1:1 Photography Tours on Hawaii Island

What makes a 1:1 personalized photo tour with photographer Ken Goodrich special?

Individual Attention!

Most photography workshops have groups of 6-12 participants. Typically, this means that you have limited attention from the workshop leader and are bound to a set itinerary. 

When you book a customized photo tour with Hawaii Photo Retreat, you are guaranteed my full attention and guidance, and you will benefit from my years of experience as a still photographer and video producer.  You will have the opportunity to focus on the techniques that will truly advance your image creation skills.

Before your tour, I will contact you to see what skills you feel would enhance your photography. This provides a starting point for our fun photo adventure. 

Not sure what you need to focus on first?  No problem.  There will be plenty of time during the tour to discover new methods and techniques as we photograph the stunning landscapes of Hawaii Island. 

You will return home with beautiful images of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Equally as important, you will gain the knowledge, techniques and approaches to visualization that you can always use in your image making.


Where we go

Waterfalls and Jungles and Lava, Oh My!!! 

The Big Island has an abundance of scenic treasures for you to choose from. 

Orchid in Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden 

is a gem in the rain forest by the ocean. There are over 2,500 species of plants and flowers from tropical and subtropical regions.  This stunning location provides opportunities to learn and refine your ability to:

  • Find the best light and clarify your sense of composition

  • Choose the correct lens to feature and highlight your main subject

  • Balance ISO, aperture and shutter speed to insure subject sharpness

  • Use selective focus to tame distracting backgrounds

Waterfall at Akaka Falls State Park

Waterfalls

  • Experiment with various shutter speeds to render flowing water as you envision it

  • Control exposure to preserve highlight detail

  • Bracketing exposure to create high dynamic range photos (HDR)

  • Using neutral density filters to extend the range of possible exposures in bright light

Volcanic Eruption in Halemaumau crater

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 

is a designated International Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 523 square mile park includes one of the most active volcanoes in the world.  When eruptions are happening, the experience is awe inspiring (and challenging to photograph)!  The park also contains extensive upland rainforest, vast lava fields and wild, dramatic sea cliffs.  This truly unique environment provides opportunities to:

  • Use telephoto lenses to communicate the drama of explosive volcanic eruptions

  • Use wide angle lenses to emphasize the vast expanses of otherworldly lava formations

  • Previsualize a scene in black and white

  • Use focus stacking to render close up subjects sharp from front to back

Mikly Way and volcanic eruption Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Night Photography 

The Big Island is home to some of the most important astronomical observatories in the world and a fantastic place to capture the stars!  If you choose to do a night sky session, you will learn:

  • Lens selection for astrophotography

  • Proper exposure to ensure pinpoint stars

  • How to find good foreground subjects to complement the night sky

  • Post production techniques to bring out the color and drama in the Milky Way

Blue wave cresting Laupahoehoe

Ocean Photography 

Hawaii is known for the exceptional beauty of the waters surrounding our islands. As we explore the pristine waters and wild explosive waves you will have the opportunity to learn:

  • How to photograph ocean sunsets, as well as to use bright midday light to your advantage

  • How to find effective compositions that include land, sea and sky

  • How to use polarizing and neutral density filters

  • How to choose the proper shutter speed to render sharp every droplet of a crashing wave or show the graceful patterns of surf on the beach

Post-Production 

Ansel Adams famously said, “The negative is the score and the print is the performance”. These days the sentiment may be expanded to, “The Raw File is the score and the print (or the social media post) is the performance”.  When I work with people on their images in Lightroom and/or Photoshop, they are often amazed at the beauty that is hiding and can be extracted from their digital files.

I provide personalized instruction in my studio or over Zoom for:

  • Lightroom

  • Photoshop

  • Topaz applications

  • Nik Filters

  • HDR processing

I look forward to seeing you in Hawaii!!