Eagles on The Fox River

Living in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois, I sometimes take for granted all that this area has to offer. A few miles from our house, there is a nesting pair of eagles which has produced several broods over that past few years. I have stopped near the nest and photographed that activity. I have also traveled to the Mississippi River to photograph eagles at the locks and dams. Lately I have read posts on Facebook about Eagle activity on the Fox River.

The Fox flows from Wisconsin through Illinois until it reaches the Illinois River. Along the stretch in Illinois there are several dams. One such dam is located in Elgin about 30 minutes from where we live. Elgin is the 7th largest city in the state with over 100,000 residents. So today we took the drive north to check out the eagles. The temperature has been below freezing for several weeks which has caused large portions of the Fox to ice over. Below the dams, there are areas of open water and fish are in this oxygenated water and the Eagles come to fish.

When we arrived this morning the adult eagle pictured above was perched in a tree above the bike trail. Families and other photographers were walking right under the tree and it was seemingly unaffected by the people walking around...much less an old guy with a long telephoto lens.

For over an hour, I walked around watching the action. At first most of the action was of the gulls soaring around and splashing down to grab a small fish. This was followed by several other gulls trying to snatch away the prize. At one point as I was talking to another photographer, a large shadow floated across the ground. Looking up, we saw a large eagle.

This is a juvenile eagle as can be determined by the coloration of the feathers. For a juvenile, this was a large bird. We could see several other eagles soaring further north of where we were and at one time counted 5 in the air. We were eventually rewarded as they came to the open water.

Not only were they coming to us, but they were putting on a magnificent show, banking and soaring overhead.

At times it seemed like they were looking right at me. I was using my 150-600 mm zoom lens, but at times they were so close, I had to zoom back in order not to clip the wings…I know boo-hoo that’s a first world problem!

When they are this close, you really see the intensity of their eyes. Of course what every photographer hopes for is to witness and photograph the dive, talons extended culminating in the splash of snatching the fish out of the water.

Well, I waited around long enough to see one hovering and looking like it might strike. I framed it in the viewfinder and watched as it swooped down, pressing the shutter button and letting the 10 frames per second run in hopes of catching the shots. Did I get it? Would my aim be off? I had to wait until I got home to review my images.

Well I sort of got it! I got the talons extended and the grab of the fish, but it wasn’t a splash grab, but rather a theft grab. A gull had caught a fairly large fish and not being able to swallow it, abandon it on the ice and the eagle took advantage and snatched an easy meal.

Still it was time well spent and I have some images to add to my portfolio.

Big Boy 4014 Steam Locomotive

Several days ago I read an article in our local newspaper about an old steam locomotive that was going to pass through our area. The Union Pacific 4014 Steam Locomotive is traveling across the country. Today it went from somewhere in Wisconsin to West Chicago. I wanted to get some photos of it but I figured there would be lots of people around. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the Winfield Station about 1 1/2 hours before arrival time and there were not that many people. So I staked out my spot and waited. More people arrived, but I had my territory right on the depot platform.

Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for the Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were "hinged," or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the leading set of "pilot" wheels which guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels following which supported the rear of the locomotive. The massive engines normally operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyo.

Big Boy No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in December 1941. The locomotive was retired in December 1961, having traveled 1,031,205 miles in its 20 years in service. Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013, and began a multi-year restoration.

Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 steams down the track in Winfield, IL.

My stop was right on the end of the platform so no one would get between me and the train. I was about 2 feet from the edge of the platform and signs warned about getting any closer than the painted yellow edge. From the time I started taking images until the complete train had passed took only 39 seconds.

Four days after it came through Winfield, it headed west and traveled through the farm country in Malta, IL. I was hoping to get some nice panoramic photos of it passing through the country but before it arrived, a worker parked on the access road right in the middle of my photographing area. So plan B went into effect and I was able to get some interesting images:

Big Boy 4014 rolling into Malta, Illinois in DeKalb County.

Migrating American White Pelicans

About a week ago, I saw a post on FaceBook, that migrating white pelicans were observed on the Fox River in Kane County. We drove an hour north of home and indeed did find them. While driving home, our neighbor texted that there were 3 pelicans on the lake behind our house at the Orchard Valley Golf Club in Aurora, IL. By the time we arrived home, they were just flying off.

