Oahu, Hawaii in 100 Images

Beautiful beaches, swaying palms, and the faint strumming of ukuleles - these are the stereotypes of Oahu, Hawaii that the hotels in Waikiki are more than happy to uphold. On a recent vacation to Oahu I took to photographing a variety of locations and experiences as I traveled throughout the island. From Honolulu to the North Shore, I set out to capture notable attractions and iconic Hawaiian scenery around Oahu. 
   

These are highlights from my Aloha Hawaii series showcased in 100 images. Click on the link above any of the images to view the complete / expanded photo set from each location.

1. View of Diamond Head from the ocean.


2. Surfboards in Waikiki.


3. Surfers on the North Shore of Oahu.

4. Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor.

5. USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

6. Makapuu Lookout on the Eastern Shore of Oahu.

7. Souvenirs in Waikiki.

8. Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii from the Aloha Tower.

9. Sunset on Waikiki Beach.

10. Rainbow Drive-In in Honolulu.

11. Interior of Iolani Palace in Honolulu.

12. USS Bowfin Submarine in Pearl Harbor.

13. Feet in the Pacific Ocean.

14. Luau at the Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki.

15. Fresh pineapple.

16. Honolulu Auto Show

17. Barbers Point on the Western Shore of Oahu.

18. Tropical drinks.

19. Girls at Hanuama Bay.

20. Flying over Waikiki Beach.


21. Sleepy tortoise at the Honolulu Zoo.

22. Surfboards on Waikiki Beach.

23. Polynesian Cultural Center.

24. Ocean surf at sunset.

25. Hula girl.

26. Mission Houses in Honolulu, Hawaii.

27. Barbers Point.

28. Sailing at sunset.

29. Ruins of the Kualoa Sugar Mill.

30. Boogie boarding on the North Shore.

31. Hawaii State Capitol Building.


32. Waikiki Beach.

33. View from the top of Diamond Head.

34. Inside the USS Bowfin Submarine.

35. USS Missouri Battleship.

36. Ukuleles.

37. Hawaii Theatre.

38. Pacific Ocean from Waikiki.

39. Hula girls.


40. Waikiki Beach.


41. USS Arizona Memorial.

42. Sunset on Waikiki Beach.

43. Wreckage of the USS Arizona.

44. Hotels in Waikiki.

45. Staircase inside the Iolani Palace.

46. Waves crashing on the Eastern Shore of Oahu.

47. Hawaiian Oceans.

48. Pacific Aviation Museum in Pearl Harbor.

49. Byodo-In Temple.

50. Jumping in the sunrise.

51. Catamaran on Waikiki Beach.

52. Sunrise over Oahu.

53. Duke Kahanamoku Statue in Waikiki.


54. Road trip around Oahu in a Bentley Continental GTC.

55. Pearl Harbor bullet holes in hangar glass.

56. Surfers in Waikiki.

57. Diamond Head Lighthouse.

58. Close-up of a lei.

59. Royal Guards of Hawaii.

60. View of Honolulu from the top of Diamond Head.

61. Falls of Clyde in Honolulu Harbor.

62. Swaying palms.

63. Koi pond at the Byodo-In Temple.

64. Hawaii State Capitol Building.

65. Hanuama Bay.

66. Crossroads of the Pacific.

67. Hiking to the top of Diamond Head.

68. Sunset sail.

69. Inside the Iolani Palace.

70. Halona Cove.

71. Spiral stairs in bunker at Diamond Head.

72. Surfer on the North Shore.

73. Kawaiahao Church in Honolulu.

74. Tour on the USS Missouri.

75. Barbers Point Lighthouse.

76. Bon-sho (sacred bell) at Byodo-In Temple.

77. Bunker at Diamond Head.

78. Aliiolani Hale in Honolulu.

79. Spot of Japanese surrender signed on the USS Missouri.


80. Waikiki Beach.

81. Carved souvenirs.

82. Hula dancers.

83. Hanauma Bay.

84. Waikiki Beach.


85. Flamingo at the Honolulu Zoo.


86. Hawaii souvenirs.

87. Hula dancers.

88. Aloha Tower in downtown Honolulu.

89. Sunset over Waikiki.

90. USS Arizona wreckage.

91. Shopping in Waikiki.

92. Fire dancer at luau.

93. Sailing on a catamaran.

94. Hawaii Convention Center.

95. Hiking Diamond Head.

96. Control tower at the Pacific Aviation Museum.

97. Ruins of the Kualoa Sugar Mill.

98. Hawaiian rowers.

99. Sunset over Waikiki.

100. Eastern Coast of Oahu.

Seattle to San Diego: Driving the Pacific Coast

Earlier this month I embarked on one of my most ambitious road trips to date. My friend Mike and I expanded on our previous adventures in the Pacific Northwest, and this time we drove the entire coastline from Seattle to San Diego over the course of two weeks. 

Covering over 6500 km we stuck to the coast highway with key stops in Seattle, Long Beach, Coos Bay, Eureka, San Francisco, San Jose, Morro Bay, Los Angeles, and San Diego. We then gunned it back to Canada through Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. All of this was made even more fun by taking Mike's new BMW 435i along for the journey. 

I'm still processing everything we saw and did, but I can't even begin to express how many iconic places and memorable experiences we had. As you might expect, it was a lot to absorb in only two weeks. We hiked down coastal cliffs, photographed Seattle's lights from the top of the Space Needle, and found ourselves drinking with musicians and playing a drunken U.S.A. vs. Canada game of pool at a dive bar on the Washington coast.

A photo posted by Luke Fandrich (@editingluke) on Sep 13, 2015 at 1:13pm PDT

We continued south and toured lighthouses in Oregon, put our arms around giant Redwoods near Eureka, drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and wandered the streets of San Francisco amid hectic Labor Day crowds. In Southern California we lived it up in a suite at the Hollywood Roosevelt in L.A. as a movie premiered at the Chinese Theatre right across the street. Further south still, we walked the deck of an aircraft carrier in San Diego harbor, and after all that (and so so so much more) we found ourselves on a beach in Coronado only 9 miles from Mexico. 

A photo posted by Luke Fandrich (@editingluke) on Sep 14, 2015 at 4:21pm PDT

With this trip alone I could release a series a photo books. I was averaging over 1000 images per day, and just looking at what I captured you'd be amazed that it all happened in merely two weeks. I can barely believe it and I was there. In any case, the result is going to be some amazing new photo sets in the months ahead. 

Instead of creating another photo series from scratch, the material from this trip will be used to expand on my existing Pacific Northwest and Roadside California series'. Also, if you missed it while it was happening, I shared a bunch of shots on my Instagram account. Follow along if you want a glimpse at what I'm working on before it ends up here. Stay tuned for some amazing content in the works! 

Union Station in Los Angeles: Part 1

Constructed in the 1930's and opened in 1939, Union Station in Los Angeles, California is said to be the last of the great railway stations built in the United States. The station combines elements of Art Deco, Spanish / Mission Revival and Moderne to create a structure that echoes the charms of Southern California and the grandeur of rail travel in its heyday.

Union Station is still a major transportation hub, serving over 100,000 passengers a day. Commuters can access Amtrak, subway, commuter trains, and bus lines here. I stopped in to explore Union Station after touring downtown Los Angeles, and despite a few exhausted travelers playing on their phones, I immediately felt transported back in time as soon as I walked through the front doors. Union Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.