OK, finally finished editing the photos from my Hawaiian adventure. If you haven’t been following this story, I got enlisted for a project working with members of the National Park Service on the big island of Hawaii. The mission was to photograph 5 of the most endangered endemic birds (meaning they are found nowhere else on earth) in an effort to raise awareness and funds for their plight. If action is not taken these incredible birds WILL BE extinct in the very near future, so I was not only honored to be involved, I also felt a real sense of urgency and duty to do what I could to help.
Capturing the images meant traveling to an elevation of 6000 feet up the Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanos, into the rainforest. It rained every day, and waterproofing my cameras, lenses, and myself was a challenge, as we had to spend hours out in whatever weather was happening when the light was good. There was often almost NO light in the densest parts of the forest. We had expert guides who knew how to find the birds, and my job was to figure out how to photograph them. The subjects were all small, fast, and elusive, and easily the toughest creatures to shoot I have ever tried.
After the rainforest portion ended I traveled to the other side of the island and photographed a few of the birds found there. These creatures are not endangered, but they were new to me and I pursued them too. All images were shot with the Sony A1, and 400/2.8 and 100-400 GM lenses. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed making them.
Mahalo!
