2009, a wrap up...

I survived! We survived. We did it and we did it with a mortgage.

I made as a photographer during the 2009 recession!

Things were tough mentally as a bit of income slipped away as certain clients stopped calling and the publishing industry had to readjust its self.

There were some tough moments...waking up in the morning to an empty email inbox and not hearing the phone ring for weeks at a time. But photographer Alex Brandon laid some of the best wisdom I will hear for a long time coming...

"Sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windshield."

Thank you Alex...life can't be said any better.

Alas, our community lost some staff jobs and some good people this year and even last.

Goodbye Burly and Joaquin. Goodbye Ronen and aloha Lucy. Yet, we had to say hello Tanner several others looking to make a mark in the small money photo world of Hawaii. But we actually are doing much better than much of the photo market around the country. The Washington Times canned their entire photo staff and many staff members. The Advertiser and Star Bulletin had a round of lay offs. Everyone is feeling the pinch. Feels like photo is not the business to be in these days...but people keep snapping away making life much more interesting.

Irregardless...lets take a quick look back at 2009 from my eyes....

(funny, the years slip by but to go back and look at what I shot, its tough...just way too many images! I'll give it a shot!)



This year I had a pretty tough moment as my father had a heart attack which forced him to go under the knife for a quad bypass. Inside I felt he wasn't going to kick the bucket but it was tough to think it might be time to say goodbye.



I went down to Texas for a vacation to visit Mom and Dad and spent some time getting to know them, myself, and us a little better. Its best not to forget that time does slip by and its tough to get back to San Antonio being Hawaii is so far away.


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In San Antonio for that vacation, I had time to go through the old pictures and got to know a bit more about my history and family. Got to see family new and old and was taken back by a photo of my Mom's Dad...as it was taken at a bar. Go figure I'd pick up that trait...

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I got a non related nephew this year from Diane and Doug. Aloha Danny!



Got to shoot a very cute girl in her bikini...



Got to hang out with Gloria...



Busted my eye...



Got to see and old friend...



Got to see one sweat...



Saw a few things on the beach...



Another girl in a bikini...



Conjunto and my peoples...




and finally, Terminal 2 Narita...



There is so much to mention but there is not enough time. Its party time...New Years is around the corner for Hawaii that is...and its time to welcome something new.

adios con verde!

We caught the last sunset of 2009 in HoNoLuLu. Green flash and all!

Is that a good sign?

sunset

Sitting on the lanai this afternoon prompted me to quickly grab the Sony A900 w the 500mm F8 lens. Shot off a few images but didn't see a green flash.

Nice lens. Not the same build as my Canon 400mm IS lens but not bad for about $800 bucks. Too bad this lens isn't like an f4 or so. F8 can be tough.

out of focus

I wear glasses. I've worn them for most of my life and I guess it was around 8 years old when I started. Through the years, the different frames have defined my character. From those pink tinted jobs from like 7th grade to the Burberry frames I've worn recently. I still remember when I first wore a pair. I was shocked I could see as my life had been blurry. I didn't know any better.

Well, I make life seem so tough without glasses but it was strange to "see the light" if you know what I mean. I guess all those years I didn't wear glasses allowed me to see the world in a different cast, rather blur.

As I am shooting the Sony Open again for Sony Corporate, I've been given a kit of Sony cameras and lenses and one of the lenses I requested was their 500mm F8 reflex mirror job. I've never used one and was always curious about their ability. Historically, they are not known for the quality or usability as having a starting F-stop at 8 isn't the easiest to use. However I found a whole different quality with this lens.




I actually shot this lens today at the beach and found its out of focus rendition to be surreal...as if I was looking at a painting defocus. Its almost as if I was looking at the world without my glasses. It seems so comfortable and yet so real. Its hard to explain. The telescopic aspect of the lens creates this unique blur as if two images were coming into focus.



I am surely going to experiment with this lens a bit more.

My workspace and a Bowl game

Ah! We made it. We finished another year of college football at Aloha Stadium. Last night's Hawaii Bowl ends my long trips out to the "rust bowl" and sitting in the dark and dank dugout sending images away to AP via Clearwire.

