Oh the shame.

I know it would seem unfaithful for me to ignore my own blog in order to post photo tips on a much bigger blog…. but I have been doing that for the past couple months. Cheating on myself! The other blog is called the Digital Photography Experience, or DP Experience, for short

I was invited by internationally known photographers/instructors Rick Sammon, and Juan Pons to become a part of their growing blog community — with about 15,000 daily readers. I was whooed and honored at the prospect of being “one of them“…. know what I mean?

Well, now I am one of them, and I find that I am learning a lot just by being forced to sit down and write a 300 word photography tip once each week. It is fun, and it make me actually think about how to put my motorized picture-taking process into a logical set of words.

Now my goal is to post the same tips on both sites… sort of double-dipping with the Doritos, if you will.

This blog has been made up of many fun, personal, non-photography experiences. I love to write like this, when I find the time. I will still attempt to keep posting my more personal posts here. If I am slacking, I know Rachael will kick me in the butt and nudge me to post a blog; you know how she is! You will also start seeing a few of my tips here.

Oh! by the way, we all survived the massive 3-foot tsunami following the Chilean earthquake. It was a really great practice drill for the island, and we all shared the aloha that day as we sat for hours on the mountain. It was a huge, fun backyard party and BBQ once we saw how harmless the 4 waves were. We will be extra-ready for the next time!

Aloha, a hui hou…
~r

The Maui Arts and Cultural Center this week presented Holo Mai Pele, by Hilo’s Halau o Kekuhi. I was fortunate enough to attend the pre-show workshop with my camera. In attendance were several iconic hula teachers. No need to name names here, folks….

It was a real treat for Maui hula afficionados.

After months of planning, it is finally time to announce my June photography workshop!

The workshop will be officially announced tomorrow morning to several thousand people on my email list. I expect it to sell out to all ten lucky students pretty quickly. This workshop is unique from all the others, as we will be living together, “boot camp” style, in a dormitory. This intensive 6 day, 6 night adventure will be all-inclusive! I have arranged for accomodations, meals, and all ground transportation!!!

To top this off, I have partnered up with the incredible Photoshop Evangelist Dr. Russell Brown from Adobe! Yes, this is the Emmy Award winning, Photoshop Hall-of-Fame inductee, world-famous mad scientist himself!

Maui Pro shooter Aubrey Hord will be our assistant. Her job is to keep us on track, and on schedule for the duration of the week.

Please download the brochure by clicking HERE.

~randy

I spent this past weekend at the legendary Ka’anapali Beach Hotel. This was my 18th November in a row, as a guest there. KBH, as most of us call the classic Hawaiian joint, is one of my homes-away-from-home. The staff is my family and the endless stream of food makes me fat & happy.

The occasion for my visit was again the Hula o Na Keiki (Children’s Hula Competition). The individual male and female hula dancers range in age from about 11 to 17 years old. Their dances are intense and steeped with tradition and protocol (not the cutsy type of hula you might expect an immature child to dance).

For the 18th time, I woke up early on the following Sunday morning to photograph the winners at sunrise on the beach. You see, in the lobby at the hotel is a wall of fame, where each male and female winner has a portrait hanging in perpetuity. It is a legacy that has been building from one generation into the next. A third generation of hula champions will be on the wall in just 4 or 5 more years.

That wall is one of the hidden treasures in Ka’anapali  — not because I made the photos, but because it gives true insight to the future of the hula and the direction of the Hawaiian culture. The vast majority of the children whom have won this competition have grown up to become cultural leaders and hula teachers.

Again, for the fourth year straight, the winners were students of Kumu Hula Haunani Peredes, and Brandon Peredes. If you have seen any of my posters, you know who Haunani is. She won this very event 17 years ago!

Many mahalos again, KBH, for your committment! And mahalos also to photographer Aubrey Hord for assisting me and capturing these candid images.

I just ran across a file of images that I shot quickly during another job. She is one of my favorite model-dancers…     Introducing Danielle!

I never looked at this image before. This time I moved it from the digital world and made it look “filmy”. So images just deserve a grainy darkroom look, don’t they?

It seems like every time I visit a a new part of our national parks system I find myself in awe of the beauty within this country.

This past month I traveled the “grand staircase” of the Southwest. The top step being Bryce Canyon National Park (9000 feet); the middle step being Zion National Park (7000 feet), and the lower step being the Grand Canyon National Park (7000-3000 feet-ish).

