Creating art is one thing, selling it is another.

Today is the fourth day of a nine day photography exhibit. While its wonderful hearing comments about my work, I'm learning that selling is an art form on its on. So far the experience has been gratifying and humbling.

Photography exhibit at Honua Kai Resort and Spa in Kaanapali Maui

From December 28- January 4th, 2011 a collection of my fine art photography will be on exhibit from 4PM - 8PM. Featured will be Canvas, Aluminum, 300 gm Cotton Rag Paper, and Metallic prints of Maui's magical sunsets, flowing waterfalls, dolphins, and Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles. Humpback Whales are also featured.

My goal as an artist is to create compelling images of nature in order to evoke an emotional response. Please come by and join me celebrate the sea. Also check out www.douglasjhoffman.com

Naia Fiji - A Diver's Paradise

The images in this show represent what a diver can expect aboard a Naia cruise. The diving and service are world class. I can't wait to go back.
Video by: Douglas J Hoffman - DouglasJHoffman.com

Vavau' Tonga - a paradise for whales

Aloha

Check out this short slide show featuring images of Vavau' Tonga. It features some incredible views, and friendly Humpback Whales. http://shareitvideo.com/watch.php?v=241555634068078

I will be returning to Tonga in September 2011 for my 6th season and there is space available on the boat. If interested log onto http://www.douglasjhoffman.com/DH/trips.htm#Tonga_Whale_Expedition,_Aboard_the_NAIA_-_September_2_-_12,_2011

sharks

Sharks of Fiji Video

Flying baby whale

I have just returned home after enjoying 10 days in Vavau' Tonga. This was my fifth whale season in a row. While conditions made it a bit more challenging than the last few years, we were able to witness heat runs, mother and calf interaction, male singers, and social groups.

One of my favorite images was created while snorkeling but is of a whale in the air. I saw the calf swimming for the surface and thought it was going to breach, so I lifted the camera housing out of the water and started pressing the shutter. To my amazement this image captured the baby in the air.

I am planning to return to Tonga next year, however the destination will be the Ha'apai island group. Rather than do a land based trip we will go on the Naia' a 120 foot live-aboard coming over from Fiji. The dates are Sept 2-12. http://www.douglasjhoffman.com/DH/trips.htm

If there is interest another tour will start Sept 13th in Vavau'.

Lemon Shark

I have just returned from a 30 day trip dedicated to shark, coral reef, and humpback whale photography. The first week, I saw eight species of sharks and a huge Queensland Grouper. This image is of a Lemon Shark. Notice the small jacks swimming with it. See more images from the trip here. http://www.mauiphotography.net/Blog/

comments form recent workshop

Last night I received this comment from Mark Hull who participated in one of my workshops recently. Thanks Mark!

"After returning from your workshop I told myself that it was the smartest thing I could have done on my trip to Maui. Your personal attention and knowledge was very much appreciated. You challenged me to do things differently and offered great suggestions to help improve in areas I was having trouble with. I like that you asked me in advance what I wanted to focus on and wanted to know about my problem areas. The special locations we traveled to allowed me to see parts of the island that many don't get to see, and I returned with great images to boot."

I would highly recommend your workshop to anyone interested in learning more about photography or just looking for an educated tour guide that knows the best locations for the ultimate photographs.

Thanks again for a great time, I hope to see you again on my next trip to Maui.

PS. Meeting your great family and viewing your studio was also very special and gave the day that "personal touch".

Mark Hull

Those interested in workshops please click on this link. http://www.douglasjhoffman.com/DH/workshops.htm

art for conservation gets double page spread in Whale Dolphin Magazine

I received the Fall 2010 issue of Whale Dolphin Magazine and saw the publisher included a double page spread in the center of the magazine that mentioned art for conservation. Check it out here. http://www.douglasjhoffman.com/DH/Graphics/WDCS_Spread.jpg

To go to the art for conservation link click here http://www.douglasjhoffman.com/DH/conservation.htm

diagonal lines are strong compositional elements for u/w imagery

This image of two nudibranchs preparing to mate has a diagonal line running through the center which serves a leading line that draws the eye into the subject. The dark background adds depth to the the image. I used two strobes. The one on the left side was 2 f-stops stronger than the strobe on the right creating a nice light ratio.

