Tor Johnson Photography Blog

Hawaiian Airlines - Flying is a way of life

2011-05-16T16:37:00.005-10:00

We were fortunate to work on a TV commercial for Hawaiian Airlines recently. It was an interesting project - still photos to create a collage with motion animation. Laird Christianson Advertising called us in, along with 3 top notch Hawaii photographers (Tony Novak-Clifford, Alex Viarnes, and Rae Huo). Their idea was to come up with some basic concepts, then send us out on our own to capture the themes of "Flying" and "Hello and Goodbye."

The "Hello and Goodbye" commercial first aired during the 2011 Merrie Monarch Festival, and featured two of our photos (you can see them below the video link):

Kyoko (Tor Johnson Photography business manager) gets some love from the dogs when she gets home

The idea here is the tradition of throwing a lei into the sea in hopes that you will return, or to honor a loved one who has passed away.

The "Way of Life" commercial had the theme of Flying, and it featured several of Tor's photos (shown below video). We had fun with this one, as we got to shoot what we enjoy most - ocean activities, including tandem surfing with longboard champion Duane Desoto and his daughter.

There's a great 3-shot sequence of Kyoko swimming in Waimea Bay

Hawaiian canoe sailing in Kaneohe Bay

Melissa on the iako of the Hawaiian canoe in Kaneohe Bay

North Shore ripper Ryan Shanley doing a floater at Val's Reef

World Longboard Champ Duane Desoto tandem surfing with his daughter in Waikiki

Duane holding his daughter in the air

Nelson Yerxa sand sliding into the shorebreak on his boogie board

Of course there were a lot of images that didn't get used. Below are some of our favorites:

Ryan Shanley getting air at Val's Reef

Coleman swinging Mila in the air

Manae Yerxa riding the shorebreak on a blow-up killer whale (it's not as easy as it looks!)

Skateboarder getting air at the Ehukai skatepark

Coleman swinging Mila in the air again

Honu looking graceful

Manae and Nelson Yerxa riding the shorebreak at Ali'i Beach Park

Over and Under

2010-09-22T13:08:00.010-10:00

Above: Downwind spinnaker sailing off of Viti Levu, Fiji

We recently purchased an "over-and-under" port for our water housing from Taro Pascual of Water Housing Hawaii. Tor had already done a considerable amount of underwater photography, but over-and-under photography was a whole new challenge. For one thing, the port is unwieldy, as seen in the photo below:

Above: Tor getting ready to jump in the water with his over-and-under water housing.

In addition to the port being large and heavy, its curved surface does not allow water to bead off of it very easily. This requires a photographer to lick (yes, lick!) the entire surface of the dome to facilitate the water-beading process. Then there are the usual challenges that accompany water housings, such as fogging of the lens from condensation, and having to dunk the housing repeatedly into the water to avoid water spots.

Above: Snorkeling off of Namotu Island, Fiji

Above: Anchoring near Qamea Island, Fiji

After capturing some standard over-and-under subject matter such as snorkeling and the boat at anchor, Tor decided to shoot his 47-foot sailboat Kahea under full sail. In order to get the shot, crew members Nick and Kyoko sailed the boat while Tor motored several hundred feet ahead on a dinghy. He then jumped into the water and got his camera and housing ready, as Nick and Kyoko steered the boat toward Tor.

Above: Yacht Kahea sailing at a speed of several knots!

Because the water level is constantly going up and down, it isn't easy to get the right composition when using an over-and-under port. With his boundless energy, Tor jumped back in the dinghy and repeated the process over and over again until he was satisfied that he got at least one good shot. Check out the video below to see how Tor got the sailing shots:

Above: Video clip of Tor blasting ahead on the dinghy to get the sailing shot.

Above: Our trustworthy Canon 5D Mark II and water housing.

Above: Yacht Kahea under full sail

Taking the Plunge

2010-04-04T16:07:00.009-10:00

Robin and Reena are great friends of ours. They have a lot of enthusiasm and positive energy so we thought this would be a perfect way to shoot them, in celebration of their marriage. "Jump Rock" at Waimea Bay has long been a favorite place for local kids to do a bit of "thrill seeking." I'd shot the local kids jumping there before, and the images I liked the most showed the entire bay and the beach, with that amazing aquamarine water, so for this shoot I decided on that same angle.

Below: Tor shooting the couple jumping off, as curious locals check out the scene.

