Photos: Hawaii and Tropical Fruits

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Lydia is stretching out her left arm to touch a banana, one of many that are hanging on a rope.

The Dolphin Bay Hotel provides bananas and papayas for its guests.

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Lydia and Tigger are looking at another bunch of bananas laying on the floor.

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Lydia and Tigger are gazing upward at the bananas.

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Lydia is touching a papaya, a fruit that SiowFong enjoyed during our stay at this hotel.

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Mom and Lydia are standing on the second floor as they look at dad, who is still on the first floor.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on March 7, 2008 between 8:17 AM and 8:29 AM at the Dolphin Bay Hotel in Hilo, Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, at Kalapana

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Black lava rock

Kaimu Beach

"Kalapana was a treasured Hawaiian fishing village [that was destroyed by the 1990 lava flow from the Kilauea eruption]." (Andrew Doughty. Hawaii: The Big Island Revealed. Wizard Publications: 2007. page 119.) (Wizard Publications' series of Hawaii guidebooks are the best ones for Hawaii because of their detailed information and colored photos.)

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Lydia is carefully examining the cup of mango sorbet that she is holding.

Kalapana Restaurant

Kalapana, Hawaii

Photographer: SiowFong

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Lydia is enjoying her cool treat, which served as her late afternoon snack after she finished napping in the rental car.

Kalapana Restaurant

Kalapana, Hawaii

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: These pictures were taken on March 6, 2008 on the southeastern part of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, Family Photos

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Dad, Lydia, and Mom after eating the Sunday buffet brunch

A kindhearted Peruvian lady who sat at a table next to ours saw that SiowFong and I were taking pictures during lunch, and she volunteered to to take some family pictures for us after we finished eating. This is one of the indoor pictures of the restaurant.

March 2, 2008

Place: Kamuela Provision Company Restaurant

Hilton Waikoloa Village

Waikoloa, Hawaii

Photographer: Peruvian lady who was also visiting the Big Island of Hawaii with her parents

Photo note: When asking someone who is not familiar with using your camera, adjust all the camera settings (including activating the flash if necessary) and take a test picture to ensure that the settings are correct so that almost everything is ready; as a result, the only tasks for the volunteer photographer are framing the photo properly through the viewfinder or LCD screen and pushing the shutter button to take the picture.

With respect to lighting, the flash, which was attached to the camera, was aimed at the light colored ceiling to bounce light off that ceiling to produce even, soft light throughout the room.

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Mom, Lydia (with Tigger the tiger), and dad

The same Peruvian lady graciously snapped a few pictures of us as we were standing on the patio just outside the restaurant.

March 2, 2008

Place: Kamuela Provision Company Restaurant

Hilton Waikoloa Village

Waikoloa, Hawaii

Photographer: Peruvian lady who was also visiting the Big Island of Hawaii with her parents

Photo note: Professional photographers often look for areas of open shade such as this covered section of the patio as suitable locations for outdoor portraits, particularly during times when the sun is high and bright in the sky (this picture was taken around 2 PM). Such areas of open shade provide even, soft lighting, which is required for good people pictures. Direct fill flash was used again for this picture since the foreground is much darker compared to the background. Because the background dominates the picture, the camera exposes the picture based mostly on the light falling on the background; as a result, without the extra illumination from the flash, our faces and our clothing would have been quite dark.

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Lydia, mom, and dad

March 4, 2008

Pololu Valley Lookout

North Kohala section of the Big Island of Hawaii

Photographer: Tripod-mounted camera with fill-flash directly aimed at the family (the camera, which was plugged into a Pocket Wizard Plus II radio remote, was triggered with another Pocket Wizard Plus II radio remote that was held in dad's right hand)

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Dad, mom, and Lydia are standing on the beach with a backdrop of the setting sun

March 5, 2008

Hapuna Beach State Park

Northwestern Kohala Coast

Big Island of Hawaii

Photographer: Tripod-mounted camera with fill-flash directly aimed at the family (the camera, which was connected to a Pocket Wizard Plus II radio remote, was triggered with another Pocket Wizard radio remote that was held in dad's left hand)

Photo note: Bob Krist, the acclaimed travel photographer whose work regularly appears in National Geographic Traveler, recommends the use of a wide-angle lens (35 mm or less in the 35 mm format) when taking people pictures that also adequately shows the special environment in which the picture is made.

