GOING IN WITH A PLAN...03.03.18

Saturday morning met up with my friends at Sandy's, 1st thing I noticed as I stepped out of my car @5:40am was the grey clouds overhead & on the horizon. Thinking that this mornings sunrise was starting to look like a bust with no colors. I thought I still could use the grey clouds in a long, very long exposure to blur the clouds into streaks across the sky. I also had planned to go to a specific cove that I wanted to use my 100-400 lens & try to grab some detailed shots of the mouth of the cove as the waves crashed over them & capture the runoff cascading off the rock back into the sea. The unexpected part of this shoot was how the sky exploded with color, it was amazing!!!

Thinking about it, almost every aspect of this 3 framed composited image was planned, the location, compositing the huge swells & the early morning color explosion of the sky. The location was determined the day before. Seeing the size of the swells as I scanning the waters when I arrived, I knew that I wanted to capture these huge waves, & of course the unexpected colors in the sky. 

Going in with a preconceived image in mind always helps but many times it can be frustrating if the conditions are not right, & then there are times when unexpected things or conditions happen & you have to think fast & try to compose a shot in your head with only a short amount of time to capture what you need to get that shot. It's these times that I capture parts of my image in several frames knowing that I'm going to bring everything together in post. I try my best to capture everything right at the time of capture but sometimes Mother Nature just makes it that much harder to do. That's when you need to learn to think on your feet whether you bracket your shots or capture multiple frames of different elements for exposure blending. This is when experience comes into play knowing what to do & when to do it, and the only way to know this is, of course, practice, practice & practice! I have nearly 9 years of practicing this & I'm still learning new techniques today.

*Prints are available upon request.

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

INBETWEEN THE CRACKS...02.17.18

I think my creative juices are fizzling out! In the last 4 weeks, I've been having such a hard time finding my composition! Not really sure why, but I still want to shoot, but seem to have a creative block with my composing my seascape imagery. I feel that I'm just going through the motion & getting nothing, to the point of trying too hard & getting frustrated! I've trashed 2 sunrise shoots because I just came home with nothing creative! There's a ton of family health issues going on in my life right now, so I need to work through them. With that said things are starting to look up & like a basketball player in a slump I just have to keep on shooting until it clicks, pardon the pun!!!

This shot was an interesting one, I think it was the last couple of shot I took for the day. I felt that there was something there but had to work on it to see it come to life! For the most part, I like it but it's not that "WOW" that I'm always looking for. This shot I had to lower my tripod down very low & squat to get the comp, but it made me realize, maybe, I need to get in tighter to my composition?! All these thoughts & ideas that run through my head everytime I go out to shoot brings me one step closer to that "WOW" image!

If you like this post please take the time to click on the "Like" icon on the bottom right hand corner & or comment below, I would greatly appreciate it...Aloha

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

STAR CHASING 2018...02.17.18

It's that time of year again, star chasing the Milky Way! This past Saturday morning I arrived at the location that I wanted to compose a Milky Way shot I had in my head, but was greeted by many, many other photographers with the same idea! I pulled in stepped out & took a look at the skies, no moon & clear skies a perfect combination, just too many people. So I jumped back into my car & headed out to where I was supposed to meet my buddy for sunrise. While I waited I rigged my gear up & took a few shots or the MW, not to creative for my foreground elements but I got a shot of it, 1st one this year, I was happy...for now! One thing I have to adjust is the shutter speed, even at 20 seconds the stars are just beginning to trail, so maybe around 15 seconds should be the sweet spot? We'll see!

Next weekend the weather forecast will be for overcast skies so, I'm slightly bummed & no MW shooting! I do have a creative model shoot on Sunday so I'm looking forward to that but the weather still forecasting overcast skies so I'll have to create my own sunlight. Everything should be a go unless the rains come.The model,  my assistants, gear & I can handle some drizzling & light rain but not a storm like last weekend! Praying it holds out.

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

ROCK PILE...02.10.18

Met up with 2 of my buddies on Saturday & decided to shoot at the Point. This location has many places to explore to find interesting comps, but to get there is another story. My legs are still aching from the climb back up, coming down was no problem!

I walked out as far as I could to, up to my knees in water to grab this comp but was still too wide & had to zoom in until about 29mm on my 16-35mm lens. The composition wouldn't have worked as the surrounding area was a bit to busy & would have added too much distraction to the overall image. The lesson today was, less is more! 

