Thursday, December 29, 2011

11-12-28 Honolulu City Lights HPS

Hawaii Photographic Society visits the Honolulu City Lights Display, after Christmas, every year before the city begins dismantling the displays.  The crowds are thinner and it's easier to use a tripod to take the longer exposures. 


















Wednesday, December 28, 2011

11-12-27 Christmas Decorations OPMUG

Last evening the Oahu Photography Meetup Group went to 2 different neighborhoods to photograph the Christmas decorations put up by the home owners.  We originally planned on visiting 3 sites but scrapped that idea when it was after 10 and we had still not finished the 2nd neighborhood.




















Monday, December 26, 2011

11-12-25 Heineken Christmas Tree


Richard came over to spend Christmas with us so after dinner he, my brother and I took a ride to Kapolei to check out the Heineken Christmas Tree.  We also visited two other streets because this was also a dry run for the Christmas Decorations Meetup to be held on Tuesday evening.  Good thing because it took us a couple of tries to find this then the solar powered display and synchronized music house in Waikele.

These were all shot hand held (no tripod) with a 50mm f/1.8 lens at an ISO of 100.



















Thursday, December 22, 2011

11-12-21 Princess Kaiulani Hotel Gingerbread Village

Richard, Jamie & I went to the Princess Kaiulani Hotel  in Waikiki to see and photograph Executive Chef Ralf Bauer and his team of culinary architect's gingerbread village.

The following is straight from the Princess Kaiulani's Event Schedule and information page.



Dining & Entertainment

Gingerbread Village

SHERATON PRINCESS KAIULANI PRESENTS AN EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITION OF EDIBLE ARTISTRY FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani will feature the annual Santa’s German Gingerbread Village starting on November 23 to January 2 in the resort’s lobby.  Guests and kamaaina are invited to visit the edible winter wonderland made of gingerbread and other sweet treats created by Executive Chef Ralf Bauer and his team of culinary architects.

Chef Bauer, Pantry Chef Amie Tungpalan, Executive Sous Chef John Hightower and the Engineering Department will spend over 750 hours designing, constructing and setting up the final art piece.  The gingerbread village, which will stand over 14.5 feet high and over 24 feet wide, will be constructed with 225 gallons of icing, 140 pounds of dark chocolate, 50 pounds of white chocolate, and 70 sheets of gingerbread.  Imitating the holiday spirit of quaint mountainside villages of his native country Germany, Bauer’s creation will include medieval churches, bell towers, train stations, a carousel and a skating rink.
Chef Bauer adds a touch of old Hawaii by recreating history with iconic structures including the Kawaihao mission church, the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa and last year’s addition, the Iolani Palace which alone took over six weeks to build.  This year he has announced the inclusion of Aloha Tower as the latest addition to the historical gingerbread landmark creations.

“Visitors from all over the world come to Hawaii to see our gingerbread wonderland and experience the traditional Christmas atmosphere with the island’s touch of Aloha,” said Chef Bauer.  “It is an opportunity to give back to the community and share the holiday spirit with our ohana.”

“Every year, we look forward to seeing the children’s joy as they discover every detail of the village and have the chance to make their own gingerbread houses,” said Chef Bauer.  “I look forward to seeing the blind and deaf school kids, who are filled with so much joy as they make gingerbread houses and eat a lot of chocolate together.”

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani won “Orbitz Best Decked Out Holiday Hotel” in 2009 for providing a feeling of holiday cheer to visitors traveling during the holiday season with Santa’s Gingerbread Village.







Moana Surfrider Hotel









Kawaihao mission church & the Moana Surfrider Hotel

Iolani Palace











Aloha Tower

Aloha Tower





Moana Surfrider Hotel


Iolani Palace & the Moana Surfrider Hotel

Iolani Palace