Since the first sightings, there have been several days when the pelicans have returned to our lake and it has given me more time to try to get some good images. Other than the first day, the weather has been cloudy so although the light is flat with very little shadow, the color of the water and sky is a murky grey.

These two images were the ones on our lake leaving as I arrived…but it was a nice day with a great sky!

I was interested in learning about them so I called on Google for help and found this:

Late this evening, i looked out the back windows to see a large squadron (yes that is the term) of pelicans on the lake. As the light faded I had to keep increasing the ISO speed on my camera in order to capture any images. As I observed, I saw what could only be described as “Synchronized Fishing.”

The large group slowly paddled around the lake.

As a unit, they extended their long necks under water moving a few strokes.

Periodically you could see one swallowing a fish in the pouch beneath its bill. And this guy on the left had the catch of the day. This action was quite a distance from my camera and even with my longest lens it was a stretch to get a good image. You can also see the size of the wingspan. The information site listed above says the wingspan can be as long at 9 feet. Like I told my grandkids, we are sitting in a room that has an 8 ft ceiling so the pelican could not fit on edge in this room with its wings fully extended!

I don’t know how long they will continue to show up…I can only hope for a nice blue sky day again!

Cold-Mageddon-January 30, 2019

We like living in the Midwest for the variety of the seasons. Each season offers differing photo opportunities.

All week the weather people have been forecasting a Polar Vortex bringing sub-zero temperatures and dangerous wind chills. Today dawned at -23℉ with a wind chill around -50˚! Schools and businesses are closed, the commuter railway is shut down, and even some postal regions have cancelled mail delivery. Everyone says “do not go outside!”

But as a photographer, we don’t let anything stand in the way of getting our images! Some of them I was able to get from the warmth of inside the house. The image above is the frost on the inside of our kitchen window. I was able to use the Macro lens for the close up and photographed the frost using the blue sky as the background.

I tried blowing bubbles-they froze but the strong wind popped them too quickly. I also had to try throwing boiling water into the air.

Click below to see some of the images I captured.

Total Lunar Eclipse #2

While visiting family in Hawaii on January 31, 2018 we were able to observe a total lunar eclipse (see older post here. ) Being in Hawaii, the temperature was pleasant but the clouds obscured the event at times.

Last night we were back home in Aurora, IL and again there was a total lunar eclipse visible in our area. The skies were crystal clear so viewing was optimal. I started photographing at 8:30 pm, watched the progression thought the early morning until it was complete at 2:00 am! But January in the midwest means COLD and the temperature at full eclipse was around 2℉ and with a little breeze it was mighty cold. The gimbal head on the tripod stiffened up, the focus on the lens was tricky, and my fingers were burning at times.

Super Blood Wolf Moon-

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon darkens as it travels through Earth’s shadow. Earth orbits the sun at a distance of about 93 million miles, while the moon is about 239,000 miles away from Earth. On January 20-21, the moon was at its closest point to Earth, otherwise known as perigee. The Earth’s shadow was three times as large as the moon at that time. When the moon is closest to the earth it is called a Super Moon. During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth blocks the light from the sun, giving the moon’s surface a red glow, which many refer to as a Blood Moon. Native Americans and colonial Europeans called January’s full moon the wolf moon because wolves in the region would start howling due to hunger in winter, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

During last night’s eclipse the penumbral, partial, and total stages were viewable by the Americas for the first time in 19 years. This won’t happen again until 2058.

This composite image shows the full moon at 8:41 pm progressing through the eclipse. The total eclipse was photographed at 11:23 pm and back to the full moon at 1:52 am.

Danny Settles Down

I’ve known Danny for 20+ years ever since he was that little middle school kid I had to deal with during lunch duty at Madison Junior High School. Fast forward to High School where my son started hanging around with a new bunch of people and there was Danny. Graduation happened and this bunch of guys continued to hang around together even as they all went their separate ways. And when we would hear stories of what was happening, Danny’s name was always there as one of the gang.

Then one day about a year ago, I get a call from a prospective bride. Kathy explained that she was engaged to Danny and they wanted to talk about me being the photographer at their wedding. Over the next months, I got to know Kathy as we talked about the wedding and I did pre-wedding portraits on a cold Fall day.

Saturday 12/8/2018 was the wedding. There were lots of familiar faces in the guests and the wedding party. There were many stories told by the best man and others, and the wedding was a fun event.

Click below to see some of the images I captured.

