Hawaii in black and white

There's a lovely grove of trees in Kilauea, on the island of Kauai, that are a delight and a challenge to photograph. While gazing at the scene, I decided to concentrate on these two trees in the immediate foreground. They lend themselves beautifully to a black and white treatment: bold forms and good contrast.

Someone commented in another forum that the trees look like a couple dancing the tango. And now that's exactly what I see every time I look at this!

Tropical scenes are usually all about luscious color (and hooray for that), but often there are little black and white nuggets quietly waiting to be discovered.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A week on Kauai

Just returned from a delightful week on the island of Kauai with good friends of like minds and interests.

We photographed like crazy, laughed like loons, explored, lounged, ate, read, and people-watched.

Here you see a house in Hanalei -- "Surfboard House" -- which caught our eye (naturally) and was fun to photograph.

Lush foliage both at the resort and in the town of Hanapepe practically gleamed in the overcast light we had most of the time.

And finally a view of Kalapaki Bay, photographed with an iPhone and intentional camera movement and slow shutter speeds.

I am so grateful to have been able to do this, and to return home with a few decent shots.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

It's a good day to . . .

. . . remember a time in Hawaii. It was a very botanical trip! ©Carol Leigh

Hawaiian details

You know me . . . can't see the big picture, but I'm good at details. I like the way the palm tree trunk looks almost burnished with gold and then how the thick vine snakes its way up a weathered wall. Lovely Hawaiian details. ©Carol Leigh

Walking and looking . . .

Walking down a little side street on Maui I spotted this door — I love it! And then there was the delightful surprise of the mannequin in a store window — I have never seen one "tattooed" in such a manner! ©Carol Leigh

Iron Heart

Imagine my delight finding this weathered iron heart on a door on Maui! ©Carol Leigh

Hawaiian Eyez

Found in a back alley (and I really mean back alley) on Maui. ©Carol Leigh

Three more from Maui

Walking around Lahaina early in the morning, before the cruise ship people arrive, before the stores open, before it gets crowded, I find this brightly colored Dumpster enclosure. Love the complementary colors of green and red.

A shop down a side street specializes in shipping pineapples and Maui onions to the mainland. You can also get a cool drink if you wish.

And finally, a wooden statue of King Kamehameha with a sort of wistful look on his face. I can relate. I lived in Hawaii when I was 10, 11, and 12 (a very long time ago). Visiting now, as a tourist, I am really an outsider, melancholy about the Hawaii that's no longer the Hawaii of my youth. And if I feel this way, think of how the native Hawaiians must feel. Auwe!

©Carol Leigh

First three from Maui

We returned home a few hours ago from a delightfully relaxing time on Maui. As I begin processing my photos, I'll share some of them with you. The morning of our first day, I stepped out onto our sixth-floor balcony. Little lights lined the pathway below, trees grew in a receding line along the beach, and Molokai (topped with a layer of clouds) showed hazily in the distance. I purposely  moved the camera during the exposure to achieve this eerie shot. (Basically, it's my answer to "No time to set up the tripod, how can I handhold this and make something interesting?")

A child's flip-flops caught my eye as we walked past a swimming pool.

And a tropical plant against a pale wall glowed in the even light of a little courtyard.

My sincere thanks to two friends who made it possible for me and Chris to have a vacation we will never forget.

©Carol Leigh