"Picnic Over Waikiki"

Waikiki and Honolulu from Round Top road. To the left is Diamond Head. This is a tremendous vantage point and I recommend this for anyone planning a visit to Oahu. I included the couple to provide some scale and to give the image some added interest. The fact that he was wearing a red shirt was luck on my side. Thanks for your impressions and don't miss the Larger view!!

Thanks for your thoughts!!

This is a fantastic photo. Beautiful light, colours and clarity. The couple enjoying the view makes this photo tangable and easy to relate to. Wonderful work!!!

When I went to the larger view, "it took my breath". Should I assume that nearing the golden hour, you didn't require 2 or 3 layered exposures to create this magnificently balanced light?

 

Your composition is excellent down to the connection of the couple to Diamond Head.

Maybe because my vision is deteriorating and my images are not as sharp lately, that I am also struck by the clarity/sharpness/DOF of this image. Great work, Mark.

This is a wonderful shot, Mark !!. The composition is superb ... and details are perfect in the larger version ... well done !!. Best regards.

Thanks Sonia, Wayne and Ricardo! Wayne, this would be a rare time when I did not use any blending or filtration. The RAW had enough detail throughout. I did execute a digital grad on the sky, meaning I selected the sky, created a layer mask with the selection and then changed the blend mode of the layer mask to multiply. I then reduced the opacity to taste. I did bracket to make a blend, but I have found that my blends are needed more for shadow detail; in this case the image had good detail on both ends, so I used the brighter frame. Thanks again!!

Light, composition and place...all top notch. Not sure about the two figures on the shot.

 

Nice job!

Mark,

 

Wow....this is a dream picnic. Beautiful. Take care, Patsy

Sure it isn't "Tsunami Safe Haven"?

Incredible shot Mark!

Well, I certainly prefer the view of Waikiki from here a lot better than from down on the main drag!! And what a vantage point for Diamond Head! We didn't drive up here when we were there (spent most of our time on the Big Island and Maui). I'd say that the viewer needs to see this large for the wonderful detail. I also love how the clouds are reflected in the ocean, and I'd say the people are a must keep! I haven't been on PN much lately, so I didn't know you had a trip to Hawaii in the works.....I'm jealous!

very nice tones, perfect exposure, composition as well, nothing more to say.

Thanks, Mark.

Great picture. Light, composition, details, color. And two humans as an important point of interest makes all the difference. 7/7 is not enough.

Thanks Pedro, Patsy, Michael, Christal, Zsolt, and Willy. Michael, we were scheduled to leave Honolulu the day the tsunami was incoming. We were kept at our hotel beyond our checkout time and all of the roads were closed. I was thinking this would make a good vantage for the big one, but it never materialized anyway. Thanks everyone, I was fairly certain that including the couple was the right thing!

'Picnic Over Waikiki' brought me to your profile. Breathtaking, is all that I can think of. I'll return again to get lost in your vistas. Thanks for enriching.

So beautiful and romantic! Really nice color; I recently went out when the sun was about at this stage and my skies were all white...just don't know enough about lighting or landscapes I guess!

 

Very well done and beautiful to look at! Thank you for sharing. :)

Beauuuuutiful! Magic moment!

Congrats re being on the daily sampling.

 This should be POW. Beautiful composition, lovely colors and great light.

 

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Not much to discuss really is there. Looks like the elves are playing it safe.

i genuinely feel as though i,m picnicking with the couple in the foreground and enjoying the view, it works for me

NO HDR! PRAISE THE LORD!

Congratulations for giving us an actual PHOTOGRAPH. At least it is not the travel brochure view of Diamondhead from Waikiki.

Thank you--but why did the moderators not give us the clickable large version?

--Lannie

[LARGE VERSION]

--Lannie

Oh yes, I'm with Lannie! No Hideously Dreadful Rubbish this week and the title is actually accurate and without pretense. All us snapshooters, dog lovers and non-photo posters can uncork the bubbly.

Getting down to business, this is actually a better photograph than it might first appear to be. It mixes urban and bucolic Honolulu nicely without storm and stress. The picnic adds a soothing human touch to all that impersonal natural, urban and suburban space. The sea and the sky are quietly beautiful and not post-processed to death.

This photo may not be a prize winner, lacking the extremes that too often catch the judges' eyes. It may not even be a great photograph. It is an honest photograph.　It captures a happy moment just before sunset. It is self-contained. It is complete. All the elements work together. Its overall natural sharpness and snug composition suggests a tripod.

Thumbs up for this POW.