Out of the Weeds...

It's been a busy week so far. Yesterday was spent hunkered down before this fine blue screen editing several hundred images from three different assignments all shot last week. Last thursday was spent at the newly reopened Ritz Carlton Resort in Kapalua making corporate executive portraits in several different locations on the property. While scouting prior to the shoot, I had the opportunity to see first hand, first time the beautiful remodel work, done to the lobby, several of the "residences" suites, including the presidential suite, the pool area...

Prior to the remodel, the hotel was nice, quite tattered and well-worn judging from my last stay there about a year ago. The new hotel is much more in keeping with the tropical nature of it's environment, the new art work much more in a hawaiian vein as opposed to the ship wreck & sea battle painting common to other Ritz hotels I have stayed at. Overall the place was quite nice.

One of the portraits we had to shoot was of Executive Chef JoJo Vasquez, a charming, very good looking man who has changed my perceptions about the food prepared in hotel kitchens. While we searched for an area to make his portrait, I made several test shots of him in several different areas of the Banyan Tree restaurant where he presides. One of these test shots I presumed was unacceptable after previewing it on the LCD viewfinder of my Nikon. I saved the image but moved on to a place I thought more suitable. Yesterday, I came across that test shot which I now think is the best of the lot... or at least the most interesting. That image appears at the top of this entry and just goes to show how feeble the camera LCD preview really is when it comes to making final decisions about captured images. I'm sure glad I didn't trash that one before moving on! I love the way that the window in the background divides the space.

Friday afternoon was spent high on the volcano slopes of Mt. Haleakala at a private residence where the assignment was to capture images of an insane swimming pool. The pool is completely done in small, irridescent glass times and truly glitters like a jewel in the late afternoon sun. The day was magnificent... crisp blue skies, fluffy white clouds and lovely warm light. The assignment was to capture to pool and tile details for the tile manufacturer's advertising. The pool image above is from the edit.

So... I'm almost caught up now... I just have to deliver a couple of image discs to eager clients and then onto the next assignment.