminder to stay focused on what I want, have patience, and know that the rewards will come.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Honoring our veterans
I photographed this flag flying at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. As a military veteran myself, I ask everyone to honor and remember the sacrifices of our military members and their families.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Behind the scenes
I thought it might be fun to show you a behind-the-scenes look at one of my photo sessions. This session was set up by a photographer friend of mine who wanted to get out all his equipment and play. We brought in a couple of models and had a great time shooting. We got to practice our techniques and had a lot of fun and got a lot of great images. Mahalo to my friend and fellow photographer, Ricardo Finney of Precision Photography of Honolulu for setting this up and taking this photo of me hard at work.
Here's the behind-the-scenes look:
And here's one of the finished products. The little girl is the daughter of a friend of mine and I just happened to catch this look in-between poses.
Here's the behind-the-scenes look:
And here's one of the finished products. The little girl is the daughter of a friend of mine and I just happened to catch this look in-between poses.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Ghosts at the Claremont Resort (my own experience)
I'm in Berkely, California for a women's conference. My 16 year old daughter came with me and we're staying at a lovely, 85-year old hotel overlooking San Francisco Bay. We got here about a week ago and definitely had an interesting first 24 hours.
Beautiful hotel lobby:
We've since changed rooms, but our original room was on the 4th floor, at the very far end of the hotel, Room 416.
Long hallways. Eerily quiet at that end of the hallway where our room was located. Room was smallish, but cozy enough with a view. But something just didn't feel right. Did not sleep well at all. Neither did my daughter. (I usually don't have any problem sleeping in hotels.) We kept hearing noises from the people in the room above and next door, and doors slamming shut.
In the morning, my daughter said, "Mom, I don't like this room." She had done a google search and found out that the 4th floor has had reported hauntings, one room in particular (not ours). I said it'd be alright, but in the back of my mind I was already thinking that I didn't want to spend another night on that floor.
In the evening we went downstairs and chatted with the bellman about good places for dinner. He said that since things were slow, he'd be happy to give us a tour after we had dinner. Said he'd take us to the 4th floor, there's "lots of trippy things there." We said, "We're staying on the 4th floor..." He asked which room and we told him. He didn't say anything, just that he'd be happy to give us a tour of the rest of the hotel later.
At dinner, my daughter said she really, really didn't want to stay in that room. So when we got back from dinner, we asked the desk clerk if we could change rooms. He smiled and asked if we'd been talking to the bellman. We said we hadn't heard his stories yet, but we'd maybe like to hear them after we changed rooms. We said we just didn't feel comfortable where we were and we'd really like to change rooms and move to another floor. Then the desk clerk said, "Don't worry, we'll get you out of there." Now THAT confirmed to me that something was not right on that floor.
Moved to another floor, and we immediately felt better. There was just something really unsettling about the 4th floor.
Talked to the bellman later. First of all, there is no floor above our old room. So there were no people above us making those noises. And there was no one in the room next door, either. Also, the bellman said the room next door supposedly has a lady in white who passes through that room. My daughter said that during the night she stretched out and her hand touched the wall (of the adjoining room) and it felt hot and "weird." She pulled her hand back and couldn't sleep.
There are stories about a young girl who reportedly haunts the 4th floor, playing with guests and the hotel staff. And the bellman told us a story about one guest who came down to the lobby in the morning, pale and shaking. The guest said there were "people coming out of the walls" of his room on the 4th floor. The bellman told us about another couple who pushed the record button on their phone as they were walking up to the hotel. They weren't talking to each other, but as they played it back, there were voices, one of a young girl saying "Mama." When I heard that story, it reminded me of something I heard when I used my cell phone and called my husband earlier in the day (while we were still in the old room). I called his cell but it didn't ring right away. So I called again, this time, before he answered, I distinctly heard a young girl's voice saying "Mama" just before my husband said hello. I remember thinking, "How did a child get on the line?" Really weird.
The bellman (who's been here 9 years and has seen and heard a lot) said that a ghost hunters team did come here to investigate a couple of years ago. He said it was a big team and they came in disguise so as not to alarm the guests. They kept interviewing him about things that went on. He didn't say if the story every aired.
My sister called and she googled and found more stories from guests. Similar stories to ours about noises and hearing a little girl saying "Mama."
Funny thing is that my daughter and I both watch "ghost hunters" on TV, but to find ourselves in the middle of a real-life adventure is a whole 'nother thing. My daughter had wanted to go on a ghost tour while we're here, but we've nixed that idea. We're not going to Alcatraz either, we figure we've had our fill of creepy stuff.
