Tag: Marco Garcia Photography

pdf of Star Bulletin

Just a quick post to show the actual page that ran on Sunday along with the original file I sent to AP. Nice use of space and text with the image. The page designers used the empty space well and anchored the rest of the paper on the bottom in the sand.

Did I preconceive this shot before hand thinking of a layout or page use? Not really but I did have an idea of what I wanted to illustrate. As I said in my last post, I wanted to convey the idea of Hawaii getting back to normal after the tsunami warning was rescinded. The use of the empty space, the whitewash pointing at the surfer, the board shape, the shape of the surfer, the color of the sand…it all works. I would have never guessed this image worked the way it did however; harking back on that subconsciousness of photography, it worked well.

"We dodged a bullet…"

Friday night in Hawaii turned out to be pretty intense. Well, more than intense. Around 10:30pm that evening, George called me to tell me of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled Chile. We quickly discussed a possible tsunami which turned out to be a reality and fears abounded. I started charging batteries and getting camera gear ready as I knew work would start quicker than I imagined.

Sure enough, around 12am, Jaymes, the local AP chief, sent out a text putting local AP staff and contractors on red alert as the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center released a tsunami warning for the State of Hawaii based on the massive quake across the Pacific. I couldn’t help but to think about the tragedy experienced in Banda Aceh in 2004 and feared, for good measure, the same might fall upon Hawaii.

The shot above is from my 2005 series of work from Banda Aceh a week after the Asian tsunami destroyed many coastal cities around the globe. Amazing the power of water and the destruction it can do.

Jaymes sent me out to shoot the PTWC and the operations monitoring the tsunami waves traveling across the Pacific. Before I went out to work, I made sure to fill up with gas, purchase bottled water and a few cans of soup as I knew once dawn broke, the citizens of the state would be on the go and would make a run on supplies. As expected, as I was entering Ewa, I saw how insane the lines were at the gas stations and how people were flooding the 24 hour grocery stores. Hundreds of cars lined the roads at gas stations stocking up on gas in the event a disaster hit.

I got to the PTWC, got my shots, transmitted, got confusing orders to get on a plane to Hilo but glad I didn’t as the Hilo airport shut down around 6. Got back home, shot a few shoppers at the grocery store and waited for dawn. Heard the tsunami sirens blow at 6AM. I was shaken by hearing that wail break the silence of the dawn. I knew at from the sirens, as canny as this sounds, it was no drill. We were up for the real deal at this point.

I ran back out to the Waianae to shoot the homeless being pulled off the beach. That was tough. Many of those people have no where to go, no way to get there, and in most cases, faced loosing all they owned if a wave were to wash away their tent camping sights. Star Bulletin photographer Jamm was brought to tears after spending some time with a homeless guy on a wheelchair. The homeless man refused to leave the beach and his makeshift tent because he was afraid other homeless would come and steal his canned food and small possessions from his home on the beach. Jamm felt, by leaving this man, he was leaving this half blind, chair bound man to his fate on a beautiful beach in Makaha.

The homeless fascinated me as so many of them felt they were being pushed off the beach and wouldn’t be allowed to return. Many ignored the sirens and bullhorns announced evacuations from the beach. Strangely one woman told me she didn’t believe the state, and as she raised her hands to the heavens, she said if God wants to take me, I can’t stop him. I’ll leave when God wants me to. Fatalism echoed deeply in her words and it became apparent many of the homeless mirrored her feelings. Being homeless and owning nothing seems to makes one believe in nothing other than the hand of God. Another man and his family waved off the idea their tents would be lost if the waves came. He said, “what do we own? Nothing we can’t replace.” My materialism was questioned. Yet, having some sort of desire to live or better your situation might be a higher goal to achieve than waiting for the God to deal you a better hand.

After a bit of time in the Waianae, I rushed off to Ala Moana Beach park and captured empty beaches and quiet streets. I ran into into a lone Japanese family sunning on the beach and I tried to warn them of the danger but they couldn’t speak a word of English. I said tsunami, pointed to the ocean, and declared “abunai!” meaning dangerous. They clearly got my message and started off for their hotels. I kinda thought they would have figured it out seeing all the police, hearing the sirens, and how empty the beach was.

As the zero hour approached, I rushed off to the balcony of the Illikai Hotel where I waited for something to happen. I planned ahead before I left the house as I put my bike in the back of the car to make sure I could get around if things got sticky. I parked on the second floor of Don Quixote grocery store and rode down to Waikiki. I surely feared for myself if waves really were to wash up as they did in Banda Aceh. I can only guess that I might not have been as safe as I thought exposed on that balcony if waves and debris has washed up that close…or for that matter, that high. I was only feet away from loads of boats in the Hobron harbor.

I linked a video put together of the Banda Aceh tsunami waves washing through the city. I feared we were destined to the same fate.

Video here.

I really feared a situation where all of the beach were to suck out and push in with me on a bike and the world lapping at my feet. I didn’t take my situation lightly as I had to weigh what I was doing…am I a journalist or a citizen? Several professionals rushed out of the danger zones fearing the worst. No story is worth your life but as Mark Niesse said, as journalists its our job to be in the middle of it all. He rented a ocean front room in a top hotel and awaited the waves. He surprised me at his dedication and audacity to push it to the limits. Phone in hand, he was ready to report to the world all he saw. Well, its really not a surprise as he seems to always be at the ready.

At the last second before the waves hit, I got pulled out of the danger zone and was sent to the Civil Defense bunker at Diamond Head in the event of massive damage to the state. I was chosen to fly out with Governor Lingle on a Blackhawk helicopter as she would fly out to assess the damage. Luckily, it didn’t happen.

