Archive for March, 2009

Great time at baseball today

March 28th, 2009
By jammaquino



Baseball is one of those sports where sometimes the action can be sparse at best.  Luckily during today’s final game between Hawaii and Coastal Carolina, I managed to grab a couple of shots I was actually HAPPY with–meaning no play at second, no pitcher shot, and no shaking hands after a scoring a run.  Haven’t done that in a loooooooooooooooooooonngg time.  Enjoy!

 

Hawaii's Landon Hernandez misses the plate while being tagged by Coastal Carolina catcher Jose Iglesias in the bottom of the fourth inning of a college baseball game between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Hawaii Rainbows, Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Les Murakami Stadium. Hawaii held on to win 4-3 and captured the series after a disappointing game one earlier in the week. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Hawaii's Landon Hernandez misses the plate while being tagged by Coastal Carolina catcher Jose Iglesias in the bottom of the fourth inning of a college baseball game between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Hawaii Rainbows, Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Les Murakami Stadium. Hawaii held on to win 4-3 and captured the series after a disappointing game one earlier in the week. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Hawaii thirdbaseman Vinnie Catricala breaks his sunglasses off a line drive double from Coastal Carolina's Taylor Motter in the top of the eight inning of a college baseball game between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Hawaii Rainbows, Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Les Murakami Stadium. Hawaii held on to win 4-3 and captured the series after a disappointing game one earlier in the week. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Hawaii thirdbaseman Vinnie Catricala breaks his sunglasses off a line drive double from Coastal Carolina's Taylor Motter in the top of the eight inning of a college baseball game between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Hawaii Rainbows, Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Les Murakami Stadium. Hawaii held on to win 4-3 and captured the series after a disappointing game one earlier in the week. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

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Fashion on the fly

March 20th, 2009
By jammaquino



This past Monday, I photographed the Project DisFUNKshion fashion at Windward Mall.  As always is the case, I was pressed for time, as I had a baseball game to shoot immediately after in Aiea.  A nice setup, metering of lights, and location scout is always a luxury I seldom ever have, so I compensated by using both ambient and speedlites to shoot my portraits.  The three models, Nalani, Marc, and Mandy, were wonderful to work with and very cooperative.  Here’s three shots to illustrate the variety of approaches when shooting a fashion assignment such as this.

LIT:

 

Mandy McGarry, left, and Nalani Ravelo wear spring fashion by Wet Seal, photographed Monday, March 16, 2009 at Windward Mall, part of the 2009 DisFunkShion show. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 15 f2.8 fisheye, 580EX speedlite x 2, triggered with a Canon ST-E2 wireless transmitter. Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 50, 1/250 @ f8.0, daylight whitebalance.

Mandy McGarry, left, and Nalani Ravelo wear spring fashion by Wet Seal, photographed Monday, March 16, 2009 at Windward Mall, part of the 2009 DisFunkShion show. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 15 f2.8 fisheye, 580EX speedlite x 2, triggered with a Canon ST-E2 wireless transmitter. Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 50, 1/250 @ f8.0, daylight whitebalance.

AMBIENT:

 

Mandy McGarry wears spring fashion by Hot Topic, photographed Monday, March 16, 2009 at Windward Mall, part of the 2009 DisFunkShion show. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark II, EF 24-70 f2.8L at 50mm, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 50, 1/200 @ f2.8, Daylight whitebalance.

Mandy McGarry wears spring fashion by Hot Topic, photographed Monday, March 16, 2009 at Windward Mall, part of the 2009 DisFunkShion show. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark II, EF 24-70 f2.8L at 50mm, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 50, 1/200 @ f2.8, Daylight whitebalance.

MIX OF BOTH:

 

Marc McGarry wears spring fashion by Hot Topic, photographed Monday, March 16, 2009 at Windward Mall, part of the 2009 DisFunkShion show. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 16-35 f2.8L at 16mm, 580EX speedlite triggered with ST-E2, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 50, 1/250 @f5.0, Daylight whitebalance.

Marc McGarry wears spring fashion by Hot Topic, photographed Monday, March 16, 2009 at Windward Mall, part of the 2009 DisFunkShion show. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 16-35 f2.8L at 16mm, 580EX speedlite triggered with ST-E2, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 50, 1/250 @f5.0, Daylight whitebalance.

Mixing it up allows the page designers plenty of variety, much like preparing a multi-course meal.  Situationally, shooting in the crowded mall is always a challenge.  Everyone is watching as you work.  Using the lights to isolate the subject eliminates the cluttered mall background.  For a few of the shots, I was looking for an urban look to match the clothing the models were wearing–that was as easy as wandering outside, around the corner, and into the service entrance alley!  After about 50 minutes of solid shooting and 6 different outfit changes, it was off to baseball.

Hulihuli chicken is so…photogenic

March 18th, 2009
By jammaquino



 

Volunteers Randy Kawamoto, left, and Keith Sakoda are silhouetted in the smoke and morning sun as they flip a rack of hulihuli chicken during the Taste of Hongwanji Bazaar, Sunday, March 15, 2009 at Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin in Nuuanu. Along with the hulihuli chicken, the bazaar featured Osaka Tako Balls and KC Waffle Dogs. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Volunteers Randy Kawamoto, left, and Keith Sakoda are silhouetted in the smoke and morning sun as they flip a rack of hulihuli chicken during the Taste of Hongwanji Bazaar, Sunday, March 15, 2009 at Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin in Nuuanu. Along with the hulihuli chicken, the bazaar featured Osaka Tako Balls and KC Waffle Dogs. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

I went to the Honpa Hongwanji’s food bazaar on Sunday and thought it was spot news!  Turns out, it was the smoke from the hulihuli chicken.  I had just thought about the position of the morning sun and assessed the surroundings when these two gentlemen started flipping the chickens over, one grill at a time.  Perfect timing!  A different take on hulihuli!

