Hearts in Hawai'i
Our Trip to Hawai'i (2010)--Day 13
4/30/2010
Ka`anapali
We were up just after 6:00 this morning and began the day with a nice breakfast of sausages, scrambled eggs, toast and bananas. Lots of walking on the beach followed that, roughly 2 1/2 miles, followed by a drive up to Kaanapali. We covered a good portion of the Beachwalk--as I've said, we much prefer the Wailea Beachwalk from a scenery standpoint. After dropping Patty off at the hotel, I drove up to Iao Valley in the hopes of finding some sun there--getting pics of the Needle on a sunny day is elusive. No luck there as the clouds had rolled in. Also, parking there is a nightmare. It's far too popular a place for the small number of parking spaces available. There is no real future solution either, considering the terrain of the valley. One possible solution would be to have a large lot available further down towards Wailuku and have buses transporting people up the valley for a small fee. In all likelihood, such a solution will never happen.
Afterward, I stopped at the Lahaina Pali trail to check out the condition of the trailhead in anticipation of a future hike. It looks doable if we're careful, but hiking boots would certainly be helpful.
Black Rock at the Sheraton Ka`anapali
Ocean Quest Cocktail Cruise
More sun--of course! After lunch, shower and a nap, we were off to the Pacific Whale Foundation office to check in for our cocktail cruise. This has become a customary activity of ours over the years, and we've had the opportunity to take tours on three PWF boats--the Manuate`a, the Discovery and tonight, the Ocean Quest.
The nice part was that there were very few people on board. The food was pretty good, for pupus, that is. The ride was not good. This is a smaller boat and there are no tables on either deck. The seas were rough today and the boat reacted by rocking somewhat harshly at times. The motion is much more noticeable on the top deck so we eventually made our way downstairs, finding a nice quiet area in the front of the boat being used by only one other couple. He does photo enhancement for a living. Cool! This is their first trip to Hawai`i, and tonight is the last of only three nights they are staying on Maui. Only three nights? It's difficult for me to understand why someone would limit themselves like that. They are off to the Big Island tomorrow for (again) only three days, staying in Hilo. Hilo??
Fell into conversation with him about the difference between amateur and professional photographers. He says a pro knows before they take a shot how it will turn out, having a much better understanding of composition. (It's an area of the "art" I struggle with most of the time, but am getting better). A pro will take 300+ pics in a single shoot and keep maybe one pic. He took about 200 pics today during their Hana trip and will keep about three of these. On the other hand, there is me, keeping about 2/3 of the pics I shoot. Of course, I don't sell mine and spend very little time in post-processing so I'm free to keep whatever "crap" I choose. 
So, there is obviously a big difference in how we approach our hobby (hobby to me, job to them).
He was using a Nikon D3000, which is a very nice camera--nicer than my D90--but we agree that, ultimately, one has to know how to shoot, how to compose and a few other basics. I'm still learning those things. I have the basics down fairly well but as I said, properly composing before I shoot eludes me at times. There is also the question I constantly wrestle with--am I looking for shots I will like, or shots others will like? I think, mostly the former since I can't speak (much) for the latter.
It was an interesting conversation, to say the least, and the sun had set by the time we finished.
Despite the conversation, this was probably our least favorite of the four cocktail cruises we've done with the Pacific Whale Foundation.
The weather forecast for this weekend is not good, not good at all. A cold front is approaching from the west and there is a Flash Flood Watch in effect for Kauai and Oahu on Saturday night and Sunday. Heavy rains could be reaching Maui by Sunday night.
Previous: 4/29/2010--Our Trip to Hawai'i (2010)--Day 12
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