Around 2pm, the state called off the warning signaling an all clear. We did experience some inundation of waves in some areas but there was no reported damage or loss of life. The TV news broadcast from Hilo showed water ebbing in and out of the harbor giving viewers a sinking feeling a rush of water was next…but it just didn’t happen.

As much as we were in a complete danger zone, we, as a scientist from the PTWC stated, dodged a bullet. A bullet I am glad to see not hit us. The damage would have left scars for years to come.

I do have to note my joy in waking up on Sunday morning from a deep sleep (imagine, I worked roughly a 15 hour day with no sleep on Friday) and seeing my shot on the front page of the Honolulu Star Bulletin. As luck has it with me and my camera, the surfer just so happen to be walking on the beach just below me from the Diamond Head lookout. I had just left the bunker after the all-clear was issued. I needed a shot to show life was back in order, at least life back in order, Hawaiian-style.

999 and the M9.

Today on the 9th, Leica released their newest M body, the M9. The camera is full frame 18 megapixel camera. Looks promising but the asking price is starting at $6,995. Might be cheaper at discounters like bhphoto.com but is roughly $7K.

Thats a lot of dough for a camera that might be somewhat limiting in compared to today’s baddest cameras. Canon’s newest release is the Canon 7D, an 18 megapixel HD video camera for less than $2,000. The Canon does have a smaller APS-C sensor, meaning its much smaller than the full frame camera bodies (the Leica is full frame) so that accounts for its much cheaper price.

The Canon, sadly will end up on the junk heap after a few years as it doesn’t seem to be a highly machined tool unable to stand up to the rigors of professional use (dropping, rain, dust, rolling around the front seat of a car, etc…) I don’t mean to imply its not a good or even great camera but it probably isn’t made tough. The camera is not professional grade. Would I purchase it? Well…depends on how much money I have to spend. I might not use it for my bigger jobs but other easy simple jobs, for sure. Would I use it for HD video…surely. Would I use it in the rain at a football game? Probably will conk out. Would I use that new M9 in the rain? What are you crazy? Get a $7,000 camera wet?

The Leica would be a dream to own but its a bit impractical. My good friend David (who is a bit of a cameraphile) told me that his European father held “Leica with great reverence. “The Leica, now that’s a camera.”” Leica is and it still is a great camera. Its machined well and made to last. The lenses are top notch and 50 year old lenses still hold a premium. However, their latest price point and their newest lenses are well out of most pros and middle class hands. Lens prices start at $1,800 and move close to $6000. Now we are talking about a 24mm F1.4 lens for six grand! Canon’s equivalent lens is $1700 and its autofocus. Now I am not one to compare lenses and you readers and can say what you want about the quality of German engineering and bokeh blah blah, however, at least for me, a client doesn’t care if the lens is $6,000 or $1,700. Just get the shot and the job done.

Assuming you already own Leica lenses, for the price of $7,000 for the M9, you would have to shoot close to 700 rolls of film (assuming film is $10/roll) to break even with the new digital body. That is roughly 252,000 frames or pictures. I have surely shot that with my Canons over the months or years I’ve owned my three camera bodies. I make 99.9% of my money off those three cameras. I am not saying that I couldn’t make that kinda of dough off an M9 or two but the diversification of lenses, accessories, etc…is cheaper, easier to use, and again cheaper.

World War II, Korea, and Vietnam introduced the middle class to the Japanese cameras. GIs stationed in Asia could purchase a Leica knock off for next to nothing. After the war, Japan created really great imitation German cameras. Although Leica was far superior, the Japanese cameras were cheaper. GIs saw these imitations at the PX and took them back to America. The Japanese learned how to make cheaper and consequently better cameras over time and basically took over the middle class camera sales in the West. And obviously, the single lens reflex camera became far superior than the rangefinder. Yet, Leica was still highly regarded due to their superior quality but also for the fact their prices were much higher than a Kodak or Canon camera, then and even now. Leica became the doctor’s camera, Nikon/Canon/Kodak became the working man’s camera. Leica is elite. Canon is common.

Funny I get stopped all the time by strangers to ask me about my Leica when I’m on the street. Its amazing how people react. Its as if I have a Ferrari strapped around my neck. In reality, I am a poseur with a used camera and lens so I am not really a rich guy pretending to be one.

Again, Leica has made a great tool. Word is not out on the quality of the Kodak sensor inside the M9 but the quality of cameras at this level should all be great…and if it not, what a waist!

I won’t run out and buy one just yet. I will wait till the M10 or M11 is released and pick up a used body for a quarter of the price. Readers, at this point, you must know that all digital cameras are all computers which at some point will all need to be upgraded. My Canon Mark IIs are doing a fine job right now. There is no reason to replace them with anything just yet but that time is coming. I will have to shell out $5-8,000 for a new body with x amount of megapixels and HD capability and whatnot. I will need new accessories and new gadgets as well as new flash cards to manage those new huge files. Along with that, my current Intel Mac won’t be able to handle that new huge file and I will be forced to cough up another couple of thousand dollars for a new machine, new hard drive, storage, etc…

I will never catch up as technology just keeps going and we camera fools are eagerly waiting to dump our dollars at newest and best bit out there. I myself will wait. I will wait till my clients say its time. I don’t really care to play the game but when I do…well…hello Mastercard.

My friend David also said to me today he remembers his brother bringing home a new Nikkormat camera back in the 70s or so. That camera is still great. It might not have all those new bells and whistles the marketers want us to purchase but put a roll of film in it, snap a few images, take the roll to Costco, get it scanned and wham! you got an image. That camera probably cost his brother a few hundred bucks. Take a few bucks for a roll of film, etc.. and you are still on top. Take a new Leica M9, shoot 36 frames, uploaded onto your new Intel Mac, and remember, you have 6999 rolls of film to go.