Auntie Amelia Bailey

We had the good fortune to meet Auntie Amelia Bailey at Queen Emma Summer Palace during a Hawaiian arts and crafts fair, where we were shooting for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Amelia was surrounded by beautiful leis of all descriptions and pu'olo, the traditional Hawaiian lei basket made of ti leaves.

While I was taking pictures of Amelia and the other women in the lei stand, several people came up to greet Amelia. It was obvious the way that they greeted her with great affection that Amelia was well-liked and well-respected. It wasn't until later that we learned that Auntie Amelia is one of the masters of her art, as well as being an accomplished hula dancer.

We later set up a private photo shoot with Amelia, who arrived in style, beautifully attired, accesorized, and prepared with 3 different types of haku leis, puakenikeni, and several other leis, all tied up in traditional ti leaf pu'olos. It was a feast for the eyes, nose and the camera as well.
I feel fortunate to have met a real legend in the art of lei making.

Ukulele Photo Shoot

I was talking with my good friend and top notch photographer Jayson Tanega, and mentioned that I was looking for ukulele lessons as part of my assignment work to photograph cultural activities for Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Jayson recommended an ukulele maestro named Roy Sakuma. His wife Kathy was very receptive to the idea and helped me set up the shoot. It wasn't until I arrived and saw a photo of student Jake Shimabukuro on the wall that I realized what a legend Roy Sakuma is.


The studio on the other hand, left a little bit to be desired. It looked like a basic white classroom except for the multitude of photos on the wall. Just before shooting, I went downstairs where two local florists in the shopping center, Aiea Florist and Flowers By Carole, piled me up with free orchids and leis to use as props. The flowers made a huge difference in the feel of the photos, and combined with the happy learning atmosphere, made for some great images.