Photo Safari: Kaneohe Yacht Club

I'm currently in Hawai'i to visit my brother, who lives here. After a brief stop at his condo, we went to Kaneohe Yacht Club, where he's a member, so that I could play around with my camera.

Takeaways

• Must hold down the power button of my remote shutter release (trigger) for 2 seconds to turn it on
• A 64 ND filter isn't enough to effect silky smooth water

Kit

• Nikon D7200
• Nikkor 35mm f/2
• Benro CPL and ND filter attachment system
• Benro CPL
• Benro .9 soft GND filter
• Benro 64 ND filter
• Kenko 55-->70mm step-up ring
• Embarrassingly crappy tripod

Story

During the 6-hour plane ride to Hawai'i, I studied photography magazines, which just so happened to feature landscapes, so by the time I landed, I was itching to grab my camera and scout out fantastic vantage points from which to take my next masterpiece. However, I was also tired, as I'd had to wake up at 4:30 AM to catch my flight. As such, my brother suggested we go to his yacht club, which is close enough that I could crash pretty quickly if I needed to.

We got the club, which was thankfully empty. There were no races that day, and the clubhouse was closed besides. It was only my second time playing around with my fancy filter set, and I didn't want to get in anyone's way, let alone get asked questions about what I'm doing. Let alone get my glass accidentally stepped on by a sailor.

Bright kayaks

First, we walked the docks so that I could find potential shots and plan my compositions before having to set up all my equipment. There are two docks, but I found the right side the more interesting one.

When I went back with my camera, my brother and I headed straight for the right dock. I tried to get a shot of pools of water on a rock reef with silky smooth water of the bay. For the smooth water, I attached my CPL and 64 ND filter, and set a fairly slow shutter speed--5 seconds, if I recall. Needless to say, I had my remote trigger hooked up, and I was using a tripod.

Well, it wasn't enough. The water was still a bit bumpy and far too reflective of the grey sky. I rotated my CPL and decreased the shutter speed to no avail. I eventually gave up, and we continued down the dock.

Old boat

Clouds overtook the sky as the sun was setting. I tried to catch light beams, the movement of clouds, silky water, and all the other things I saw in my magazines, but I just couldn't manage it. My 64 ND just didn't have the light-blocking power I need to get such effects. So I focused my attention on subjects that were in my ability range.

A view through the rain shelter on the dock

Even though I got a little frustrated, I still achieved about half of my goals, including practice with my equipment. It's great to have nice things, but it's far more important to use them--and know how to use them. Sometimes, you just have to recognize when something is not possible or practical. And in those cases, you have to work with what you have.