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The Drifter Journals

"Capture the Color" Photography of 2013

9/14/2013

20 Comments

 
Picture
A shot I took with one hand while clinging onto a mule with the other
I consider myself to be a relatively creative person. However, I feel that my art is mainly translated through words on a page. Anything else truly artistic comes in secondary to that. This includes photography.
My two brothers are the talented ones when it comes to photography. In fact, a lot of the pictures you see on this blog are from both of them.

My oldest brother Paul invests in great equipment and is patient enough to frame and wait for the perfect shot, even if it means being silent and in awkward positions for extended amounts of time.

My brother Philip has dabbled in creative photography such as lomography and other techniques. Recently, my sister-in-law bought for him the perfect anniversary gift, a photography setup that I do not understand. 

I, on the other, have no aversion to taking pictures, it's just that I'm not very good at it. I had played around with it a bit in my late teens, but never really managed to take it anywhere. 

I loved my second-hand Canon SLR that I had bought in a pawn shop during a cross country roadtrip in Colorado, and took it everywhere with me across the states to document my young adventures. 

But honestly, I think it was digital that killed my passion. I am a purist at heart, and it was like a swift death blow for me to see the rise of digital and the fall of film. I have still yet to recover.

I blog, true, but my focus now is on my writing content. I've learned that when traveling and experiencing new settings, I find myself so in the moment that it's almost impossible for me to stop for a second to frame a good shot. Perfect photographs pass me by all the time.
So imagine my surprise when my friend James Pham from Fly, Icarus, Fly nominated me in his Capture the Color Photo Contest entry. This came out of the blue. (No pun intended. Okay, who am I kidding...pun intended.) And here I am now, having to dig up some basic evidence to hopefully justify this nomination.

Most of the following pictures I took using my brother's camera, hence the decent quality. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my 'entries', and don't worry, my own nominations will follow!

YELLOW

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The Mountain Mo'o - Kamalo, Molokai
This is a scene I passed by every day as a boy. On a recent visit home, this field of bright 'yellow' flora spreading wildly out at the foot of the mountain ridge on the island of Molokai grabbed my attention. I had to stop and take a picture. The top of the mountain is shaped like a mo'o, or giant lizard, and there are legendary stories that tell about how the great monster ended up on that ridge.

RED

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Hawaiian Luau in the Mainland - Long Island, New York
Imagine arriving in New York after living abroad for 3+ years and being greeted by friends and family with a banquet of some of your favorite home-cooked comfort food! That's what happened to me this past July. In this case, my mom and brother flew in from Hawaii and, along with my sister, worked hard to put together this traditional Hawaiian-Style luau! Complete with 'red' dishes of beef stew and lomilomi salmon. The pot, serving utensils and tomatoes in the salad help bring out more of that red goodness as well.

BLUE

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Fresh Cooked Palauan Root - Guiuan, Eastern Samar
The bright 'blue' colander in this photo wasn't even what I was going for when I snapped this shot. I was actually focusing more on the root crop called tarukog that I was about to try for the first time. It reminded me of a familiar root vegetable that I grew up eating, and when I took a bite out of it, it brought me straight home. The blue colander just happened to frame the yellow tarukog perfectly.

GREEN

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The Dis n Dat Shop - Lanai City, Lanai
An iconic building on the island of Lanai, The Dis n Dat Shop has been around for a few years now. Although the shop is relatively new, the building itself is pretty historical. The new owners gave it the bright 'green' paint job to spruce it up and bring in the light. My aunty Cat works there, polishing the windchimes and keeping the eclectic inventory in order, so if you ever stop in there be sure to say hi to her for me.

WHITE

Picture
Shells Along the Shoreline - Calicoan Island, Philippines
Miles and miles of golden sand beach all to ourselves as we combed for shells, stones and seaglass. That is what we discovered at this unnamed stretch of beach on Calicoan Island near the town of Guiuan. Along the beach, right before a jagged outcrop of exposed coral, I happened upon a patch of 'white' shells that immediately grabbed my attention. As I stared downward, a frothy wave rolled in, perfectly framing this sun-dappled shot.

Wanna Get More Into Photography?


So there it is! I hope you enjoyed my entries. If anything, this makes me want to get back into photography more. Thanks, James.

And now it's time for my own personal nominees...

"Capture The Colour" Photo Contest 2013 Information

Anyone with a travel blog can enter, but to keep things going I nominate these five fabulous travel bloggers full of ALOHA from The 808:

  • Lani V. Cox from Tell Thai Heart
  • Christine Kaaloa from Grrrl Traveler
  • Noel Morata from Travel Photo Discovery
  • Wendy Omuro from REDiSCOVERiNG MAUi
  • Lehia from Everyday Maui

If you enjoyed this article, and would like to know more about this, and other posts, don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter!

