A Native American, a Texan, and a cougar walk into a bar in Molokai

Yeah, kind of a funny start to a joke but its real. We sat three, rather four as there were two Native Americans, no actually three Native Americans...their son and his hot girlfriend...me, the Texan (yeah yeah who lived a long time in New York--more of a New Yorker than a damn Texan these days), and the cougar, all at at the bar in Hotel Molokai last week. The cougar is/was Dr. Psychoanalysis who was a bit scary cause you never know how they view you but really its how you present yourself to them once you know who and what they do. She did give me a good lecture on myself as I did encounter some problems on Molokai that truly perturbed me. More on that later.

The Native Americans proved to be the nicer people you could ever come across in any point in time of life. The father, an ER doc in California, crawled from the depths of a trailer park reservation to make it big time. The wife, of course, caring like anything, and their son, roughly my age but better looking and the gringa girlfriend. She also proved to be a sweet person and emailed me a great picture of the view over Kauai from a hang glider.



You can't make shots like this...good going girl! They just have to happen. You rocked that shot. Beautiful world.

What I found fascinating about their relationship to the surrounding was the fact that no one from this group seem to be taking anything...sure sure that silly notion of the indigenous connection to land, blah blah blah but in many ways it seems to hold true. The doctor could have been a plastic surgeon or some shallow money making bastard from SoCal in a 500SL, hairplugs and liposuction, but he spent his time working on the city's poor and needy. Gunshots, stabbings, scaldings, ruptures and whatnot. Real life, giving back to what or where he might recognize.

He also stated the obvious that we do need a national health care system. Funny words coming out of a well to do doctors mouth as he, in all aspects, might cut off his salary but in his views, its best for all than just a select few. I agree and thank you for your presence. I walked away with more than I gave. Wonderful wonderful people.

And to note--their tribe has a casino. The money flows in and flows back to the tribe. Good things for people who suffered so...maybe the state of Hawaii should consider such things but alas, corruption, moral and social conditions might not ever allow such a proposal. I say give them Molokai, put a casino and see life improve. Hell--every Asian who can walk would be in Hawaii gambling! Imagine the tax revenue and the ultimate flithy corruption our corrupt politicos already have....

Four days/three nights might be a more appropriate title for this blog; however, viewers of the new SHUTTERBUGGERY, will see where I am going with my thoughts.

Frommers sent me to Molokai to capture the natural beauty and essence of the island which is known as the most "Hawaiian" of all the Hawaiian islands. There is no major working resort, no slow chugging tour bus, snap happy Japanese, or for that matter, much of anything on Molokai. A friend Jordan, who is whiter than white is 50% (is that right?) Hawaiian--yeah, brah!...told me life on Molokai dances to a different drum. Native Hawaiians who choose to live on Molokai homestead and prefer to live off the land and practice aloha aina...or love of the land.

Molokai is one of those places where you can easily get back to your native roots and forget about the western world and their problems. Sitting on an isolated beach or on top of a Molokai mountain ridge, you can easily forget about the election follies, bailouts, and receding economic the West created and pushed the world into.

Its more than obvious how some people wish and want to live. They'd prefer not to have tourism like what Waikiki developed and to me, Maui is one of the worst as mainland developers cordoned off bits of the coast line making it impossible to visit the beach without going through resort property or paying big bucks to park. Many have said that some of those gorgeous Maui beaches around Wailea never had proper beach access as it remained undeveloped so some might argue it was good to tame and change the environment as it opened up access to many who might not have enjoyed the golden sands of Wailea.

Overall I can see both sides, developers creating and granting (limiting, though) access to the beach while locals stating they can no longer get to the beach cause of development. Funny, lots of local beaches where no tourist are around (or allowed for that matter) are shanty towns of homeless, drug addicts, or the scum of society. A former friend once took me to a former military beach. The base closed and gave the beach back to state control. The garbage bins overflowed, crushed beer cans and glass littered the grass and parking lot, plastic bags floated over the once pristine landscape along with clam shelled take-out boxes, and the oddly enough, the smell of spent diapers filled my nostrils. I've been around to many tourist sites in Honolulu and its very easy to find green glass shards of Heineken bottles scattered around. I can guarantee tourist are not tossing their empties on the street, beach, or where ever.

So does development keep the locals from destroying their environment? Does development which brings high paying tourists to the islands keep the locals from tearing up the place?

What tourist wants to go home with a nasty cut on their foot from a broken beer bottle?

