All posts tagged Timelapse

Hawaii Super Moon 2012

by Coty on May 6, 2012 in Photography with No comments

Last night, moon gazers and photographers were out in full force to catch a glimpse of super moon 2012. According to NASA, the super moon hit at exactly 8:34 p.m. Pacific time, meaning that at this moment the moon reached its “closest point to Earth in its elliptical pattern” and lined up with both the Earth and the sun “to become gloriously full.” Anthony Cook, astronomical observer at L.A.’s Griffith Observatory, also noted that the moon would be 30% brighter than usual.

Neat. However, while all of this was going on, I was out enjoying my second viewing of The Avengers. Moon be damned, I wanted to see the Hulk do his smash thing again.

However, a few friends of mine did capture the moment and I have to say that they did an excellent job doing so. The first two shots, taken from Mililani, are courtesy of Ferdenan Damo and his Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Ferd caught remarkable shots of the super moon, which he dubbed, Moonebula.

Moonebula. Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Photo by Ferdenan Damo.

"So everyone's gone manual to compensate for the brightness of the supermoon last night. Me too. But the moon was so bright, I also wanted to see how the moonlight affected cloud cover. A moo nebula." Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Photo by Ferdenan Damo.

More Super Moon. Shot at f8, 1/800 sec at 200 mm. Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Photo by Ferdenan Damo.

More Super Moon II. "So everyone's gone manual to compensate for the brightness of the supermoon last night. Me too. But the moon was so bright, I also wanted to see how the moonlight affected cloud cover. A moo nebula." Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Photo by Ferdenan Damo. Photo by Ferdenan Damo.

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Welcoming 2012: A Waimea Bay Sunset Timelapse

by Coty on January 14, 2012 in Beaches with 3 Comments

While Marvin spent the first day of 2012 just a few clouds away from Heaven, I decided to spend it at arguably the most famous surfing beach in the world, Waimea Bay. Located in Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu, Waimea Bay is known as a world class surfing spot and the backdrop for the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, or, as it is affectionately know, The Eddie. The Eddie is currently being held this year, waves cooperating, until February 29, 2011 (the event started on December 1, 2011).

Eddie Aikau was a well-known surfer and lifeguard from Kahului, Hawaii. He is remembered for his courageousness as a crew member of the Hokule’a, a double-hulled replica of a Hawaiian voyaging canoe. In 1978, the Hokule’a set out on a 30 day voyage to follow an ancient Polynesian route of migration. Approximately 12 miles form Molokai, the Hokule’a capsized. Eddie Aikau took it upon himself to paddle on his surfboard to neighboring Lanai. He was never seen again. It is because of this selfless act that many locals feature a bumper sticker on their vehicles reading “EDDIE WOULD GO.” Waimea Bay was chosen as the spot for The Eddie because it had been the beach where Aikau had worked as a lifeguard. Not a single life was lost during Aikau’s tenure as a lifeguard at Waimea Bay.

Eddie Aikau where he most belonged - the ocean.

With The Eddie on my mind and the spirit of Eddie Aikau in the air, I found a warm solace in taking in the first day of the New Year at Waimea Bay. With two of my closest friends by my side, a bag of Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos, and a cooler stocked with ice cold drinks, we watched as the sun set over the Waianae Mountain Range. I’m a sucker for sunsets. We only experience a finite amount of sunsets during out lifetime, most of which we do not even see. This sunset was an important one. This sunset marked, in many ways, the major changes that will take place in my life in 2012. The sunset was spectacular, let’s hope the new year will be as well.

Explorers: Coty Gonzales, Joel Sabugo, Ryan Salvador.

This sunset timelapse was made with a GoPro Hero and a Gorillapod.

Music: Who Needs Shelter by Jason Mraz from the album Waiting For My Rocket To Come. Buy now from Amazon or iTunes.

Hanging out and waiting for the sun to go down. Photo by Ryan Salvador.

The waves were pretty big on this day. These three contemplate jumping in. They eventually did. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

We chilled on the lighthouse end of Waimea Bay. Most people were standing on the opposite end and just looking at the waves. Photo by Ryan Salvador.

