Honu

  • Green Sea Turtle doing a hand stand underwater
    Mar
    2017
    23
    2017 / Mar / 23

    The Show Off

    Turtle doing a hand stand while eating.

    There were a lot of turtles around Mahaiula bay this past Sunday when arriving early morning to relax on the beach. The water was beautiful. Several shades of blue decorated the bay. And then there were the dark figures of turtles swimming around and feeding. I went to join them.

    Immediately I found a large turtle that didn’t seem to mind that I was around. For over an hour I watched and photographed, looking for different perspectives and a way to capture the character of this amazingly delicate yet rugged animal. We were battling the increasingly building waves that would push us around, more me than the turtle, and at times I would find myself floating away; fighting to return. This forced me into a new approach. Instead of hovering around at a short distance, I needed to swim further away and allow the distance to buffer me into a better position for focus and composition while the current pushed me toward the turtle. That is when I started to notice the struggle the turtle faced as well. With every passing wave I noticed it gripping to the rocks, swaying and twisting around. Nearly flipping over with a couple larger swells… and thats when I took this image. Even though the turtle struggled to stay put to eat, the still photograph contrasted its determination with more of a playful and comical look. As if the turtle was showing off by doing some hand stands.

    It is moments like these that I think about what it would be like if humans had to endure the elements and forces of nature that animals do. If while we sat to eat at the table we needed to grip tight to the table or we would suddenly be pushed aside. Our food was constantly swaying as we picked at it with our faces because our hands were busy holding us still… all while holding our breath. Not to mention the threat of being attacked by a predator.

    © Christopher Johnson

     

  • Pattern of Koi fish
    Jul
    2014
    04
    2014 / Jul / 04

    Overcrowding!

    Fourth of July Mauna Lani turtle release was CHAOS!

    The image of the Koi fish is a visual to how the turtle release event was. My family and I thought to go to the event and see these amazing Green Sea Turtles being released into the wild. Opening with a couple native Hawaiian dances to the freeing of 4 Honu. What we envisioned was totally different than what we experienced.

    We were a little late to the event due to the amazing amounts of traffic of other people thinking to do the same thing with their families. This was all understandable, but as we walked in to the event we began to see the amount of people. I turned to my wife and indicated that there is no way we would be able to see the event. A large rectangle border was created like a runway from the sandy beach and into the water where hundreds of people crowded against it as if to outline the lines. There must have been a row of seven people in front of us. As I looked around people were climbing the trees and rocks to get better views.

    As the event began to start we could see glimpses of what was happening through the dodging heads of the crowds. I am much to short for this as were a lot of other people around me as they held their cameras over their heads to get a picture. My kids were lucky enough to get up front, however, others weren’t so fortunate. Arguments erupted from people that had staked their claim early in the day when someone put their foot in their territory for a moment as everyone lunged foreword to get a better view. I wanted to leave and so did my family, but the crowding wasn’t over.

    We were told when we were dropped off to catch the shuttles at the hotel drive around. It was there we waited for what seemed like an eternity. Grumpy eager people jostling all around us in what was one of the most un-organized situations I have been in. You would think they, the hotel staff, would have this under control as this wasn’t their first event. Instead everyone made their own line and of course theirs is the line because they found a place up front. And then the shuttle arrived.

    The moment the shuttle had stopped behind a car in traffic there was a mad dash of people rushing it as if there was a celebrity to be interviewed by the media. It took us several attempts at the shuttles before we made it with a sigh of relief. “Never again” we told each other as we left.

  • Honu, turtle, making it's way up the beach to rest
    Sep
    2011
    30
    2011 / Sep / 30

    Honu Coming To Rest on Anaehoomalu Beach, Waikoloa

    This was an amazing day for turtle sightings. Upon arrival to the Anaehoomalu Beach, AKA A-Bay, my family and I made our way down the coastline away from the hotels only to discover turtle after turtle after turtle. By the time we made it to a little cove, literally around the corner from the main beach, we had counted 15 turtles.

    The turtle pictured here was number 15. It was making it’s way up the beach to rest as the waves continued to pound all around making it struggle. Eventually it made it and slept pretty hardy 20 feet from where we were.

    To give the waves more character and motion I set my camera to aperture priority, enough to slow the shutter to 1/13th sec. This, with Image Stabilizing turned on kept the turtle in focus while blurring the crashing waves slightly. Then in Photoshop, I converted the image to black and white and overexposed +1 to lighten the darks of the turtle and blow out the highlights of the water just enough to make it less distracting.

    The image was nice in color, however, I was adjusting it to work for the Monochrome contest hosted by Popular Photography. Please vote for my image here – http://www.popphoto.com/photo-contest/septphotochallenge2011/photos/all/200250

    by Christopher Johnson – www.fromhereonin.com