So much to argue as most of the people who argue against development are people who were not born on Hawaii. At the hotel bar, I had some rude, caustic woman scream "NO MORE F*CKING PICTURES OF MOLOKAI!" once she found out what I was doing on the island. She claimed us guide books ruined Kauai and gave away all the secret beaches and coves only "locals" knew about. My pictures would do the same for Molokai. I felt honored in a way that I held so much power over her destiny.

Needless to say, this New York woman with the heavy Jewish Long Island accent, worked as a midwife, probably wasn't married, and would curse you if you didn't agree with her views or politics...a real liberal democrat if you know what I mean. Sometimes these types are the most intolerant of all. I spoke with another super liberal gallery owner a few weeks back who told me the best merits of Obama was that he was black. I bit my tongue as I though if that's the best you can muster then you obviously don't deserve to vote let alone breath this brand of foolishness to others.

The New Yorker bitched an moaned that her secret places were written about and discovered. She claimed perverts were not arriving at these secret places and performing lewd acts in public. Liberals, I should say, or maybe libertines rather.

I don't know why (I can guess) but Hawaii is filled with hippie liberal super intolerant types who believe they know what is best. New agers who drifted over from West Coast cause they already sullied their past communities. Its as if many of these people floated over from the West/East coast to live some post-Hippie life of isolation, yoga, natural, foods, arts, and this odd embrace of local culture sans the expressos and lattes from Starbucks, the very essence of commercial liberalism. If I were native to Hawaii, I would truly wonder what the hell is wrong with many of these people. Don't get me wrong, America is vast and wide and if you are an American you should be able to move and live where ever you see fit.

But these intolerant types just fill Hawaii and they seem to be the most vocal when it comes to economic development around the islands. Not to dwell into the specifics of the Superferry, I will say the most vocal and more or less violent protesters on Kauai were white transplants! I scanned the tv screen hoping to see more than just a token local/Hawaiian but they were far and few between when the protest started. These white jackasses hijacked the entire economic agenda of having a inter island ferry which would have helped more (in my opinion) than damaged so many of these subjects they complained about.

I truly wonder what the natives think of these loud mouthed assh*les from the mainland. I know what I think.

Lanai friends who I mentioned in a past posting mentioned there are also others of above class living their protesting and screaming at any positive development which could and will bring jobs/prosperity to a shrinking tourism economy. The island wants to build wind turbines to generate electricity but this small vocal protest group condemned the project just because they could...and throw out excuses like damaging bird migration, noise, etc...all because they don't want scenic perfect views of paradise destroyed by the demands of the public for cheap energy, jobs, and prosperity for all.

The most damning of them all was a scum low life bastard who had the nerve to confront me and demand I not take pictures of his surf break cause tourist might start showing up and surfing on his/their spot. THIS JACKASS IS A WHITE DUDE FROM THE MAINLAND. AT LEAST THE LOCAL GUYS WHO BEEFED WITH ME TOLERATED MY PRESENCE BUT THIS TRANSPLANT, THIS MALIHINI REFUSED. WHAT A JERK.

Funny I was waiting for Gary Busey to rescue me from the dregs of society.



++++++++++++++++


As I sauntered back to the bar every evening after a long day of hunting for images and dodging angry transplants and leery locals, I found solace at the bar with my extended family: Mom, Dad, little brother, and sister in law. Oh I can't forget the cougar. She was the one that made the night entertaining, at least to watch.

Salute!


gulp gulp gulp gulp........................

A quick one on rain, being tired, and football.

After what seems likes weeks of shooting for Frommers (well..it has been weeks) I finally am wrapping up my three island tour of Oahu, Lanai, and Molokai. I have a story brewing on my trip on Molokai and I should put something up soon. After a four days/three nights grueling trip I returned on a Friday only to have a scheduled UH football game to shoot the next day for AP.

Saturday morning proved to be tough as as anything as I had only slept about 4-5 hours tops each night on Molokai. Strange beds, odd environments, and the constant pondering of the next day never makes for a good night's sleep.

Storm clouds covered all of Oahu on Saturday and I could feel I was going to be in for a tough evening of shooting rainy day football. The lack of sleep and stress were really wearing on me. And the dread of shooting in the rain.

Most professionals constantly fear rain no matter what their camera makers tell them. A Canon rep recently stated to a group of us that Canon Japan tests their pro camera gear in rainy conditions up to 7 inches an hour. For some reason I'd like to believe my camera can take a dunking but when its your dollar on the line, you best take precautions.

I never could figure out the proper way to really ensure my cameras/lenses would be safe in a rain storm, heck, even a sprinkle. I've seen and used everything from trash bags to zip lock bags to keep cameras dry. There are several camera outfitters which sell super expensive raincoats for long lenses and camera bodies. Most are well though out and seem very handy to use but the costs, over $150 dollars for some kits like Aqua Tech are hard to swallow. I do have to pay for all my gear and accessories so thats lots of money for once in a while use. I mean how often am I forced to stand in the rain to get a shot?

