Hawaiian Airlines - Flying is a way of life

We were fortunate to work on a TV commercial for Hawaiian Airlines recently.  It was an interesting project - still photos to create a collage with motion animation.  Laird Christianson Advertising called us in, along with 3 top notch Hawaii photographers (Tony Novak-Clifford, Alex Viarnes, and Rae Huo). Their idea was to come up with some basic concepts, then send us out on our own to capture the themes of "Flying" and "Hello and Goodbye."


The "Hello and Goodbye" commercial first aired during the 2011 Merrie Monarch Festival, and featured two of our photos (you can see them below the video link):

 Kyoko (Tor Johnson Photography business manager) gets some love from the dogs when she gets home

The idea here is the tradition of throwing a lei into the sea in hopes that you will return, or to honor a loved one who has passed away.

The "Way of Life" commercial had the theme of Flying, and it featured several of Tor's photos (shown below video). We had fun with this one, as we got to shoot what we enjoy most - ocean activities, including tandem surfing with longboard champion Duane Desoto and his daughter.

There's a great 3-shot sequence of Kyoko swimming in Waimea Bay

Hawaiian canoe sailing in Kaneohe Bay

Melissa on the iako of the Hawaiian canoe in Kaneohe Bay

North Shore ripper Ryan Shanley doing a floater at Val's Reef

World Longboard Champ Duane Desoto tandem surfing with his daughter in Waikiki

Duane holding his daughter in the air

Nelson Yerxa sand sliding into the shorebreak on his boogie board

Of course there were a lot of images that didn't get used. Below are some of our favorites:

Ryan Shanley getting air at Val's Reef

Coleman swinging Mila in the air

Manae Yerxa riding the shorebreak on a blow-up killer whale (it's not as easy as it looks!)

Skateboarder getting air at the Ehukai skatepark

Coleman swinging Mila in the air again

Honu looking graceful

Manae and Nelson Yerxa riding the shorebreak at Ali'i Beach Park

Over and Under

Above: Downwind spinnaker sailing off of Viti Levu, Fiji

We recently purchased an "over-and-under" port for our water housing from Taro Pascual of Water Housing Hawaii.  Tor had already done a considerable amount of underwater photography, but over-and-under photography was a whole new challenge.  For one thing, the port is unwieldy, as seen in the photo below:

Above: Tor getting ready to jump in the water with his over-and-under water housing.

In addition to the port being large and heavy, its curved surface does not allow water to bead off of it very easily.  This requires a photographer to lick (yes, lick!) the entire surface of the dome to facilitate the water-beading process. Then there are the usual challenges that accompany water housings, such as fogging of the lens from condensation, and having to dunk the housing repeatedly into the water to avoid water spots.

Above: Snorkeling off of Namotu Island, Fiji

Above: Anchoring near Qamea Island, Fiji

After capturing some standard over-and-under subject matter such as snorkeling and the boat at anchor, Tor decided to shoot his 47-foot sailboat Kahea under full sail.  In order to get the shot, crew members Nick and Kyoko sailed the boat while Tor motored several hundred feet ahead on a dinghy.  He then jumped into the water and got his camera and housing ready, as Nick and Kyoko steered the boat toward Tor.

Above: Yacht Kahea sailing at a speed of several knots! 

Because the water level is constantly going up and down, it isn't easy to get the right composition when using an over-and-under port. With his boundless energy, Tor jumped back in the dinghy and repeated the process over and over again until he was satisfied that he got at least one good shot. Check out the video below to see how Tor got the sailing shots:

Above: Video clip of Tor blasting ahead on the dinghy to get the sailing shot.

Above: Our trustworthy Canon 5D Mark II and water housing.

Above: Yacht Kahea under full sail

Taking the Plunge

Robin and Reena are great friends of ours. They have a lot of enthusiasm and positive energy so we thought this would be a perfect way to shoot them, in celebration of their marriage. "Jump Rock" at Waimea Bay has long been a favorite place for local kids to do a bit of "thrill seeking." I'd shot the local kids jumping there before, and the images I liked the most showed the entire bay and the beach, with that amazing aquamarine water, so for this shoot I decided on that same angle.

Below: Tor shooting the couple jumping off, as curious locals check out the scene.

In the last few days I'd noticed there weren't many kids jumping, and when we arrived I discovered the reason: big swells had undermined the sand, so that just getting to the rock required a swim and a rock-climb, all of which had to be timed between waves. Luckily I brought a waterproof backpack for my camera (Patagonia makes an incredible one). Reena had quite an experience, getting pulled slightly out to sea in her wedding dress while trying to reach the rock. She handled it perfectly though.

When the couple jumped, I was surprised to hear the beach full of people erupt into applause and shouts of approval. Many people had their cameras out for the big event. They must have thought that this was their actual marriage ceremony. On the second and third jumps the applause dwindled considerably.

For Robin, Reena, Kyoko (my wife and business manager) and myself it was great fun. This is one of the best things about wedding photography - sharing the joy of one of the happiest times in life with true friends.