Another story from the bellman I forgot to mention. Two women were in a room and they heard a knock on the door. They answered it and no one was there. Another knock, they unlocked the door and again, no one was there. Then, as they're in bed, the SAW the deadbolt turning and the chain lock being undone!!! If that happens, I'm sleeping in the lobby.....
Also, there's a story that a lady died in a fire in room 417--the room directly next to ours. Maybe that would explain why my daughter said the wall felt "hot" when she touched it.
None of the spirits here are reported as being harmful, just playful. The maids and other guests have reported lights flickering, televisions going on while you're in the shower, and drawers opening by themselves. Nevertheless, there's a distinctly eerie feeling when you go to the 4th floor. We didn't even know any of the stories when we got here, yet we could feel something strange as soon as we stepped off the elevator. I just attributed it to being an old hotel.
This is a pic of the 4th floor hallway with our original room on the left. (We walked down 3 hallways like this to get to our room at the end of the hotel.) Our room is the next to the last door. At the end you can see a firedoor which leads to a stairwell (used for emergencies only). There are no rooms across from ours, only windows.
During the night, I kept hearing what I thought was the stairwell door slamming or the next-door room door slamming shut. Every time I'd open our door to look out, I never saw anyone. Yesterday I asked the desk clerk if anyone was staying in the end room the same night we were. He said no one was in that room. And I asked him if the security guards or anyone uses the end doorway. He said no, no one uses those doors. My daughter and I both heard noises in the room (and from the non-existent room above us), so I know I wasn't imagining things.
Since we've changed rooms, nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Tonight is Halloween, but I'm not planning to do any ghost-hunting.
Other than the strange experiences, I've found the hotel to be quite charming!
UPDATE: We're back home, safe and sound. During the last couple of days of my stay, almost every staff member I spoke to had a story or experience to relate. Here's one more from a lady in the gift shop. She said that when the hotel was undergoing a renovation, she and another staff member visited Room 422 (or maybe it was 423, she couldn't remember). They walked into the room and looked around. They looked into the bathroom, but neither of them could go in. She said it was as if both of them got a message saying, "Don't come in." They looked at each other and knew they weren't going in. She said it was the weirdest feeling.
The Claremont Resort
(Click on the name above to see a pic of the hotel. We were staying on the far left end.)
(Click on the name above to see a pic of the hotel. We were staying on the far left end.)
Beautiful hotel lobby:
Long hallways. Eerily quiet at that end of the hallway where our room was located. Room was smallish, but cozy enough with a view. But something just didn't feel right. Did not sleep well at all. Neither did my daughter. (I usually don't have any problem sleeping in hotels.) We kept hearing noises from the people in the room above and next door, and doors slamming shut.
In the morning, my daughter said, "Mom, I don't like this room." She had done a google search and found out that the 4th floor has had reported hauntings, one room in particular (not ours). I said it'd be alright, but in the back of my mind I was already thinking that I didn't want to spend another night on that floor.
In the evening we went downstairs and chatted with the bellman about good places for dinner. He said that since things were slow, he'd be happy to give us a tour after we had dinner. Said he'd take us to the 4th floor, there's "lots of trippy things there." We said, "We're staying on the 4th floor..." He asked which room and we told him. He didn't say anything, just that he'd be happy to give us a tour of the rest of the hotel later.
At dinner, my daughter said she really, really didn't want to stay in that room. So when we got back from dinner, we asked the desk clerk if we could change rooms. He smiled and asked if we'd been talking to the bellman. We said we hadn't heard his stories yet, but we'd maybe like to hear them after we changed rooms. We said we just didn't feel comfortable where we were and we'd really like to change rooms and move to another floor. Then the desk clerk said, "Don't worry, we'll get you out of there." Now THAT confirmed to me that something was not right on that floor.
Moved to another floor, and we immediately felt better. There was just something really unsettling about the 4th floor.
Talked to the bellman later. First of all, there is no floor above our old room. So there were no people above us making those noises. And there was no one in the room next door, either. Also, the bellman said the room next door supposedly has a lady in white who passes through that room. My daughter said that during the night she stretched out and her hand touched the wall (of the adjoining room) and it felt hot and "weird." She pulled her hand back and couldn't sleep.
There are stories about a young girl who reportedly haunts the 4th floor, playing with guests and the hotel staff. And the bellman told us a story about one guest who came down to the lobby in the morning, pale and shaking. The guest said there were "people coming out of the walls" of his room on the 4th floor. The bellman told us about another couple who pushed the record button on their phone as they were walking up to the hotel. They weren't talking to each other, but as they played it back, there were voices, one of a young girl saying "Mama." When I heard that story, it reminded me of something I heard when I used my cell phone and called my husband earlier in the day (while we were still in the old room). I called his cell but it didn't ring right away. So I called again, this time, before he answered, I distinctly heard a young girl's voice saying "Mama" just before my husband said hello. I remember thinking, "How did a child get on the line?" Really weird.