A few years ago, I fould quirky Rebecca B fooling around with a long camera lens and a pair of rain pants pulled over the lens, I mean, the leg of the pants slipped over the lens hood with the waist over the actual camera...get it? She basically draped her pants over her camera and viola! a raincoat for cheap. Rebecca is the origin of my current rain suit pants concoction on my 400mm lens. She is the OG of the lens raincoat pants thang.



Thank you Rebecs for your good idea and creative way around keeping your camera dry. I must say you inspired me to create my own!


Istead of cutting up a good pair of rain pants, I purchased a stanky old pair of army surplus green pants from God knows when they were made. The good thing is the military makes things to last and short of the stench of what ever, the pants proved to be perfect. They slipped over the lens hood snuggly and after a snip or two, it works perfectly.

And the OD green keeps me completely camouflaged from irate golf pros and mean looking security agents.



What I never could figure out was how to completely keep my camera body from getting wet. I've tried several options including a now discontinued Nikon soft camera pouch used to silence or rather dampen the shutter slap of a camera. The sound aspect was never the best but did dull the metallic snap thus keeping my shutterbuggery (ha--its my new word you bastards!)

Hell today I am changing my blog post title! Welcome to Shutterbuggery.

Anyway, back to the rain...

So it took a sharp Chinese guy, yes, you George F Lee, to completely show me the light on how to keep the rain at bay.

As George will quickly admit about himself and his Chinese decent, they are patient, will observe closely, and thus attack accordingly. He didn't say it in so many words but I think you get the picture. At the game I saw George and his big camera lens all wrapped up with a clear garbage bag, and his camera eye piece stuck over the bag thus covering the and solving my problem. As my picture suggests, the back of the rain pants comes over the body completely and yet, a surgically placed cut into the material allows you to peer into the view finder and the eye piece diopter keeps all in place. George readily admits he stole, no copied the idea directly from Aquatech.

So thanks George for your sharp observations and wit to figure out a simple problem to keeping the rain away from cameras and lenses.

I should point out that George's use of a clear garbage bag allows full "chimping" or reviewing of images. I'd like to limit my "chimping" of images keeping my mind focused on the task at hand. Editing should come later!

Now on to football and the shot of the week:



Yes, this is the catch that won the game for UH and to tell you the truth, life can be tough as a lone wire photographer. In all honestly, the glory days of Hawaii and their odd bid at a Sugar Bowl title are long gone...and so is the strong media attention. No one really cares about UH football nor of their opponents in the WAC. Games starting at 6pm in Hawaii start at midnight on the East Coast. All news editors are gone for the day and the night crew is just pushing through images to the wires. UH football is sadly just another image to push. How can UH compete with Texas or USC for attention. We are just a small state with a small team.

Yet this does not stop the job I have at hand. I have to visually tell a story within reason and send out images to make West Coast sports deadlines so all is not in vain. My first initial shots of the opposing team from Nevada or where ever that team on the West Coast may be will surely be used by the paper and their website.

Now with rain pouring down for almost the entire game, its truly hard to concentrate on a game. I am in a constant hunt for the all telling shot that conveys the entire game and most of the time, that shot never really appears nor or it just happens just beyond where you are. In brief, if you are a lone wire photographer, you can never predict which way a sports event will turn. You can be downfield when a fumble takes place and the winning shot runs away from you. You can station yourself left of the QB and he will pass to the right. The running back can get the ball and run straight towards you and quickly change pace and snap the other way. Action is unpredictable. Its never where you need it to be.

Hence we come to the shot...

Its seconds left when the UH quarterback needs to make a touchdown to win the game or go into dreaded overtime. He pulls back out of the pocket runs directly opposite of me and throws the ball to the furthest corner away from me and the receiver makes the catch. Quick thinking and a hail mary burst nails me this shot. A little shabby once you see the original but I had to drop the long lens act and option for the shorter lens as you never know which way they'd run or throw. I just so happen to be quick on the draw and, thanks to razor sharp optics, Canon digital technology, faster than light focusing, I got the shot. Oh, I forgot to mention a little post production.



I could have taken this shot with a longer lens, the 400mm, but at the time I didn't or couldn't predict which way the receiver would have run. I was just lucky I got the game telling shot.

UH won the game 38-31. If you didn't get it, he did...catch the ball, that is.

I wanna be a Cowboy...or maybe just pretend.