Photos: Hapuna Sandpit

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Lydia is standing in the sandpit. Two advantages of visiting a beach late in the afternoon include fewer people and the presence of manmade beach structures, such as this sandpit. Lydia did not have to do any preparatory work in order to experience the sandpit.

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Lydia's unspoken message to mom is -- "Please get me out of here!"

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Lydia is standing beside the sandpit in the foreground with the colorful, stormy skies in the background. Dramatic skies, which are accentuated by the presence of clouds, usually occur only twice a day, sunrise and sunset, and we were happy to be able to witness such skies today.

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures on March 5, 2008 near sunset at Hapuna Beach on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, Hapuna and Papa

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Lydia is following her dad as her dad prepares to take some more sunset pictures.

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Tripod girl

Lydia enjoys standing underneath a tripod, and when she does, she stretches out both of her arms to grasp two of the three tripod legs.

Note: SiowFong took both of these pictures on March 5, 2008 near sunset at Hapuna Beach on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, Hapuna Beach Comber

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Lydia is strolling on the beach.

With the sun safely behind the clouds and with sunset quickly approaching, Lydia is not wearing any of her sun hats.

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Lydia is squatting in the sand, and she is using her red shovel to move around the sand.

Unlike many beaches on the Big Island, whose sand is black from the lava rock, Hapuna Beach is a "crescent of gold sand -- big, wide, and a half-mile long. In summer, when the beach is widest, the ocean calmest, and the crowds biggest, this is the island's best beach for swimming, snorkeling, and bodysurfing. But beware of Hapuna in winter, when its thundering waves, strong rip currents, and lack of lifeguards can be dangerous." (Jeanette Foster. Frommer's Hawaii with Kids. Wiley Publishing: 2007. page 219.)

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Lydis is standing on someone's beach chair.

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures on March 5, 2008 near sunset at Hapuna Beach, which is located on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, Dolphins with Papa

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A dolphin trainer is feeding some fish to five dolphins.

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Dad and Lydia are observing the feeding of the dolphins.

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Lydia turns towards her mother, who is taking this picture, as her dad continues to watch the feeding of the dolphins.

Note: These pictures were taken on March 2, 2008 at the Dolphin Learning Center at Hilton Waikoloa Village on 425 Waikoloa Drive in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, Kahalu'u Snorkeling Beach

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Family picture near sunset (left to right): Dad, Lydia, and mom

In the background are the black lava tide pools, which are teeming with fish. According to Frommer's Hawaii with Kids, "If you come to Hawaii and don't snorkel [which we don't do], you'll miss half the fun. The year-round calm waters along the Kona and Kohala coasts are home to spectacular marine life. . .[including] schools of yellow tangs, needlefish, and green sea turtles. . .If you've never snorkeled in your life, [this beach] is the best place to start."

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Lydia personifies the word "delight" as she is playing with the sand on the beach.


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Lydia and dad are playing with the sand.

Note: These pictures were taken on March 3, 2008 shortly after 5:00 PM at Kahalu'u Beach Park that is located south of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Photo note: The hour before sunset is a wonderful time for people pictures because the light is soft (which means that is even without harsh shadows) and warm. Because the sky, which forms most of the background, has dramatically greater light than the ground, which comprises most of the foreground, all of these pictures required just a touch of fill-in flash so that our faces were adequately illuminated but not excessively illuminated.

Photos: Hawaii, Scissors

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Lydia is cutting her noodles with a pair of scissors.

SiowFong usually carries this child's pair of scissors in Lydia's diaper bag so that if we are eating at a restaurant, SiowFong can cut Lydia's food into small pieces to make it easier for Lydia to eat them. In the last month or two, Lydia began learning how to use scissors in her day care, so she wanted to cut her own food.

