Stand Up Paddling

Stand up paddlers are often vilified for taking too many waves, and riding ridiculously oversized boards on them. But then again, surfers are always jealous of anything different out there in the lineup.

I met Liam Wilmott while working on a beach shoot for Hawaii Visitor's Bureau, when he and a friend came by and dropped off some stand up paddle boards for us to shoot without even being asked! Liam does PR for C4 Waterman, a local board company. We worked with Liam to create a a display that promotes the sport, which we recently installed at Honolulu International Airport.

Click here to see Tor's photos of Liam getting caught inside on an SUP on some large Hawaiian waves.

Sailing Around Oahu

(click any image to enlarge)

I recently sailed our Beneteau 473 'Kahea' around the island of Oahu with my father. We used a winter westerly Kona system to send us East from Ko Olina to Kaneohe, then when the trade winds returned, we sailed back West again, so that we went downwind both ways. I shot some interesting material on the trip.

Approaching Waikiki under sail in the evening made for nice images, shooting from an inflatable boat, with Kahea and Diamond Head/ Honolulu in the background. The Ala Wai Harbor was stunning in the moonlight later.


The next day there were canoe races among school groups, and frenetic activity all over the harbor. I accidentally managed to position my camera and inflatable squarely in the middle of the race course, and got some serious scoldings from the coaches.




We took the Kona winds on around the island to Kaneohe on a crystal clear day, and I took more images from the inflatable of Kahea off the interesting rock formations off Koko Head. We spent a real Kona blow at Kaneohe Yacht Club, and the clouds racing over the swaying palms on bay in late evening light made for dramatic images.

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.