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Wide vs. Long on Jube

March 12th, 2009
By jammaquino



 

This past weekend I photographed the State Boys Basketball championship games.  All the marbles for the two teams in the championship games means high emotion at the conclusion of the games.  There’s always a dilemma on whether to shoot long (telephoto) or wide up close at the exact moment of winning/losing.  Shoot long, and you isolate the action and emotion.  Shoot wide, and you run the risk of totally missing the faces on a hugging moment because the subject could totally turn away from your camera.  I thought I’d share with you these different perspectives from my edit.  As always, I’m looking for the story of the game.  Enjoy!

 

 

Kamehameha's Chaz Bajet reacts after winning the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Boys Division I State Basketball Championship game between the Kamehameha Warriors and the Kahuku Red Raiders, Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Blaisdell Center Arena. Kamehameha won 47-45. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). With a long shot such as this, you can work to get several different compositional elements to give the picture a story--in this case, celebration and dejection in one frame.

Kamehameha's Chaz Bajet reacts after winning the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Boys Division I State Basketball Championship game between the Kamehameha Warriors and the Kahuku Red Raiders, Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Blaisdell Center Arena. Kamehameha won 47-45. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). With a long shot such as this, you can work to get several different compositional elements to give the picture a story--in this case, celebration and dejection in one frame.

 

Another long shot, isolating the emotion. Kahuku's Red Raiders hold their second place trophy after the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Boys Division I State Basketball Championship game between the Kamehameha Warriors and the Kahuku Red Raiders, Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Blaisdell Center Arena. Kamehameha won 47-45. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Another long shot, isolating the emotion. Kahuku's Red Raiders hold their second place trophy after the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Boys Division I State Basketball Championship game between the Kamehameha Warriors and the Kahuku Red Raiders, Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Blaisdell Center Arena. Kamehameha won 47-45. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

And wide:

 

The Kailua Surfriders pile on in celebration after winning the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Boys Division II State Basketball Championship game between the Castle Knights and the Kailua Surfriders, Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Blaisdell Center Arena. Kailua won, capturing the 2009 Division II Boys Basketball title. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

The Kailua Surfriders pile on in celebration after winning the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Boys Division II State Basketball Championship game between the Castle Knights and the Kailua Surfriders, Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Blaisdell Center Arena. Kailua won, capturing the 2009 Division II Boys Basketball title. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

 

The Kamehameha Warriors raise the championship trophy after winning the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Boys Division I State Basketball Championship game between the Kamehameha Warriors and the Kahuku Red Raiders, Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Blaisdell Center Arena. Kamehameha won 47-45. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Kamehameha's best jube came right after the game clock expired, which is why shooting long landed my best shots from this particular game.

The Kamehameha Warriors raise the championship trophy after winning the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Boys Division I State Basketball Championship game between the Kamehameha Warriors and the Kahuku Red Raiders, Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Blaisdell Center Arena. Kamehameha won 47-45. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Kamehameha's best jube came right after the game clock expired, which is why shooting long landed my best shots from this particular game.

Sometimes going wide and rushing in there gets me absolutely nothing, too.  It’s really a toss-up decision that I make right then and there.  I always have to be ready.

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Panicking on the Wild Art Hunt

March 1st, 2009
By jammaquino



When hunting for wild art, usually we get in our car and drive to a particular area we have in mind.  For myself, I let curiosity be my GPS and just go where I think I’d go if I wasn’t working–be it a park or beach or vista point.  Often times, this produces a fruitful slice-of-life feature that I can file.  This past Friday, I drove for miles and miles and miles (sing The Who song along with me here)…miles and miles and miles.  To no avail!  I went through Kailua, Kaneohe, as far as Punaluu.  Crossed the Likelike, drove around Nuuanu, Makiki, Kakaako.  Nothing.  I haven’t had a day like this in a while, but let me assure you, days like this are part of the everyday challenges we have as photojournalists.  Another challenge?  Failing light. 

Like it or not, every minute passed is a minute less of sunlight.  I like to be optimistic and say every minute less of sunlight is a minute closer to achieving the golden silhouettes than can be made at the “golden hour.”  Now keep in mind that silhouettes can be cliché and quite boring if used frequently, so one must use their OWN VISION to make it interesting.  And so, with panic at my looming deadline and failing sunlight, I came away with this graphically appealing image Friday.  Have a great Sunday morning!

 

A woman pauses to admire the sunset as she is silhouetted through one of the three archways of the War Memorial Natatorium Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 in Waikiki. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200 f2.8L @ 200mm, Manual exposure, ISO 160, 1/640 @ f11, daylight whitebalance

A woman pauses to admire the sunset as she is silhouetted through one of the three archways of the War Memorial Natatorium Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 in Waikiki. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200 f2.8L @ 200mm, Manual exposure, ISO 160, 1/640 @ f11, daylight whitebalance