David's Images of the Day Photoblog
I left the PacificChem meeting early to get to the Pu’U’Ula’Ula peak in Haleakala National Park for sunset. When I arrived at the parking lot I saw this bird, which I later identified as a Chukar.
I was reading Jeff Revell’s Blog yesterday “Google Image Search Helps Me Track Down Abuse” and decided to try it out on one of my images. Surfer Girl is one of the most viewed images I have on my sister’s ShepArt Studio SmugMug site. I found four instances of the image in locations that I didn’t know about or authorize. Two were in a Maui Surf Report blog where someone was trying to help me identify the surfer so I could send her a print. Unfortunately, there is no copyright notice or identification of me as the photographer on the image that they posted. The image then showed up in a “Quit-Your_DayJob-16-pics” blog at UberGnome.com. I reported this to the webmaster at the site, and he removed the image within 10 minutes. The fourth location was on the home page for Home Management Services in Maui. I have not received response yet to have the image removed. Alternatively, I will be sending them an invoice or a free rental in Maui.
Sunset over Haleakala Satellite Tracking Station: Comparison of HDR Image Processing Programs. I used images taken at sunset last year to do a comparison of HDR (high dynamic range) processing programs. The first image is the original image taken with a Nikon D3x and 24 mm f/3.5 PC-E lens (ISO 100, f/16, 1/10 sec). The next three images are HDR composites from 5 exposures (+2, +1, 0, -1, -2 EV) using Photoshop CS5 HDR Pro, Photomatix Pro, and Nik HDR Efex Pro. The final image was processed using DxO Optics Pro 6 using a “single-shot” HDR technique. All of the new HDR programs have multiple, if not many presets as well as many controls to optimize the image. The HDR programs have come a long way over the last 3-4 years, where the HDR effects were often overboard. But then again, HDR can recover an uninteresting image i.e. “A derelict fishing boat along the Alaska Canada Highway”
This was my last day in Maui. Not much time for photography while I attended talks and a poster session at the meeting. I definitely want to return to Hawaii. I saw a great rainbow from the balcony in my room at the Maui Westin Hotel. The rooms with a view inland didn’t cost as much as the rooms with a view of the ocean. My final image is a post sunset view of the moon from the beach. Did I say I want to return to Hawaii.
I drove back in the afternoon to Hookipa beach to see if there would be any surfing. Unfortunately, the waves were not good and there were red flags at the beach warning surfers and swimmers to stay out of the water. The only one in the water was a parasurfer — way out. Took some images of the waves going over the volcanic rocks below the overlook, and another photographer taking pictures of the rough waves. Since conditions were not good here, I drove to Iao Valley state park. By the time I got there the rain was starting to get heavy so didn’t go for a hike up the valley, but did get a picture of the Iao needle in the clouds. The next day I heard that there was hail with this rain storm (unusual for Hawaii).
