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hawaii trip in march rather than december


memphis1

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<p>ok going to hawaii in march rather than december... shooting a wedding<br>

gives me a few extra months to configure my kit (plus birthday andd christmas)<br>

I am carrying a d3 with the following lenses:<br />24/2.8 ais<br />16mm 2.8 fisheye<br />28/2.8 af-d<br />50/1.4 af-d<br />80-200/2.8 af-d<br />500mm mirror w/ 2x teleconverter</p>

 

<p>leaving the 60mm micro/ring flash at home<br>

am thinking i want to get a good super wide or 28-80/2.8 any thoughts on anything i need for my kit (including accessories for the d3?)</p>

 

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<p>My two money lenses for weddings (and most everything else) are a 24-70 2.8 and a 70-200 2.8. I also have a 12-24 for shooting in close quarters. Based on what you have I would pick up a 24-70 (Nikon would be nice but my Sigma does just fine) and leave the 24 and 28 at home, maybe even sell them.) If you added a superwide like a 12-24 (or the Nikon 14-24) then you could leave the 16 at home also. (A regular 16 might be useful but a fisheye is a special purpose lens for a few special shots). I can't imagine using a 500 mirror at a wedding but you might find some use for it on the trip.<br />I would take the 60 macro with me -- perfect for closeups of the ring.<br /><br />Since this is a wedding I assume you also have a backup body, at least two flashes, backup lenses, possibly backdrops for the formals, tons of extra batteries and cords, all the usual.<br /><br /></p>
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<p>small wedding, no backdrops, smaller backup body just in case -- </p>

<p>will be there for a week and will have some time to myself- - ergo the 500 and the fisheye</p>

<p>will probably get a good tamron or tokina to cover super wide - -- </p>

<p>have all my hawaii ebooks regarding tourism and photography --- carrying my galaxy 4 tablet,</p>

<p>not taking my laptop -- carrying plenty of cf cards.... <br>

every ounce counts here</p>

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<p>Have been to Hawaii numerous times, mostly in the March timeframe because that is prime whale season. You didn't mention which island you will be visiting, but the majority of whales are around Maui. It is really worth booking a whale watch while there if you have time. My favorite is through the Pacific Whale Foundation on Maui. March is not the best time for flowers in Hawaii, but there really isn't a bad time to go. One other thing about March to consider is that there is a better chance of getting caught in a rain shower based on which side of the island you happen to be on.</p>
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<p>There are plenty of wide vistas in HI, but you don't really need an ultrawide. Stitching technology is so good these days you can do a lot with it, even handheld if you're careful.<br>

If I were doing a wedding and vacation in HI, I'd take the 24-70 and the 70-200 and probably the 1.7 and/or 2.0 teleconverter.<br>

For the wedding, you might consider renting some gear there. Then you don't have to carry backups.</p>

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<p>One of the best spots to get photos of surfers and wind surfers on Maui is Hookipa Beach on the north shore just past the town of Paia. The world renowned "Jaws" surf area is also just past Hookipa. This is also the beginning of the Road to Hana trip which I would highly recommend as well. If this is your first trip to Maui I would also suggest sunrise or sunset from the summit of Haleakala. If you go for sunrise, be sure to stop for a great breakfast at Kula Lodge on the way down.</p>
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<p>I would take the following<br>

1. Two bodies<br>

2. Lots of cards (but I would also take my laptop, with a backup drive of the OS plus space for backing up the pictures)<br>

3. 24-70 and 70-200 f2.8 (the others are duplicative or specialized). I took my 14-24 f2.8 to Peru and never used it..and there are some incredible wide vistas, but I did take a tripod for panoramics, BUT I learned high speed frame capture with a steady footing and even body rotation, I could readily capture nice panoramics, negating my need for a wide angle camera (example of hand held-http://e2photography.zenfolio.com/p451453742/h7e7c4cfe#h7e7c4cfe)<br>

4. Depending on the location of the wedding (not likely to be a dark church), would take 2-3 strobes (sb900 and SB800 for backup<br>

5. Are you traveling with an assistant? If yes, I would take my wireless off camera system.</p>

 

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<p>You can leave the teleconverter at home. If your 500 is the Nikon 500 F/8 you will find no use for a 1000 F/32. Even if it could optically hold up to that focal length (and it won't) and you could control it, (I don't think I could) you would have to think up goofy stuff to shoot with it. </p>

<p>If you are the only shooter you must have a backup body. You must have good flash and a backup flash. All the more so if it is an outdoor wedding. My vote is for the 24-70 F/2.8 and the 70-200 F/2.8. Take the macro if you are going to shoot the ring. Rent if you have to. Leave all of the inconvenient primes at home. (Maybe you could take the 50 F/1.4 for portraits if you think you could use it. Back up card one with card two. Take your laptop so you can burn disks. Burn one of the wedding raws and send it home by Fed Ex. Do not reformat your cards until after you have delivered the finished product to the B & G. Take tons of high quality cards.</p>

<p>You said the B & G were paying your way. Be sure to tell them that this is your first rodeo. They have the right to know what they are getting for their money. I mean no offense and we have all shot our first wedding. Just be sure you are straight up with them.</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>not my first wedding at all, rick --- and i've known the couple for 20+ years --- never said it was my first wedding... first destination wedding, yes.... </p>

<p>it's a little different doing a wedding when you can't put something you might need in your car</p>

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<p>Blake for what it's worth I live on Oahu and spend a considerable amount of time shooting here and on neighboring islands. I am also one of those photographers who used to bring everything in case there was some situation that I found myself in for which I might not be prepared. I finally got tired of humping all that stuff around and/or worried about it when it wasn't with me. I have found that my 80-200mm f/2.8 and my 16-35mm f/4 are really what I use the most, particularly in shooting outdoor scenes (landscapes, seascapes, etc..) and for outdoor weddings. Sometimes I throw in a 50mm to bridge the gap but lately I just zoom with my feet if I need to. Given the good high ISO performance of the D3, you can get away with just those two types of lens. If you want to shoot surfing then you will need something in the 500-800mm range to get the kind of close up shots that you are probably after. I find a tripod or monopod very useful in surf photography.</p>

<p>I personally would rent a longer/bigger lens here than flying with it but to each his own. Hawaii Camera and Lighthaus Camera both rent on Maui although you need to call or email each place to arrange because their primary location is on Oahu but they do ship to locations on Maui.</p>

<p>Don't forget to bring a polarizer if you really want the greens and the blues here to stand out. Even in March, which is the end of our "rainy" season, the sun gets harsh very quickly in the morning. Golden hour is beautiful but short and, because of the mountains, there are lots of shadows in early morning light. Some of my best shots of Hawaii have been taken in mid-day with a circular polarizer. Also cuts out the glare from the water in surf shots.</p>

<p>Lastly, be very careful when out and about with your gear. Hawaii is notorious for break ins, both cars and houses. Mostly just ice heads looking for easily pawnable merchandise but cameras and lens are favorites. Car trunks, especially rentals, get punched quite often. I almost always keep my gear on me when out and about and never put my bag down in public places without it being in arms reach. Petty theft is an unfortunate aspect of living here but as long as you are careful you won't have any problems. Aloha and have a great trip. </p>

 

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