Quick post.  I was at the Honolulu Zoo Birthday celebration yesterday for wild art.  You’d expect WILD wild art, being that I was at the zoo, but instead I came away with a very interesting image that I was very happy with.  Children were tossing beanbags into a cardboard hole as a game to win prizes.  I lined up behind the the cardboard and waited for the right elements to be within the circles.

Five-year-old Ryen Adaro watches her beanbag throw enter the hole during the Honolulu Zoo's centennial birthday celebration Sunday, August 30, 2009 on the zoo grounds. The event, hosted by the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, featured local entertainers as well as games and activities for the whole family. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200 f2.8L IS at 170mm, Exposure mode: Manual, 1/125 sec @ f4.5, 200 ISO, daylight whitebalance.

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).

Hey everyone,

Thanks for constantly checking out my photoblog.  I have been on vacation for the past few weeks and am now back, refreshed and ready for the fall sports season.  Because this blog is for anyone who loves and appreciates photography, I figured I’d post some of my favorites from my travels–maybe some of you can figure out where I went.  Enjoy, and stay tuned for more posts coming soon!

Can you see what that wake belongs to?

AND MY FAVORITE PHOTO:

Was on a mission for wild art yesterday and decided to visit a place my father used to take me as a kid to watch planes.  I just got there, and a trio of U.S. Airforce F-15’s were taking off from the Reef Runway.  Armed with only a 70-200, I parked and tracked them as they took off, and was lucky enough to catch this gentleman covering his ears in my frame during my pan motion–wild art mission:  accomplished!

Rick Swazey covers his ears as an Air National Guard F-15 Eagle takes off from the Reef Runway Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at Keehi Lagoon near the Airport. (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!

For those who aren’t aware yet, I’m a Tweeter now, so you all can follow me on assignment:

http://twitter.com/jammaquino

@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 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!

People check out the Christmas light canopy outside the Kaneohe Police Station during the 2008 Windward City Lights holiday festivities, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008 at the corner of Waikaula Street and Kamehameha Highway in Kaneohe. Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 16-35 f2.8L, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 800, 1/2 second @ f7.1, Auto Whitebalance. Effect achieved by slowly pulling back on the zoom during exposure, which was handheld.

I photographed the Windward City Lights event on Sunday evening in Kaneohe, and the shot I came up with served as a great metaphor for this past year.  In this slow exposure, the aura of festively colored lights zooming by capture the essence of photography in its simplest form–light writing.  It was a year ago since Richard Walker and I went to New Orleans to cover the Sugar Bowl.  It was a year ago since I told myself “Wow, where did 2007 go?”  So here I am now, asking, “where did you go, 2008?”

That being said, always live for the moment, because moments come and go.  As photographers, moments are frozen in time by our split-second decision to press the button, and we sometimes take those moments for granted.  It may be there visually, but the moment in its entirety is gone forever. FOREVER.  No turning back, no rewind, no regrets.

So as the holiday season comes upon us, keep your eyes, hearts and minds open for those moments. Photographers can capture the moment, but the moment should be enjoyed by everyone.

For GREAT light.

Thanksgiving found me working the early shift–one I haven’t worked in quite some time.  I love the light when the sun has just come up.  It’s like Mother Nature reminding you how fortunate you are to be able to capture it with the black contraption in your hand called a camera.

A nearly picture-perfect sunrise with the island of Molokai visible on the horizon is juxtaposed by the silhouette of a bulldozer claw Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008 near Makapuu Point.

It was off to UH football practice for me, and the light was NICE!!!!!  Our eyes see differently from the camera.  This is what our eyes see:

Our eyes see differently from what our camera sees. This is a pocket of sunlight with the shadows of the UH dorms looming on either side. I bracketed a sequence, and this is "proper" exposure, showing highlights and detail in the shadows. Note that I brought up some of the shadow for the purpose of showing what our eyes really see in this situation.

Because of the bracketing, which, in case some of you who aren’t familiar with it, is shooting a sequence of shots both over and under exposing up to 2 whole stops, I chose to go with the underexposed highlight.  This results in dramatic chiaroscuro.

Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200 f2.8L IS at 158mm, Exposure mode: Manual, ISO 200, 1/5000 @ f2.8, Daylight whitebalance

Nice light is key.  Here in Hawaii, though, because of our location on the planet, we don’t have very long every day to get good light.  Usually about an hour in the morning and an hour at dusk.  One of my mentors, Frederic Larson of the San Francisco Chronicle, ingrained a saying into my head “Great moments in great light.”  That’s something to live by.  Here’s more football practice.  

Most people were thankful for family, good health, turkey, stuffing, and each other.  I was thankful for that, no question, but I was thankful for great light Thursday morning.

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!