Oahu suggestions?

[stealththinker]

Oahu is pretty much filled with tourists everywhere. The windward side of the island has fewer people, so you may have some luck there. I remember last time I drove from North Shore/Turtle Bay to Diamond head and got quite a few good quality frames. Among them, I remember places like Chinaman's Hat and Rabbit island/Makapuu Point. The buddhist temple off Kahekili hwy is quite nice too. Take a real early hike to top of Diamond head when tourists are still asleep, you will be rewarded with extremely nice pictures with city in the background. If you haven't yet, buy the book from www.wizardpub.com, best $15 you can spend ...

[glenndavyphoto]

Andy, I'm not sure of exactly what type of photography you do, but assuming it is landscape/nature related (a pretty safe assumption since you posted here), you might be interested in a little volcano-hunting?  Check this site out:

Volcanology

It's definitely different and could offer a lot of very unique opportunities, BUT, unless you are an experienced vulcanologist, get a local guide from a University there!  Students studying volcanoes on the Island might want a few extra dollars for guiding, and you could benefit (in terms of photos and coming back no "crisper" than you left   ) from their experience and knowledge.  Hawiian volcanoes are mostly "oozing" volcanoes, not explosive ones.  There's a lot more to shoot than just lava of course.  Lots of pioneer plants, etc., that are tolerant of the gasses from an active volcano will be present and the juxtaposition of the lush green and dark volcanic rock could make for some very interesting shots.

Anyway, just something to think about.  If the idea doesn't interest you, no harm done - just ignore this  :: .

Glenn

[tamerlin]

Also keep the rains in mind... it rains there pretty much all the
time, in small localized cells. That means that there are lots of
opportunities to catch rainbows in your shots. I, unfortunately,
had no idea as to what I was doing when I was there with my
P&S camera, so I didn't capture them particularly well.

[andyfrazer]

Can anyone suggest any good landscape locations in Oahu?  I've seen all the travel brochures and websites, and I'm really looking for something other than the same old postcard spots filled with tourists.  I loved the Big Island because so much of it was unspoiled and wide open, but I'm afraid that Oahu is going to be too over-developed (hey, I'm an optimist :-) ).

Thanks in advance,

Andy Frazer
http://www.gorillasites.com/nightphotos

[Lisa Nikodym]

I suppose it's too late to suggest Kauai instead of Oahu?  Gorgeous, and as wide-open and unspoiled as the Big Island, probably more so.

Lisa

[andyfrazer]

Glen,

Thanks for your suggestion regarding volcanoes.  Unfortunately, the volcanoes are all on the Big Island, but I'm going to Oahu (the touristy island) this time.

Andy Frazer

[wheatcraft]

I lived on Oahu for six years, and I can tell you how to get to places that are totally away from the tourist areas - all will require hiking though. In fact, the best suggestion is to find a book on hiking Oahu - I'm sure there are several that you can find on Amazon.

Here are several tips:

Waianae Mountains - west side:
1. hike up to Kole-Kole pass - this is where the Japanese airplanes came in on the attack.
2. There is a terrific hike that goes to the top of the highest part of the Wainae range; can't remember the name of it now.

Koolau Mountains - east side:

If you look towards the Koolau mts from Honolulu, you will see several "fingers" with houses going up the mountains. Almost every one of these has a hike that starts at where the houses stop, and goes all the way to the Koolau ridge, looking out over the North Shore. The two best, and shortest, are the ones that 1) take off from the top of St. Louis Heights (near the university) and 2) from the top of Wilhemina Rise. These are two of my favorite hikes, and there are fabulous landscape photography opportunities.

Hope this helps.

Steve Wheatcraft