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. 

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. 

"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. 

Happy Hour is not to be missed at Day Light Mind. Chef Ash has brought in his famous Avocado fries and has added many fresh fish options. Prefect fusion of fresh farm to table with a wonderful Hawaiian twist. The poisson crus with in house made coconut milk is one of my favorites but I have yet to find something I don't like. 

I had so much fun with these two. It was such a pleasure to photograph the pure love they have for each other. They giggled like school children and held hands as if it was the first date. Carol told me that they met when she was only 15 and I was the lucky stranger to get to see how in love they still are forty years later. 
Congrats you two! 

This beautiful Momma is due any day now! Sam was a pleasure to shoot and I can't wait to get a photo shoot with her beautiful baby girl!!

I find myself revisiting this self portrait series I first started many years ago, time and time again. The concept seems so simple yet becomes complex in it's delivery.  To place the human form in nature, becoming part of the tree, to blend into it's roots and lets my finger tips become the bark and my arms the limbs. As I began the process of wrapping myself around the large roots of this historic banyan tree, I started to realize that this series was so much more then just fitting the human form into nature. We as humans are natural creatures that not longer belong in nature. We live in boxes where we control the type of air circulating through it, we buy our food from stores with no windows and we have no problem bulldozing the nature elements of this world just so we have a flat path to drive our un-natural automobiles down. Global warm? People still question it even though it is happening all around us, yet we still put plastic straws in our cocktail and get to go meals in styrofoam.  This self portrait series has now become an ode to nature. it touches on how much we as a society have lost sight of where we really came from, the earth. I became the tree because I wanted to know the tree, I wanted to feel the tree.  Because that tree is why we are here. 

Jenny flew down the Kona Coast as she paddled her way to the finish.  Calm seas and familiar water made the day's paddle go fast.  She made it from Ho'okena in a short six hours, with her ground crew and bottles of champaign to greet her as she paddled into Kailua bay. Twenty days later and Jenny Decker is the first document person to kayak around the Big Island of Hawaii solo. 

The second to last morning launch was out of Miloli'i.  It went super smoothly. The night before Jenny had been interviewed by phone for the local newspaper and I had sent in a few photos. All of us were anxious and excited to see the articles but first we had to get Jenny in the water and all of our things packed. We headed to the launch site shortly after sun rise. It was a smooth entrance with wonderful friends there to help. 

Miloli'i is very interesting place. An old fishing village that I have been told is hunted. The ambiance of this town is both very mystical and hunting. 

After the launch, Krystal and I head back to the house to do our final clean up.  We watched from the lani as Jenny slowly paddled by.  Just a little yellow speck on the horizon. 

Jenny arrived safely and quickly to Ho'okena. With the wind and waves on her side, Jenny told Krystal and me, it was her most enjoyable day yet. 

Two locals congratulate Jenny before helping us bring the kayak a shore. 

That night, other friends of Jenny's came down to spend time with her relaxing on the beach and enjoying the sunset.

The next morning was Jenny's final launch. Leaving as the sun was raising.