Lanai Cowboy...a real one

Funny...I've gotten really rave reviews on this image yet the first thing my journo friends ask, its it posed....? What the hell do you think? You think magic like this happens by chance? Am I Steve McCurry? Sorry, I gotta make my art...it doesn't come easy.

I wanted to give this image its own space as I find it deserves it.

Feeling oddly old, full of red dirt, and having good times.

Big skies in Lanai

You'd never think, knowing how big Lanai is, and know what's there, rather whats, not there, that you could fill your time being on such a small island, an even smaller town, and enjoy a somewhat siren-less, traffic jammed, noiseless place.

With no stoplights, two, maybe three restaurants, one gas station (Oct 18 price: $5.39/gal) Lanai might drive some insane...at least I figured I go that route. I didn't...strange to say...but might quickly lapse into a state of vegetation due to the lack of stimulation.

I don't think I could easily live in a small town as such as I'd piss off too many locals with a bad New York attitude or just plain loose my mind for whatever reason...(What? NO McDONALDS???) Well, to set the record, McDonalds isn't the best of food but its nice to have options.

As far as nature, its hard not to miss it...with spiders, quails, deer, and other critters and creatures of God running around the island. I didn't see deer but heard they are abundant as Islanders hunt them for food and fun. (what the hell else you gonna do on an island if you are male, got a gun, and a 4x4 pick up?)

Found lots of interesting folks, good stories, and fun times among the locals. I guess you can equate the friendly quality with the fact that you can't beef with anyone in a small town. Surely you just can't close your door and hope not to see that guy/girl ever again...I mean, the town is only 3000 or so...thats how many people live on my block, if not more! But to me, you seem to just take people for what they are, try not to judge and live as you can with everyone in a good old fashion way. Make sense? You just live, and something more important, share yourself.

Kevin and his wife Beth, along with the extended family of friends, co-workers, and neighbors make up a great cast of characters. Kevin, along with many others, are a group of people I met on Lanai on a job I shot in April. In many ways, they all took me to be part of their oddly working extended family and I quickly fit in, quirky as I can be. All normal sense of making friendship went out the window as I immediately became part of the pack. I found anyone in the group would have done about anything for me, regardless if they knew me well or cared anymore than just a "Aloha, how are you?" handshake.

So maybe life on the little rock isn't all that bad. Life can get back to what it used to be. No Real World, not E TV, no Presidental debates, or other foolishness. Just life...as it maybe should have remained.

I did find a bit of oddness from both Hawaiian natives and mahilinis, or newcomers to Hawaii. Some natives still hold an odd reverse racism towards white peoples, or haoles. Haoles, in many minds, came and stole the land. Sure, if you look at the situation in Hawaiian eyes, whitely came and stole it all.

One Hawaiian guy told me the white man came with laws and rules unfamiliar to them. They make and made sense but in a way didn't quite make sense to natives. He told me that in the old days, Hawaiians buried their dead with their "legal" documents or as he said, papers, so once they were buried, those rules became oral history. The white man had proof, not just words. So when land was sold, it was a done deal.

I mean, much of the land was sold legitimately in the old days, but no different than the Dutch purchase of New York from the natives. Hey, both parties got what they wanted, even if you can look back and say one got cheated. That's history. Sorry, no do overs or give me backs. I think we'd all like to do over what our ancestors did because hindsight is 20/20.

It isn't any better on whitey's side either. The regret and bitterness, in many ways, creates a tough situation, or relation among the white people who own and run the island as well as those who move here and do nothing but self absorb themselves into Lanai society.

Whitey, regardless of what many say, did bring organization, laws, and structure to an unorganized society. I mean, things worked well in Hawaiian society, and I could be making uneducated statements, but lots of Hawaiians want the land back and want to reinstall the king. Well, a King means all belongs to him and nothing belongs to the peoples. Its well known surfing was for the Kings and royalty...not the peoples. And besides, what Hawaiian native is gonna admit he is just a pure landless peasant who owns nothing and follows the King. I think anyone with a smidgen of brains would run around and state he is the King's cousin...etc...

Sure I sound ignorant, maybe a bit racist (Can Mexicans be racist...?) but a bit realistic. I don't know...do i care?

To get back to the mahilinis, the odd problem on Lanai just might be those new arrivals who set up shop to sell their jewelry junk, paintings, photos, etc...to rich tourist stopping buy, yes buy, for the day from Maui or stay over at the exclusive ($$$) Four Seasons. Surely you know I don't bad mouth the artists who make crafts and such for life, but so much of this can be seen as a self absorbent selfishness to proclaim "HERE I AM! BUY MY ART!" behavior that's so quickly found in so many resort type societies. Don't get me wrong, lots of people really do make art for art's sake but trinkets and junk sell so well on islands.

