Tag Archives: oahu tours

Oahu Photography Tours: Oh, the Places You’ll Go

Posted on by

With Oahu Photography Tour’s Circle Sunrise Island Tour, the first stop is the sunrise! There are few sites as beautiful as watching the sun come up on the horizon. Learning how to properly photograph it is a bonus. For us, we learned about exposure times while Koko Crater stood behind us. (Pro Tip: Underexposure is better than overexposure because it can be fixed.)

Sunrise
Sunrise shot

Rabbit Island was named because a business man released rabbits to feed his employees, and they bred faster than the employees could eat them. The rabbits are no longer there because of the damage they did to the environment, but the name stuck. Nearby Shark Island was named for the number of sharks found on the island… Okay, not really. It was named for its shark fin shape that comes out of the water. Makapu’u lighthouse sits in the background.

Rabbit And Shark Island
Rabbit And Shark Island

Waimanalo Bay is where we met “Sergio” and his amazing limo. This is also the place for the “portrait tree.” A stop for the great breakfast burrito at Kalapawai Market was accompanied by a local celebrity sighting! The Byodo-In Temple allowed us to feed birds from our hands!

We went through Sunset Beach, where the waves were too dangerous for the professional surf competition being held that week. We also went to the best shrimp place on the island – Fumi’s. We jumped over Chinaman’s Hat, saw where “Gilligan’s Island” was filmed, and finished with the kitsch that is the Dole Plantation. (So many pineapples, so little time.)

Every group will do something a little different depending on weather and the inclinations of the individuals in the group. A smaller tour group has its advantages, especially when they are all friends. If you want to know what places you’ll visit with Oahu Photography Tours, you’ll have to sign up and go!

Advertisement

Is the 3-Day Go Oahu Card Worth It?

Posted on by

Yes, and it depends. As with any discount card, you have to take into account what type of vacation you want to have and how much time you have. If you choose to just sit at the beach and relax in the sun. Don’t get the Go Oahu Card. It’s not for that type of vacation. Relaxing in the sun on the beach is free, still. That’s about the best discount you can get.

However, if you know that you want to experience some of the culture of Hawaii, a Go Oahu Card can help you do that. For example, we knew that we wanted to do a luau. They run north of $100 per person, and the best-rated Luau is at the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is about $120. We also knew that we wanted to visit Pearl Harbor. Its place in history makes it an important spot to visit for anyone who wants to think about warfare and understand human nature better. The activities there run about $40, but the Arizona Memorial and its related movie is free. The two combined activities add up to $160, which meant we would need to find an activity or two that would add up to about $40.

Not knowing that Pearl Harbor was a full day tour, I was still concerned that we wouldn’t be able to do enough activities to make the Go Oahu Card worthwhile. A lot of the activities take place in the morning because it gets too hot in the afternoon to do anything. We decided to do the 8 am Diamond Head Hike ($18) and the afternoon tour with Makani Catamaran (about $100). We didn’t have a car, so I wasn’t sure that we could make the catamaran, but we signed up for it anyway. There was plenty of time, so we got our money’s worth.

Oahu Photography Tours: Oh, the People You’ll Meet

Posted on by

With Oahu Photography Tours, you can book a private tour and get all of the attention of the professional photographer who leads the tour. It’s a great way to learn about the island, see the best scenery and get the best one-on-one instruction available.

However, if you’re travelling with just one or two other people, booking a regular tour may be your best bet. You still get a great amount of attention, but you also get to meet other people from all over the world who are interested in photography and taking better pictures.

Our group was an amazing part of our tour, and it all started with our guide, De-Jay. He pulled the group together and made everyone feel comfortable. Within minutes of sitting in the van, we were all old friends ready to talk about anything and everything while focusing on the subjects we were there for – Oahu and photography.

