Rust and Bolts

It strikes me very funny that when I walk into a dusty, dirty abandoned barn with rusty machinery these days I get so excited.  I look at the opportunity as a piece of artwork waiting to evolve. So much of the world looks different to me as a photographer. I appreciate things more. I see potential to be creative and learn something new from even dirt, rusty, old machinery. Who would have guessed?!?


Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

A Changed View

I love cloudy days by the pool in the afternoon because I know it means there will be a terrific sunset. All sunsets in Hawaii are perfect however, some are just better than others!

Today I decided to leave the pool area and head south toward the Hilton. I set up near the Buddha statue while I waited for the sun to reach the horizon. As I was waiting I watched the waves crashing into shore. It was beautiful to watch the colors dance in them as they crested and fell. It took just another minute to realize that the best place to capture tonights sunset was where I could also capture the wave action too. So I moved quickly into my new position.

I am very glad I moved because this image is much more dramatic then where I had originally positioned myself.

Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

Machine Room

Went for another mountain bike ride today. It was a tough uphill climb to in the countryside of Waimea where the Parker ranch is located. Our final destination ended up being at this abandoned farm. I was grateful to find some of the equipment was left behind. As I was capturing this image I kept thinking, "I hope it turns out the way I envision."

This image is a 4 frame panoramic. Each frame has 8 different exposures. I processed this image by first exporting each frame of 8 exposures into Photomatix. I used the same settings on each frame after they were toned mapped. After all 4 frames were re imported into Lightroom, I exported them as a tiff file and used the automate photomerge feature in Photoshop. I then re imported the panoramic frame into Lightroom. In Lightroom I used the develop module to begin processing. After getting the correct exposures, fill light and contrast I once again edited the panoramic in Photoshop using Topaz filters. Finally I saved the images back into Lightroom and finalized it with some vignetting.

I could spend a lot more time in the develop module of Lightroom painting in appropriate fill light, contrast and exposure; however since I am currently working on my laptop I don't think the results would be seen correctly.

When working through this process I was very surprised about the blue and green light being reflected in the windows from the paint colors on each side of the building. This image was a great learning tool for me. I am glad I spent the time to work through the process.

If you have any additional questions please let me know.


Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

Green Sand Beach

The Green Sand Beach is located on the Big Island of Hawaii near South Point. South Point it the most southern place in the USA. The green in the green sand is the very rare olivine crystal.

South Point is about a 2 hour drive from Waikoloa Beach Resort, through Kona, past the community of Ocean View and finally 12 miles down a patch work of asphalt one lane road. Once you arrive to the end of the road you have 4 choices. You walk the over 3 miles to the beach, you drive a very high clearance 4x4 vehicle, you pay for someone with a 4x4 vehicle to transport you or you ride your mountain bikes. Duke and I chose option #4.

The scenery along the way is gorgeous. I love to hear the surf pounding along the shore and see the aqua colored water.

Along the way, about 1/4 of the distance to the beach, Duke decided to put his front tire into a very big dip in the road which caused the bike to get stuck and him to take a quick face plant in the dirt with lava rock underneath. Thank goodness the cuts were all superficial. Duke is an amazing trooper and wanted to continue our adventurer after he cleaned his wounds in the ocean. I will spare you the photo of his face and hands.

Since this is a very windy, stormy and most southern point a lot of trash comes ashore. Duke referred to all the small pieces of garage along this one part of the coast as "sea plastic". It was amazing to me how the ocean had broken up all these various plastic containers into perfectly uniform pieces.

All in all it was a great day. The journey to the beach was just as rewarding as seeing the beach itself. It is a place I enjoy visiting each time I am here.

I did enjoy the mountain bike adventure of our day. It felt good to make it all the way up this hill, having to maneuver past all the lava rock and smile for the camera at the same time :))

Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

Sunset at Mauna Kea

Not often do you have an opportunity to capture a sunset from 9000' above sea level. Mauna Kea - the tallest mountain in the world  - is about an 1 1/2 hour drive from Waikoloa Beach Resort. The views from here are amazing, making you feel as if you could just walk out onto the clouds that often fill the valley below. The sunsets at this time of year are spectacular because the sun is far enough south to see it set on the ocean instead of behind the mountain.


Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

"Girls Just Got to Have Fun"

Today I went out before sunrise to see what morning light I could capture. I headed to the world famous and newly remodeled Mauna Kea Hotel. I was there last week and saw a sign to a nature trail that I wanted to explore. As I walked up the path I was lead to the golf course and another road marked "private". Since I usually obey signs, I followed the path up to the top of the hill where I was presented with this amazing view. 
I wanted to be able to capture just how long the hole was to the ocean. I shot the photo with the tripod down low, I shot from where you tee off and I shot this image. It is fun to have a self portrait every now and again.


visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

The Last Word

I believe you can tell a professional photographer from the amateur strictly on how long it is before they pack up their camera and leave after the sun has set below the horizon. The amateur thinks the show is over as soon as the sun is gone. The professionals know that the best is possibly yet to come and never leaves until at least 20 minutes after sunset.
This photo is case in point. The sun may have set, but the magnificent sky is now truly inspiring. The sun's rays were singing to me. What an incredible song it was!


Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

What type of photos do you take?

I started taking photographs with a career of photography in mind in 2004. My goal was to capture images of the beautiful landscape so that people would want to purchase and hang them on their walls. In the summer of 2005 I had my first art show. I spent that whole summer traveling on weekends to various cities selling my wares from a 10' by 10' white tent booth. I learned a lot and made a few bucks to help pay for expenses. However what I remember most were two particular people who came in my booth. The first was a man from Ballard He quietly and methodically walked around the booth, carefully critiqing each photograph. When he was done, he looked me in the eye, said, "You're very good, don't ever quit." and walked away. The second person was from Mill Creek, he too slowly walked around the booth looking at each photo, smiling at various ones said, "Thank you, I don't get to travel and you just gave me an opportunity to see things I never would have otherwise."

These two comments I really took to heart. The first one gave me confidence in my work that I didn't have before. The second made me realize that I have other purposes as a photographer.

Many people ask me what type of photographs I take landscape, weddings, portraits? My answer is that I have taken them all and the only type I don't prefer at this time is product photography. The opportunities in photography are so broad when capturing the image but when you really want to talk about a vast array of options start mentioning the processing side of things.

Today's image is simply a photograph of cows standing at a fence. They were very curious and conveniently all lined up wanting to see what I had in my hand offering to them. My offering was a 12mm lens as close up to them as I could reach. This is a fun photograph that I processed first in Lightroom and then finished by adding Topaz Adjust and Detail filters in CS4. I installed the Topaz Labs product on my laptop today. Is this an image that people want to hang on their walls? Most likely not. Is it a photograph with another purpose? Yes I believe it is.

Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

Seen Better Days

Fortunately for me, salty humid air is extremely damaging to homes and their contents. Siding rots away, metal rusts and paint not longer sticks. These homes make for wonderful HDR images.
So one early morning this week I headed to Hawi on the northwest coast of the Big Island. This house was found right along the road. There was a heavy mist in the air which made the colors saturate. I took 5 different exposures to create this image using both Photomatix and Lightroom for processing.

I found the hot water heaters while looking around at another house. I am not sure how long it took to cause this much rust, but the paperwork is still carefully attached to the side just in case you need to call for warranty work! This HDR image was created with 7 images using both Photomatix and Lightroom for processing.

Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

Red Pom Pom

I set off early this morning to the town of Hawi, about 30 miles north of Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Northwest tip of the Big Island. We had driven up there last week in the middle of the day and I saw some great places to photograph and process with HDR.

