# Places in Honolulu for pictures



## kiniro (Apr 6, 2012)

So I'm going to Honolulu on a business trip for 3 days but I will be staying 2 extra days for my own leisure. I'm taking my camera gear with me and would like to know the places that I must go to get good pictures. Your suggestions would be great.
Thanks in advance for your replies.


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## Cali_PH (Apr 6, 2012)

Will you have access to a rental car and be able to drive around the island? What are you looking to shoot? I can't suggest too much around Honolulu itself, my visits have been more for landscape, and I haven't spent much time inside Honolulu itself. If you weren't originally planning on renting a car, I'd seriously consider it so you can explore the island. I've been able to get amazingly low prices on hotwire (below $10/day more than once)

Here's a list of things landscape-oriented things from the top of my head (some rather touristy, but...hey, you're a tourist! ;D):

- Diamond Head Crater (nice hike up to the top, overlook over the ocean and Honolulu)
- Hanauma Bay - lots of tourists, but still a nice spot, snorkeling if you like that.
- Lanai Lookout - Rocky outcropping on the SE side. Careful as you climb down and explore the water-carved rock.
- Makpuu Point - Nice hike up the eastern-most section; parking near there has a nice view looking north up the coast. 
- Kualoa Ranch/Ka'a'awa Valley - This is valley is somewhat touristy, because you have to pay to get in on various tours. They've filmed movies and tv shows in this valley (Godzilla's footprints are still there, Lost, Hawaii 5O, etc.), but it's a beautiful valley. Google it, and you'll probably recognize it from something
- Byodo-In Temple - replica of a temple in Japan.
- Drive the Pali Highway, very scenic, and go up to the Pali Lookout. Great view overlooking Kailua Bay and some other little towns; also location of a famous battle.
Just driving up the windward side (eastern coast) of Oahu, and then down the north shore is fantastic, lots of places to stop and shoot/enjoy.
- On the North Shore, Kawela Bay is a nice, generally secluded small bay to relax at, semi-photogenic. But the short walk from the road to bay has a lot of banyan trees that are nice to shoot/explore. There's also a hiking trail to the right a lot of people don't know about, follows the coast and eventually leads to an old military bunker. Go even further and you'll reach Turtle Bay resort. (By the way, I'd suggest stopping at one of the shrimp trucks )
- On the north shore, a lot of people drive from the Honolulu side to Waialua, and turn right/NE; I'd suggest exploring the NW direction if you have time. Near the Dillingham airfield are several beaches that aren't as crowded as the 'typical' ones are, and the nearby mountains are beautiful. 
- Papailoa Beach on the North Shore - Nice long stretch of beach, rarely crowded, and I've almost always found lots of turtles here.
- On the leeward coast (west), Ko Olina resort has some nice (but man-made) lagoons and beaches; if you take a long drive up the west coast, you'll reach the Kaena Point park, which is pretty nice, not usually crowded. Nice lava tidepools and mountains, some areas with lots of shells and such encased in the lava rock.

I'm sure I missed some spots, haha! I can suggest more once I know what type of things you're looking for.


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## kiniro (Apr 6, 2012)

Sweet! Thanks very much! Yes, I'll rent a car for sure to be able to drive all over the island.
The only problem that I see is that I'll only have 2 days for leisure.
I'm mostly looking to get some shots of volcanoes, beaches, sunsets.
Oh, and more than likely I'll be traveling by myself. Is it safe to go hiking by myself?
Thanks again.


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## Cali_PH (Apr 6, 2012)

Yes, two days is a bit short, but the island isn't that big, so you can still see a decent amount of it, especially with a car and driving on your own terms. 

Safety - One of my trips was mostly alone, and I never felt threatened by locals, in an unsafe area, etc. Not like, say, parts of Maui or the Big Island. There are some shady areas though, so use your best judgement. Do NOT leave obvious camera bags, suitcases, etc visible in your car when you park, especially in some remote areas; you may see broken glass in the parking lots because some tourists do, and have their cars broken into. 

And obviously, take normal safety precautions hiking. Take water, some food/snacks, etc. Most of the areas I mentioned are well-traveled, so if you did hurt yourself (sprained an ankle or whatever) there would be others around to help.

I've PM'd you, if you don't mind. I think I have a google map saved with some of the above locations saved on it from planning a trip a few years ago, maybe I can send a link if you're interested.


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## kiniro (Apr 6, 2012)

Thanks. Yeah, the map would be great.
I'm very cautious wherever I go since I'm from South America and down there you have to be careful everywhere.


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## Cyclops (Apr 6, 2012)

I was there this summer, and there are so many good photograph opportunities ever where you look

this was a temple in the valley of temples




This was taken off the coast of waikiki


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## kiniro (Apr 6, 2012)

Nice!! The temple looks great!


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## Cali_PH (Apr 7, 2012)

The temple above is the Byodo-In Temple I was referring to. It's a really nice spot to shoot! 

I suppose I should add some pics to help visualize...but please bear in mind the first two are panoramas from a p&s (2 years ago, didn't have a DSLR then), and the next two are shortly after I bought my T2i, so I know they're not the best  

1 - Lana'i Lookout - There's a sign at the top warning you not to climb down, but if you squint hard, you can see lots of people ignore the signs and climb down anyway. 
2 - Pali Lookout
3 - Papailoa Beach - If you're there at the right time, the rocks at the beach are exposed, and you can see the bright green...something...growing on it. This is what the turtles come to eat. 
4 - The view near the Makapuu Lighthouse.


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## kiniro (Apr 7, 2012)

Awesome pictures!
Did you use a variable or grad ND filter for #3?
Me and my friends want to a beach in Jupiter, Fl where you have limestones at the beach and rocks and stuff to take pictures of.


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## Wideopen (Apr 8, 2012)

I can't wait to go to Oahu next month. Very stunning pictures!


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## Cali_PH (Apr 10, 2012)

kiniro said:


> Awesome pictures!
> Did you use a variable or grad ND filter for #3?
> Me and my friends want to a beach in Jupiter, Fl where you have limestones at the beach and rocks and stuff to take pictures of.



Thank you! Yes, I used a grad ND filter for that shot. And shortly after it, a huge wave came crashing over the rocks...I barely avoided falling on my butt as I grabbed my tripod and scrambled back ;D


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## kiniro (Apr 10, 2012)

Cali_PH said:


> kiniro said:
> 
> 
> > Awesome pictures!
> ...



That's awesome! Sometimes you gotta risk your life to get a good shot. lol


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## kiniro (May 8, 2012)

Hello everybody. I'm back from my trip to Hawaii. Thanks everybody for your suggestions/comments.
Below is a link to the gallery with the pictures. I took about 1600 shots but only came up with 175 good ones. Is that a good ratio? lol
http://www.lu-yeng.com/Vacation/Hawaii/22838668_KxhBMg#!i=1833031004&k=NnVNhHh


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## kiniro (May 8, 2012)

forgot to say...photography is just a hobby for me. And I just started taking pictures with DSLR's last year.


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## kiniro (May 9, 2012)

well, yeah, I mean, I did some post processing to the pics obviously but the conditions were great for capturing the real color of the water. It was close to noon and the polarizer worked great.
It was windy, yes. some days it rained also. It'd be cloudy, rain and then the sun would come out and then back to being cloudy.


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