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

SEEING THROUGH THE DISTORTION...02.03.18

Sometimes we can see our path clearly through our own eyes, but there are many souls that have a distorted vision of the same life we share on this earth. I purposely shot this image well aware of the distortion on the piers piling & also wanted to split this image in half using the piers dark shadowed boardwalk almost to mask out what lies above it...the unknown!

Today is a better day not only because it's Friday but because a part of my soul has returned. 
It's ALOHA FRIDAY, have a safe & wonderful weekend my friends! Life is too short enjoy your loves while you can...Aloha


Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved   

HOPE IN DESPAIR...01.31.18

The constant pounding of the ocean waters have eaten away at the metal piling & have begun to fall back into the sea. The waves that are constantly washing over these surround pilings may not have been very large but the constant high & low tides have deteriorated it as it inches it’s way back into the sea. It seems to stands alone but it is surrounded by multiple pilings as to give it strength. Perhaps just enough strength to continue standing for another day, week or years, but always fighting the elements that surround it trying to stand tall. 

The gloomy rain clouds that hover over these pilings give it a sense of despair & hopelessness, but I always look for that glimmer of hope in everything. Behind these rain clouds, I can see a pocket of light....good light, & hope that will never give up to the darkness!  

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

FLOW...02.04.17

This mornings sunrise shoot was a little bit of a struggle. I drove to Sandy Beach at my "normal" spot knowing that it was just about a peak high tide. The surf was not very impressive so I jumped back into my car & drove farther down to my 2nd fav spot. The wind was blowing but not enough to warrant me to look a spot to have the wind against my back. So I went exploring & found a spot that I have not shot from before & found this little comp. I waded out until I was thigh high in water, inching my way closer to the rock in the in the center foreground. 

As I composed my shot, the skies blew up with color! It was so beautiful! I took this as a sign & opened my heart & spirit up to God. We had a short conversation, well a request or prayer, whatever you want to call it. During our "conversation", I missed capturing the crescendo of the color explosion in the sky, & as the waters washed past me, the very same waters rolled down my face, it seemed to me that I was standing in an ocean of tears, sadden & hoping for an answer. I guess only time will tell. Just my thoughts & continuing journey through this crazy thing we call life.

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

ALLURE...01.27.17

Returned to Cromwell's for sunrise with 2 of my buddies. This location is not an ideal location to be shooting sunrise but there was a rock about a good 40 yards out that I saw the last time we were there & wanted a chance to try and capture. I also wanted to test out my new F-Stop Ajna 40L backpack, it's a huge bag! Everything in my Mindshift Rotation Panorama bag fit into it with room to spare.

All through twilight I did my best to compose my shot in the dark. That's one of the most frustrating things about shooting so early in the morning during twilight is grabbing focusing & trying to get that comp just right! I was happy with the position of the rocks but it was missing something & as I waited for long exposure to finish I watched the waves roll in as several surfers waited for the perfect ride to come along. That's when it hit me to speed up my shutter & take shots of the swells coming in, I have to say that these waves had such a beautiful structure & form to it. From this point, I knew that I was going to do a composite & add, hopefully, that perfect wave! 

So here's the breakdown of the 2 images, the long exposure shot was taken at a shutter speed of 182. seconds, f8, ISO 50 & the faster shutter speed frame with the wave taken at 1 sec, f/8, ISO 320.

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

RISING TIDE...01.21.18

Here's 1 more image from Sunday's sunrise, slightly different angle with less chaotic water flow, more soothing, I think. I really love this pastel muted colors in the sunrise, it's what I look for instead of the vibrant, oversaturated images I see everywhere. Nothing wrong with that look, it's just not for me. The way I look at it, everybody sees's the world differently, that's what makes art so amazingly beautiful!!!

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

THE CUP IS ALWAYS HALF FULL...01.21.17

When I decided to come here, I had in mind shooting in black & white but when I saw how high the tide was I began to think of new possibilities! I was mesmerized by the incoming waves as it rushed up the beach towards my position & wrapped around the break wall. I instantly knew that I needed to capture multiple images with a slow shutter speed 2 minutes or more to slow down the clouds to have that beautiful smooth streaking motion that would glide across the sky. The 2nd image needed to be a faster shutter speed, in this image 0.5 seconds, to capture the motion & texture of the water. So while I had the colors in the sky I did several 2-3 minutes long exposures & just making sure that the sky & clouds had that look I wanted. Then as the ambient light became stronger I experimented with a 1-second exposure but the water wasn't streaking like I wanted it to look. Tried a 1.5, nope wasn't working, then a 0.5-second exposure, yes that's the effect I wanted, moving silk! 