Throughout Ryan's entire visit here, he tried hawking his Jalapeno Cheetos. I finally tried them. They were good. Photo by Ryan Salvador.

Eventually the waves became too rough for novice swimmers. The lifeguards began riding around on their ATV yelling at people to get out. You see their tracks? Photo by Coty Gonzales.

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Timelapse of Sunrise Over Makapuu Beach and Sea Life Park

by Coty on November 21, 2011 in Hikes with 2 Comments

This sunrise timelapse takes place somewhere along the Ko’olau Summit Trail, just above Sea Life Park and overlooking Makapu’u Beach. To get to this point Team Exploration: Hawaii hiked up the Makapu’u end of the Ko’olau Summit Trail at 5am in pitch dark and then reached this destination an hour later. We stopped at a lookout point just above Sea Life Park but before the puka that Marvin mentioned in this post. This is what we saw:

Music: Us Against The World by Coldplay from the album Mylo Xyloto. Buy now from Amazon or iTunes.

This timelapse is a bit more personal and interactive than my previous timelapse videos. You’ll notice us moving around throughout the video. Andy (red jacket and hat; lanky haole) makes his first video appearance on Exploration: Hawaii. You might remember him from the kayak adventure to Mokoli’i Island (Chinaman’s Hat). His dad was also visiting from Pennsylvania, so you’ll see Timbo, as Andy affectionately calls him, pop up in the video.

Coty OWLing over Sea Life Park and Makapuu Beach. Can you spot him? Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Marvin hasn’t stopped talking about this spot ever since he snapped this photo. And although I hate to admit it, I really enjoyed this location and the view. From this vantage point we had excellent views of Manana and Kaohikaipu Island, both of which are located just off of Makapu’u Beach. You can also see Makapu’u Point Lighthouse as well. Look closely in the video and you will see the lighthouse flickering.

A curvy panorama of Makapuu. Marvin's playing around with a new technique. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

The trek in was a bit more strenuous than I tend to like for early morning timelapse sessions (lugging around a full-size tripod is heavy business). However, when we finally reached the final lookout point and I had realized how beautiful the view was, my complaints vanished. Kudos, Marvin.

Explorers: Marvin Chandra, Andy Dewald, Coty Gonzales, Joel Sabugo, and Timbo.

Timbo, Andy, and Coty soak in the views. And laugh about something. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Father and Son. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

A Marvin on a Cliff. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Yes Marvin, your MEGA UMBRELLA is still there. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Mr. Blue. Photo by Joel Sabugo.

Blown Away. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Thank goodness for camera timers. Photo by Coty's Tripod and Andy's Camera.

A Sunrise Hike To The Lanikai Pillboxes Atop Ka’iwa Ridge

by Coty on November 3, 2011 in Hikes with 5 Comments

Collecting sunset and sunrise timelapses throughout Oahu is a current (and recent) obsession of mine. However, in order to capture these spectacular sunrises requires me waking up during obscene times in the morning. Take for example my most recent sunrise timelapse to the Lanikai Pillboxes located atop Ka’iwa ridge in the beautiful and affluent town of Lanikai. If memory serves me correct, I woke up at around 3:30 am to get ready for the hike and then left my apartment at around 4:30 am.

The drive to Lanikai was a smooth one, which was expected considering that most normal people tend to be asleep at 4:30 am. I guess that makes me abnormal? Anything for a timelapse – I guess. It took us about 25 minutes to drive from Manoa to Lanikai (see below for driving directions). Once we reached the trailhead we quickly grabbed our bags, flashlights, and headlamps and made a dash for the first pillbox. Having scouted the area a few days earlier, Joel and I were familiar with the trail. Marvin, however, went into this one a bit blind – good thing he had a flashlight.

The trek up this particular trail is not bad at all. It’s a relatively quick 20 minutes to the first pillbox. The nice breeze and the sound of the ocean make the time go even faster. Once we reached the first pillbox, I promptly set up my tripod and GoPro HD and proceeded to capture still images. These morning hikes are appealing to me because they are very fast (I never choose hikes longer than 45 minutes when doing early morning sunrise timelapses). Once everything is set up, you sit and wait, and of course you enjoy the sunrise. The sunrise on this day was particular beautiful. It was a clear day. Even better, we had the first pillbox all to ourselves. Everyone seemed to crowd at the top of the second Pillbox.

