dsiner Loc: Kent, WA

Anyone have any advice on planning a photo shooting trip to the islands? Where to go? Best time of year? Never been there before. Keep in mind I am 67 so no mountain climbing please.

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

I have only been to Oahu but rumor has it that each island has its own "personality" so I can't really help you with where but rest assured, there will be photo ops no matter where you go and climbing mountains is a total option.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

My advice?

Take one small camera. Use it for pictures of folks you love so that you have a keepsake of the trip and can share memories. Print those pictures.

Enjoy the trip, don't have the camera to your face a lot. No reason to take another picture of a waterfall or volcano, you can see those on flickr or google images.

That's my advice no matter where you go.

RainbowHI

An excellent guidebook for photo ops on Oahu is "Driving & Discovering Hawaii:Oahu, Honolulu, & Waikiki", by Richard Sullivan. It is available on Amazon for $20. The book is directed for photographers. It has the requisite beautiful photos from around the island, but for each shot, the author gives directions on where exactly to go to get the shot. The book points out places that are out of the way, which many Hawaii books will ignore. Since you probably don't have the time to get to all the beautiful spots on Oahu, I would recommend getting the book before your trip so you can plan to visit the areas most appealing to you.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

What island will you be staying on? We spent 10 days on Oahu in 2014. First time I was back there since 1969. It had changed a bit! Anyway, we rented a car and drove all over the island. That's not hard to do and it's fun to just explore. Just stay out of the Waikiki area. Too many darn tourists! We rented a bungalow in Kailua. Wonderful place to stay. Kailua beach, especially at sunrise, is gorgeous. It's the beach preferred by the locals. BTW, the law does not allow private beaches in Hawaii. Everything is public and you will always find a public access point, no matter how secluded.
If you are going to be on Oahu then a trip to Pearl Harbor is a must! Tickets for the Arizona Memorial are free but it's best to get them online and to figure on being there early. Being early is not hard, considering the time difference. All the other exhibits charge a fee. USS Bowfin, Bowfin museum, USS Missouri, Ford Island aviation museum, etc. You can buy a 2-day pass on line for about $70. Well worth it if you have an interest in WWII history. Don't use a ticket service. You can get whatever you need right from the Pearl Harbor website.
If you visit Pearl Harbor, pay close attention to the restrictions on what you can carry into the site.
A doors-off helicopter tour of the island is an excellent photo op. I did two of them with Genesis Helicopters. Doors-off may sound scary to you but I bet you'll be glad you did it!
A drive around Diamond Head and up the east side to the North Shore offers numerous places to stop and explore. Come back down through the central valley and you've killed a day, or more. The Hawaiian Village is along that route. My wife wanted to go there. I wasn't interested, but it turned out to be an enjoyable day and evening.
I was afraid we would run out of things to see and do in ten days, but the truth is, we could have used more time!

nicksr1125 Loc: Mesa, AZ

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a great visit. The all day ticket includes dinner. Wonderful introduction to the South Pacific culture. It's run by the Mormon's so you won't find any beverages that have caffeine in them.

Quixdraw Loc: x

I second Oahu and Kailua. Went thru an outfit called Elite properties -- house right on the beach, and they would even stock the fridge on request the day of your arrival. Great fun, lots and lots of unique photo ops. You only get cliché shots you haven't got the eye -- disagree with rpavich. I can't imagine having a fun vacation without bringing at least one serious camera and a couple of lenses! There are some good previous threads on this subject with lots of excellent suggestions, probably worth your time to search. Have fun!

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

You didn't say which island. There are 4 main tourist islands, Kaua'i, O'Ahu, Maui, and the big island of Hawaii. I've been to all 4, all of them multiple times. There are a few more islands that really aren't set up for tourists - Moloko'i, Lana'i and Kaho'olawe which are very close to Maui. And one that is actually off limits to everyone except some natives - Ni'ihue. You can see it from Kaua'i.

I find that I only used a telephoto for a couple situations: Seeing lava activity from a distance on the big Island and bird watching, although the native birds are on the decline thanks to the pesky mongoose that was introduce more than 100 years ago to control the rats. Bad idea, the two never meet since the mongoose is diurnal and the rat is nocturnal. Someone didn't do their homework.

The big island requires the most hiking. Visiting the lava flows and crossing the calderas does require a lot of hiking. I'm 66 and still do it, but sorry to hear I won't be able to do it next year when I'm 67.

Each island has its own set of sites. And they are all interesting. Only you can narrow it down to what you want to focus on.

Have fun.

dsiner Loc: Kent, WA

Lol don't stop hiking I just got unlucky with arthritis for 46 of those 67. So the knees just won't take it. I have not decided which islands to target. Want some landscape, waterfall and lots of flora shots.

Quixdraw Loc: x

dsiner -- after half a century of Martial Arts, my knees aren't much, but I can still walk a good part of a day, even climb around the rugged rocks a bit. Never, never, never surrender. Winston said that! I even had a gout attack last time in Hawaii, still walked a lot and had a fine time. It's just pain -- I think it was Patrick Swayze in Road House --"Pain don't hurt" hoowah! All the best!

dsiner Loc: Kent, WA

LOL its all mental? I am working on it. Headed to Mt. Ranier tomorrow we will see.

PVR8 Loc: Raleigh, NC

I lived on Oahu twice, 20 years in total. There are many great places and things to photograph in Hawaii. On Oahu you might want to be sure to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center and of course, the Arizona Memorial. Queen Iliukolani Palace and Hanuama Bay are also beautiful photo ops. Pali lookout is another. Kilauea volcano and the lava fields on the Big Island of Hawaii are awesome photo ops. If you intend to travel the islands you'll find that each island is unique. Hale Akala on Maui is an another amazing site. The list goes on and on. Have a great time in a wonderful place.

PVR8 Loc: Raleigh, NC

I agree. A trip to Hawaii deserves the very best photographic equipment that you can take. You'll be glad that you were able to capture some fantastic high quality shots. A small pocket camera will come in handy also when you're going out to dinner or on some occasions where a large camera might be out of place. I always take my Coolpix along with my DSLR and it does come in handy at times..

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

If you like lava and volcanos, the Big Island is the place to go. Very dramatic. Don't load yourself down with camera gear, unless you're being paid handsomely to bring back hundred of shots. Something you can wear on your belt or fit into a pocket will make life simpler.

Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky

If you go to the North Shore of Oahu you need to stop and have shave ice at Matsumoto's. Best shave ice I have ever had.