Notes on Kite Aerial Photography: Photo Gallery

A Trip to Kaua'i
A Kappa's Beachfront at First Light



The tropics differ in light and landscape (ground-based photo, July 1996, 60K jpg)

Kaua'i is just below the Tropic of Cancer. Since our trip was just a few days after the Summer Solstice I had the opportunity to take photographs when the sun was at the zenith - directly overhead. I somehow never got around to it. I did get photographs but most were taken in the early morning hours. As I reflect on this I realize that most of my kite aerial photograph sorties are quite deliberate. I often make a couple of preliminary trips to a potential KAP site just to scout it out. I check the winds, figure out kite launching sites, try to figure out the best time of day and so on. It just seemed too much of a production to do this in Hawaii so most of my kite photographs, including those on this page, were taken near our condominium in Kapa'a during the early morning hours.

It made for a great morning routine. I'd get up around sunrise, make a pot of coffee, and watch the amazingly reliable 6:15 am rainbow - nicely framed between two palm trees. After the first rain shower and before the next I'd take the KAP gear on a stroll down the short beach nearby. If conditions were right I'd send the rig aloft for a few photographs. While I didn't capture the midday sun (next trip) I'm also appreciative of the fine light at the edges of the day with its long shadows and soft, warm colors.



Overhead view of palms and swimming pool at the Lae Nani Condominium (July 1996, 58K jpg)

I think this is an interesting shot. The grounds crew at the condominium had just finished lining up the lawn chairs near the pool so I decided to photograph it. For this near plan view the camera is above the palms and their symmetrical fronds cause you to wonder about the viewpoint.




Another view of the Lae Nani pool in Kapa'a (July 1996, 57K jpg)

I remember that when I took this shot I was concentrating more on keeping the camera cradle out of the palm trees than on image composition. For a short while it was relatively tight quarters while I was hemmed in between pool and building. I usually control the location of the camera cradle by walking around and it is nice to have a bit of working room.




The orderly edge of the pool (July 1996, 31K jpg)

The as-yet-unoccupied pool stands ready for the day's activities as the remnants of the early rain shower evaporate.




It is a short traverse from lawn to beach to surf (July 1996, 53K jpg)

This was a fairly protected shore so the transition from manicured lawn to ocean surf occurred in an interestingly short distance.




Plan view of the beach (July 1996, 56K jpg)

Another view of the edge between condominium and ocean.




Close plan view of a path through the groundcover (July 1996, 80K jpg)

A low-level detail shot of the groundcover at beach's edge. These lovely lavender blooms were unfurling much like miniature morning glories.




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All rights reserved. Revised: Thursday, July 18, 1996


URL: http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/~cris/kap/gallery/gal35.html