Author Archives: Graham

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About Graham

I take photos when I'm out and about, recording life on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Green turtle diving

I first saw this turtle taking air at the surface. Then it dived an disappeared under a shelf of rock. This photo gives the impression of the sea floor sloping, but there is no horizon underwater and I like how this angle emphasizes the turtle’s descent.

Posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Perspective.’ See more responses here.

Abstracts: Blur

I had a relapse a few days ago, lured into shooting photos of butterflies on the wing, or should I say, trying to shoot. As the butterflies jitterbugged around, I followed them with my camera, even though I know how futile that can be. The result, predictably, was zero photos of butterflies in flight but, by way of compensation, a few curious blurs – of leaves in motion, wood in motion, light in motion.

This is one of those photos. And what is it? Well, that’s up to you. It’s whatever you see there.

Posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Perspective.’ See more responses here.

Beach pea vine

Beach pea vine (Vigna marina) is an indigenous plant with flowers and seed pods that clearly identify it as a member of the pea family. It fares well on the coast because it’s salt tolerant. It spreads, forming large swathes stretching away into the distance, as in the top photo.

Posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Perspective.’ See more responses here.

Little fish

A shoal of small fish stretch away into the distance. I think these are juveniles but I’m not sure of which fish. They’re small and silvery and zip around in a harmonious way, changing direction as if connected by invisible wires.

Posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Perspective.’ See more responses here.

Work in progress

Last year, a commercial building in the center of Hawi burned down. Some time after the fire, the site was cleared down to the concrete slab. I’m not sure what the long term future of the site is, but currently there’s a food truck operating there.

The area is surrounded by a short, solid wooden fence and on the panels of the fence, some artwork has been started. On one section, the artist has lined out perspectives for the figures to be painted there. The full image on this section of fence is below.

Posted in response to this week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Perspectives’ (see more responses here), and Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Perspective’ (see more responses here).

Sailboats on blue water

This week’s Friendly Friday challenge theme is ‘Nostalgia.’ See more responses here.

I wasn’t sure I’d have anything for this theme, but this photo does make me somewhat nostalgic for my sailing days. I liked making passages and being out of sight of land, as opposed to sailing in a bay. I enjoyed watchkeeping, navigation, and my world being simplified to boat, water and sky. I saw more in that reduced world than in my usual busy life. Standing night watches, I didn’t just register the dawn. I noticed a glimmer in the east slowly transition to pre-dawn, and then an almost blinding sunrise. The sight of a bird was an event. There were days of no wind when the ocean was glass and it was hard to believe that the nearest solid surface was thousands of feet below.

Now, had I found a photo with a small boat being lashed by waves on a whitecap-riven ocean, my nostalgia would be less pronounced. One trip, I took a photo of the couple I was sailing with. They were on deck, hunched in foul-weather gear, as water sprayed across the deck, looking exactly as that sounds. These moments are inescapable when sailing longer distances. When I was younger, the discomfort was worth the rewards. Now, I don’t look at it the same way. But looking at this photo, it’s easy to imagine how it could be on that perfect trip no one ever experiences.

Also posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Perspective.’ See more responses here.