Composition, lighting, and buoyancy skills are three of the most important elements of u/w photography. If interested in taking a workshop that concentrates on the skills check out

http://www.douglasjhoffman.com/DH/workshops.htm

Lemon Shark

In 2007, I was in Tonga, on a humpback whale trip with underwater photographers Mark Strickland and Tim Rock. During the week we had dinner a few times with Mike Neumann, the owner of Beqa Adventure Divers in Pacific Harbor Fiji. Known as BAD divers, this operation offers one of the most famous shark dives in the world where divers can expect to see as many as 6 or 7 species of sharks on a single dive. http://www.fijisharkdive.com/

Up to this point in my diving career of 10,000 plus dives, I had not fed animals in order to get a photograph. I felt it changed their natural behavior. So during during dinner I listened to the conversation and asked a lot of questions.

I learned that the dive shop owners had a part in creating a 30 mile long marine reserve and that fishing was not allowed. The thinking being that in order to study and sustain all the shark species its a good idea to protect the entire ecosystem. Since the reserve limited the fishing rights of the local villagers, the dive shop pays the village for every diver coming in to the reserve.

I have written more about this experience and it will be published soon on the http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/

To join me on diving and photography adventures in Hawaii, Fiji, or Tonga please check out my site www.douglasjhoffman.co

Free Lunch

This shrimp is doing more than just getting a free ride. Its working its way around the eel feeding on debris and parasites.

This image was created in the Lembeh Strait located near Manado Indonesia.

Natural frames to draw viewers eye into an image

This compositional technique has dual purposes. First it can add a great deal of depth, especially if the frame selected is connected to the main subject. Second, it has the affect of making the scene more appealing.

Perhaps the most common way of framing an image on the reef is to look for areas where their is a ledge, overhand, or coral formation that extends around, under, or over the subject. This image of a Moray Eel has a natural frame of coral reef around it. The out of focus foreground serves to draw the viewer directly to the Eye of the eel.

The benefits of framing photographs include:

1. Gives context.

2. Gives images a sense of depth.

3. Leads the eye towards main focal point.

4. Intrigues viewer.

tridents trumpet feasting on Clown of Thorns Starfish

Sometimes when diving I get to see bizarre glimpses of nature at work. On this particular dive I got to see what appeared to be an alien creature eating a venomous Crown of Thorns Starfish. As it turns out it was a Tridents Trumpet Shell feasting away on the starfish. This species of starfish is eating coral reefs around the word and deserves in my opinion to be eaten alive. Thats what's happening in this image and I call it poetic justice.

To view more marine life images go to http://www.douglasjhoffman.com/DH/fineArtOpen-Marine.htm

Frog fish face

I went diving today at Molokini and the wreck of the St. Anthony. It was during the second dive I saw this frogfish. I had a 105 mm lens that was really about 150 mm when you factor in the size of my digital sensor. The frog fish was the size of a small pumpkin, so I decided to concentrate on just the fishes face.

Fast shutter speeds freeze the action when doing ambient light

Southern Hemisphere Humpback whales are migrating through Tonga this time of year. This is one of the few places in the world where it is permitted to snorkel with whales.

When photographing whales and other large animals in the blue try setting your camera to shutter priority and using a speed of 1/250th of a second. This will minimize camera shake and blurry images.

Check out this article on Tonga for more information. http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/diving-tonga-humpback-whales

To see a collection of whale portraits go to www.douglasjhoffman.com

Story about the live-aboard Nai'a in Fiji

I just heard from the publisher that my story about a world class live-aboard dive boat called the Naia was just published. check out the story here. http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/naia-liveaboard-fiji

I was on the boat last October and had an incredible experience. In this story I talk about the great diving and service onboard and compare live-aboard to land based diving.