The bellman (who's been here 9 years and has seen and heard a lot) said that a ghost hunters team did come here to investigate a couple of years ago. He said it was a big team and they came in disguise so as not to alarm the guests. They kept interviewing him about things that went on. He didn't say if the story every aired.
My sister called and she googled and found more stories from guests. Similar stories to ours about noises and hearing a little girl saying "Mama."
Funny thing is that my daughter and I both watch "ghost hunters" on TV, but to find ourselves in the middle of a real-life adventure is a whole 'nother thing. My daughter had wanted to go on a ghost tour while we're here, but we've nixed that idea. We're not going to Alcatraz either, we figure we've had our fill of creepy stuff.
Another story from the bellman I forgot to mention. Two women were in a room and they heard a knock on the door. They answered it and no one was there. Another knock, they unlocked the door and again, no one was there. Then, as they're in bed, the SAW the deadbolt turning and the chain lock being undone!!! If that happens, I'm sleeping in the lobby.....
Also, there's a story that a lady died in a fire in room 417--the room directly next to ours. Maybe that would explain why my daughter said the wall felt "hot" when she touched it.
None of the spirits here are reported as being harmful, just playful. The maids and other guests have reported lights flickering, televisions going on while you're in the shower, and drawers opening by themselves. Nevertheless, there's a distinctly eerie feeling when you go to the 4th floor. We didn't even know any of the stories when we got here, yet we could feel something strange as soon as we stepped off the elevator. I just attributed it to being an old hotel.
This is a pic of the 4th floor hallway with our original room on the left. (We walked down 3 hallways like this to get to our room at the end of the hotel.) Our room is the next to the last door. At the end you can see a firedoor which leads to a stairwell (used for emergencies only). There are no rooms across from ours, only windows.
During the night, I kept hearing what I thought was the stairwell door slamming or the next-door room door slamming shut. Every time I'd open our door to look out, I never saw anyone. Yesterday I asked the desk clerk if anyone was staying in the end room the same night we were. He said no one was in that room. And I asked him if the security guards or anyone uses the end doorway. He said no, no one uses those doors. My daughter and I both heard noises in the room (and from the non-existent room above us), so I know I wasn't imagining things.
Since we've changed rooms, nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Tonight is Halloween, but I'm not planning to do any ghost-hunting.
Other than the strange experiences, I've found the hotel to be quite charming!
UPDATE: We're back home, safe and sound. During the last couple of days of my stay, almost every staff member I spoke to had a story or experience to relate. Here's one more from a lady in the gift shop. She said that when the hotel was undergoing a renovation, she and another staff member visited Room 422 (or maybe it was 423, she couldn't remember). They walked into the room and looked around. They looked into the bathroom, but neither of them could go in. She said it was as if both of them got a message saying, "Don't come in." They looked at each other and knew they weren't going in. She said it was the weirdest feeling.
Friday, October 16, 2009
It's all in your perspective
Last night I was editing some images to give them an "old Hollywood glamour" type of feel. When I asked my 16-year old daughter what she thought of the "old" look, she said "Oh--the 1970s!!"
Big pause. I told her this was supposed to reflect the '30's and 40's. She looked at me and said, "Mom, I was born in 1993. EVERYTHING is old to me!"
Monday, October 5, 2009
It's not what you have, but what you do with what you have
Last night I went to a photographer's meetup in Ewa Beach. We were meeting to practice our skills at shooting the full moon. While we were waiting, I decided to take some shots, but the scene wasn't very pretty or very colorful. It was hazy out, there was a light mist in the air, and only the faintist hint of color in the sunset. It was pretty enough, so I took some shots and figured I'd see what I could bring out in post-processing.
Here's the same pic after I did a little processing to it. As you can see, there really was a lot of color behind all the blandness. And that got me thinking about how often we only see the surface, when all the beauty is really there just waiting for someone to notice. We just need to take the time to develop it a little more fully. Think about it. What's there for you to bring out of yourself--or what can you help to bring out in someone else?
Friday, October 2, 2009
Don't sit in the dark
After I dropped my daughter off for school this morning, I decided to get a bite to eat and have some coffee from a favorite family restaurant. The waiter started to lead me to a dark, quiet table at the back of the restaurant. But I spied a nice booth next to a window where the sunlight was streaming in. I asked for that table. He looked at me and said, "Oh, I didn't think you'd want to be in the sun."