The guys above, Dennis Oda, (l-r), Louis DeLuca--from the Dallas Morning News, Norm Shapiro, and Eugene Tanner, are just a few of the faces who I spent many a Saturday afternoon on that poorly lit artificial turf praying to get a shot or two to make the wire gods happy. With the exception of Louis being here to shoot SMU for the DMN, these guys are roughly my Saturday afternoon family.



My workspace consists of my laptop hooked up to various wires and cables. Ccameras and lenses strewn around the floor as if its showroom. Its really shameful that UH and the Stadium keeps the media in such bad conditions but we could easily keep our stuff up in the media center four stories above the field but we'd get no chance to run up there and file for deadline. So were stuck in the dugout. Not the best place to keep lenses and cameras clean. Funny how sometimes in the camaraderie with the guys (oh...can't forget cute Lela) we pick up wrong cameras as they all start looking alike at times. I've estimated at times, the dugout equipment is worth over $50,000 with all the big glass, bodies, and laptops. Amazing we don't take better care of that stuff. But any working pro will tell you, they are just tools...and for that matter, Ma used to say, if your Bible is brand new when you take it to church, you probably haven't been reading it. My Mom's bible is in shambles...tape, post it notes, tabs, and highlight and pen marks. It was well used...



Its nice to see I had the front page of ESPN for a bit. SMU did well under June Jones, Hawaii's last coach. He did really well to put SMU back on the map. SMU was actually one of the first colleges to accept me. I don't know if I would have liked living in Dallas though. Austin's hard to beat.


Its good football is over. I'm tired of the bad food, the strange fans and that fat guy UH call's a mascot. If UH ever needs a makeover, they should start with him.

He's back!!!!

HEY I AM OFF THE HOOK! NO OBAMAO WATCH FOR ME TOMORROW. I CAN ENJOY Christ mas tomorrow!






The Obama Tour is back in Honolulu for Christmas 2009.

He's staying in Kailua and reports the home is worth about $9 million and is paying a pretty penny in rent. Or should we say we...well, no matter, he probably had to stick it out at the airport like the rest of us jerkwads worrying about delayed/canceled flights, etc...well maybe not. But what do you expect?

Either way, I got duty to sit on the beach for a few days and hopefully capture an image of him on the beach like the one above. I should arrive around sunrise and sit around for something or nothing to happen. And you never know, it could end up being very nice like the image above. I would hope so.

And besides, I am going to be on million dollar beach. I mean I'd have to be a president or have millions to have the office views I will have for a few days starting on Christmas. Sun, surf, sand, and Santa. Sand, oh...how you are the enemy of all cameras! Curse your golden softness and warm glow. And the Kailua blue slowly lapping at my feet.

I got my snacks, sunscreen, and sunglasses. Raybans, no less, water, flashlight, book (Warhol bio or maybe something else), iPod with U2 loaded. Cameras, long lenses, beach towel, and board shorts.

A good day at the office.

And to make this a great ending, I don't have to worry too much about melanoma...Dr. Obama seems to be taking care of this.

A mahoo, a mohawk, and a free tamale

So sorry, no pictures today, just a few words, and thoughts...

Today (rather Sunday) was a good day. I mean visually...I should have had a camera. Just a small one, you know, one of those new Panasonics, or Canon...just something to pop in the pocket without thinking about it. Maybe I should get an iPhone, or maybe just a new iPod. Just to snap away.

So today's visual diary starts like this...

We had to shop a bit for a small Christmas Party Yukako is having on Tuesday. You know, a few of her work friends, some gossip, a bit of wine, and the doting husband to wash all the dishes. We sadly now have a membership to Costco (hell and a push cart to go with it) so we went to waist our money on a few bulky items. As we are there, shoppers were going mad, I mean crazy, over the free samples of whatnot this and that. People lined up stepping over each other to get a free sample of something they'd never buy or think of buying.

One of the funniest things was to see the madness over the strange tasting frozen tamales*

A camera would have been great...just something to see how mad people can get when they perceive to get something free. I tasted one...it was terrible. Rueben's in San Antonio...thats all you need. I remember my father saying people lined up for hours to get a few dozen for New Years. Actually a store here in Honolulu run by a Chilanga makes ever second Saturday tamales. They are not Texas style but more of that real Mexican taste..expensive but good.