When I arrived it was sprinkling so I drove down some roads exploring. That is when I discovered this large tree full of these red pom pom flowers. That isn't the official Hawaiian name, it is just my best description. I love using my macro lens to capture flowers in an interesting way but I am rarely happy with my results. I feel that I am not able to capture the flower in creative enough to make it original. However this flower is so original all by itself I felt I could at least try to be creative. The wind was blowing on and off so I did my best to pick the flower that was somewhat sheltered and also in full bloom.

This image give you an overall idea of what the whole flower looks like. But I felt like it was one of my standard "put the center of the flower in the lower left hand corner" photograph.

This image also shows the overall appearance of the flower. I wasn't happy with the bud poking the backside of the flower however. I should have chosen a different flower for this image.




It takes me about an hours of photographing before I begin to see creatively. So I have several images of the flower looking similar to the two above. The images above however aren't what I would consider 'macro' work. So I started to get into the flower and photograph.

This image doesn't give you the complete picture but instead feeds your curiosity and allows you to create the rest of the picture. However I believe you can still recognize it as a flower.

This image however turned out to be my favorite. I beleive it allows you to form the complete flower easier in your mind even though it is showing little detail. It is my most creative work of the day.

Which image do you prefer?

I will post an HDR image later this week. I did take an old shack that I believe will be interesting.

Hues of Ocean Blue

Last night after a beautiful sunset, I hoped the clouds would turn to brilliant orange, red and yellow. As I waited I started to see the different hues of blues instead. The night sky blue to the deep ocean blue. Since I love to play with abstract pans I began painting with the light that was left in the sky. This was my favorite capture.

Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

Hawaiian Sunset

It is traditional for Hawaiians to stop and watch the sunset. For years I observed people pulling over along the shore side of Alii Drive in Kona to watch the final moments of daylight sink below the horizon. I have been told by many people that they have tons of sunset photos and love them all, while others believe that every sunset is the same. My belief is that nothing is ever the same again. Each day brings a fresh perspective to your life, an abundance of possibilities. I love to watch the sunset here at the Halii Kai regardless of how spectacular it is. There is something about being able to see the last tip of the sun disappear below the horizon that keeps me watching time and time again. Have a wonderful tomorrow!


Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

Morning Routine

The first thing in my morning routine at the Halii Kai is to exercise. I usually spend about two hours in the cabana stretching, walking, ellipticaling and lifting weights. My favorite station to watch on TV is the Food channel while exercising. It is a strange combination I know.

I am patiently awaiting the arrival of the whales for this season. They are a wonderful distraction from the mundane routine. The view isn't too bad without the whales however.

I sometimes go back for a visit in the afternoon to get a dose of Oprah, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, The Doctors  or whatever maybe on TV at the time. I don't seem to watch too much TV otherwise.

Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - become my friend on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

Full Moon

What a beautiful morning this is. I am very fortunate to be in such a warm climate at this time of the year!

Since last night's moon was full I woke up early to capture the moon setting. I had the scene I wanted to capture in my head so at 5:30am I took off walking. I soon discovered that the golf course gets a heavy dose of water this early in the morning and had to wait patiently for the sprinklers to turn off to continue my journey. I wanted to place 5 palm trees in the foreground of my scene with the moon setting on the water behind them. My next discovery was that the moon wasn't in the spot I hoped it would be and therefore I could get 5 palms without the moon or a couple trees with the moon. So I took several images of each. As I was taking these photos I noticed in the distance this large Buddha statue and decided to continue my walk in that direction.
So here is my final image, it isn't what I thought I would capture this morning but I like it just the same.




Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com

Sunset at the Halii Kai

In Hawaii there seems to be lots of photographic opportunities, however, since the light is so intense most of the day I find it hard to find it difficult to capture great images much past an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. Most of my favorite photos are at sunset time - probably because I am usually exercising in the morning and not capturing photos. This image was taken just as the sun was at the horizon during sunset. The last soft light was enhancing this great setting. There are wonderful people, great food and awesome sunsets here at the Halii Kai, one of my favorite spots on the Big Island.


Please visit me at http://www.terilou.com - on Facebook @ Teri Lou Plocher Dantzler - on Twitter at terilou_com