Frozen Fog

Last night on the weather report, it was mentioned that there was going to be fog in some areas and with the temperatures in the teens, there was a possibility that the fog could freeze. The actual term for this is “Hoar Frost”. When morning came, I rolled out of bed and looked out over the lake, and sure enough trees and all were covered by a layer of white. Out came the camera and for a time before the sun warmed it up and caused it to flake off, I took some images. It was cold and I had to keep taking off the gloves to focus and work tripod and camera.

Clicking on an image will open it in a light box and you can scroll through the other images.

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The Bride Never Stopped Smiling!

I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings, and in most I’ve had to work to get some good expressions and smiles. This past Saturday I was the photographer at Amanda and Dave’s wedding…and truthfully, the bride never stopped smiling!

I met Amanda when I was asked to photograph the engagement proposal (See the previous blog post http://www.thepicturemaninc.com/blog/2018/3/19/she-said-yes )

Amanda loves everything Disney so it was no surprise that her wedding was truly a Fairy Tale Wedding. From the invitation, the pumpkins at the seating table, to the martini ice castle, Amanda’s mom and sister had gone all out to make everything magical.

I’m so glad I was able to be part of when #EverAfterComesTrue!

Click below to see their fairy tale story.

WW II and Beyond

I recently attended the Terre Haute Airshow in Terre Haute Indiana.  There were the usual acrobatic participants and many of the aircraft were on display.  I had a photo pass which allowed me access to the aircraft early in the day.

There were many WW II era aircraft from the Commemorative Air Force.  These aircraft are all privately owned and are flown to commemorate the pilots and crews who manned these in securing the victories in WW II. 

The forth image in the top row is a B17. The first image in the bottom row is the B-25 bomber like the ones used in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and other cities in Japan.  The third image on the bottom, the P-51 is painted in the colors of the Tuskegee Airman.  

Tora, Tora, Tora!

One of the reasons I wanted to attend this airshow was a performance of the group Tora, Tora, Tora.  This group reenacts the attack on Pearl harbor complete with air raid sirens, machine gun firing, and pyro bombs.  The narrator tells the story of December 7, 1941 with replays of actual radio broadcasts.

The planes are retrofitted Navy Trainers and were created for the original version of the movie Tora, Tora, Tora.  One interesting fact is that the cost of retrofitting these aircraft was approximately $20,000 each and the budget for the movie actually cost more that the actual raid by the Japanese forces.

Dive Bomber

Zero

One of the sequence of events on that day was that a flight of B17 bombers were arriving at Pearl from the mainland.  The radar operators saw the invading aircraft on the screen but mistakenly thought it was the arrival of the B17's.  During the raid, the unarmed B17's attempted to land and were attacked by both the invading planes and the friendly ground fire.

Having access to the planes from early in the morning allowed me to get to the airfield before sunrise.  One morning the sun was just rising, burning off the fog, and I was able to get this image of the rising sun over the rising sun emblem on the Japanese planes.

The Jet Age Arrives

At the end of WW II, the jet engine was just being introduced.  At the show were some early jets that ushered in the jet age.  Some of these planes were used in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Another highlight of the show was a demonstration of the flying capabilities of the F22 Raptor.  This aircraft is capable of flying at supersonic speed while at the same time maneuver with fantastic speed and grace.  The image on the left shows the vapor cone that forms on the plane at high speed.  this aircraft made several high speed passes and yet did 90 degree turns to vertical.  It was even able to fly backwards while under power.

Precision Flying Blue Angels

The other major performance that I was interested in seeing and photographing was the only midwest appearance of the Navy Blue Angels. 

The Blue Angels demonstration consists of 6 Boeing F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.  The narrator said that the maneuvers are not just for show but are actually combat maneuvers.  The show consists of 4 of the aircraft performing close formation-and they are tight and precise.

Two other aircraft perform high speed crossing passes.  To get an idea of how fast these planes fly, my camera shoots 10 frames per second,  I have several images where the nose of one jet is in the far left of the frame and the next frame (1/10 of a second later} only the tail of the jet is visible.

The precision formations of the blue Angels.

The Terre Haute Airshow was a great 3 days.  I took over 5000 images, got sunburned even though I dutifully used sun screen, met some nice photographers, and talked to several pilots.  I would highly recommend attending an airshow especially if you can catch some of the performers that are mentioned in this post.

