The Lanipō Panorama Is Here...
So, my first vacation panorama is assembled. This is a 180 degree view, NNE from the lookout at the end of the Lanipō Trail, the same place as the video in my
previous post.
The link below leads to a 2.5 megapixel version, but there's also a 25 megapixel version and a
250 megapixel version. The original
is even larger, about 42,000 pixels wide, but it starts to get a little fuzzier and doesn't reveal much more detail than the 250 megapixel version.
One of the original photos. A bit of a hazy day, this.
This panorama was processed pretty heavily; it was a voggy day on the islands and I had to significantly increase the contrast, especially in the distant areas in the
valley and out to sea.
The promised Seattle panorama is being stitched together right at this moment, so that will be coming in the next couple of days. The Makapu‘u Point panorama,
although my favorite, has proven quite a bit harder to assemble because the large amount of ocean makes it difficult to align the photos. So I need to spend another couple of nights
on it, I think.
Panoramas on the Way
As a follow-up to my first effort at a high-resolution, panoramic photo, I made sure to take a couple more while on vacation. It'll take a couple days
to stitch them together, but I'm looking forward to the results.
- A view of the Seattle skyline and Lake Union, including Capitol Hill, downtown, the Space Needle, Queen Anne, and Gasworks Park in the foreground. This one was fun because the park will
look deserted - although when I took the photos, there were several dozen people milling around below me. I just waited until they walked out of frame before taking the photos.
- The beautiful bright blue Kailua Bay from Makapu‘u Point, including the Ko‘olau Pali and Waimanalo.
- The windward side of O‘ahu, overlooking the Maunawili Valley on a rare clear day.
As a teaser, here's a annotated video panorama of the last one.
Behold, The Mighty Albatross!
The Laysan albatross, that is (Phoebastria immutabilis), also known as not-so-mighty "gooney bird" thanks to its short legs and consequent ungainly
look on land. They are surely masters of the air, however.
A bird sweeping low over the dunes; both sexes incubate the egg, so it's not clear whether this one is male or female.
On Saturday I hiked to
Ka‘ena Point, the westernmost tip on the island of O‘ahu. A few hundred acres at the very tip have been made into a fenced nature reserve that preserves
a coastal dune ecosystem frequented by plover, shearwaters, green sea turtles (honu) and Hawaiian monk seals (‘ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua).
I spent a quiet hour and a half there, but only saw a couple dozen pairs of this relatively common albatross, and none of the other species (late afternoon into sunset might
have been a better time.) But it was still a great opportunity.
Read More...
More Odd Flora
Posted Wed, December 8, 2010 - 10:28 AM
photography, hawaii
And some more odd flora from the past couple of days.
Read More...
Postcards
Posted Wed, December 8, 2010 - 10:20 AM
photography, hawaii
Another batch of photos from Sandies, Makapu‘u, Mau‘umae Ridge, and Ka‘au Crater...
Read More...
Proof!
Some portraits.
At Makapu‘u, overlooking Kailua Bay.
Read More...
Tantalus Trails
Posted Thu, December 2, 2010 - 9:37 PM
video, hawaii
Just an average Tuesday, in a perfect world.
Exotic
Posted Tue, November 30, 2010 - 5:14 PM
photography, hawaii
It may be nearly December, but things are still blooming in sunny Hawai‘i.
More photos below the fold.
Read More...
The Great (November) Escape
Posted Thu, November 18, 2010 - 10:33 PM
seattle, hawaii, fmaily
Less than a week now until I'm on my yearly escape from the November gray. This isn't a very good month in Minnesota - too cold, windy,
and cloudy to be a continuation of fall, and too warm for most winter sports. And, it's going to be so much fun where I'm going.
First it's Thanksgiving weekend in Seattle to visit the newest member of the family.
Dan, Zach, and Jane.
Annie is flying in from Honolulu, and Jane and Dan generously gave my parents an early Christmas present of plane tickets, so the five members
of the Curtis family are going to have a holiday reunion of sorts.
Then it's on to paradise (not Paradise, although that's pretty close to Seattle).
Tropical rain and coconut palms.
And finally back home in mid-December. Even better, all the flights are nonstop and all three for $800 including fees. Sweet...
except maybe for the inevitable
near-nude pictures
of me that, although I don't really care about them specifically (people are way too prudish about the human body), are totally unnecessary
for the joke that is airport "security".
By the time I get home, I'm hoping for a full 20+ inches of powdery snow all ready for some serious skiing. The only downside is
that I'll miss this year's
Possum Trot, thus allowing Ian to lengthen his lead in the lifetime standings by virtue of attendance.
We, the Navigators, Remember
Posted Sun, July 25, 2010 - 10:21 PM
hawaii, navigation
(photo by Will Kyselka)
The Hawai‘i news
has been busy lately with the news that
Mau Piailug has passed away at the age of 76. He was the navigator of the
Hokule‘a on its maiden voyage from Hawai‘i to Tahiti, a teacher to David Lewis, Nainoa Thompson, and many others, and largely responsible for ensuring the
survival of traditional Polynesian oceanic navigation into the 21st century.
Although my wary personal relationship with water may keep me from ever setting foot on a voyaging canoe, I'm still amazed by what he, his peers, and his
students have been able to accomplish.
Knowledge can be a fragile thing, at times. Thank you for keeping it alive, Mau.
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