I just recently returned from a visit to the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Maui. It was my first trip to Hawaii and it was glorious. The trip was special for a number of reasons. First and foremost, my Dad was actually born in Honolulu and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was just a baby and after the attack they had to move back to the mainland for the duration of the war. I think it is quite the coincidence that both my father and I were born in Hawaii and Alaska. There is also nothing quite like being outside in Alaska at 18 degrees and jumping on a plane and hopping down to Hawaii where is a balmy 80 degrees. It is such an amazing feeling that I am most definitly going to have to get over there every year or so! Alaska and Hawaii have a special relationship. Not only are they the two extremes in weather and size but they are the 49th and 50th states in the union. They are also both celebrating the 50th anniversary of their statehood. Numerous times, I felt oddly at home in Hawaii and could see myself connected to these magnificent Islands.
As a photographer I was super stoked to visit Hawaii. Right before I left I purchased a new camera, the Canon 7D. During my trip I tried to take as many pictures as I could of the Islands. I took over a thousand pictures and going through and editing them takes some time. I will post the best photos on my website and will try to provide stories on how that moment came about.
I arrived at Honolulu on Dec. 7, 2009. I didn't plan it that way it just was kind of a coincidence. There was also a major swell coming in and the North shore of Oahu and Pe'ahi, AKA Jaws were going to be HUGE!!!!! Unfortunately, I was unable to make it up there but after 5 years the Eddie Aikau surf contest was on. I watched it in a bar called LuLu's right in Waikiki. Seeing these guys drop in on 40-50 foot waves was absolutely amazing!!!
I have to give a shout out to my two amazing friends Alex and Julia who were my old roommates in college. They were able to get the day off and so we were lucky enough to be able to head up to the North Shores and check out the sights. As my first visit to the North Shore I was dazzled by the scenery and most of all the waves. We stopped at Sunset Beach and Waimea bay to check out the surf. Seeing these surfers dropping into these waves and the power of the ocean was quite an experience. I was able to snap a couple decent shots with my 300 mm lens.
After watching the surf for a couple hours we headed back over to Alex's brothers house in Kaneohe. On the way back we saw some pretty cool light and we stopped for a second to take pictures of these Outrigger Canoe's. It was quite the day and after a cold beer I realized how special Hawaii really is!!!!!
You can visit the Oahu Gallery HERE
Note: I am going to be posting all my best pic's with stories with blog posting's in the next couple of weeks so check back for more action. I will also be posting personal and other pic's on FB.
Mahalo,
Greg