The Gommel Girls

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day, but for the Gommel's it was a very lucky day as Logan Patricia and Evelyn Susan were born.  Proud parents Will and Jaci spent the day at the hospital...Jaci doing the heavy lifting considering that Logan weighed 6 lb. 11 oz. and Evelyn 7 lb. 2 oz. for a total of 13 lb. 13 oz. on Friday the 13th!

It's been over a week and things are progressing.  The girls are teaching Jaci and Will how to be Mom and Dad!  It might take some effort but the girls seem up to it!

Jaci and Will agreed to let me try my hand at newborn photography.  I've done infant and children's portraits but not a whole lot of newborn.  So the girls cooperated in allowing me to venture into this area.  Thanks to all involved including my niece Jennifer from Jennifer Struke Photography and my daughter Meg and granddaughter Charlotte for helping with the baby wrangling!  Here are the images we created.

Click below to see a slideshow of some of the images.  Expand the window to full screen for the full effect.

Kacie's Bat Mitzvah

I first met Kacie when we did a portrait session in order to get some images that I could use for designing a bookmark as a table favor for her Bat Mitzvah party.  For these sessions, I like to do casual outdoor incorporating the young persons interests.  Kacie is a dancer, so it was only natural to try to capture her dance spirit.

We met at Pioneer Park in Naperville and had a fun session.  We were even photo-bombed by a deer!

The big day arrived and Kacie did an amazing job at the ceremony and then a fun time was had by all at the Paramount Theater in Aurora.  Kacie's dad had made some terrific movie posters putting Kacie in as the star.

Enjoy a video slide show of the highlights from her big day..

It was a hot wedding for sure!

January 15, 2011 I photographed a wedding in Galena, Illinois.  After the service we did outdoor photos even though it was a cold and blustery day!  I nearly froze, but I got some terrific images.

Fast forward 7 years and the sister of my 2011 bride asks me to photograph her wedding on May 26, 2018.  At the beginning of last week I checked the weather forecast as the wedding was scheduled for the afternoon and it was planned to be an outdoor service.  Wouldn't you know it...the forecast was for a high in the 90's.

The day of the wedding arrived with clear and sunny skies and the temperature kept rising.  I photographed a Bar Mitzvah all morning and then started the one hour drive to get to the wedding.  The car was HOT and not just the inside temp but the temperature gauge.  So the car would not overheat, I opened up the windows and turned the heater to full blast.  It kept the temperature in check, but it sure was uncomfortable driving for the hour.  As I got closer to the wedding site, I was looking forward to getting into the 95 degree outdoors in order to cool off!

What a fun wedding!  Even though it was hot, the service was wonderful and the party rocked!  The pig was roasted and served with all the trimmings, the drinks were iced to provide relief from the heat, big fans helped stir the air in the tent, and the dance floor was hopping.  Below is a video slideshow of some of my favorite images.

She Said Yes!

Several months ago I was contacted by a former student.  He was planning on a surprise proposal to his girlfriend and thought it would be great to have some photos of the event.  I've don't this before but used a long lens and did the private eye type thing of being out of the way, but this one was to be different.

Amanda is an avid reader so Dave had worked it out with the people at Nichols Library in Naperville, Il to help him pull off his surprise.  The library contacted Amanda and said she had been selected to receive an autographed copy of a book from one of her favorite authors.  Since this was to be a Library promotion, they would have a photographer on scene for them to use in their social media and newsletter-thus I would not have to be in stealth mode.

The book "Award" with inscription:

On the chosen day, I arrived early to scout out locations and get Dave and other "witnesses" hidden in the book stacks.  After Amanda arrived the library people gave her a book and had her read an inscription (Dave had really composed this and Amanda's sister had written it out.) 

The perpetrator of the ruse peeks around the book stack as Amanda reads the inscription:

As Amanda finishes up reading the inscription she comes to the last line ..."There is but one question that remains..." With this being his cue, Dave comes out, gets down on his knee with ring in hand and asks the question!

It was great to be part of this surprise and be able to capture the feelings and excitement of this happy event.

I can't wait to be part of the wedding!

Total Lunar Eclipse

In the summer of 2017 we witnessed a total solar eclipse.  At my home, only a partial eclipse was visible and then even that was spoiled by some heavy clouds.

