New Member from Hawaii

[roteague]

Aloha All,

My name is Robert and I live in Kaneohe, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. I've been a camera fanatic for over thirty years, but have recently become more serious about; must be something about getting older. I've almost totally abandoned 35mm for 4x5 over the past year, and I have absolutely no interest in going digital (although I do print digitally now - West Coast Imaging does all my printing). I recently joined this forum, having found out about it from Camera Arts magazine. I'm so sick of the current photography magazines emphasis on digital at the expense of film, and I've found the US based magazines to be the worst.

Looking forward to hearing from others of the same interest.

Robert

 

[papagene]

Welcome to the site Robert.
Hey, didn't someone mention something about an APUG convention? Wouldn't Robert's house be a good spot?!

 

[blansky]

Welcome Robert,

If the APUG convention doesn't work out, would you mind of some of us came and stayed with you for a few months. We won't take up much room. We promise.

We were thinking maybe January and February.

Later,


Michael McBlane

 

[Ed Sukach]

I hadn't realized there was an invitation!
Sounds good to me. When do we leave? I've never been to Hawaii - do I have to wear clothes over there?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Aloha from the island of Manhattan. My wife grew up in Honolulu, so we visit regularly. I brought the 8x10" camera out there once--too much wind for that, but 4x5"'s worked out just fine.

 

[blansky]

Ed wrote:
I hadn't realized there was an invitation!
Sounds good to me. When do we leave? I've never been to Hawaii - do I have to wear clothes over there?

Yes Ed the dress code is two coconuts and a grass skirt. The coconuts are to cover your eyes to protect them from the old men who wear speedos.

 

[bjorke]

Hi Robert -- live just down the way in Kailua until a couple of years ago (makai side of Enchanted Lake). In fact your name sounds familiar....

Tell me, has Francis Camera successfully killed all possible competition yet?

 

[Christian Olivet]

Nice to have another member from Hawaii. Welcome! I am based on Maui, and lived on Oahu for four months. Kaneohe is truly beautiful.

Sorry guys, My tin roof house is too small for visits and the wooden structure too eaten by the termites.

David I understand your problem with the 8x10 in the wind. It is very hard for the mind to accept sometimes that you just cannot make an exposure that day. When the wind keeps on blowing and blowing I go shoot rocks or buildings or sugar mills, etc. It keeps my mind healthy.

Robert, it would be nice to see some prints of yours.

 

[Eric Rose]

I had property on the Big Island for a number of years and spent many lovely months over there scuba diving and taking pics. Haven't been back for about 5 or 6 years tho and miss it a lot.

mahalo

 

[Ed Sukach]

Hah!! What matters a few termites? ... And I was immunized against "small" - It was called an MG TC - a vehicle never intended to hold a human passenger.

 

[BWGirl]

Welcome Robert,

Well, I am envious! haha Hubby & I were in the islands 4 years ago and would love to return. This time, however, I'd be packing major film!

You'll like it here and I'm sure we all look forward to seeing your pics...your website is beautiful, BTW!
Jeanette

 

[roteague]

Hi Robert -- live just down the way in Kailua until a couple of years ago (makai side of Enchanted Lake). In fact your name sounds familiar....

Tell me, has Francis Camera successfully killed all possible competition yet?

Francis Camera is pretty well the only game in town, but I don't think that they really had much to do with it, there just isn't much of a market over here for pro camera shops. I don't frequent them much, they don't carry supplies for large format cameras; I have to buy all my film, etc. from the mainland (usually Calumet).

I live about halfway between Kaneohe and Kailua, overlooking Kailua bay. Beautiful area, just very expensive.

 

[roteague]

Nice to have another member from Hawaii. Welcome! I am based on Maui, and lived on Oahu for four months. Kaneohe is truly beautiful.

I don't blame you for moving from Oahu. I've been here 6 years, and am about ready to move back to the mainland. I love Hawaii, but it is very crowded here, a lot of the beaches are crap; I've never seen dirtier beaches - fishermen leave trash everywhere, a lot of people just put up camp at the parks and stay there for months at a time.

One other thing frustrates me, I don't know if you see it on Maui or not. When I go to galleries, the only want to see pictures of Hawaii. No one seems interested in images I have of Australia, New Zealand, etc. I find beauty in the whole world, not just Hawaii.