In the last few days I'd noticed there weren't many kids jumping, and when we arrived I discovered the reason: big swells had undermined the sand, so that just getting to the rock required a swim and a rock-climb, all of which had to be timed between waves. Luckily I brought a waterproof backpack for my camera (Patagonia makes an incredible one). Reena had quite an experience, getting pulled slightly out to sea in her wedding dress while trying to reach the rock. She handled it perfectly though.

When the couple jumped, I was surprised to hear the beach full of people erupt into applause and shouts of approval. Many people had their cameras out for the big event. They must have thought that this was their actual marriage ceremony. On the second and third jumps the applause dwindled considerably.

For Robin, Reena, Kyoko (my wife and business manager) and myself it was great fun. This is one of the best things about wedding photography - sharing the joy of one of the happiest times in life with true friends.

Naturally

2010-03-20T21:27:00.010-10:00

What is it about plumerias? They are just the most beautiful flowers. I never seem to get tired of shooting them in all sorts of surroundings. Recently I've been floating them in water and experimenting with shooting them in a well lit area with lots of windows.

The green leaves here are the new banana leaves, which emerge furled perfectly into a tube. They unroll within a day, and I even notice that they change shape while shooting them. The lighting is a bit of a trick- it's a remote flash at the base of the leaf.

Night in Waikiki

2010-02-08T11:52:00.008-10:00

I recently did a shoot for my close friend, surfboard shaper Matt Yerxa, in Waikiki, with one of his team riders, Japanese pro surfer Shuji Kasuya. This kind of shoot can be a lot of fun because there isn't a lot of pressure, and I am free to experiment with different camera settings and angles, without worrying about results all the time - just play around and see what happens. The first shots are Shuji in Waikiki. I was using a slow shutter speeds to blur the lights.

Zooming the lens with the shutter open made some interesting light trails, as did spinning the camera. The flash kept Shuji acceptably sharp. At one point a tourist trolley swept past just at the right time, making an interesting blur. There's a street performer all dressed in gold in the background of many of the shots - a free extra.

We also did some cool night shots with a camera mounted on our Mini Cooper. I got a new camera support called a Bogen Magic Arm ($200 at Lighthaus Camera) and clamped it to the surfboard racks. I triggered the camera from the passenger side with a wired remote, and had a hand held flash inside triggered by a Pocket Wizard radio trigger.

This was a lot of fun, even though Matt was a bit nervous about pulling in to the famous strip club "Femme Nu" with his boards and a camera rigged on top of the Mini. I think it turned out to be one of the best images because of all the neon. The bouncers didn't even seem to notice us, which was a good thing.

Island Style Hale

2009-12-23T10:07:00.013-10:00

There is something about John Cruz's music that I've always loved. His song "Island Style" talks of Hawaii in terms of family, food, and friends with the obvious warmth and love of a local boy for his home. I'd seen images of John performing. He seemed different somehow, with long hair and a style that seemed almost as though he'd completely forgotten there was an audience.

Kyoko and I picked out "Island Style" as the soundtrack for our blog entry on the making of a shoot we had done with a wedding couple, fully dressed in wedding attire, tandem surfing. (View the blog entry here.) Kyoko called John's manager Leslie to ask if John might be interested in trading the use of his music for some photography, and that's how we ended up meeting an absolute gem of a man. John came to our house for a photo shoot, walked in, politely said hello, and walked right out again, straight to the beach, where he started fly fishing. He seemed to have forgotten all about the shoot. I sensed that he just needed to do that, to have some space. I liked that. It seemed honest.

Above: Tor gets down on the hale floor...see resulting image below.

I'd been working for over a week to complete a small hale in the naupaka bush fronting the beach at my house. My friend Daniel found some ironwood posts, and we used local or recycled woods where we could, lashing them together with manila hemp rope. We thatched the roof with palm fronds, on the morning of the shoot with John. I knew John was not a showboat, and asking him to pose for something contrived would be almost disrespectful. John turned out to have a wonderfully expressive face with great character, and all I had to do was to be ready with the camera. He played amazing music, with a warm, positive energy. It felt like a blessing for the new hale.

Visit John Cruz's website.

Pele's White Dog

2009-11-25T19:34:00.012-10:00

There's a legend about Madam Pele, goddess of the volcano, and her white dog. It is said that the white dog appears in the lava fields right before an eruption. Some say that the dog is Pele herself warning the islanders of the approaching danger.

I was recently on the Big Island shooting lava at the Waikupanaha Ocean Entry site. It's an incredible place where the elements meet and where you can witness the creation of an island. My friend Brad Lewis, an accomplished volcano photographer, talks about the earth being a living being. The common saying "solid as a rock" doesn't really apply here.