Enjoy!

Cover of WDCS magazines 50th edition

Today, I received an email from WDCS magazine which included a look at the cover. It features an image of mine that includes three Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales. The image was created last year in Tonga. To see more images of whales click here www.douglasjhoffman.com

Even on a rainy day landscape images can be made

When creating landscape and scenics portraits on Maui, weather can be a factor. Rain brings water needed for agriculture to thrive and for the streams and waterfalls to flow. On these kind of days shelter can sometimes be found inside the bamboo forest.

When the wind and rain persist along the north and eastern shore, its a good idea to drive to the south side of the island where chances are the weather is completely different. Take for example this beach image created in Wailea. It was made approximately one hour after the image in the bamboo forest.

Indeed, there are many different climates around Maui, making this island very unique and beautiful.

One step closer to reaching a personal goal

Since becoming a member of the Professional Photographers of America I made a goal to earn the coveted degree of Master of Photography. This year, I almost made it. The PPA has annual print competitions in which prints thats score well earn merits that go towards advanced degrees. In the recent competition, two of my images did quite well. As a result I am now only one merit away. Perhaps 2011 will be my year.

More fine art images can be see at www.douglasjhoffman.com.

Snorkeling with Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales

Whale season in Tonga is starting, and Southern Hemisphere Humpbacks are migrating to the tropical waters of Tonga to mate, give birth, and nurse young calves.

For the fifth year in a row, I am organizing an adventure dedicated to Humpback whales in Vavau, Tonga. The goal is to observe and photograph Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales.

www.douglasjhoffman.com As of now there are a few spaces available. Please call 808 879 0260 and reserve a space today.

Just because its legal does not mean swimming with whales is easy. The fact is whales are wild and are not on anyone's time schedule. They can come or go as they see fit, and all encounters are on their terms. For the safety of the whales, and fairness to others, several protocols are followed. The standard is to watch the whales, to observe their behavior and let them get used to our presence. If they feel we are not a threat, they will relax and that's when good interaction happens.

This adventure is limited to a small group, so each person will gets the experience of a lifetime. I charter a small boat that has the proper permits and specializes in working with film crews and scientists, as opposed to a larger boat with a boat'em and float'em attitude.

I have found that with the exception of a heat run that most encounters are best when swimmers float motionless and as needed swim together in a parallel course not an intersecting course with the whales. Imagine how you would feel if several large fish were swimming at you from multiple directions. I would feel threatened, so it only makes sense that the whales do too. Staying in a group allows the mother to relax and become comfortable with our presence. Once this happens the baby is free to check us out.

The baby whale in this video from last years trip is a perfect example of what happens when people relax and don't force the encounter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Calz1ZbKJA0

When it comes to nature photography, the daily plan is to hurry up and wait. As a result, a lot of time is spent looking at the horizon for whale sign. When whales are sighted, many factors have to come together before we get in the water. These include the demeanor of the whales, good visibility, low winds, and flat seas. Some days the water the water is clear and there are no whales. Other days there are plenty of whales but visibility is poor, e.t.c... Thats why the adventure includes 8 days on the water.

Read more about Tonga in my recent article in http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/diving-tonga-humpback-whales

Participants must be comfortable snorkeling in deep water and be in good health.

The crew of the Waterfront Restaurant

I just had the opportunity to create a few portraits for The Waterfront Restaurant. This is one of Maui's most established restaurants. They are known for incredible fish, steaks, & lobster. My wife and I went there for our 14th anniversary and had champaign with dinner. Nine months later our little girl Aya was born...............

Sunset to remember

After a family session with the McCalls last night I stayed at the beach and enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Fire in Maui

On June 8th, a brush fire broke out in the West Maui Mountains. Strong winds caused the fire to spread and by evening the fire had consumed over 2000 acres and threatened the Maui wind farm.

