Aperture Cafe » funny stuff

SPOOOOKY

jammaquino — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:46:06 +0000

On October 10, I photographed Wet N’ Wild’s haunted attractions–the 3D Creepy Cave, the Freezer, and the Tunnel. I must say, I was spooked outta my pants! It’s amazing how high-tech and dazzling these attractions have become! Made some pretty neat images, and nearly passed out from the strobe lighting in the freezer! It felt like a scene from the movie “Saw,” I was literally trying to find my way outta there, and the actors and actresses really played their parts convincingly.

Nanea Lum, 17, and Blythe Matias, 19, react as they stick closely together making their way through the 3-D Creepy Cave at Wet N' Wild's Festival of Fear on Saturday, October 10, 2009 in Kapolei. The attractions will be featured along with the park's full offering of waterslides on Fridays and Saturdays until Halloween. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Nanea Lum, 17, front, Blythe Matias, 19, Christa Bender, 18, and Desiree Faavi, 17, stick closely together as they make their way through the 3-D Creepy Cave at Wet N' Wild's Festival of Fear on Saturday, October 10, 2009 in Kapolei. The attractions will be featured along with the park's full offering of waterslides on Fridays and Saturdays until Halloween. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

It was creepy indeed, because you never knew if the psychedelic paint and designs on the wall would come out and jump at you. This next photo made me jump. I thought that mask was a decoration and part of the wall, but it all of a sudden hurdled at me at hi-speed!

This masked head just exploded towards me seconds after I shot this photo!

Whew!! Okay, I survived. I don’t know what was more unnerving, the ghouls n fiends that occupied that cave or the shrill screams of the girls I was photographing!
On to the Freezer….what a name! I was greeted at the door by a butcher with bloody garbs. Something told me this was going to be a notch up from the last one! I stepped into the Freezer and was instantly greeted by strobe lights at a high rate. Euphoria. Strobes, like the ones at dance clubs, for long periods of time tend to mess with my head and equilibrium. So I closed my eyes as I felt my way through the Freezer, snapping as I encountered other hapless explorers along the way. The one GOOD thing about the strobes is I was able to use ambient and use the house strobes to illuminate my shots. Here’s my favorite frame from inside there.

Finally I had to stop. Those strobes were really doing a number on me. So I crouched for a while with my eyes closed. Eerily, all the screams and noises from guests stopped, and all I heard was the loud haunted music on the P.A. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but pitch black, save for a very bright light in front of me, with a shadow slowly making its way towards me.

This was rather unnerving--as was the methodically slow approach that this creature took to get to my crouched position.

It was moving very slowly, and all of a sudden, BAM!! In front of me, house strobes at full power again! Using my camera as if it was machine gun (and AS IF that would do anything in a situation like this!), I rattled off frames and came away with this:

I was outta there after seeing this!!!

I had enough, I had to feel my way through the chainlink fences towards the exit. They were gaining on me, snarling and thirsty for my blood. I could feel my pulse quickening, and with every step that I took, it seemed they got closer and closer. I could hear the distant sound of sharpened steel cutting flesh, and feared that mine might be next. With desperation, I felt a corner on the chainlink and rounded my way clear of it and….

Okay, back to the real world. Back outside. The big burly dude who had scared the guests at the beginning was outside taking a breather and smiled at me, blood on his face and butchers’ clothes and everything. I SURVIVED! Kudos to Wet N’ Wild, because that was quite a thrill ride.

*For you technical people, all images were made with a Canon EOS 1D Mark III with an EF 16-35 f2.8L, an ST-E2 wireless flash transmitter and a single 580EX speedlite set to manual, 1/64 power. Exposure modes varied from 1/15 sec to a full second, all hand held.

On Safari

jammaquino — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:46:06 +0000

…But the Range Rover won’t start! This week’s Prep Football Photos of the Week is a humorous, albeit, problem-plagued gallery, but hey, we all need a little humor in our lives, right? Let’s get started:

Game 1: Kailua at Castle, Friday, Oct. 2

Castle's Moses Alimoot soars to intercept a pass intended for Kailua's Corey Lau during first-half action of an OIA Football game between the Castle Knights and the Kailua Surfriders Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 at Castle High School. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

So A few plays into the first quarter, and I was able to grab something decent, above. “Okay, okay!” I thought in my wonderful inner monologue. Both teams were passing–good news for me! Guess what? After that play, NOTHING came my way, at least in the air. Rushing-wise, it was good, but I’m shooting for lions, not ZEBRA!