The spot was bright, cheery and filled with sunlight. I had a nice breakfast, sipped my coffee and made notes on some new and exciting things I plan to do. Sitting in the warm sunshine set my mood for the whole day.
Thank goodness I didn't let him put me in the dark corner.
Are YOU letting anyone put you in a dark corner? Take action and move to a different table!
The spot was bright, cheery and filled with sunlight. I had a nice breakfast, sipped my coffee and made notes on some new and exciting things I plan to do. Sitting in the warm sunshine set my mood for the whole day.
Thank goodness I didn't let him put me in the dark corner.
Are YOU letting anyone put you in a dark corner? Take action and move to a different table!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Have Patience!
I'm attending the Maui Photo Festival and Workshops this week. What an amazing opportunity to be around and learn from the "rock stars" of the photography world. Yesterday started with a 6:00 a.m beach session with Clark Little who's known for his amazing wave photography (www.clarklittlephotography.com). He became more famous when President Obama selected one of his images. About 30 of us got up early to meet Clark and learn how he does what he does. We all wanted to get a great shot of him in the water, but the sun stayed behind the clouds and all we could get were dark, lifeless images. After awhile, most of the photographers left to find coffee and breakfast. A few of us stayed behind, and sure enough, a few minutes later the sun rose high enough to pop over the clouds and highlighted Clark in the water.
Have patience and you'll be rewarded!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Take my picture!!!
I've always wanted to photograph Kansas sunflowers, but my timing for visiting Kansas never seemed right. It's hard to find them in the winter (as if I was ever looking for them during sub-zero weather), and oftentimes during my summer visits I always seemed to have other things to do. This visit I had some free time on my hands so I grabbed my camera and walked down to a patch of them just a few hundred yards from my mom's house. There was this cute little grouping of flowers which seemed to keep jumping towards the camera as if to say, "Take my picture, take my picture!" The wind was blowing them and they really looked like a group of teenagers jostling for the best spot in front of me. I could almost see them smiling!!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Mamma Mia!
Okay, so I'm behind the times. I know the movie came out last year, but I just had the chance to watch it for the first time last night. What a delightfully fun movie!! I never knew Meryl Streep could sing. (And Pierce Brosnan can't, but who cares?)
It's a good movie on so many levels:
- It's lighthearted. No heavy drama to weigh you down.
- No deep mystery and not too many twists and turns to try keep up with. Sometimes my head hurts after watching mystery-thrillers because I've had to work so hard to keep up with the plot.
- No blood and gore. No foul language.
- The scenery is spectacular! Makes me want to just go jump in the ocean.
- It's refreshing. My favorite scene is where the mother and daughter are curled up together in a big chair and mom is painting her daughter's toenails just before the wedding.
- And the song, "Slipping Through My Fingers" is so touching! As my own daughter heads out to college in just a few weeks, I find myself relating so much to this song.
- The MUSIC! How can you not get on your feet when listening to anything from ABBA?
I love the fact that there's a song for every situation. Hmm, gotta go see what my song is for today. Since I'm getting ready to send my daughter off to college, I think it's going to be "Money, Money, Money."
It's a good movie on so many levels:
- It's lighthearted. No heavy drama to weigh you down.
- No deep mystery and not too many twists and turns to try keep up with. Sometimes my head hurts after watching mystery-thrillers because I've had to work so hard to keep up with the plot.
- No blood and gore. No foul language.
- The scenery is spectacular! Makes me want to just go jump in the ocean.
- It's refreshing. My favorite scene is where the mother and daughter are curled up together in a big chair and mom is painting her daughter's toenails just before the wedding.
- And the song, "Slipping Through My Fingers" is so touching! As my own daughter heads out to college in just a few weeks, I find myself relating so much to this song.
- The MUSIC! How can you not get on your feet when listening to anything from ABBA?
I love the fact that there's a song for every situation. Hmm, gotta go see what my song is for today. Since I'm getting ready to send my daughter off to college, I think it's going to be "Money, Money, Money."
Friday, July 17, 2009
Set sail!
A friend of mine recently shared that she was afraid to take the next step towards something because she was afraid. Afraid she wasn't good enough, afraid of being rejected, afraid of failure. ( I know we can all relate.) I couldn't quite find the right words of encouragement, but then I remembered a photo I'd taken recently and I thought of just the right words to say:
"Don't let your fears stop you from sailing. The world awaits you!"
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Aloha and welcome to my blog!
Aloha!!! Since I live in Hawaii, I thought it only appropriate that I should share one of my favorite photos to start off my blog. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time to capture this beautiful image. And isn't that what so much of life is about--being in the right place at the right time? Enjoy the view!
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