On January 31, 2018 there was Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse.  This eclipse is sometimes called blood moons due to the reddish-orange glow the moon takes on during the eclipse.  This particular eclipse was also on a Blue Moon-the second full moon in a month.  And it was almost a Super moon where the moon is closest to earth.

I was fortunate to be visiting family in Hawaii where the eclipse would be visible in totality.  Unfortunately Mother Nature did not cooperate as there was a cold front moving in which produced heavy cloud cover.  The full mon was supposed to happen at 12:51 am, however the clouds were too thick to see it (What are the odds of having two total eclipses spoiled by clouds?).  The eclipse itself was to begin at 1:48 and there were still plenty of clouds but I had hope that there would be some breaks so I set up the camera and crossed my fingers.

Every so often you could see the moon through the clouds.  There were still light clouds over the moon which made photos appear out of focus and although the human eye could distinguish a beautiful eclipsing moon, the camera could not.  But not to give up I kept taking images when there would be a break in the clouds.

I had hoped for a progression of images from full moon, through the various stages of the eclipse and then back to full moon.  In the end, I was able to get several images before the clouds again blotted out any hope of seeing the moon.

I hear there will be another total solar eclipse in April 2019...hopefully I will be able to beat the odds and photograph it without clouds!

Amanda and Ryan

For almost two months our weather has been dry to the point of people almost starting to do rain dances or seeding clouds to get some much needed moisture.  Of course on Saturday 10-7-2017 when Amanda Cavanaugh and Ryan Sorg were getting married the forecast was for some rain to move in.

The wedding was scheduled to be outside at the Dwight Country Mansion.  Since the ceremony and the reception were being held at the same location, the bride and groom decided to have a "first look" followed by doing all of the posed photography.  The rain held off until we were finished with the pictures so I was able to get them some nice outdoor photos.

The rains did come in waves, but it did not dampen the festivities.  Here are a few of the images from Amanda and Ryan's wedding:

Colleen and Kevin

Colleen and Kevin's wedding was held at the Chapel in the Pines located between DeKalb and Sycamore, Illinois.

The buildings and grounds have great locations for portraits  and many whimsical items throughout the area.

The day was beautiful, sunny and a nice cool breeze.  It made for great portraits.

Enjoy the video slideshow of some of the images:

EAA AirVenture 2017-Day 1

When Meg was living in Fond du Lac Wisconsin we visited and took a drive north for a day.  On the drive, we passed by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) grounds and airport at Oshkosh.  Of course we did not stop.  I’ve heard about the yearly EAA week long air show and fly-in, but never thought of going.  Now I admit that whenever I hear the rumble of a large plane I always look up especially if I have camera in hand.  I’ve tried taking photos of moving airplanes without much success.  So when Nikon sent me an email inviting me to take part in a Nikon School class in aviation photography I was interested.  Then when I read that the seminar included credentials to shoot the air show from a restricted flight line observation tower, I was all in.

I had read that places to stay are all booked up far in advance of the event, so I decided to stay at the on site camp grounds.  I drove up the day before, paid for the site and then drove around trying to find an area where I could park.  I headed to the grounds just to walk around and check things out.  I had arrived just as the daily air show was beginning with the parachuting in of the Flag, the National Anthem, and the first of many fly-overs.

     B1-B make a high speed pass swept wings                             B1-B with wings extended

The first fly over was of a B-1B bomber.  I was not quick enough with the first high speed pass, but the second fly by I was able to get a couple of images.  With the wings in the swept back position this plane is capable of flying faster than the speed of sound. The wings can be expanded which allow for slower flight for take off and landing and much easier to photograph.  In the air this thing looks and is fast and LOUD.  When it is on the ground it still looks fast, but it is impressively large.  145’ long, 137’ wingspan with the wings extended, 37’ from the ground to the top of the tail, and 8’ from wingtip to the ground.

                             B1-B at night.  2500 ISO, 18 mm f3.5, 0.8 sec exposure.

After some precision flying and acrobatic acts, it was time for the arrival of the Warbirds of America planes.  All of these planes are owned and maintained by people all across the nation and they fly in to this show.  They practice flying in formation and when they gather together is such large numbers they are assigned their flying position.

After the air show I took a walk to Warbird Alley.  This was a field where all the bombers and fighters were parked.  You could just walk around and look and I sure did walk.  My phone registered 9.4 miles!  I became interested in the nose art found on most of the bombers.  Mission symbols represents missions completed in and verified kills.  The bomb represents a mission, the flag a downed aircraft, and ships and trains are pretty self evident.