After experiencing forces of nature of such awesome power, I was quietly hiking out of the area when I saw a white dog standing in a field of black lava. I took several photos, thinking of my friend Richard Drake, who had told me about the legend of the white dog. It wasn't until I looked at the photos on my computer that I noticed the interesting and strange expression on the dog's face. I'm the least superstitious person I know, but there was something about that dog...

Today is Thanksgiving, and I probably have Pele to thank for getting me back from the lava fields safely.

Radical Wedding, Dude!

2009-09-10T14:05:00.020-10:00

We met Melissa and Taio through some friends on the North Shore. Melissa and Taio actually met out surfing at Sunset Beach, while Taio was working as a lifeguard, and Melissa had just moved to the Islands. We photographed their beautiful wedding at a private home at Velzyland, near Sunset Beach, which was a lot of fun. It wasn't until some time later that I came up with the idea of shooting a wedding couple in formal attire on a surfboard, and immediately thought of Melissa and Taio. They are both good surfers, they're naturals in the water, and they are so attractive that it's hard to take a bad photo of them.

Melissa loved the idea, but she was a little worried how her mother might react to trashing a new wedding dress that took a lot of time to find, and considerable work to customize by hand (not to mention the not-so-insignificant cost). To her credit, her mother told her to go for it. She said Melissa would never wear the dress again, but the photos would be a great keepsake for them. Taio didn't think twice about wearing his classy new three-piece suit in the salt water. He never liked suits anyway.

We had a blast with the shoot at Laniakea, in beautiful clear water with nice little waves. I rode a big stand up paddle board alongside the wedding couple. The timing was a bit hard, and there were several out-takes, what with hanging onto the camera, paddling, while shooting, and riding the board. I found that kneeling gave me a nice low angle, and was fairly stable. The deck pads on the paddle board are great for setting the camera down while paddling.

Most of the surfers in the water tried to ignore us (surfers are just too cool), but one surfer did say, "That's a first!"

Taio shot back with "We're looking for the preacher...you haven't seen him out here, have you?"

Check out the "making of" video below, which gives some idea of what it took to get these shots, as well as being pretty good comedy.

Music for video: "Island Style" by John Cruz
(used with permission)

Thanks to John Cruz for allowing the use of my favorite song, to Melissa and Taio for an incredible job, and to Melissa's Mom, for being so cool.

Click here to see more wedding images by Tor Johnson Photography.
Click here to see a previous wedding blog entry.

A New Twist on Surfboard Building

2009-06-04T11:17:00.011-10:00

Local legend shaper Eric Arakawa is starting a new surfboard company called Arcomi (a modification of the Greek archomai, for "beginning"), in the Waialua Sugar Mill.

It's a different sort of board company in that it's based on the craftsmen involved. There are no "ghost shapers" here. Each person involved in the process has a name and a face.

With the current trends toward the "pop-out, made in China" and the "pro-board-stretched-to-your-size," Eric and his crew are going back to basics, back to a time when you knew your shaper and glasser, and they made you a genuine custom board for your style of surfing that made you really want to go out there and surf.

The idea is that these guys all work together to develop new ideas as a group. They are making some unusual designs, and doing some classic work like old school glassing and pin lines. I've been shooting quite a bit of material trying to document the creation of their project.

Eric is a very creative guy, and he came up with some interesting ideas for photographing the surfboard building process. I liked his idea of light coming out of a resin bucket so much that Eric and I ended up taping a Speedlite to the bottom of a paper bucket and shooting his glasser, Fermin Lagonell, pouring magenta-tinted resin onto a board.

Since the resin has a very short working time, we knew we'd ruin the glass job, so we used a reject board and just kept pouring resin onto it. I think we came up with something unusual, a new twist on the theme. Now if I can just get this resin off my camera gear....

Hitachi Corporate Reports

2009-04-10T16:31:00.013-10:00

We were recently asked by a long time client of mine, Mr. Seyama of the film production company U International Corp, to shoot the "Hitachi Tree" in Moanalua Gardens. Hitachi Corporation is a large Japanese firm that is involved in everything from heavy equipment to electronics to nuclear power plants.

Hitachi has used this giant monkeypod tree in its advertisements since 1973, and it has become their corporate symbol, a bit like the Apple logo is for Macintosh computers. Japanese tourists flock to the park by the busload to see the expansive park and take their photos in front of the iconic Hitachi tree. The tree and the park are actually owned by Damon Estates, but Hitachi supports the upkeep of the park, and retains photographic rights to the tree.

