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……..

A Japanese splash

A loss of words fills my empty head on this image. I’m not sure why but I really caught something unique to my eye. A bit papparazi, voyeuristic, yet to me beautiful. A young beautiful girl caught in the crashing surf of Waikiki.