Although rice is the principal source of complex carbohydrates that we eat at home during lunch and dinner, Lydia often likes noodles better than rice. When we eat at an Asian restaurant, one parent generally orders a rice dish, and the other then orders a noodle dish to give Lydia a choice of starches.

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Both of Lydia's hands are preoccupied. Her right hand is holding some food, and her left hand is wielding the scissors. Her mom (who is not shown in the picture) is ready to give Lydia some noodles on her fork (which is in the bottom right of the picture).

Note: Both of these pictures were taken on March 1, 2008 during lunch at the Kona Taeng-On Thai Restaurant in downtown Kona, Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, Hammock

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Lydia was initially a little apprehensive about getting on the hammock.

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After trying out the hammock, however, Lydia comfortably lounged in it and did not want to leave.

Because of the sunny Hawaii days, Lydia wore a sun hat each time she ventured outdoors, and she often wore her sunglasses also.

Note: SiowFong took both of these pictures on March 5, 2008 around 11:00 AM at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, which is located at 425 Waikoloa Drive in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Photo note: One benefit of the camcorder that we have is that it has the ability to take still pictures. When SiowFong was with Lydia in the mornings while I was attending the conference, SiowFong just took the camcorder for recording moving and still images of Lydia's adventures at the hotel.

Photos: Hawaii, Dolphins

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Dolphin trainers are feeding the dolphins.

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A staff worker at the Dolphin Learning Center is training a dolphin.

Note: SiowFong took both of these pictures on March 5, 2008 around noon at the Dolphin Learning Center at the Hilton Waikoloa Village located at 425 Waikoloa Beach Drive in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, Hilton Boat Ride

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In this boatway is one of the boats that makes stops throughout the hotel complex during the day to pick up and to drop off passengers.

Riding on the boat was one of Lydia's favorite things to do each day that we stayed at the hotel as evidenced by her repeated requests for boat rides. (Another of her favorite activities was riding the monorail, and Lydia's eyes would dance with life whenever her mom asked her if she wanted to ride the "choo choo train".)

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While standing in her seat on the boat, Lydia is engrossed in looking at all the things in this new environment while her dad.

Photographer: SiowFong


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Dad and Lydia are quietly enjoying the boat ride.

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: All of these pictures were taken on March 2, 2008 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village at 425 Waikoloa Drive in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, Hilton Sand Bottom Pool 2

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Lydia is laughing and smiling as she is sitting atop a whale statue.

March 1, 2008

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Lydia is perched on a tortoise statue, and her mom is standing right beside her.

March 1, 2008


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Lydia is having fun with the sand.

March 2, 2008

Note: All these pictures were taken at the Children's Sand Pool at the Hilton Waikoloa Village at 425 Waikoloa Beach Drive in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Photos: Hawaii, Hilton Waikoloa

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Dad is carrying Lydia in his arms.

We began to explore the hotel complex by walking from our hotel, the Palace Tower, to Lagoon Beach before returning to the main lobby of the hotel on this Saturday, the first full day we were at the hotel.

Photographer: SiowFong

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Lydia and her mom are on the bridge near the Lagoon Tower.

Frommer's Hawaii with Kids describes the hotel complex as a "fantasy world. . .perfect for those who love Vegas and Disneyland". Our walking tour during which we saw half of the hotel brought us to the palace gardens, a flamingo sanctuary, a wedding chapel, a lagoon, a dolphin learning center, several bridges, a children's sand pool, a pool, and manmade waterfalls.

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Lydia is sitting on top of a rhinoceros statue with her dad standing next to her.

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: All of these pictures were taken on March 1, 2008 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village at 425 Waikoloa Beach Drive in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Photo note: Setting the appropriate white balance on a digital camera results in accurate colors and skin tones in the image. For the first two pictures, the sky was overcast, so cloudy was the white balance setting. For the last picture, when the sun broke out from behind the clouds, so the white balance was changed to automatic (which is fine for outdoor pictures under sunny skies).