HDR Mk 14 Spitfire

HDR

Using  three images and compiling in PhotomatixPro5 then into Photoshop applying Topaz Elements and finishing off in Lightroom.

ANZAC Day 2015 100 years

A interesting experience attending the Dawn service commemorating our Armed Forces past and present.
 Getting up at three am I took the train in to Auckland which was empty at my stop and full on arrival into New Market.
A brisk walk to the Auckland Memorial where I was greeted with thousands of people already seated and standing around the ceremonial point just after 5.00 am.
A very cereal and quite location especially with the amount of people attending from all ages very young and old.

Attached are a few shots of the days event.

Hawaii Part 6

 Atlantis Submarines Hawaii    &    Diamond Head

Atlantis Submarines Hawaii

 This was a nice part of our visit to Hawaii, a little pricy but what part of the tourist scene is not.

First off, I'd like to say the staff friendly and knowledgeable! You meet at a docking area where they inform you about the submarine ride. They hand you a keepsake souvenir of literature showing you which fishes you'll see.
Next you board a ship that takes you to the submarine. The boat ride was nice.  It's a narrow entrance hatch with a vertical stair that you climb down also make it an interesting experience with the sub moving a bit.  The seats are small and someone cramped which is to be expected as this is a submarine and not a cruse ship.

The tour guide was very informative and upbeat. His tidbits of wildlife and the sunken structures were very entertaining...

As we were getting deeper we noticed the color starting to shift    reds changing to blues  and you did not really notice it until our narrator pointed it out, very weird.

Photography was difficult to get a descent exposure and was continually altering exposure compensation with spot metering.

All in all...we had a great time for a small fee.   Happy campers we are.

Diamond Head

One of the first things you should do when you get to Hawaii is climb Diamond Head

We booked for an early climb of 6.00 am wanting to catch the sunrise but the tour bus was late and did not get to the top until 8.00 am ish

The hike itself isn't difficult, but for the majority of it being an uneven and rocky path. I find the worst part is the series of steep, narrow staircases and had to catch my breath on a couple of occasions

Once you get to the top however, you forget all about it! To say the view is stunning is selling it short! You've never seen so many shades of blue and green! If you have a DSLR/SLR then you'll definitely be doing yourself a favor to buy a polarized filter.