And now we ask you - What is your inner artistry?

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20 Comments
James link
9/14/2013 10:41:48 am

For someone who says they're not good at photography, these shots are great! Vibrant colors, island feel, check and check!

Reply
JR Riel link
9/15/2013 01:26:21 pm

Thanks a lot for that nomination, James! That was just the right kick in the butt I needed to get my creativity going again. I really do feel like investing in a good quality camera now.

Reply
Lani link
9/14/2013 11:01:57 am

oMg. So funny. My brother is the one who is the 'photographer'. He's into the equipment, knew which cameras to buy me, worked in a photo shop, did stuff for hs yearbook and local paper, etc. So I understand.

But digital actually made me a better photographer. (along w/ family and friends giving me exasperated advice b/c my pics were that bad)

Thanks for the nomination. Looking forward to posting and such. Hugs from Thailand :)

Reply
JR Riel link
9/15/2013 01:27:36 pm

Yeah, me too, I can't wait to see everyone's stuff! Funny how our family and friends help us develop into who are we today as bloggers. It's a great thing really. Interesting how digital worked as an opposite for you.

Reply
Kalei
9/14/2013 04:06:57 pm

Awww... the Mo'o, I always liked looking out for him on the way to town & back.

Reply
JR Riel link
9/15/2013 01:28:44 pm

I know right?! I remember for the longest time I could never see it, and one day, we stopped and stared at it and FINALLY I could see the outline of it clearly. It was awesome!

Reply
Wendy link
9/14/2013 06:45:56 pm

I love how all of your photos tell a story ... nomination, (beyond) justified! Now I have to go and work on my nomination-justification. ;) Thanks for the honor!

Reply
JR Riel link
9/15/2013 01:30:00 pm

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I like to have a story in everything I share, gives my blog the personality it needs. I'm sure you'll do great on your entries. Just tag me on Twitter when it's published and I'll check it out!

Reply
Scott
9/14/2013 08:07:56 pm

Awesome shot JR! the talent runs in your family...you, Pauly, and Philip all have your own styles!

Reply
JR Riel link
9/15/2013 01:46:03 pm

Thanks, Scott! I appreciate the compliment. You know we all love your photography as well. Which reminds me...when is the next "Shot of Scott"??? ;-)

Reply
Kalei
9/15/2013 03:51:46 pm

Yes!! "Shot of Scott"!! "Shot of Scott"!! Find a picture with the horse sashimi, I wanna read about that. =)

Dana Carmel @ Time Travel Plans link
9/16/2013 10:29:49 am

Love these photos - especially the green!

Reply
JR Riel link
9/22/2013 08:33:29 pm

Thanks, Dana! Glad you liked it. I love the green picture, too. It's a great little shop in Lanai City, Hawaii if you ever get to go there.

Reply
noel link
9/16/2013 10:45:20 am

nice job JR, love all your choices

Come and link up with us today for Travel Photo Mondays, the link runs all week so I hope you can join us for the next installment?

Reply
JR Riel link
9/22/2013 08:41:26 pm

Mahalo nui, Noel! Coming from a pro-photographer such as yourself that really means a lot.

Reply
Agness link
9/16/2013 12:55:13 pm

Great photos, my favourite one is definitely red - great capture and so yummy looking food :)

Reply
JR Riel link
9/22/2013 08:43:16 pm

You're right, the food was definitely yummy! As I was scrolling through my photos looking for red, this one didn't even come to mind. I'm glad I scrolled down, as the rred in the picture really stood out. Thanks for the comment.

Reply
Chasing the Donkey link
9/22/2013 11:14:11 pm

AWESOME shots! My fav was the yellow one, but after a second look I think that red food wins me over. Damn, I am a sucker for food. Good luck.

Reply
JR Riel link
10/1/2013 06:31:49 am

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate that. Red is my favorite, too, because that is some of my favorite food right there!

Reply
Mike H. link
1/6/2014 12:53:42 pm

JR, I can relate to your comments about the film vs. digital. I still haven't invested in the digital camera world, and have an old 35mm Minolta (without auto-focus). I think the photos are still richer and more complex with film. And my favorite of your selection is yellow, it looks great!

Reply



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    I'm JR. I come from a long line of adventurers, some were nomadic explorers of the sea and others wandering cultivators of the earth. Ultimately, this legacy of drifters has deeply affected my view of travel. Read more... 

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