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I’ve been working on a stock project for Frommer’s guide books on Oahu and have shot like a madman over the last few weeks. I been all over the island, seen and done many things I normally would not have done. Amazing how we locals forget how wonderfully beautiful Oahu is.

But in my eyes, sometimes life isn’t like a postcard or some beautiful stocky image you typically see in guide books. Shooting stock is challenging and I seem to always find the unique in what is around.

I walked down Waikiki beach hoping to catch some nice light and good looking people strolling or what not…I never expected to see something fun. I stumbled upon an older beach goer wrestling with a stubborn umbrella while standing in the sand during the sunset. I think the photo says enough.

Enjoy.

My Leica and myself have been spending time at the beach. A little creative photoshop and I am developing a nice view of what I encounter on a sunny afternoon.

I keep thinking film is better than digital but in all aspects, digital wins hands down for its versatility and ability to capture detail film isn’t able to get. However, film still retains that je ne sais quoi digital can’t capture. Sure I played with the film scan in photoshop but there is something to it that makes film a bit magical.

Maybe its the fact that its not perfect…the exposures are not always spot on or what not. The Leica is also hard to use. Can’t focus quickly, load film easily but something about the camera, film and feel just make a sunny day a splash.

I’m going through some old files and scanning negs and old photos and found an old photo of Yukako. I think she was about 3 or so and she thinks the photo was taken in London. What heads she must have turned walking down the street.

http://starbulletin.com/2008/08/16/news/obama/

Photo Ed George Lee at the Star Bulletin called to thank and tell me about how my work is part of their multimedia slide show released today.

Its a great show showcasing work from Denis Oda, Burley, Jamm, and Alex the AP staffer and myself. Its a good look back at Obama’s vacation here.

Please have a look.

Seemingly at being at many big events in Honolulu, I find myself on tv. Yes, it’s a bit gratuitous to show myself on the tele but sometimes I just can’t help myself.

Obama visited Honolulu today and AP sent me out to cover the event as a secondary photographer to the staffer who travels with Obama as part of the permanent press corp. I had to arrive at the welcoming reception center at 10am and wait for Obama’s arrival which ended up being close to three pm. What a wait. My forearms are sunburned!

You can see what AP along with Reuters put on on Obama’s visit at news.yahoo.com. Search for Obama or Hawaii under the news search. You can also search at Google for images of Obama’s welcoming event.

I did get a great (relatively speaking) lunch by walking down the beach and found a Samoan type of festival. There were several tents which were selling Samoan barbque and it was pretty tasty but couldn’t all they served. For ten dollars, I got a entire leg of BBQ chicken {yum!) along with salted brisket, bananas, turkey tail, chicken long rice, and a pork quisantes type of dish. Way too much food. The salted brisket was odd and tasted like spam but with a beefy taste. The turkey tail was really tasty…a odd mix of dark meat and cartilage. The bananas were not edible. Odd, dry, yet smoky. Not a taste I liked.

Interesting day.