The first of many striped officials, a common species on the flatland savannahs of the gridiron, comes into view. These species have been known to be standoffish towards photographers, and distance is advised.

Okay, okay, I can deal with it. First half, done. No pass plays went my way until the middle of the second half, but guess what?

A Castle Knight, a swift and efficient predator with its sleek jetblack body and beautiful gold crested head, swoops in on the kill.

Okay. Game over. A little frustrated as I head home after the game. There’s always tomorrow.

TOMORROW

The game: Kamehameha vs. St. Louis at the Stadium.

Scoreless through the first quarter, I was on edge and anxious to capture the first touchdown, be it Kamehameha or St. Louis. Camped in the north endzone with Advertiser photographer Andrew Shimabuku, Kamehameha quarterback Tyler Christian Campbell hits a slant pass right in our direction!! Wooohooo!!!

BOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!

BACK

FOCUSED:

St. Louis defenders Marcus Umu, left, and Mika Wong react as Kamehameha's Blaise Cuban hauls in a pass untouched into the endzone for a touchdown during first-half action of an ILH Football game between the St. Louis Crusaders and the Kamehameha Warriors Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 at Aloha Stadium. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

My wonderful, perfectly autofocusing Mark III likes to do this. But, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! The frame above was usable in that it showed the St. Louis reaction to the touchdown. I was able to make this frame milliseconds later in the same burst:

Kamehameha's Blaise Cuban finds the endzone for a touchdown during first-half action of an ILH Football game between the St. Louis Crusaders and the Kamehameha Warriors Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 at Aloha Stadium. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

The next drive resulted in a St. Louis touchdown, which I was fortunate enough to get also. 6-6. What a game! Exciting!

St. Louis' Duke Bukoski hauls in a pass for a touchdown over Kamehameha's Shayden Terukina to tie the game at 6 during first-half action of an ILH Football game between the St. Louis Crusaders and the Kamehameha Warriors Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 at Aloha Stadium. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Then, JUST when I thought, again in my wonderful inner monologue, “Exciting!” the ZEBRAS came out in force…The Serengeti got NOTHING on this!

A striped official throws the autofocus off of my camera.

Zebras are agile creatures of the savanna...agile enough to be in this frame.

....and this frame.

....and THIS frame....

Okay, okay, so the zebra part of the safari is over. I did manage to get something different, and no I’m not talking about any Thompson’s gazelle or hyena.

Kamehameha's Kekoopono Weisbarth-Tafaoimalo, without a helmet at right, helps team mate Brandan Marfil (11) in stopping St. Louis' Vonn Feao during first-half action of an ILH Football game between the St. Louis Crusaders and the Kamehameha Warriors Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 at Aloha Stadium. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Which brings us to the final part of the Jamm Safari tour, my favorite frame of the night. After all, this is Prep Football Photos of the Week.

Kamehameha quarterback Tyler Christian Campbell dashes to avoid a tackle from St. Louis' Isaac Ava during first-half action of an ILH Football game between the St. Louis Crusaders and the Kamehameha Warriors Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 at Aloha Stadium. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Thanks for choosing Jamm’s Safari Tour: THE premiere ride for your gridiron savanna experience!

Shady

jammaquino — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:01:04 +0000

I was hunting for wild art yesterday afternoon and came upon this neat image. Unfortunately our page designers didn’t run it, so here it is for all of YOU good people who appreciate fun, wacky, outside the box photography! Enjoy!

These birds cram into the tiny bit of shade that a street sign provides them in an effort to stay cool on a warm Monday afternoon, August 17, 2009 at Kakaako Waterfront Park in Honolulu. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

Just lined up

jammaquino — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:38:15 +0000

I photographed the Gearhead event in Kailua this past Sunday–a typical wild art event full of feature photos. After walking around for about 30 minutes, I felt I had something decent to file. Just as that thought crossed my mind, an alignment of planets, space-time continuum, perfection, etc. etc. just rained down upon me, and I was able to raise my camera and shoot two frames of a mini Ford Mustang driven by two little girls coming towards a REAL red 1966 Mustang. To add to the luck, I had been shooting at f22 (don’t ask why) already, so I just raised it, didn’t really meter for it, and fired. Voila! Talk about lucky!