Ironic, here I am criticizing my brothers and I am nothing but a Xerox machine stealing what runs around me. How, my dear readers, do I make a difference? Maybe its not criticism but more of a reflection of myself.

The affluent visitors who come to places like Kauai, Lanai, and other "artists" havens create galleries and whatnot to sell their wares but sometimes it seems these types could do so much more for society as a whole of they did more than just scribble their false sense of art and humanitarianism onto a canvas. Let the ferral cats sort themselves out...they surely don't need your colonialist sense of being or wellness. Locals are demanding more restaurants and services but the mahilinis only bring themselves, jewelry and trinkets. Locals...step up! "We sailed anywhere around the globe just using the stars!" one Hawaiian proclaimed, sadly, his brothers couldn't put down the ice pipe. All natives were given their vice, sad to say.

Anyway, onto the better things in life other than my rambles...


Garden of the Gods, sunset, windy, and cold.

The above captures me with a 14mm, fast gushing winds, and red dirt. Red dirt stains like no tomorrow. Havoc on the shoes, clothes and anything else that it touches. As I reflect on Lanai, I do see myself in a different light. I feel older, as my picture portrays. I am facing heavy winds and a dust cloud but this mortal picture makes me feel my age...all of 37 next year February. The way I lived in the past, I never thought I'd make it to this age...well thats not exactly true but we all tend to forget how quick time flies. I don't actually feel or look this bad. But its funny to peer into the future.

Back on the J track, again...

Those of you who follow my blog, yes, all three of you, might think I am totally obsessed with Asians as my last posts have been very Japancentric...I am, in many ways, obsessed with Asians, tourists, that is, as I find them to be the most animated, exciting, and fun. How many tourists will you find in Hawaii acting like life is just one big anime?

hmmm.....I will explain this later.

Oh, on the picture, I was doing some work on Waikiki Beach when I spotted these two girls, probably and most likely Japanese taking pictures of themselves. One would pose and the other would jump in the air, legs and arms, and hair flopping around like...a cartoon, no a Japanese cartoon character...anime.

So I spotted these girls doing this for a few seconds when a group of tourist guys walked up to them and boldly started taking pictures of the girls taking pictures of themselves. I think they were either Chinese tourists or Koreans but I doubt they were Japanese. They were not dressed nor acted like young Japanese guys...in other words, they seemed a bit dorky. Well, I shouldn't say J guys don't act dorky...but you have to trust me on this.

After a few jumps the girls finally snapped out of their completely obsessed world and noticed these strange men taking photos. They awkwardly fumbled themselves back into reality but the Chinese/Korean (whatever) guys asked if they would jump some more so they could take pictures themselves. To my eye, it girls didn't quite know what to do but obliged, most likely due to their self absorption. One guy got down on his knees and snapped away.

Funny these moments you can find when strolling down Waikiki.

Not Japanese!

Food...

I am editing some older images as I am creating a library using a new storage system...a Drobo. Interesting concept yet expensive.

I learned to shoot food and still life the old school way with a view camera, heavy lights, and patience...the latter being not part of my personality.

I shot a job for the Grand Wailea on Maui and had to shoot several great dishes at their restaurant.

We found this piece of wood work and stuck the food down.

Voila!

J Bride

god...another Japanese story...



As I continue my quests for those perfect images from Waikiki, I wandered through the entrails of the Hyatt after shooting my usual randomness when I came across the usual Japanese bride in a rental dress being hustled by the wedding brokers from ceremony to limo to photo session to dinner to whatever for a fee...most likely a large fee...as wonderful weddings in Hawaii don't come cheap.

She was no different than any Japanese bride I've seen at Ala Moana or Waikik...but the light flowing from the open corridors of the hotel caught this bride-to-be in a very beautiful way. I don't think I captured her how I saw her as she seemed a bit unsure of what was going on...I mean, I walked in and she is sitting in the lobby dolled up in her wedding dress. No one is talking to her, no one is with her. I almost felt as if she got a dress, got dressed, and went down to hang out in the lobby.

The light streamed in from the street and caught her nicely. I approached her after circling a bit and slowly asked if I could snap a photo of her. I must have looked odd and/or pervertish for taking her shot but she was really nice and smiled big.

She told me she was from Osaka and I bowed to her a thank you and congratulations.

Nice moment from a stranger.

UPDATE...

I did notice her hands...they were gripping her dress. Uneasiness? Needed a cigarette?

Or was it me, the fat guy with a camera?

hmmmm........