Robert Teague

 

[roteague]

You'll like it here and I'm sure we all look forward to seeing your pics...your website is beautiful, BTW!
Jeanette

Thanks. I am working on a new version of the site, which I should have up next month sometime. Unfortunately, I have very little of my large format work on the site.

 

[roteague]

Welcome to the site Robert.
Hey, didn't someone mention something about an APUG convention? Wouldn't Robert's house be a good spot?!

Like most single people here, I live in a very small one room apartment; just don't have the room.

On a more positive note, I just got back from shooting the sunrise at Makapuu Point. Will be over on the Leeward side of the island this afternoon to shoot the sunset.

 

[Christian Olivet]

Robert, I understand the feeling. I too felt Oahu a bit crowded. It is not really an experience of Hawaii and is not that easy to get away to a place where there is no people.
What you say about the beaches. Well here in Maui I never felt they were not clean. Maybe it has got to do with the amount of people. I do see trash on some off the beaten path places. It seems it is too much of an effort to drive the truck all the way to the land fill and dump the trash there. Lots of people just dump where they feel is is ok. I really do not understand it.

What you say about galleries seems true but wait a minute, you have galleries there. As far as I know there is only one fine art gallery in the Grand Wailea Resort and most of the photographs that were there when I visited were of Hawaii, and very few of other places. Most peolpe here are turists or temporary residents. They want to take Hawaii back home. The other citizens of Hawaii don't feel at all interested in fine arts. Don't know what it is that there is such a small percentage of artists, photographers, etc. Just no interest!?!? Weird?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

The last couple of trips out there, we've spent time on Molokai'i, which we really like. No crowds, and the locals are pretty resistant to development.

One thing that struck me was how many people seemed to practice some art, music, or some traditional craft. The manager of the waste water treatment plant (great spot for bird photography, not in your travel guide) is a painter. I saw another guy who kept his ukulele in his truck and took time to practice whenever he was parked waiting for something. One of the regular musicians at the Hotel Moloka'i, which is the spot for live music, is also a baggage handler at the airport. There's an excellent portrait painter there named Stanley Ort who also runs a gallery in Kaunakakai and has his studio on the East side of the island. Most of his portraits aren't for sale--I get the sense that he's more interested in building a body of work and doesn't need the money. Lots of local artwork (a few photographers--not many) to be seen also at the Kamakana gallery there, and if you read the artist bios, most of them are ordinary folks who have other jobs on the island.

 

[roteague]

The last couple of trips out there, we've spent time on Molokai'i, which we really like. No crowds, and the locals are pretty resistant to development.

Molokai'i has a well deserved reputation for being laid back and country for good reason. There isn't enough tourism there to really be able to make a living at your artwork there. You may not be aware, but famed National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones lives on Molokai'i. I may go to Molokai'i this winter, not sure; inter-island travel isn't as "local" friendly as it used to be. I was recently quoted $150 (Aloha) and $250 (Hawaiian) to fly from Honolulu to Kauai (a 20 minute flight). Molokai'i is even harder to get to now.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, I've seen Dewitt Jones's prints in the local galleries, and I knew that he lived there, but haven't had a chance to meet him yet.

If you go in the winter, pay close attention to the weather. Last December we were out there during the storms, and the airport got shut down for a few days, and roads were periodically impassable due to mudslides and flooding on the east end of the island. If you're planning to stay at a condo during the winter, I'd recommend staying on the west end of the island toward Papohaku beach or close to town, at someplace like the Hotel Moloka'i or Moloka'i Shores.

We may go again this winter.

 

[roteague]

Yes, I've seen Dewitt Jones's prints in the local galleries, and I knew that he lived there, but haven't had a chance to meet him yet.

I had the opportunity to meet him last summer, nice fellow. He gave a speech at the State Capitol building on "embracing the passion" in your life, and illustrated it with some of his images. While, I am primarily a 4x5 shooter, I still appreciated his work, but mostly his attitude.

As for going to Molokai'i, that's still up in the air. I've been talking to some people about getting access to some of the Hawaiian cultural sites on the island so I can photograph them.

 

[bjorke]

On a more positive note, I just got back from shooting the sunrise at Makapuu Point. Will be over on the Leeward side of the island this afternoon to shoot the sunset.

Great spot!

 

[roteague]

Great spot!

Mahalo Kevin,

Great image. This location is about a 20 minute drive from my house, and one that I shoot at generally once a week or so. One of the best locations for a sunrise shot. I'll be there again on Sunday morning.