I came home with 57 frames & after culling through the images I deleted all but 18 frames. Out of that 18, I used 10 to edit. I then proceeded to edited these images using exposure blending technique, so basically used 2 frames per final image, stacked in Photoshop. So 5 final edited images came from the initial 57 imported frames. 2 images that I really liked but they look similar as I kept the same composition with a slightly different perspective & water movement. I'll share 2 more images from Sundays shoot later on in the week.

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

THE SKIES HAVE IT...01.14.18

It's ALOHA FRIDAY, have a safe & wonderful weekend my friends! 

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

MELANCHOLY...01.13.18

Living for the moment may be seen to some people as haphazard, but to me, it's the way I live my life. Don't get me wrong, I do make plans for the future like everyone else, but to me, I tend to roll with the punches at whatever life throws at me. I was optimistic about 2018, a new year, but have been thrown curve balls, one after another since Thanksgiving, I was begining to loose hope. When I captured this image, I felt that it was a representation of how I was feeling helpless but I knew that God way of testing me. However, I've come to the realization that it will represent a smooth & calmer road ahead for me & my family dealing with health issues. I need to be that rock, the foundation that holds everything together & try to remember that the cup is alwyas half full & not half empty...Amen  

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved  

THE S CURVE...01.06.18

Ventured out t the eastside on Saturday, I pulled into the parking lot & stepped out of the car & was welcomed by 18-20mph cold onshore winds. I knew that I'd have issues with the salt spray, that was a given! Then came the rain! Despite the wind & rain, we moved towards the shoreline to find our spot.  

I tried to position myself with a composition that was away from the splashing waves to minimize the salt spray & it worked to a certain extent. The spray was so bad that I was wiping my front filter just about every 10 seconds, even during the long exposure. That technique worked out very well without causing any blurring. I found this composition with this S-curve leading to the sun, sometimes you get lucky!

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

CASULTIES OF PHOTOGRAPHY...01.04.18

You know those shoots when it starts off like crap, so hard time finding my composition & it's the way the light isn't falling in the spot where you want it?! Haha! Yesterday was one of those days shooting sunset. It took the 3rd or 4th attempt at a different composition location, but on the next comp setup I had it! Damn rocks were so slippery & I didn't have my spikes with me, had to be very careful. 

I've been having issues with light leaks & reflections off the Breakthrough glass filters, but yesterday nothing, no problems even shooting into the setting sun! I did have a casualty, I lost my controller for my wireless shutter release, it must have fallen out of my pocket when I pulled out my cloth to wipe the lens. I have 2 more wireless remotes coming from Amazon but I know I'll lose more so I ordered another 2!!! Talk about paranoid :) haha, that's me! 

It's ALOHA FRIDAY, have a safe & wonderful weekend my friends! 

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

INTO THE MIST OF THE UNKNOWN...12.29.17

My buddy, Dave  & I went to explore a unknown new location for an early sunrise last Friday. Not sure exactly where we were going but we did find our way to the coastline & walked over bolders & rocks to come to a dead end as the waves pounded the shoreline like a barrier. Sadly we turned around & I settled in on a large bolder with waves crashing to both sides of me. I have to admit that it wasn't a good feeling being where I was, in fear of a wave carshing onto a nearby rock & throwing salt water over me & my gear. However I'm getting back in the habit of always putting on my rain cover before we head down any shoreline. Spent most of the morning trying to capture this shot with that feeling & look that I have in my head, that perfect mix of light & mist!

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved  

OUT WITH THE BAD STUFF!!!...12.30.17

Interpretation of a photograph will vary from person to person. I have been called many things in my journey as a photographer some good, some bad, I take everything with a grain of salt.  I've been called a "Master" of photography!? That is the one thing I will dispute over & over again every single time someone says that, I am by far NOT a Master of photography, like you I am still learning the craft. David Duchemin, a photographer I've been looking up to for the past several years, once said something that stuck with me, "Mastery is not a destination, it's a journey", we learn as we progress throughout our photographic journey. We all learn as much as we put into it, talk is cheap! We can learn all the technical aspects of a camera, shooting techniques & how to take a perfectly composed picture by watching all the videos & reading all the articles online, but if we don't take action & go out to practice what we've learned, then what good is that? We all need to, yes this includes myself, get up off our lazy ass & get out there & just shoot!

