Ka'u Wildfire

I've seen A LOT of house fires working in Flint, Michigan but this brush fire was so much more eerie in a gigantic powerful way.  It was huge and spreading fast.  The endless hours of work put in by the firefighters is incredible.  They managed to divert the fire away from all houses and even a hospital keeping everyone safe until they could completely put out the fames.

This first shot is from a road block on the main highway on the Big Island.  The fire was approaching the road so they redirected everyone to a bypass road.  After the traffic cleared, the reporter and I got permission to move closer to the flames and I was able to make the following photos.

"Just Tom," The Pahoa Village Silky Chicken Guy

I had the privilege to hang out with "Just Tom" for a couple of hours the day before my birthday.  He's a really good hearted interesting guy who loves raising silky chickens and sharing his knowledge about them with others.  He is sometimes found in town with a couple of chickens perched on his bike or on his shoulder but I went out to his home to see the whole flock.  It was a pretty fun birthday gift for me to be able to spend time with him on my day off.

Powwow Portrait

"It's part of me, ya know," said Bob Dehmer when talking about the feeling he gets when dancing to the drums of the Inter-Tribal Powwow in Hilo.  Dehmer is from the Iroquois Nation in New York but has been dancing in Hawaii for over 20 years.

Recent Daily Assignments in Hawaii

Graduation

Giving crazy amounts of lei and balloons to graduates is part of the celebration in Hawaii.  Some of the students can't even move their arms.

Cruise Ship

Sometimes we cover cruise ships when they come to port if they've got something special to offer.  This one was the first Disney ship to arrive at a Hawaiian port.  It took the tv camera guy and I way too long to get through the "Disney media police" and we missed most of the showy stuff.  I was a little more drawn to the details anyways.

Green Point Nurseries

I shot these for a business story about tropical flower growers on the island who ship to the mainland for floral holidays like Mother's Day.

Ka'u Coffee Festival

I got to go cover a coffee festival that I thought was going to really visual but was surprised to find that it was less than I hoped for. . . at least photographically, the coffee was great.  I did manage to make one photo that I liked though.  Here it is and here's to kids and too much sugar:

It was about to storm. . .

and the sky was really crazy looking and the light was weird and I was driving to an assignment SO, I photographed some cows.

Merrie Monarch Festival Day 1

Merrie Monarch is this huge hula festival held every year in Hilo.  It brings people to this small town from all over the world for a week of Hawaiian culture.

Happy Easter and hot dogs, er'body.

Frankie.

I'm working on a portrait series of survivors from a 1946 tsunami in Hawaii.
Here is an outtake.

Outtake.

Surfer dreads.

Hawaii Island Fencing Association

Panaewa Stampede Rodeo

Harold.

Harold's stroke took away many capabilities of his brain but not his ability to make art.

It's the rainy season.

Layered Things

Sunset.

I've been feeling like I've sort of been in a picture-making rut lately despite my beautiful surroundings and new life.  Maybe it is part of the transition.  Anyhow, I took a few pictures at the beach during sunset when my grandma was visiting that I am happy with.  Have a look and have a happy day!

Richardson's Beach Park