Of course, De-Jay is also the guy who knows the locals. When the 1935 Lincoln Royale Limo pulled into a parking lot we were leaving, De-Jay knew the driver, talked to him, and it wasn’t long until we were all photographing this stretch limo that once belong to Howard Hughes and chauffeured his lawyer around. (You can rent it if you want!( 808)699-0699) At Kalapawai Market, we saw the guy who made the salsa and has it bottled all over the island. We wouldn’t have known about the local celebrity because his baby photo is on the bottle!

Exotic - 1935 Lincoln Royale Limousine
NOT the tour vehicle!

Even normal interactions have a flare all their own in Hawaii. De-Jay knew many of the Hawaiians and was able to introduce the culture to us without giving us a lecture. We saw what happened, and he explained what it was afterwards. From Talk-Story to surfing, De-Jay covered it all throughout the course of the day.

When you spend 10 hours with seven or fewer other people,you get to learn more about then and their cultures. We had two Canadians, an Australian, our guide, my wife and me on our tour, and a great time was had by all!

Check out our other articles about Oahu Photography Tours and Oahu!

Oahu Photography Tours: Oh, the Things You’ll Know

Posted on by

I’ve had my Canon IXUS for over two years. It’s the point and shoot that I use for all of my website and YouTube needs, which is basically photos and videos. The only thing I don’t always use it for is penguins because my wife is in charge of most of those photos. I have never messed with any of the settings. I didn’t know what they were for or what to do with them.

At our first stop, De-Jay, our guide, showed me the different options available, even though I was using a point and shoot! I had expected that maybe I would be treated differently because I was the only one without a DSLR, which would’ve been okay because the tour was for my wife. However, no one cared that I was using a point and shoot. It was an equally viable photo taking apparatus for all concerned.

I learned how to use the multi-shoot, how to manipulate the f-stop and what that means, how to find the monochrome and live features, and most importantly, how to be more comfortable with my camera. Because everyone was encouraged to experiment, even those things that De-Jay didn’t show me, I learned because of the safe space I was allowed to practice. If I messed up, I could get the shot again, and De-Jay would be there for guidance if I needed it. The safety nets of time and expertise are amazingly freeing, especially when that expertise is backed with kindness and a willingness to say that he doesn’t know.

Taking the Oahu Photography Tours’ Circle Sunrise Tour has given me the ability to choose how I use my camera. That alone would be worth the price. However, we also learned about Snapseed, an app to edit photos. De-Jay told us about local hot spots and here to get the best fish tacos on the island (Ono’s Steak and Shrimp Shack). We also learned about the history of the island, local surf competitions, and where the turtles would be on calmer days. If you want to have a good time exploring the island with friends, even some you haven’t made yet, Oahu Photography Tours is the way to go.

Oahu Photography’s Circle Sunrise Tour

Posted on by
Sunrise on Oahu

Oahu Photography’s Circle Sunrise Tour takes its guests on an all-day adventure where guide and participants become fast friends. A smaller group and De-Jay’s, the guide, openness make these friendships possible. Full of humor, knowledge and a genuine sense of love for the state and the people he is showing it to, De-Jay provides and easy entry into the sights of Hawaii and how to photograph them. Be prepared for lots of dad jokes and a modicum of movie-based humor.

Groups are purposefully kept small, which allows each person to receive as much or as little personal interaction and instruction from the guide, who is also a professional photographer. The tour itself can be adapted within set parameters to accommodate different impulses of the guests, and there’s never any rush to get in and get out of the van. If someone wants to spend a little more time taking photos of a certain area, they are welcome to do so. This flexibility also allows the group to adjust to local weather patterns and ensures that everyone has the opportunity to get his or her perfect shot.

When you come to Hawaii, give yourself a couple of days to adjust to the climate and relax. Then take this tour. That way, your photos will be better than ever for the rest of the trip, and you’ll have the inside scoop about where to eat from someone who lives on the island. Don’t forget to purchase the photo package ahead of time to get photos of you and your group (or loved one), both candid and posed, from a pro!

For more about Oahu Photography Tours, check out our Oahu page.