Last week I got to photograph the gorgeous Chu sisters, Julie and Allison! They are both models with Wilhelmina Hawaii, but they’d never actually done a shoot together before, so we did an impromptu shoot together a few days before Allison left for New York.
Models: Julie & Allison Chu (Wilhelmina Hawaii)
MUA: Erica Elisha
Assistant: Edward White
…And, for the bonus round, a couple of fun mask photos!:
Today, I turn 26 years old! I have now completed a full quarter-century, which is kind of crazy, but it’s also exciting to see how much more life I still have left to live. I like to celebrate each birthday by saying I survived another year not out of morbid humor, but because I really do strive to live adventurously as much as possible, so whether it’s been rappelling down the tallest building in Waikiki, standing on a cliff ledge next to an active lava flow, or simply getting into cars and planes to see new places and visit old friends, as long as I come out of it all alive, the adventure continues! I can only hope that 26 is even more epic than 25 was, because despite my minor quarter-life crisis moments, 25 was a year of important change and growth for me.
My birthday photos were taken by my good friend and fellow photographer, Jonas Maon. The top jumping image was composited by me with one of my recent starry sky photographs, and this collaboration is available as a print!
And the rest of the year! (Catch up on the first half here.)
Jason Mraz concert as an early wedding anniversary celebration!
Americana 2012 photo shoot to celebrate relaunch of this very blog!
Happy New Year from us <3 ;)
2012 was a crazy year of change, adventures, meeting amazing people, and a LOT of photos! Here is Part One (January – June) of 2012…to be continued tomorrow!
New Year’s Day Sunrise
Recently, a videographer working for Smugmug came to Oahu to film me shooting for a profile on me as a photographer. The video isn’t out yet, but here are some of my photos that I shot during the filming. Even though the weather was the exact opposite of what I’d been planning for, I am really excited to be sharing these images. Keep an eye out for the final video, coming soon!
Model: Justine
Stylist: Tyson Joines
MUA: Zairrah Geyrozaga
Edward and I, one summer night. Print available.
Three years ago today, I met the love of my life. We celebrate two anniversaries – our wedding, of course, and the night we met completely by chance, and everything changed. Here are our two versions of the story of that night that we each wrote a couple of years ago, when the memories were still crystal clear, so we would never forget:
The short version, as told by Dallas:
Well, it all started when I went to the TBQ party. I noticed him as he came in because 1.) I thought he was hot, 2.) He had a camera, and 3.)I’d never seen him before, even though I know a lot of the Twitter-photographers. Later, when we were shooting the opening dance/music for the night, I noticed I had a better position for photos than he did, so I made eye contact with him for the first time and motioned for him to move closer as I scooted over. Later, I went to hide by Kaeo, who was doing the A/V stuff for the event’s livestream, and Ed ended up following me back there. We talked about photography, and he showed me his photos on his iPhone. I remember thinking, “Do I really have to look at this guy’s photos?” but then I also realized I’d just been complaining about no one seeing my own photos, and this was obviously one way to go about it. Plus, his weren’t bad. 
Before we stopped talking, I added him to Facebook and we exchanged cards.
Later that night, he found me again, and literally dragged me onto the dance floor. Anyone who was there that night might remember my infamous ‘hooker-boots’, and my feet were already dying…but I danced anyway. Considering I can barely walk in them, I thought I did okay, but he now believes I can’t really dance. 
Back with my friends, I was giggling madly about the whole thing. I don’t do the “meet-random-people-dance-with-them” thing…EVER.
He eventually came back and dragged me out for another dance, after which I pleaded mercy for my feet and we spent the rest of the night at the club just sitting and talking.
After the party was over, a lot of people were re-locating to Shokudo for food, and Ed offered to give me a ride there. I was a little hesitant getting into a car with a stranger, but I figured if he tried anything bad I could blacklist him on Twitter (yes, my logic…), so I went with him. We drove to Shokudo and sat in his car for 20 minutes still talking with each other before heading into the restaurant. He bought me dinner and we talked and talked and talked…
Finally, he admitted he had to be up for work in just a few hours, so I walked him out to his car, because I was catching a ride home with Kaeo. We slowly said goodnight, and then he lingered by his car door. I’m kind of blunt and impatient, so I finally asked him point blank, “So, do you want to kiss me?”
He said yes. And I said, “Okay.” And he did. Twice.
And that’s the story of how we met.
Pretty much love-at-first-sight. <3
Ever since we moved to Kailua this past July, I started to take photos off of our lanai that overlooks the Kawainui Marsh with a great view of the Koolau Mountains. Over time, it has become a series, and I plan to continue it over the next year, eventually culminating in a photo book or gallery showing or something. :)
Sorry this post is so delayed! Work plus my California trip (plus, admittedly, the release of Assassin’s Creed III) led to me not finishing this short final post of our Kauai trip until now.
On our last day on Kauai, we woke up for the perfect view of sunrise one gets from the Kauai Beach Resort. The beautiful rock formations gave us an opportunity to take great photos of the sunrise, even though it was a bit subdued due to the vog. The beach itself is rocky, so it’s not the best for swimming, but is great for taking a relaxing stroll down the coast.
Photo by Ross D. Hamamura
This week’s adventure featured me getting the opportunity to rappel down the Sheraton Waikiki’s 31 stories to promote Special Olympics Hawaii’s Over the Edge fundraiser event. Individuals who successfully fundraise a minimum of $1000 for the Special Olympics’ athletes get to partake in this annual activity – it’s great fun and a great cause! Over 100 people were registered for the main Saturday event, and if you’d like to see how you can get more information at their website.
I showed up early in order to capture my friend Toby Tamaye of ATMarketing go down first, and he did it like a pro – even with a little aerial Gangnam Style dancing thrown in! Later, it was time for me to head to the top, take some photos of the view, hand off my DSLR, turn on the GoPro, and head down myself. Enjoy!
Continue reading “Over the Edge with Special Olympics Hawaii” »
