Jeff Lubeck

Capturing Kauai – It is Good To Have Backup Plan

When I head out on a photo-shoot, I bring back up cameras. I almost always take additional shots of the same image I am trying to capture using multiple devices.

If I am shooting with the PHASEONE Medium Format Kit, I bring along the Nikon Kit, or my Sony RXR1, and iPhone. Sometimes I bring them all.

Today the strategy pays off. I am conducting a sunrise shoot at Shipwreck Beach and early AM countryside near Koloa in Kauai. The Rodenstock 32MM lens on the PHASEONE IQ4 151 does not seem to be cooperating per normal. The shots are being captured, but something seems slightly off. At this juncture, it is smart to assume operator error.

Luckily – on this day – I also capture images with the Sony RXR1 and iPhone. The Sony is small enough to put in your coat-pocket. It is a full-frame 35MM camera with a 50 Megapixel Sensor and a 35MM Zeiss f2 Lens. It is a remarkable piece of equipment. Below are three shots from today using the Sony.

A Grapefruit farm near Koloa in the early AM. Kauai’s highest mountain – Mt Kawaikini 5,206 ft. – is in the background.

Sunrise at Shipwreck Beach.

The Ko’ula River Basin and Mt. Kaiwikini. If you say, gee, that looks like Jurrassic Park kinda of territory! You would be dead on correct – it is in the movie.

Capturing Kauai – Cactus Bloom on Kahakai

Cactus plants thrive on Kauai. On the West Side of Kauai, the plants appear to be in full bloom. It appears, blooming is more common in wintertime,

I find the different shades of color in the flower so fascinating.

— Jeff’s Thoughts and Other Worthless Trivia —

Kahakai [“kah-hah-ky-ee”] is the word for beach in Hawaiian language.

The cactus plant is located in my backyard on the fence line bordering Kahakai Road.

On this shoot I decide I would like for the cactus to be be backlit at an angle. I find that the best time – in January – is about 2PM local. The sun is not too high and the Plumeria and Shower trees block and filter a great deal of light.

If you look carefully, it can be established that Sage the Border Collie is on duty performing her normal Crowd Control Role. Willow, the Border Collie must be patrolling the Front Yard.

On this shoot I capture the images with the following settings and equipment.

Settings: ISO 200 1/250th F11 Dual Exposure (manually configured).

Equipment:

PHASEONE IQ4 151 Digital Back

Cambo WRS 5000 Technical Camera

Rodenstock HR Diagron W 4.0 32 MM lens

GT3542 Mountaineer Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod

Arca Swiss C1 Cube with classic QR Tripod Head

Cambo WRS-145 Arca compatible QR tripod mount base for WRS series

Capturing Kauai – The Difference a Day Makes

The Weather in Kauai is remarkable. The micro-climates of the Waimea Canyon add to the wonder.

The two images below are of the Waimea Canyon on the Island of Kauai in the United States. They are captured late in the day on January 5th and 8th respectively. The timing choice reflects a desire to have all of the canyon walls, river floor, and Waipo’o Falls in full light. While not technically in the Golden Hour, the sun is well on its way to setting in this spot.

In order to capture both images, a photo-shoot of over 2 hours takes place each day.

In the first shot, a cool mist covers the canyon for over sixty minutes. The light is horrible. Over the next hour, the mist disappears and reappears to varying degrees.

In the second, the January sun is bright and low in the sky. The ask of myself, is to wait until the sun is behind me, low enough to create shadows and depth, and continues to light up the canyon until the last possible moment.

— Jeff’s Thoughts and Other Worthless Trivia —

Spanish Goats are residents of the Waimea Canyon. They are feral. The goats are the product of a trip to Kauai in 1792 with British Navy Captain George Vancouver.

The images above are from the PHASEONE IQ4 150 digital back. Two types of camera and lenses are part of the solution. The implication is a different perspective and image size is captured, despite taken from the exact same location.

For the top image, the PHASEONE XF camera body and PHASEONE\Schneider 35MM Blue Ring Lens is in play. The capture is with manual settings: F11, 1/320th, ISO 200 Dual Exposure Electronic capture.

For the bottom image, the Cambo WRS5000 Technical camera body and Rodenstock 32MM Copal lens is in play. The capture is with manual settings: F11, 1/400th, ISO 100 Dual Exposure Electronic capture with White Card Balance. Three images are part of the capture as the Technical Camera adjusts – Center, 10MM left and 10MM right.

A key ingredient to success with the two-shoots is the presence of a tripod. These shoots use an Arca Swiss Geared Tripod Head and Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod. The shot location is on stable reliable ground but is on a perch with a precipitous drop of 3,000 feet available for immediate experience.

Capturing Kauai – It is Good To Have Backup Plan

Capturing Kauai – Cactus Bloom on Kahakai

Capturing Kauai – The Difference a Day Makes

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