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5/23/2017

New Opportunities

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As you may or may not know I took a position with Jonathan Davis doing real estate photography back in January. It's been an interested six months learning everything there is to know about this business. Jonathan is an extremely talented photographer who knows his client like the back of his hand.

I started out this venture by taking over his social media and providing 3d virtual reality tours using the Matterport. Jonathan has slowly been teaching me how to use my artistic background in compositions of space.

Here are some shots I took from this awe inspiring house located in Kohala. The home was built to look like a bird perching on a branch. I also managed to capture a few shots of Jonathan in his element.

Let me know what you think and any questions you may have in regards to this home or my new job below in the comment section. Visit PhotoKona.com to take a look at Jonathan's work. Also follow Photokona on Instagram.

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5/23/2017

Kirsten

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"I just wanna let you know that I'm horrible at having my picture taken," Kirsten tells me as she pulls off the highway next to a poplar tourist attraction, a large lava tube.

"Do you know how often I hear that?" I reply to this common statement.

"No seriously!" Kirsten exclaims, "I'm horrible. I make this weird fake smile. Just wait, you'll see." I roll my eyes and giggle a bit because there is no way someone as beautiful as Kirsten could take a bad photo.

"Don't worry Kirsten, it's me. I can get a good shot." I reassure her as I jump out of the lifted jeep. Nether of us had ever stopped at the lava tube before so I wasn't completely sure what to expect. You could still see the top of Hualalai in the early morning light, the lava field soaking in the warmth of the sun.

We started by walking down into the tube, the floor scattered in broken lava. Light glowing through the end of the tunnel revealing a beautiful sky light where the roof had craved in. As we climbed around the tube we decided to take this adventure outside to use the morning light to our advantage. I followed Kirsten as she throw off her shoes and carefully tip toed about the cracks in the field.

"Should I climb down?" She asked me as we both starred down into the collapse lava tube.

"Only if you feel comfortable doing so." she nodded. Picking up her dress and slide down the side of the tube standing on a pile of large boulders I captured her in her pink dress as she told me about her love life and her decision to move off island.

As the morning sun got brighter and the tourist started to arrive we decided to venture to a new spot. Just across the street is a long bumpy road that leads through a lava field to a beautiful beach called Mahaiula's. With both my hands on the built in handle bar of the jeep, we rambled down the long road. It was still early in the day so not many people were at the beach yet. We started with a shady spot under a tree where I captured a moment with Kirsten. She told me stories and I gave advice. I was prefect.

"I brought this sequin dress and I really wanna put you in the water wearing it!"

"Lets do it!" Kirsten said as her eyes grew bigger and sparkled in the sunlight.

We found an area in with no people, she slipped into the dress and eased herself into the water. I joked that she should swim up to a group of guys that had dragged a large float down the beach.

"I think they would really like the sequins!" I joked as the sequins sparkled in the sunlight.

"I'll tell them I'm really a mermaid." We laughed as Kirsten drove under the water.

"I'm really glad we did this," Kirsten tells me as beads of water roll down her forehead, "it's been really fun."

I show Kirsten a preview of one of her photos. "See I told you wouldn't make a funny face."

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5/23/2017

Orca's in Hawaii

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When I was a little girl I learned about the Orca whale in school. This marine mammal quickly became my favorite sea creature and I would spend my afternoons dreaming about swimming with these amazing creatures. I developed my own fantasy island called Orca Island where I could swim and play with hundreds of Orcas. They would let me rub their noses and would carry me on their backs. Obviously this was a fantasy developed from my favorite movie at the time, Free Willy. Non the less, I would draw cartoon like Orcas and hang my drawings in my room as a reminder of my dream to see them in reality.

It started out as a normal Sunday, I was preparing breakfast when Justin got a phone call:

"Hi Jim, please don't tell me your with Orca's right now?"

The Orcas had been spotted early that week so it wasn't a huge surprise that a friend of ours happened to stubble upon them. With this information we enlisted our roommate and friends to get on a boat and head seven miles off shore in hopes of getting to see these amazing mammals.

"Over there!' Justin pointed to a boat far off in the distance, "I think I saw something."

With that we reeled the lines in and took off. At first all we saw were a couple of boats and being that we had to be in international waters by now it seemed odd to have two fishermen next to each other so we wanted to check it out. As we got closer we could see something in the water. Sure enough they were Orcas!

Smaller then the Orcas of Alaska but just as beautiful, mom and baby swam close with the bulls near by. Like dolphins the Orcas are very curious and seemed to come straight up to the boat as if to see what we were doing. They would ride our wake and play in the displacement. We stayed with them for a bit taking photos and videos enjoying this rare opportunity and before we new it we looked up to nothing but ocean. The island had completely disappeared.

With the Orcas heading further out to sea we decided to head back towards the island. We dropped our lures back in the water and enjoyed the rest of our Mother's day, fishing, drinking and jumping off the boat into the deep blue.

Flash forward twenty plus years to my life here in Hawaii were I had the opportunity to swam with dolphins, manta rays, and even a hump back whale (swimming with hump back whales is highly illegal in the state, however, I was lucky enough to be swimming with dolphins when two curious hump back whales decided to come check out all the commotion) but never had I seen an Orca whale and didn't imagine I would get an opportunity since the Orca is so rare in Hawaii. Then it happened, on mother's day I got my opportunity.

Within half an hour we were on the water in one of the fastest boats in the harbor. The water glistened in the early morning sun. The sound of the three motors flooded my ears as the wind rushed through my hair. This was really happening! I was going to see Orcas.

We headed south since the last we heard they were spotted off Kealakekua. As we rounded the fishing boey we saw no signs of Orcas. So rather then feel as if we were hunting for these elusive orcas we decided to drop some fishing lures in the water and crack open a nice cold beer. With Bob Marley singing through the speakers and the children playing tag on the bow, we drifted further and further off shore, the island slowly disappearing. Then suddenly Justin saw something.

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