Chloe Kopaz, 9, drives Kiana Inouye, 3, in a red mini-Mustang as a real red 1966 Mustang flanks the frame at right during the Pro-Street Gearhead Classic II Sunday, July 5, 2009 in Kailua's Kapaa Quarry. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200 f2.8L IS (at 190mm), Exposure mode: Lucky, errr I mean MANUAL, 1/160 @ f22, ISO 400, daylight whitebalance.

Big ship, little bike

jammaquino — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:30:13 +0000

A mini motorcycle adds a sense of ironic scale to the Queen Mary 2 in the background, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009 at Sand Island Park. The Queen Mary 2, one of the largest cruiseliners in existence, made a stop in Honolulu as part of her voyage around the world. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin).

I had been assigned to shoot the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship yesterday, and I thought it’d be a good angle to shoot from Sand Island. But what I came across was even more amusing–a pocket bike, was just parked on a concrete block, and the owner of the bike was fishing off the breakwater. Hmm, huge ship, little bike–in one frame–how fun!

Two Sides

jammaquino — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:16:25 +0000

The New Mexico State Aggies, left, and the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine moments before the first serve.

This past Sunday I covered the women’s WAC Volleyball Tournament at the Stan Sheriff Center. The final match between the New Mexico State Aggies and the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine was going to be a very long albeit spirited battle between two teams vying for supremacy in the WAC. Since Hawaii had lost the last time the two teams met, winning would mean a lot more to not just the team, but the scores of fans who came out to see the match.

As a journalist, no matter where we live or who we cover, we always have to tell the story. In the case of this volleyball match, I had to juggle between covering the Wahine and the Aggies, as either side will tell a story. I went into this game shooting the usual action from the baseline, the concourse, and the sidelines, but I was really after something different. Emotion. Feel. Jubilation. Dejection. These were all items in the checklist in my head, and I attuned my vision to look for them.

Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200 f2.8L IS at 178mm, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 1250, 1/640@f2.8, 4200K Whitebalance

The Rainbow Wahine react after claiming a commanding lead in the fourth game during the WAC women's volleyball championship match between the New Mexico State Aggies and the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. Hawaii won in four games, claiming the 2008 WAC Championship title. Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200 f2.8L IS at 200mm, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 1250, 1/640@f2.8, 4200K Whitebalance

Once it became apparent that Hawaii was going to win, I had to make photographs of the Aggies’ frustration and dejection as well. As the title of this post suggests–two sides. That’s part of being a responsible photojournalist.

The New Mexico State bench watches the final points during the WAC women's volleyball championship match between the New Mexico State Aggies and the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200 f2.8L IS at 200mm, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 1250, 1/640@f2.8, 4200K Whitebalance

During the matchpoint, I was faced with a split second dilemma on whether to shoot tight on a key player or keep loose and capture the arena’s reaction to the win. I opted for the latter and was fortunate enough to be in the right spot so that all the compositional elements worked nicely, even the scoreboard with the final score!

Celebrating after match point. Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200 f2.8L IS at 80mm, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 1250, 1/640@f2.8, 4200K Whitebalance

Seconds seem to last minutes in situations like these, and I already had it in my mind that as soon as I made a decent photo of the winning moment, I had to rush over to New Mexico State’s side of the court to grab a reaction shot.

New Mexico State's Krystal Torres, right, and Erin Birmingham sit dejected on the bench after the WAC women's volleyball championship match. Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200 f2.8L IS at 195mm, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 1250, 1/640 @ f2.8, 4200K Whitebalance

Myself, UH Media Relations guru Jay Metzger, and Honolulu Advertiser photographer Andrew Shimabuku all agreed prior to the last point played that we shoot long for about 5 seconds (5 “Mississippi”) before rushing in for the wide angle jube. It actually worked out well that way, as I was able to grab the shot above instead of rushing midcourt towards Hawaii’s celebration.

But I couldn’t stay away from that…no no, not me.