The artwork is quite detailed on the planes.  The EAA museum has an exhibit of nose art on display (something to go back to see?)  The mission symbols on Georgie's Gal above represent 27 bombing missions, 2 downed aircraft, two ships, and a train.  The one symbol that I was not able to find a description of was the little house with a moon on it...several of us jokingly said maybe they had hit an outhouse!

There always seemed to be planes in the air, some just doing a fly around and others doing fun things...there was always something to see when you looked up!

Sky writer...look closely you can see the plane which gives you some idea of the size of the face.

We had a cool sunset later that day, so I went back to the warbirds field to see what I could find.

So the first day of my AirVenture came to a close and I headed back to my cozy Subaru with the air mattress in the back.  I checked the phone and I had put in 20,389 steps for 9.4 miles!  Looking forward to another day on the flight line.

Sunsets

I've been playing around with some time lapse photography and what better subject than a sunset!

We Both Come Back To Hawaii!

We are fortunate to have family who live in Hawaii and friends who periodically visit so we are able to spend time in the Islands.  Just like the Humpback Whales who travel from the cold of Alaskan waters to the warmth of the Hawaiian waters, we travel from the cold of the midwest to the warmth of Hawaii.

I'm fascinated by the biology of these mammals.  During the months of December-March, you can see whales from your hotel or just when driving on beachside roads.  The best way to see the whales is to take a boat and there are many outfits offering whale watching tours.  This year was my third whale watch.  The weather conditions were very overcast this year which made for less than ideal whale watching.  Last year was a better whale watch (scroll down to see last year's blog entry.)

The first whales we came across were "fin slapping"  This is believed to be communication to other whales.  The "slap" is very loud and causes quite the splash.  I would imagine the sound underwater would be quite impressive to hear.

Fin Slapping Humpback Whale off Maui, Hawaii.

Fin Slap Whale-Notice the hotels on the beach in the background.

I did see a behavior this year that I had not seen previously.  It is called the Head Rise or Spy Hop.  This behavior is believed to be so they can check out what is happening on the surface.  Two whales did this very close to the boat and it was as if they were checking us out.  It's amazing how such a large animal can just rise up out of the ocean and stay suspended with it's massive head out of the water.

Head Rise or Spy Hop

Even though the day was grey, misty and overcast, this whale watch offered the closest view of a whale.  Since 2001 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has issued a Humpback Whale Approach Regulation which states you should not approach closer than 100 yards and when you get close to a whale you must slow or stop your boat.  All of the boats I have been on follow this regulation.  But the whales do not necessarily know and/or follow this regulation!  At one point the captain had stopped the boat as we had spotted a whale a short distance away.  Suddenly a huge whale surfaced and did a blow right beside the boat.  Not only was the sound loud, but it was so close that my 400 mm lens would not focus as the whale was so close.  It may actually have rubbed up alongside the boat!  At one point we looked down and saw a whale suspended right below the boat.  The lighting was so flat that even using the polarizer, I was not able to get a decent photo, but just seeing it that close was worth the trip.

Surfacing whale close to the boat.

I mentioned that is was possible to observe whales while on shore.  This was reinforced the day after taking the whale watch tour.  Early in the morning we observed whales while relaxing on our hotel balcony.  Of course I had the 16-140 mm lens on the camera to take some scenic photos when some whales began to "play" in the ocean below.  Not wanting to miss the action I did take some images hoping the severe cropping I would have to do would hold up.

Breeching whale as seen from the hotel balcony-this is mom teaching the breeching technique.

I think the breeching whale is what I enjoy the most of watching whales.  Even when you see them in the distance, it still is an amazing display to me.  What made this breech even more special, was that this was a mother whale teaching her baby to breech.  The first breech was just the mom doing the instruction.  Then mom had the baby follow along.  And finally the baby was able to do it on its own.

breeching whales-mom and baby-as seen from hotel balcony.

Baby Whale breech-mom is flowing close behind.