After the sun set, the sky had an erie glow, so I grabbed my camera and went to Sugar Beach. I needed a high Fstop for depth of field, and a slow shutter to capture the glow. So I set the camera at F8 and F11 and used shutter speeds of 15-20 seconds.

My friend Peter also created photos of the fire.

Summer photography workshops

Summer is here and over the next few months I will be doing three types of photography workshops. The first is all about portrait photography, lighting, & posing. The second is on landscape and scenic photography in which we will get into composition, lines of repetition, frames, slow shutter speeds, and high dynamic range. The third is about u/w photography in which we get into wide angle and macro photography, TTL and manual operations, composition, & lighting.


The first workshop has just taken place and it went from dawn till after sunset. We started at the beach, explored dirt roads, streams, the bamboo forrest, the incredible coastline of Makena, big beach, and Sugar Beach in Kihei.

High Dynamic Range - first attempt

Having read so many articles in the last year on HDR, I thought I would give it a try. So I grabbed my tripod and Nikon D200 with a 10-17 Tokina lens and went for a walk in a field that had burned less than a yea ago. I set my camera to aperture priority and selected F8. The ISO was 200 and the auto bracket for 7 stops in 1 stop increments.

I found the burned out car wrecks and thought this was a great subject. Here is the result. I used Photo Matrix software as a sample. Now I think I will purchase the plug in.

Tips on landscape photography

Limitations of Film or digital sensor
Try to keep in mind the range of light that your film or digital camera's imaging sensor will capture. A dark subject on a white beach for example has such a wide range of exposure that it is all but impossible to capture enough detail in this sort of image.

One technique that is becoming popular to day deals with dynamic range. Say for example your photographing a scene with high contrast and five or more F-stops range in exposure. Raw digital files have a lot of latitude but not that much. Thats why photographers today set their cameras to auto bracket and shoot 7-9 exposures of the same scene. The F-stop is the same to maintain depth of field. The shutter speed is bracketed in 1 stop increments. In all you want a good exposure and three that are over and three that are under. A TRIPOD IS REQUIRED for this style of photography.

One thing you can do when creating images is try to keep the sun behind you or at least 90 degrees to your side. Thee techniques produce the best landscape photographs.


The Rule of Thirds
Position key points of interest in a landscape on the intersecting point between imaginary ‘third’ points in an image and you’ll help give your image balance and help those focal points to really capture attention.

Avoid putting the horizon in the middle. Instead place the horizon in the upper or lower third of your shot.

Foreground Mid-ground Background
One element that can set apart your landscape shots is to think carefully about the foreground of your shots and by placing points of interest in them. When you do this you give those viewing the shot a way into the image as well as creating a sense of depth in your shot.

Ansel Adams, the famous B&W landscape photographer stresses the importance of making compositions that had foreground, mid, and background elements. It creates depth, scope, aids in composition and helps tell the story of the image.

Another element to consider is the sky. Most landscapes will either have a dominant foreground or sky – unless you have one or the other your shot can end up being fairly boring.

Diagonal & Leading Lines
Using converging lines can draw the eye of those viewing an image into it and to the main focal point. The lines could be the shape of a path, a line of trees, a fence, river or any other feature in an image.

S-curves
Using lines that are elegant and that resemble an S also serve to draw the viewer into the image and provide places for the eye to go leading it to the main focal point of the image.


Geometric Shapes

By positioning key aspects of a landscape on points of a geometric shape you can help create a balanced composition.

Framing Images
Adding interest to the foreground is an important technique for adding interest to landscape shots – a similar technique is to ‘frame’ the shot by adding interest to other parts of the edges of an image.

Perhaps the most common way of framing a landscape shot is to include an overhanging branch in the upper section of a shot. Similarly framing a shot with a bridge might work.

