Last September, we embarked from Shanghai on a 17-day cruise that made port at Nagasaki, Japan; Busan, South Korea; Taipei, Taiwan; Hong Kong; Vietnam; Bangkok, Thailand; and finally Singapore. My story (with photos) of the journey is featured in the Spring issue of TravelWorld International magazine, starting on page 6. http://issuu.com/travelworld/docs/_twi_magazine_spring_2015/1. Please enjoy the tour.
Published Work
A Sampling of Southeast Asian Cultures
Lovely Hula Girl
Hawaii by Sea
Two of my Hawaii photos have been selected for magazine covers recently. The voyaging canoe was taken on the North Shore of Oahu, and the sunset at Anaeho’omalu on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Dogs and Angels
Many years ago, I was walking the country lanes in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii, when a pack of angry dogs attacked. That story, “Four-Legged Angel,” was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Book of Miracles. I just heard this morning that my story will get a second life. It was chosen for Chicken Soup for the Soul’s newsletter, “Positively Pets.” You can sign up to get the free newsletter here: http://www.chickensoup.com/form.asp?cid=signup
Way of the Warrior
During my 35+ years in Hawaii, I’ve been fortunate to meet and photograph many knowledgeable and dedicated people in the Hawaiian community. One of these is La‘akea Suganuma. He’s not only president of the Royal Hawaiian Academy of Traditional Arts and descendant of Mary Kawena Pukui, but also a senior practitioner of lua—a form of ancient Hawaiian martial arts—and a master craftsman who creates finely carved and polished spears, shark-tooth war clubs and other weaponry modeled in the ancient Hawaiian style.
In this image published in DK (Dorling Kindersley)’s, “The Way of the Warrior,” a book detailing martial arts’ systems throughout the world, La‘akea and his son demonstrate a lua fighting stance.
my photos
A link to one of my photo websites
Behind the Photo: Three Dudes
It always feels good when one of my favorite images finds a second, third, etc. home. This shot became the cover of Hawaii magazine several years ago, and recently it was purchased by Alaska Airlines Magazine. So how did this image come to be in my portfolio? Some friends were in town and we all went to the Paradise Cove Luau, held amid the stunning scenery of Oahu’s southwestern shore. These three guys were getting ready for their roles in the imu ceremony (where the roast pig is removed from the imu, or ground oven), so I asked them to pose before the unearthing got underway. At first, they stood on the grass above the beach. “Can you go down on the beach?” I asked. Somewhat reluctantly they moved but they were still too far back, so I asked them to move closer to the water. “You want to get us wet, don’t you,” one joked. But photographers are thinking of one thing only—get the best shot. I knew they had to get back to work, so once they were in position I shot quickly: several frames, different compositions. And they didn’t get wet. When we were finished, one of them asked hopefully, “Are we going to be on a magazine cover?” As a matter of fact….yes, although I didn’t know it at the time. When I’m shooting for stock, it’s always a pleasant surprise to see where my pictures end up (one of them was printed on 75 ostrich eggs and given as gifts to clients of a South African public-relations agency). So a big mahalo (thank you) to my three models, wherever they are today. I hope to see them in print again someday.