Will I take another whale watch the next time I'm in Hawaii?  Yes, and I've found the boat that I will take next time.  My first whale watch was on a big boat operated by the Pacific Whale Foundation.  This was a great introduction as they had a biologist on board who explained the whale behavior and described everything that we were seeing.  Last year was on a 41 foot boat that I describe as a "fishing boat" like you would see anywhere they do offshore fishing.  The boat this year was another larger vessel.  The last day on Maui, again while on the hotel balcony, I head screaming coming from the water.  Coming out from a resort hotel two buildings from where we were staying were two outrigger canoes with 6 people doing the rowing.  Why screaming?  Because a whale had breeched close to the canoes.  As I watched the whale breeched a second time.  The is my next whale watch adventure, but I'm trying to figure out how to row and run the camera at the same time!

Outrigger canoe whale watch-Yes that dark area right in front of the boat is a whale that had breeched a few moments earlier.

I also observed another method of getting to see the whales.  On the same day as the outrigger canoes, there were a couple of individuals who paddled out on a paddle board.  I don't think I'm ready to do that one as it would entail having to get a waterproof housing for the camera!

PaddleBoard Whale Watcher-Yes the dark area in the water is a massive Humpback Whale!

If you find yourself in Hawaii between December and March, I totally recommend doing a whale watch.  The price is $25 and higher for a two hour cruise.  I like the early morning cruise as the water tends to be calmer and the light better.  For those who like camera information--The camera for all of these images was my Nikon D500.  The ones with the grey cast to the water, the lens was my 80-400 mm zoom.  The blue water images of the whales was with the 16-140 mm lens.

A Visit to the Volcano

The Hawaiian Islands were formed from the eruption of underwater volcanoes.  The hot lava pushed up from the center of the earth and the islands eventually reached the surface.  Over the centuries, dust, seeds, birds and other animals made their way to the barren lava until the Hawaiian Islands became what we know today.

A trip to the islands should include a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii to view the still active Kilauea volcano.  The volcano can be seen at the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.  The park is open 24 hours a day and offers a visitor center, museum and viewing areas.

We arrived in the afternoon and after watching the video in the visitor center we headed to the Jaggar Museum to view the volcano.

Kilauea Caldera as seen from the jaguar Museum.

From the viewing area, you can see the Kilauea Caldera.  The caldera, a large crater formed by a collapse of the lava lake within the volcano, is about 2 miles wide and more than 3 miles long. Halema’uma’u, the main pit crater within Kilauea caldera, is visible from the viewing area.

Halema'uma'u crater from the Jaggar Museum viewing area.

We were there right at sunset and as the sun went down the glow from the crater became more visible.  The sky went from being hazy from the steam and smoke from the crater to socked in with mist and clouds.  So we left and I decided to try later after darkness fell hoping that the skies would clear and the lava would be glowing

Halema'uma'u crater just after sunset.

I waited until about 9:30 to head back to the park.  As I left the main road and headed to the Jaggar Museum, the skies were clear, dark and full of stars.  The crowds were much smaller and I was able to set up the tripod and take my time getting the images I wanted.

One of Murphey’s Laws for photography or fishing is “You should have been here yesterday!”  As I was getting my images, another guy with tripod and pro-level gear said that the view the night before had been magnificent.  One of the NPS Rangers had told me earlier that the lava lake had fallen about 100 feet from the previous day, so the guy must have gotten those images the night before.  But I put on the zoom lens and got right into the crater.

Nikon D500, 1/25 sec @ f/6.3, 400 mm iso 3200

Since the skies were clear and filled with stars, I decided to experiment with some long exposures to see what I could get.

Nikon D500, 15 sec @ f/2.8, 16 mm iso 1600

Nikon D500, 20 sec @ f/2.8, 16 mm iso 1600

I decided to take a picture looking back at the Jaggar Museum.  The inside of the museum was illuminated by the two exit lights.  The exterior of the building was illuminated by the glow from the crater, although you can see one guy who was looking at his phone.

Nikon D500, 10 sec @ f/2.8, 16 mm iso 1600

I spent less than an hour at the viewing area and decided it was time to leave as the mist and clouds began to move back in.  But as usual, I had to take a few more just because.

Nikon D500, 10 sec @ f/2.8, 16 mm iso 2000

Later during the night, the rain moved in so I did not return.  On the "To Do" list on the next visit is to drive to the end of the road and then hike into the lava fields.  it is posssible to hike to within a half mile of where the lava is flowing into the ocean.  you travel over the lava fields and at points the molten lava is visible beneath your feet...next time!

If you are planning a visit to Hawaii, I suggest you investigate flying to the Big Island and visiting Volcanoes National Park.