So what has inspired the latent, oh so new post?  Well, I did get a new camera, or two, this year… A Fujifilm X-T5 digital mirrorless (an upgrade from my X-T20) as well as a Yashica D TLR film (new to me) classic 120 manual camera…

Both of which, along with my trusty iPhone made it’s way ~8000 odd miles across the Pacific, down under the equator, to the land of Kiwi’s, also known as New Zealand . It was an adventure, for sure!

Now, to be more specific, back in 2023, hubs and I decided we wanted to join the Stuck In Customs Photography Adventure Workshop with Trey Ratcliff, a photographer we have both admired and followed for several years.

After a mellower vacation for my 50th, Maui in 2023, an “adventure” based one seemed just the ticket for 2024, photography focused, perfection. The workshop took place on the South Island centered in Queenstown.  There were about 10 of us, including Wade(aka hubs 🥰) and myself, photography enthusiasts from all over that trekked down there to come together for some photo focused goodness.  Like minds, varied focus, creative variations and all.  It was spectacular: for the views AND the company.

Which brings me to the “point” of this fresh new post…the photo workshop along with the rest of our New Zealand vacation, was particularly centered in Landscape photography…capturing in frame the perfection of the glorious landscapes provided by these spectacular islands in the South Pacific.

So, landscapes, I do admit, are beautiful, and I do take several gigabytes of frames whilst I am vacationing…it’s our thing for sure.  That said, I think my true love, and perhaps most natural inclination is to capture joie de vivre, or people in their element.  It’s why I loved shooting live music, and Pride parades, etc etc… Life in motion if you will.

Now, all of this is to say, the mostly landscape backlog of digital masses is deep, approximately a terabyte…and on film, 9 rolls of 12. Lot’s of frames, many to be discarded. Yet amongst all the landscape goodness, and there is much of that…I couldn’t help myself, but to shift, and point a camera lens at those of whom were there to capture it, during our workshop.  I can only imagine the inner eye rolls my fellow workshoppers likely had, as myself, I prefer to be on the back side of the camera, taking the shots. But they were all great sports, and I so enjoyed meeting each and every one of them, not least of which, our host Trey and his son Ethan that hosted us.  We all learned quite a bit from each other, and it was so zen being amongst others who for all appearances also seemed to be chasing their bliss through the lens.

So, whilst culling the masses of image frames on my hard drive, I ended up drawn to these frames, capturing my fellow enthusiasts in action, both with candid glance, and from afar… There is something that just draws me most to these images and they floated to the top of my editing pile far faster than their clean landscaped counterparts.  I think the magic, whether a quick close up glance, a far away peek, or even a sweeping panorama of backs and mountains…it takes me back to this time, with far greater speed than anything else.

Perhaps it’s the added connection I feel, perhaps, it’s just easier than waiting for the stacked HDR’s to process…or perhaps it’s just personal preference…I find these frames so much more compelling and magical than their relatively equally  (or more) beautiful counterparts.  And I mean, I have certainly used the AI tools to remove a photo bomber or two across some of my landscape shots… In contrast, for these frames I focused, intentionally on the people…  Maybe it’s why, most recently, when asked to come out and capture a colleagues band playing, I did so enthusiastically.  It was like riding a bicycle…I think people (even if I am a bit anti-social or perhaps because I am), are perfection in frame.  Whether from behind and far away, or smiling close up in frame…I suppose it’s where my bliss and lens leads me.

But alas, I should finish the proper landscapes…NZ deserves the homage.  Working on them, perhaps a post soonish will follow this…

That said, I have finished this one part of the New Zealand masses, and that is a full culling and final gallery featuring the people within the landscapes from our workshop.  People who were lovely, intelligent, friendly, talented, and so interesting. Doing their thing, and not letting me see any eye rolls.  And I have to admit, I am pretty interested to see what landscape beauty they captured, in pixels, on the other side of their lenses… to see how different things come out, when people shooting more or less the same exact things, click the shutter…because we all see so differently…we all behold different perspective, and we all like and prefer different things.

To the photographers and to New Zealand I give thanks…you are all beautiful, xoxo.

Insta links to all the photographers, I’d like to to now consider friends:
@lynnsnow3
@imogen.nelson
@lightseeking
@intersabs
@lostinmybucketlist
@rajeevjayaraman
@worldinasnap
@flowcused
@treyratcliff
@wadehasphotos

Full Gallery below (alt archive link)

Like creeks and waterfalls…what does this mean for image making nerds? I means you take your tripod, stop way down, and let the shutter open for a bit. What get’s it all creamy and pretty versus just overexposed? A lovely neutral density filter. Of which I did not have a few weeks ago when shooting up by Humpback Creek…glowy white blown out exposure batman;) But there was still some pretty, nonetheless, and pretty mountains and a damp eerie tunnel.

For last weeks jaunt, I picked up a neutral density filter so I could better control exposure(when needed) – and voila, much nicer;)

Altogether, definitely going to get out more…there are many images to be had…summer? Are you there? lol…

~full set slideshow (click for mobile view)~

Hiking 6/1/2014 & 6/8/2014 – Images by Elisa Sherman

But, it wasn’t just the big camera, in fact it was mostly the little iPhone that got the biggest workout – because…yep, it’s the camera with me…

Actually, I made a point not to take the bigger camera with me for most of my vacation – it was a birthday break, turning 40 in the tropics – a time to relax, take in the rays, drinks some tropical beverages, just to relax. Relalxing means, not obsessing over getting all the spectaular shots… Perhaps this sounds counter intuitive – but I can be, a bit obsessive with my clickage. I want to capture all the pretty.

I actually thought about this for a bit – the images that would or would not be captured whilst I was in the tropics. I wanted both, not to be obsessed, but to be able to get some image trophies to bring home…

So, I scheduled a tour – specifically a photography tour. Alex Wilson runs Oahu Photography tours – and has earned the top spot on the activity list on Trip Advisor – I concur(ponders – Alex, do you need to franchise out – the Big Island perhaps?! – only partially kidding, lol).

Given the schedule I had of family and friends meeting me on the island – I felt like I could only spare a half day – so I chose the Sunrise tour – and it was spectacular – I got my photo on, fed the beast as it were, and my trusty iPhone was able to satisfy me for most of the rest of the 9 days. I only cracked out the big cam again on the 2 trips up to North Shore (the wild seas warranted it), and a few shots out at Haunama… I also chose to shoot primarily with my 15mm fisheye – which I think worked out well. I have really fallen in love with it. Playing with the bend, the flare, the wide angle – a great creative lens and creative image partner.

First – with my iphone, instagram was my friend…posting friend & family pics easily to facebook, and pretty seascapey phone pix to my tumblr. Several of the fun phone pix – here –

And, of course, solar flare most often in sharp focus…big cam shots – about eighty percent from the photo tour – thanks again, Alex!

~full gallery archive slideshow~
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Aloha & Mahalo, Hawaii – until next time…