To you guys who go to Costco to get free stuff...there are no words to describe what an absolute moron you are. Too bad I didn't have a a camera to capture you.

Speaking of tamales, President Ford, in a visit to San Antonio, tried a tamale, and sadly, the gringo didn't peel it and tried to eat the corn husk. Its like eating the box the burger came in. It was funny...I don't remember it but it seems funny now.

Hell...I even found an image on the internet.



so I lied about images...so what.

On the way back from Costco, we stopped at Ross and again, madness...shoppers and kids and more shoppers packed trying to buy whatever they could get there hands on. Poor people's kids were running in and around the clothing racks, up the escalators, etc...with no supervision. The parents could have cared less. Madness. Maybe they weren't poor but that seems to be the only people who were stuffed at Ross's Dress for Less or whatever you call it. I can assume that only means we are poor as well. I'll change my statement, the store was filled with ill raised children. Merchandise was strewn across the floor everywhere. Maybe it was the parents. I couldn't stand it. I had to leave. But before I did...a small boy, probably about 5 or so was on the floor near the hats, toys, whatever section I don't recall, and he was strumming away on a toy ukelele. And funny, he was pretty good. Even funnier, he had a full on mohawk. Here is this kid, dressed in decent clothing, a bit dirty from play though, sitting facing the ukulele and strumming and singing away...truly a Kodak moment.

Finally after leaving the madness of the shopping world, we made it back home but had to pass down the backside of our building when walking like a supermodel comes strutting one kine mahoo**. Ladies, he wasn't afraid to work that stuffed tube top, nor the stuffed biker shorts that was filled with all the fat and giggle you could fit in. He wasn't all that bad looking if you were desperate for a date, but you could spot that guy a mile away. Maybe it was the tube top and high heals. Again, no camera, no ability to snap a pix.

Alas, I need a small cheap digicam. I haven't wanted to buy one cause they never take the perfect photos I want. I feel like they lack so much...yet I lack so much when I can't take that perfect moment photo.

So if you are listening or reading Santa, Mom, or Yukako, stuff that present under the tree...and make sure it at least has 12 megapixels!

...no wait, we not gots a tree. Damn!

*for you gringos, a tamale is a corn dough stuffed with a spiced meat stuffed in a corn husk.

**a mahoo is the Hawaiian word for a cross dresser.

I'm on a roll!

I got a cover of Michael Emerson from Lost. Quick, simple and a nice image. I had shot Mr. Emerson before for another job and I shot him quickly on the beach. He had just started Lost so he wasn't too big of a TV star here yet but now, Emmy and all, he is a big star. True to his stage background, he was real and didn't put on for anyone. No drama, no stress. Funny, I was more stressed out over it all.

Simple lighting...one umbrella, black cutter causing a neg fill. I directed him to be himself, not "Ben Linus." He actually looked confused as he wasn't sure how to act as most actors do but within minutes, he came out and we captured a great shot.

Here is my take.




The cover looks great. Thanks Gina.

Bon Appetit!

FINALLY...after waiting months, Bon Appetit finally put my image to ink and I got a great tearsheet.



See the web page here.

I was assigned last year to shoot fishmonger Brooks Takenaka at United Fish Agency in Honolulu for the magazine's Starter page. Creative direction was simple, strong light, medium to light background, and power. Immediately I thought Penn-ish and Avedon-ish and with Hugh G as my lighting tech and assistant, we nailed the shot.



I mentally created this shot days before I was scheduled to shoot. I searched my library of books and internet for ideas, lighting schemes, and inspiration and figured how to create my vision into reality. In other words, I went to this job with this idea in mind.



Yet all the planning in the world cannot create a shot as the one above. Never would I have thought or seen this shot days before. I love the graphic feeling of this shot and in many ways, it sort of what I see in dreams. No not fish tails and hands, but lines, dark, shadows, and graphic feelings. I love this shot. The veins in the arm mimic the lines in the fish as do the nails mimic the points of the tail and other points of the fish. Everything is like a mirror. See it? I see myself? Or at least those dreams.