Composition of a ShowGirl Photo - Golden Princess

Each vacation we take I try to create one photo that represents the whole voyage.  Since starting to cruise it ended up being photos of the show girls.

Thanks to the help of the CD and of Rebecca (Manager of the Dancers) I was invited back stage after one evening perfomance.  During this time the Girls happily posed for me allowing for a 3D photo.

The first photo below is the photo taken backstage/

I then "cut" the girls out of the photo to place them into a montage.

Next I found a photo of the Golden Princess so I could use it as a backdrop.  This is the photo I used.

With these two photos the following is the final creation.

As stated earlier, I have done this for each of the other cruises we have taken.  Here are the photos from those cruises.  You may notice a quality difference (I hope for the better) in these latest photos.


Caribbean Princess:

and the Carnival Pride:

The next post topic will be a surprise as I have yet to process the photos required.  So it will be a surprise for us all, me included.  I am hoping to have it posted within the next few days.

Comments and questions always welcome.

Elua - The Hawaiian Ambassadors

Just to change things up, instead of giving a day by day playback of the four days returning to the mainland I have decided to give subject oriented posts.  The first of these is concerning the fantastic duo known as Elua.
Elua is a Husband and Wife team of talented musicians, dancers and singers.  They call themselves the Hawaiian Ambassadors of Golden Princess but their real names are

Leialoha

and Dave.

They entertained us in the Piazza and on the pool decks with live hawaiian music and dance but they also, daily, gave Ukalele and Hula dance lessons.

While I have some 3D photos of them in action, I was fortunate enough to receive their permission to video one of their song performances and it is posted at the end of this post.

I hope you enjoy this and it gives you some idea of what is in store for you when you sail to Hawaii on Golden Princess.  It is my understanding Elua has signed a contract for another winter season with Golden Princess and Princess is the lucky winner in that agreement and all the passengers will the be the true winners.

Next post is my favorite:  The Composition of a ShowGirl Photo.

Questions or comments always welcome.

The Whales of Maui

It had to happen, and this is the post where it finally does.  Here, in the middle of all my 3D photos is a post completely in "normal" 2D.

Given the great distance between us and the whales and the sudden appearance and disappearance of the stars of the show, the taking of 3D photos became impossible.  Rather than have nothing I decided to "lower" my standards (LOL) and shoot 2D photos so I would at least have something to share.

To experience the whales for the first time is an experience beyond words.  Our day was over and we were back on board Golden Princess before we saw our first whale and to see them was to realize what we had really missed.  We missed the opportunity of a lifetime going out on an expedition amoungst these fantastic creatures and feel their presence and peace.

All the photos below were taken from the top deck of Golden Princess as we departed Maui.  As we were enjoying this encounter, we had the pleasure of having our naturalist Racheal on a loud speaker explaining what was happening, where to look and what it was that we were actually seeing.

What amazed me most was that the whole event of a sighting would happen and be over before you would even realize what you were seeing.  What I mean by this is that a whale would appear, spout water out its blowhole and disappear from view all while your mind is coming to terms with the fact that you were actually seeing this.  All this meaning that for every shot I took with my camera there were, easily 10 that I missed, and of course, really wish I had, now that I am at home.

Just so you understand.  If ever given the opportunity to take an excursion to go out and visit whales, DROP EVERYTHING and take the trip.  No matter the time, no matter the price no matter what... GO or you will regret it as we do.

For us, it is just another excuse to take this cruise again.

Next post we go back to 3D as we depart the Island of Maui and set sail for Ensenada Mexico.

Questions and comments always welcome.

Whaler's Village Maui

Rather than a planned shore excursion, today we decided to "wing it" on our own time. 

After visiting the Banyon Tree we took the readily available public transportation (fancy wording for public bus) and it couldn't be more convenient.  We just crossed the street walked one block, and there it was.

5 miles later and we were at Whaler's Village and the beach.  It was fantastic.

Whaler's Village is a shopping center located directly on the  Kaanapali Beach.  Nopt only are there stores for shopping and restaurants for eating, but the rest rooms are conveniently located where you can easily change from day cloths to swimming suits so as to enjoy the water.

This was one of our best days on the cruise.  The surf was rough enough to play in but not so big as to be dangerous.  We could have spent a week just on this beach.

This shopping center even had a museum of the past history of Whaler's Village.

And the scenery was fantastic.

Next post ...  our departure from Maui and a few shots of the whales around the ship.

Questions and comments always welcome.

The Banyon Tree

This Banyan Tree was planted in April, 1873, and marked the 50th Anniversary of Christian missionary work in Lahaina. The tree was imported from India and was only 8 feet tall. It now stands over 60 feet high, has 12 major trunks in addition to a huge core. It stretches over a 200-foot area and shades 2/3 of an acre. Caring members of the community carefully maintain the symmetrical shape of the Banyan Tree. It is one of the largest Indian Banyan trees in the world.

Park benches surround the outskirts of the square.

What one must keep in mind while viewing these photos is that this is ONE (1) tree.  It has many trunks and even more branches between these trunks, but in the end it is just one tree.



The next post ... Whaler's Village and the beach.