The benefits of framing pictures include:
1. giving the photo context (for example framing a scene with a lava flow can convey a sense of being out in nature in Hawaii).
2. giving images a sense of depth. (foreground, mid& background)
3. leading the eye towards your main focal point.
4. intriguing your viewer. Sometimes it’s what you can’t see in an image that draws you into it as much as what you can see in the picture.

Frames for photographs come in all shapes and sizes and can include shooting through overhanging branches, lava, foliage, etc. Your frame doesn’t need to go completely around the edges of your image – they might just be on one or two edges of your shot.

If you do use framing techniques you also need to consider whether you want your frame to be in focus or not. In some instances a nicely blurred frame will really add a sense of mood and depth to your shots (in this case use a large aperture) but in other cases to have your frame in focus can help with adding context to the scene (in this case choose a narrow aperture.


Adding Movement to landscapes
Movement adds mood and drama to an image. Wind, waves, waterfalls, birds flying , moving clouds. Use slow shutter speeds to soften the feel of waves lapping on the sand, and feel the action of the birds wings.

Take your time and look for several different points of view. When going to scenic places try to look for new angles. So get on a step ladder, or try looking from from a low perspective. Explore the environment and experiment with different view points and you could find something truly unique.
High Dynamic Range
This is a relatively new concept in photography that allows photographers to use the best information relating to shadow and highlights throughout a wide range of exposures. This is great for situations with there is great contrast. Software is available as a plug into photoshop to make the process fun and creative. Photomatix is the industry leader and allows their software to be downloaded for free for trial use.
Set the camera to auto bracket to 7 or 9 stops, then select one stop as the increment of exposure added or subtracted to each exposure. Also set the camera for aperture priority with a decent depth of field like F8. The camera will then set the shutter speed for each exposure during the auto bracket. Maintaining the F-stop will make sure all images have same depth of field.
Tripod

A light weight carbon fiber tripod with a ball head is a great tool to insure your images are sharp. It provides a steady platform for you to depress the shutter and minimize camera shake caused by body movement. Tripods allow you to use slow shutter speeds, as well as a variety of heights for different points of view. Tripods also make it easier to create multiple exposure panorama style photographs as it maintains the same angle throughout the range of exposures making it easier to align in photoshop.

First and last light is the best of the day – GOLDEN LIGHT
Sunsets and sunrises that are facing the horizon in which the sun is going to rise or set on usually look best if there is water or something reflective in the foreground as a compositional element. In Hawaii for example lava rocks, trees,and even dogs work well.

If the sun does not have a layer of clouds in front of it, the contrast in light intensity between area around the sun and the edges of your composition will be extreme. Some very dramatic sunset and sunrise colors can be captured by finding a scene that is on the opposite horizon from where the sun is actually rising or setting.

This type of composition allows the soft directional light of pre and early sunrise or early and post sunset to evenly illuminate the entire scene. Clouds can help reflect these colors and add content and texture to the sky.

Enjoy and have fun. douglas

Just back from an exciting blue water adventure to Tonga and Fiji looking for large animals. While Whale Sharks, and Sperm whales were not observed, I saw loads of sharks including white and black tip reef, Grey reef, Bronze whalers, Oceanic White Tip, and over 25 different Bull Sharks. I see great potential and will start organizing another exploratory trip for next January trip.

Vavau' Tonga Blue Water Adventure

I went to Vavau' in January as each year the fishermen tell me they see big schools of Tuna, bait balls, sharks, and occasionally Sperm Whales. So far I have had two days out. The first day we went out to a FAB buoy and swam with three Bronze whaler sharks. It was amazing. We also went to some sea mounts that come to within 180 feet of the surface. We saw some birds working something but it was moving really fast and we could not get in the water. From the boat it looked like a school of Mahi was working small fish.

The second day we went to Late a dormant volcano about 38 miles out to sea. The diving there was world class. The topography was incredible, and their were colorful soft corals and very impressive hard corals.

Swimming in blue water when you cant see the bottom is very exciting because you never know what will swim by. I have four more days and cant wait to see what we find.

www.douglasjhoffman.com