Aside from nearly freezing to death on my very first night in my pup-tent at Bryce (it was eleven degrees according to the ranger who can to see if I was still alive in my mummy-bag), all went pretty well. I made some nice images and coated my new camera sensor with a thick layer of powdery dust during my month in the wilderness. (Mental note: Bring a squeeze-blower to clean sensor when in the desert.)

This was my fourth year in a row to explore deep into the Grand Canyon with a very trusted group of canyon experts. There were 9 of us this year who dared to hike the “Tapeats/Cranberry Creek/Deer Creek/Kanab Creek/Indian Hollow” circle route as mapped by the famous canyoneer George Steck. If I hadn’t been with the experienced climbers I was with, I would have turned around after the first day and gone back to the car. We had to rope-in several times on sheer ledges. I was thinking, after each time my heavy pack was lifted or lowered by rope, “good thing my Gitzo Tripod has a lifetime warranty” because it was completely beat up, along with the rest of my pack.

For those who have gone deep into the Grand Canyon wilderness, it is somewhat impossible to try and explain the exhilaration to those whom have just stood on the rim above.

It will be several more days before I have a chance to really look at my latest images, but I wanted to post these before moving on to other projects.

I was lucky enough to ask my Samoan friend to model for a an assignment for the U.S. Census Bureau posters. She transformed from a nervous subject into a top model in a 2 hour period! What a lucky find for me. I hope to photograph her again soon.

What a face. And a warm personality to suit.

I will be off to Photoshop World Conference in a couple of days. That alone is enough action in four days to kill a person… but wait, there is more…. Never before have I seen Bryce Canyon, or Zion National Park! And so I will head there after Vegas, for 5 nights in my pup-tent in the desert.

But wait! There is more! I will head to a desolate trail head  on the North rim of the Grand Canyon and meet up with my “October Canyon Group” and head down in to the “giant crack” for 7 nights of wilderness camping and exploration. Woo hoo!

From Vegas to absolute isolation will be something of a shock. Huh?  It’ll be fun.

The Maui Photo Festival and Workshops has come to a close.

My life might eventually return to normal. The organizers did a fabulous job with this first-year event and have the second year in planning.

It was a dream come true to work along-side some of my “guru-idols” in the industry. We had four days of instruction, and four night of socializing. Adobe Evangelist Julieanne Kost commented that this was one of the few events where she felt like she was able to meet everybody on a personal level. Adobe Senior Creative Director Dr. Russell Brown has a soft spot in his heart for Maui, and can’t wait to return. Photographer and Author Scott Bourne brought dozens of his followers to the event and so did Photographer and Author Rick Sammon.

Personally, I taught four classes and helped with a couple of other items other things.  The Pre-con class with Russell Brown was a hit and we ended up with several incredible Pirate Posters made completely from scratch. We set up a portrait studio with a green screen,and dressed Russell, Rachael, and Zane in pirate costumes. Students had to start from concept and work to completion. The winner was Ashley Camper with this amazing poster!

Also, I taught High Dynamic Range Imaging, and The Buts and Bolts of Selling your Creative Photos. My final event was the Quintessential Hawaiian Sunset Hula Shoot on the Beach! All had fantastic attendance. This was my first attempt at teaching, and I am thinking I will love to teach more in the future. Man, I was nervous. Can’t wait till next year’s show!

I am exploring the Lake Tahoe area and practicing my photography while trying to relax a bit, as well. Tahoe is a magical place — as is my home on Maui.

Sadly, my new Nikon D700 has a serious electrical malfunction and so I am using a much lower model camera as a backup during this photo excursion. I am really missing the D700!

It looks like a thunderstorm is moving in again this afternoon. Perhaps I’ll find a location to capture the ominous-looking clouds over the lake. Also, this afternoon, I plan to visit one of my all-time favorite photographers, Elizabeth Carmel, in her new Carmel Gallery in Truckee, California.

A hui hou!

Kumu hula Napua Greig married her lon-time boyfriend Andy Makua on the Forth of July. This was not a typical wedding by any means. The pa’ina finally ended at about 2am — which is understandable because it seemed as though nearly guest in attendance had won a Grammy, or Hokuhanahano music award!

Changing the topic…. our gallery packing and shipping department will take its annual haiatus for the next two weeks. Web and gallery orders will not ship within our usual 48 hour time frame. If you have any questions, please call Rachael at the gallery at 1-800-967-HULA for her legendary customer service.