For the past few weeks I've been missing something in my images. I think maybe I'm rushing too much, or still trying to understand the new filter system I'm using & getting a bit frustrated?! Whatever it is, I know I'll eventually figure it out. Creativity is like the ebb & flow of the tides, it's constantly in motion. Yes every photographer will hit a wall at some point. Some will never pickup a camera again, others will fight through the mist until it start to click again. I can say this from experience, that if you're willing to climb that wall, you will prevail & it will make you a stronger creative!  

This image was taken 2 days before the New Year but I wanted to share it with all of you, as it symbolizes many things to me as a creative, the ebb & flow of life.  

2018, another 364 days to go, I'm so looking forward to what I can capture through the lens of my vision!!! I hope you are too!!!

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2018 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved  

THE GLOWING SILVER LINING...12.23.17

This  coming Monday will mark the start of another new year...2018, I say bring it on!
To all my friends & Ohana, have a Great & Prosperous Happy New Year!!!

Photographically speaking 2017 was a great learning experience for myself, trying different gear, shooting & processing techniques. I’ve learned a lot form meeting & talking to other photographers. I think the 1 thing that I’ve taken away this year is seeing all the inspirational pictures from many of my friends and throughout my social media network. 

My family life as a caregiver to my Mom & my in-laws, health wise has been a very big roller coaster ride in 2017. It’s pretty bad when you start to recognize the nurses in the ER! It has been anything but fun, but what can you do, except to roll with the punches & wait for that next curve ball life throws at you. The only thing keeping me grounded has been the support from my wife & keeping the faith. Photography has also been a very big part of keeping my sanity! “da crazies” friends who I shoot with every weekend, keeps me laughing every weekend & brings back the light in all the gloom so I can continue to tackle the next week! I thank you guys form the bottom of my heart!

2018 is a new year, I can only pray for a better smoother year, but I promise you one thing...that I will be Looking for that glowing silver lining in all the hard times ahead, & I refuse to give into the despair!!! Much like the image above, I will always look for that beautiful glow that surrounds that isolated tree...bring it on 2018!!!

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2017 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved  

THE TROUGH...12.24.17

It's been a long while since I shot from this location. In fact I was a bit disoriented as to finding my way down the slippery, rocky terrain, lucky I strapped on my metal spikes to my tabis for more grip. I still have an anxiety about falling in this particular location. I met up wth 3 of my friends so at least we had some kind of buddy system to make sure we all made it down safely. Once down I headed straight for this place I call the trough, where the incoming waves are pushed into a narrow opening & pours into a circular pool. I abandoned my extra longer exposures to try to capture & show the textures & movement of the water as it poured into the rocky cup.

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2017 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

CHRISTMAS DAY'S 1ST LIGHT...12.25.17

Wishing all of my friends & Ohana very Merry Christmas!!!

Did some exploring today on this early Christmas pre sunrise day. The tide  was forecast to peak an hour after sunrise, I was expecting to see some hight swells rushing up the beach but much to my surprise it was  wasn't that high. I was tempted to say closer to the sandy part of the beach but I did want to capture the water as it came into the inlet at the end of the rocky shoreline. I've been here many times but the waves were always too large to be able to shoot from this spot, until today & was able to grab this shot! Even thou the majority of the incoming waves were relatively small, there were a few rouge waves that would roll in, so I had to grab this shot & get out of there asap!  I'm still so amazed on how sharp this Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens is!!!


Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2017 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved    

THE GLOWING DONUT HOLE...12.17.17

I seem to be captivated by shooting the donut! I think it has something to do with the glowing green moss that encompasses the rim of the outer circle! Whatever it is I've been drawn back to this location for the past several weeks. Maybe I'm still looking for that perfect comp? Or that perfect light? Whatever it is I'm having fun & that's the main thing!

This is one of the 1st shots when I arrived. This place is known to have a more than a few rouge waves that roll in! So with that in mind I had resigned to having to get wet, once again. Trying to get my comp & all the while keeping my eyes on the incoming waves is very difficult. I also use my hearing as I listen for the crashing waves as it pounds on the outer reef. I'm always looking back to shore for a path out of harms way, in case of a larger than normal rouge wave hits.   

Aloha a hui hou my friends! 
www.ryansakamoto.com
Copyright 2017 Ryan Sakamoto, All rights reserved