Over the years, Hitachi has photographed the tree from every angle and in every light they could find, so the challenge for us was to find something they hadn't seen yet. They were designing covers for corporate sustainability and environmental reports, so the images had to have a "green" feel. I came up with some interesting techniques to light the tree in late evening with starlight, but that was nixed by the art director because it didn't really show the "green" image they were looking for.

In his infinite wisdom, Mr. Seyama noted that a photo shoot is always a learning process in which the client and the photographer gradually come to understand each other. In the end we did find some beautiful greens, and we are looking forward to seeing the images in print.

View Tor's past work for Hitachi Corporation at http://www.hitachinoki.net/download/wallpaper.html.

Below: Hitachi's 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility Report featuring Tor's photo.

Weddings

2009-03-06T21:19:00.019-10:00

I focus more on journalistic and commercial photography than weddings, but I recently had a wonderful time shooting two very different weddings. It so happened that a friend who shoots high-end weddings, Stephanie Riedel, became ill halfway through an important wedding. Her clients were prominent black Philadelphians who wanted the best of everything, even to the extent of bringing their own pastor and some amazing choral singers from the mainland.

The bride was gorgeous, the light at sunset was soft and warm. The ceremony was long, and there was a downpour just at the end, which made the entire wedding party scatter for cover. I ran in front of the wedding couple and caught the action.

Later the groom and his best men sang half a dozen songs to the bride, before starting an incredible dance party. I enjoyed filling in for Stephanie and I shot some images that I was very happy with.The long, traditional and religious ceremony couldn't have been more different from my next wedding- a simple Hawaiian ceremony for our new friends Brian and Tracey from Sydney, Australia. Noted Hawaiian kahu Butch Kauihimalaihi Helemano led a traditional Hawaiian ceremony including weaving of coconut fibers (ka nui ka'ula) symbolizing the weaving of the bride and groom's lives into one, and the traditional exchanging of breath (ka honi Hawai'i), the Hawaiian form of a kiss that symbolizes the sharing of life itself. The wedding was at Laniakea, one of my favorite beaches.

Learn more about Butch Helemano's Hawaiian wedding ceremonies.

It's been a joy to share some of the happiest moments of people's lives with them, and to have a chance to make a creative interpretation through the lens. Rather than simply taking pictures of a wedding, I think it's important to find new lighting, new angles, and new compositions in order to learn and stay passionate. I guess the same goes for any type of photography.

View more wedding images at Tor's website

Stand Up Paddling

2009-02-02T21:44:00.016-10:00

Stand up paddlers are often vilified for taking too many waves, and riding ridiculously oversized boards on them. But then again, surfers are always jealous of anything different out there in the lineup.

I met Liam Wilmott while working on a beach shoot for Hawaii Visitor's Bureau, when he and a friend came by and dropped off some stand up paddle boards for us to shoot without even being asked! Liam does PR for C4 Waterman, a local board company. We worked with Liam to create a a display that promotes the sport, which we recently installed at Honolulu International Airport.

Click here to see Tor's photos of Liam getting caught inside on an SUP on some large Hawaiian waves.

Sailing Around Oahu

2009-02-02T15:44:00.023-10:00

(click any image to enlarge)

I recently sailed our Beneteau 473 'Kahea' around the island of Oahu with my father. We used a winter westerly Kona system to send us East from Ko Olina to Kaneohe, then when the trade winds returned, we sailed back West again, so that we went downwind both ways. I shot some interesting material on the trip.

Approaching Waikiki under sail in the evening made for nice images, shooting from an inflatable boat, with Kahea and Diamond Head/ Honolulu in the background. The Ala Wai Harbor was stunning in the moonlight later.

The next day there were canoe races among school groups, and frenetic activity all over the harbor. I accidentally managed to position my camera and inflatable squarely in the middle of the race course, and got some serious scoldings from the coaches.

We took the Kona winds on around the island to Kaneohe on a crystal clear day, and I took more images from the inflatable of Kahea off the interesting rock formations off Koko Head. We spent a real Kona blow at Kaneohe Yacht Club, and the clouds racing over the swaying palms on bay in late evening light made for dramatic images.

Auntie Amelia Bailey

2008-11-15T18:14:00.012-10:00

We had the good fortune to meet Auntie Amelia Bailey at Queen Emma Summer Palace during a Hawaiian arts and crafts fair, where we were shooting for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Amelia was surrounded by beautiful leis of all descriptions and pu'olo, the traditional Hawaiian lei basket made of ti leaves.

While I was taking pictures of Amelia and the other women in the lei stand, several people came up to greet Amelia. It was obvious the way that they greeted her with great affection that Amelia was well-liked and well-respected. It wasn't until later that we learned that Auntie Amelia is one of the masters of her art, as well as being an accomplished hula dancer.

