Dapper - Waikoloa, Hawaii.  March, 2008

After only 5 days, I'm beginning to feel like I live on the island and hopefully, I'm beginning to lose my malihini look and have traded in my socks and shoes for rubbah slippahs.

It took us 6 months to get here, and I know we gave up a lot in the process. My initial impression is that it was worth it.

My goal over the coming years, as a photographer and fledgling writer, is to some how capture and share the aloha spirit, aloha way of life, and aloha culture - so stay tuned.

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Double Trouble (May, 2006)

Take a quick look.  What’s the first thing that comes to mind?  

It’s in their eyes. Mischievousness, lurking beneath the surface of happiness and contentment.

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Let's Go Boating (July, 2005)

There are not too many things you can say to this girl that will bring out an award winning smile quicker than “Let’s go boating!”  And on a hot summer day in Puget Sound the allure of salt air, favorable tides and perhaps lunch in Gig Harbor is a sure winner. Knowing her as I do, I can tell you the combination of sun, salt water, good friends, and a snug harbor warms her soul like nothing else.  If only she’d clean her sun glasses once in a while.

Days of Future Passed (July, 2005)

Oregon, my Oregon, where’ve you been so long?

My recent summer sojourn sucked me out of my Puget Sound home port into the heart of Oregon like a well posted rip-tide. The distant shores of the Willamette Valley and the past loomed large on the horizon.

My first port-of-call was Eugene where I met up with a few good friends from High School. Although it had been 35 years since I’d seen many of them, it was as if it only had been a few minutes since we’d last talked. The past became the present and we drank a toast to the future. Good friends for sure! (more...)

My lovely wife Debbie graciously volunteered to pose for a few shots during a rare snow fall in South Puget Sound. The diffused light reflecting off the snow and a thick cloud cover, acting as a huge soft box, provided almost perfect conditions for a soft portrait. The photo also provided the opportunity to experiment with a few retouching and glamour techniques outlined in Scott Kelby's "The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers." (more...)

Although I have not had the opportunity to do a lot of portrait photography, I find it fascinating. I'm especially interested in black and white portrait work, both formal and candid. But formal portraits are not something that comes easy for me. I'm uncomfortable asking a friend or acquaintance to look into the lens and magically reveal an expression which displays their essence. Getting anyone, even a close friend, to relax and expose their spirit is an envious talent.  And then there is the minor problem of getting the camera to cooperate. (more...)

I haven't done a lot of portrait work. In fact, I can't say that any of my photos are classic portraits. Certainly it's something I'd like to do. But it seems like such a big responsibility, rendering a person's image on film in a manner that truly captures who they are during a formal sitting. I feel much more comfortable hovering on the edge of room, waiting expectantly, (more...)

Lights! Action! Camera!  "Life is a Cabaret, old chum". "I had a good run on wall street, with my high fashion wife."

Well, in my case, none of these two things are true, but I marvel at people who are so easily able to get into the spirit of the moment and, (more...)

Without question, this photo of some friends I met through the Shelton Yacht Club is my favorite. There's just so much about it to like. It reminds me of the photos taken during the 1940s that you might have seen in Look magazine. I've been asked a number of times if it was staged, but I can say with a great deal of satisfaction that I was simply waiting at the end of table (more...)

This portrait was taken a year ago in January, 2004, prior to taking my mom out to lunch. This was our last outing together. She had recently completed radiation treatments and had regained some of her spirit, but only weighed 75 pounds and tired quickly. I was surprised that she was gracious enough to pose for me given how she was feeling. I wanted to take more, but (more...)