Hawaii's Stephanie Brandt, middle, and Elizabeth Kaaihue share a laugh after winning the match. Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 16-35 f2.8L at 16mm, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 1000, 1/500 @ f3.5, 4200K Whitebalance

Because of my going back and forth between Hawaii’s and New Mexico’s sides of the court, I ended up getting stuck on the opposite side of the rest of the media circus that had gathered to shoot the Wahine. SHUCKS! STUCK! I had to lay low for a few seconds. It ended up playing in my favor though, because I was able to get this shot of Aneli raising up the trophy the second after she received it:

Hawaii floor captain Aneli Cubi-Otineru raises the WAC Championship trophy. Notice where every other member of the media is on the far left of the frame. I was probably the most photographed photographer that night, but not on purpose, needless to say

Of course there was also the ceremonious mugging for the camera, and the shaka shot that follows. I’ve never been one to photograph gratuitous “mugging.” Yet we have to for the books, per se. I ended up filing this one instead of the token shot, just to return the favor to my fellow media shooters.

Smile, everyone's backs of their heads, you're on camera!!

That’s my take on Sunday’s volleyball match, surely one of the more exciting ones this season. (It was exciting….and no I’m NOT calling YOU Shirley!)

And I’ll leave you with this shot. Because of all the constant searching for jube, dejection, and emotion, sometimes you end up with the out-of-the-ordinary action shot simply because you aren’t after it:

Hawaii's Stephanie Brandt, left, and Aneli Cubi-Otineru dive for a ball in the fourth game. Shot while I was lurking near the sideline waiting for my jube shot.

Escape Artist

jammaquino — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:10:22 +0000

Yesterday, while stopping into the newsroom to file an earlier assignment, I had the pleasure of photographing a clever, cunning little fellow. Here he is, waving to all of you!

Hello everyone! Let me outta here!

There he is, all grand 0.5 inches of him! Initially, I was photographing this little guy, who we’ll affectionately name Kermit, from the jar he was dwelling in after one of our graphic artists captured him. But I could not get Kermit to cooperate with the camera…you know how feisty celebrity talent is.

Kermit refuses to show me his good side

So, after consulting with various colleagues, I decided to pop open the jar to let him out so I could photograph him in a clear plastic case on the white table.

Bad Idea.

After I released the lid, Kermit proceeded to spring upwards onto my shoulder, and BOING…down towards the ground where the backgrounds and gels were. I swear I heard his ribbit laughter as I exclaimed “NOOOO!!!!” and dropped on my knees to try and apprehend the fugitive frog. He jumped into a stack of contest papers and into the dark recesses of the studio’s corner.

After a fruitless search of 10 minutes with a flashlight, I broke the news to our graphic artist, Bryant, who had caught the frog. Immediately, the WHOLE newsroom started breaking out in laughter. ”What!? He escaped?! BAHAHHAAHA!!!” Even our news editors were laughing at me–I don’t know if it was because of the gravity of the situation, the heavy sweat that I had started to break into, or the fact that something the size of a quarter eluded me so easily.

So with 4 people to assist, including the great Mike Rovner, we set out on froggie search in the corner. Bryant spotted him first, lurking underneath the bottom shelving where old issues of the paper are stored. Using the same jar, we cornered and coaxed him into the jar. It was a sight to be seen, fortunately I have NO photographic evidence of this silly fiasco of 4 men cornering and apprehending a frog the size of a thimble.

WE GOT HIM!

We then emptied Kermit onto the white table and stuck a CD spindle cover over him and a quarter in there as well for scale. I could now photograph this nemesis frog at my will, but not before talking trash to him about how he couldn’t escape now, and I pwned you, blah blah blah….yes it was that intense.

This little guy had some attitude

"Let me OUTTA HERE!!!"

Trying to pull the "I'm cute" look...not gonna work, there, Kermit!

After photographing him, and all was done, we put Kermit back into his jar. I had to photograph him from every angle to determine whether or not he was a coqui frog. After reviewing the images, many were torn over what type of frog Kermit was–a coqui or another similar frog, the greenhouse frog. I didn’t stay long enough to find out, as I had burned about an hour chasing and photographing this little guy.

Yeah, that's right, I'm pointing at YOU!