We later set up a private photo shoot with Amelia, who arrived in style, beautifully attired, accesorized, and prepared with 3 different types of haku leis, puakenikeni, and several other leis, all tied up in traditional ti leaf pu'olos. It was a feast for the eyes, nose and the camera as well.
I feel fortunate to have met a real legend in the art of lei making.

Ukulele Photo Shoot

2008-09-30T16:21:00.000-10:00

I was talking with my good friend and top notch photographer Jayson Tanega, and mentioned that I was looking for ukulele lessons as part of my assignment work to photograph cultural activities for Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Jayson recommended an ukulele maestro named Roy Sakuma. His wife Kathy was very receptive to the idea and helped me set up the shoot. It wasn't until I arrived and saw a photo of student Jake Shimabukuro on the wall that I realized what a legend Roy Sakuma is.

The studio on the other hand, left a little bit to be desired. It looked like a basic white classroom except for the multitude of photos on the wall. Just before shooting, I went downstairs where two local florists in the shopping center, Aiea Florist and Flowers By Carole, piled me up with free orchids and leis to use as props. The flowers made a huge difference in the feel of the photos, and combined with the happy learning atmosphere, made for some great images.

Pho-dog-raphy

2008-09-08T17:40:00.001-10:00

It's not something I'm proud of. I'm a "pho-dog-rapher." I was recently forced by my kind-hearted girlfriend and business manager Kyoko to photograph a dog fashion show. This involved shooting pictures of all kinds of dogs dressed in rather unflattering aloha wear. I consider any form of dog attire to be animal abuse. Just let them be dogs, for the love of Dog!

Now, all joking aside, this was a benefit for the non-profit dog rescue organization Hawaii Dog Foundation, where Kyoko volunteers. Hawaii Dog Foundation gives homeless dogs a second chance by rescuing them, and finding new homes and better lives for them.

The fashion show actually had a runway, a

doggie clothing designer, and guest celebrities who paraded their

dogs. One rather feisty bull terrier in a red mu'u mu'u had personal problems with a few of the other dogs, and had a few shortlived scraps behind the stage. The star of the show was a tiny little rat-like dog that was born with only two legs. He managed to walk down the runway on its hind legs to thunderous applause from the audience. Awfully cute.

Posted are some pictures from my booming pho-dog-raphy career.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

2008-09-08T17:19:00.001-10:00

Years ago I was complaining to a fellow photographer about the complexity of Adobe's Photoshop program. He told me, "It's not that hard. A friend of mine learned it in two months. He never left his office the entire time. He came out pasty white and divorced." I never learned Photoshop very well. Then along came Lightroom.

Lightroom doesn't quite replace Photoshop as a digital processing tool because there are some things that it can't do. But it makes up for this by the fact that it's an amazing tool, specifically designed for professional photographers, for getting large numbers of digital images processed, organized, looking good and delivered to the client in record amounts of time. Of course, Adobe has now come out with Lightroom 2, which is even better.

The adjustment tools that are available to the photographer really make it easy to work on batches of images that have similar lighting situations. I enjoy the creative process. It's almost like being able to shoot the images again. The cataloging system in Lightroom also makes it easy to add keywords and to find images later.

The Web Gallery option is nearly automatic, saves amazing amounts of time, and looks professional when I need to show a group of images to a client. It's a valuable service for the client because it allows them to see proofs immediately and share the images within their company as well.

The one thing about Lightroom that I have a problem with is that somewhere between 6000 and 10,000 images, a catalog will crash. This means that I need to make multiple catalogs, and Lightroom has no function to easily share image collections between catalogs. Since Lightroom has to restart every time I open a different catalog, the process of combining collections is tedious.

Sensor Dust

2008-08-11T17:42:00.000-10:00

I've had an ongoing battle with sensor dust. It drives me crazy! What happens is that dust gathers on the sensor of the digital cameras I use. It takes a lot of time to remove this dust from images after they've been shot.

I think most digital photographers struggle with sensor dust. So far I've come up with two solutions. One is to use the cleaning methods suggested by Copper Hill Images. Since the only method Canon seems to recommend is blowing the sensor off with a hand blower (which usually doesn't solve the problem), the helpful folks at Copper Hill have come up with a more effective method for sensor cleaning, or more accurately, cleaning the glass plate that covers the sensor . The other solution is to buy another camera body and try to avoid lens switches, especially in windy and dusty places.

I hope other photographers find the Copper Hill method useful. I feel like they're the underground freedom fighters of the digital imaging world.