Directions: You will take the H1 freeway and then take the Pali Highway (HI-61 N)exit. Continue on HI-61 N until you reach Kailua Road. Continue on Kailua Road and then continue on Kuulei Road. Turn right on Kalaheo Avenue. Continue on Kawailoa Road. You will drive past Kailua Beach Park and eventually you will pass a little statue on the left hand side that looks like a little stone lighthouse. At your first right on Alapapa Road you will turn right onto Kaelepulu Drive. You can park anywhere along that road. You should see the Mif-Pacific Golf Course to your right. The trailhead is located directly across from the entrance to the Mid-Pacific Country Club parking lot. You will see a sign indicating that you are at the Lanikai Pillbox Trail.

Explorers: Marvin Chandra, Coty Gonzales, and Joel Sabugo.

Kaiwa Ridge. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Coty and Joel look on. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Joel gazes as Coty is getting out of OWLing formation. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

The sun just about ready to fully rise over Lanikai. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Na Mokulua in the distance. The larger island is Moku Nui and the smaller, Moku Iki. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Marvin Heads Down. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

I take a photo of Marvin taking a photo of the sunrise as the GoPro takes a photo of the sunrise. Very meta. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Marvin gets on his butt as he makes his way back to the car. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Lanihuli Summit Timelapse

by Coty on September 29, 2011 in Hikes, Sights with 1 Comment

I recently had the chance to hike to the summit of Lanihuli, which is the peak on the Ko’olau Range between the Pali Highway and Likelike Highway. After the 4-hour trek to the top of the summit, I decided to set up my GoPro HD Hero to shoot this timelapse. It was no doubt a beautiful day to peak down on the Windward side of Oahu. Clear skies and good company. What more can you ask for?

Sunset Timelapse Video at the Top of Koko Head Crater

by Coty on September 10, 2011 in Hikes, Sights with No comments

I’ve been having so much fun playing around with my GoPro HD Helmet HERO Camera! I love it because it’s so simple and so compact. Here’s a quick little timelapse of the sun setting over Koko Head. Actually, the sun was pretty much down but not completely, so I was able get photos of some beautiful color shifts into the evening. To do this, I hiked the Mauka Rim of the crater for the first time, but that’s a different post and an entirely different story all together. Enjoy the video and let me know what you think.

Explorers: Marvin Chandra, Coty Gonzales, Ahnate Lim, and Joel Sabugo.

Music: Houdini by Foster The People

Papa’iloa Beach: A Playground for Turtles

by Coty on August 24, 2011 in Beaches with 3 Comments

I have a friend that is from Hawaii, but moved away to the mainland for graduate school. He mentioned to me that he had never seen a Hawaiian Sea Turtle in action at the beach while he lived on the islands. I was blown away because they are so numerous … if you know where to look. One of the places on Oahu where you are guaranteed to have an encounter with a turtle is at Papa’iloa Beach in the North Shore town of Haleiwa. The beach is actually tucked away behind residential homes and so it is often the perfect place for a secluded beach experience.

Me and Joel stopped over today to check out Papa’iloa because I’ve been itching to test out my new GoPro Hero HD camera in the water. After testing the timelapse capabilities of the new GoPro (see video below), we decided to go and seek out those turtles. I was hoping to see some turtles and my goodness did I see turtles. We actually found a family of turtles. I counted about 15 Hawaiian Sea Turtles all in one spot of the beach. They were just chillin’, riding the waves, and having a great time.

Papa’iloa Beach was also a major filming spot for the television show LOST. In fact, take a look of some of the shots below and you’ll probably recognize the background. The beach was used as the official beach camp for LOST – pretty awesome, huh! During this time, Papa’iloa was also known as Police Beach, because it was common for it to be heavily guarded with Honolulu Police Department (HPD) officers during filming.

Explorers: Coty Gonzales and Joel Sabugo.