Kent Nishimura - Honolulu, HI Photojournalist

Dispatch from New York

2011-10-14T10:22:00.002-10:00

This post originally appeared as a part of a post on the NPPA's The Visual Student:

Students get feedback on their portfolios late into the night at the 11:30 club.

Kent Nishimura, 26, is from Honolulu, Hawaii and is a student at the University of Hawaii. He has done freelance and internship work with Ka Leo O Hawaii, Getty Images, The Honolulu Advertiser, The New York Times, Bloomberg News, and Agence France-Presse.

Team: Lilac
Leader: Stacy Pearsall
Editor: Jamie Wellford
Tech: Allison Lucas
Theme: Talent

Living in the middle of the Pacific doesn’t afford me the opportunity to attend a lot of workshops regularly, but when I had found out that I had indeed been accepted to Barnstorm XXIV, the Eddie Adams workshop, I immediately booked my plane tickets. While I can’t compare Barnstorm to other photo workshops like the Missouri or Mountain Workshops, it’s been perhaps the most unique, amazing experience of my life so far.

Many friends told me that Barnstorm this magical workshop where they met amazing people and lasting friendships were forged, but as I found out this past weekend, that was just the tip of the ice berg. My good friend Cory Lum was the first to introduce me to the idea of applying to the workshop. He’s an 1993 alumni of the workshop, from the blue team with Chris Hondros, Alex Garcia, and Ami Vitale. One day over beers, he suggested I apply for the workshop. “It’s an amazing experience. It’ll blow your mind” he said.

After two years of getting rejection letters, I finally got it. I received word during lunch with my girlfriend via a text message from my friend Patrick Fallon.

“You got in to Eddie Adams!” he wrote.

In the middle of the crowded restaurant, I jumped up from my seat and started cheering at the top of my lungs; people stopped eating and awkwardly stared at me, but I didn’t care.

For those of you who don’t know who Eddie Adams is, or what the Barnstorm Workshop is, Eddie Adams (1933-2004) was a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist who covered 13 wars and was recognized with over 500 awards during his lifetime. He founded the Workshop along with his wife Alyssa, who still allows students into her home and continues the tradition of Eddie’s vision. Every year, the workshop selects 50 students, and 50 just starting-out professionals for an intensive four day workshop in Jeffersonville, NY.

Fast forward to October 7, 2011. From across the world, 100 students from all walks of photography — photojournalism, portraiture, sports photography, commercial studio work, and more — descended upon Jeffersonville, NY for the workshop. On the ride up to the Catskills, we talked about what type of photography each of us pursued, and where we were from. We shared out expectations of the workshop, and whom we hoped to get a chance to meet. But nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the walk up the hill; being cheered on by hundreds of faculty, staff, and volunteers — all of whose goal was giving each and every student the experience of a lifetime. Each day after the first was better and better.

In what seemed like an extremely short four days, we were able to listen and learn about the the latest work and ideas coming out of Sports Illustrated from Jimmy Colton and Steve Fine; soon after we were listening to Eugene Richards speak about his experiences during work on long term projects, Doug Menuez speak about photographing Steve Jobs, post-Apple in the mid 80s and listening to Bill Eppridge tell his story about his time following Robert F. Kennedy on the campaign trail.

My favorite speech, was from Red Team Leader and New York Times Staff Photographer Todd Heisler. Todd spoke mainly about two bodies of work, first was his famous Pulitzer-Prize winning essay, “Final Salute” from his time at the Rocky Mountain News, he spent a year documenting the work of Major Steve Beck and the Marine Honor Guard who handle family notifications and the funerals of Marines killed during the Iraq War. The second was a project that the New York Times conducted in 2009 called “One in 8 Million” where Todd and other staff from the Times profiled 54 New Yorkers every week for a little over year. The series won a News and Documentary Emmy Award in 2010. Todd spoke about the impact the projects had upon him, and how they shaped the way he grew as a photographer.

Probably the most difficult thing about the workshop was that there were so many things to do and experience, but just not enough time in the day for what we were trying to accomplish. Aside from the speakers, for a good majority of the weekend students worked on completing a documentary essay structured around their teams theme. It was a good opportunity for students to work on deadline, and with extremely skilled editors.
It was normal for students to finish for the day and get back to the hotel around 2 o’clock in the morning, only having to wake up four hours later.
“You will sleep when you are dead, or at the end of this workshop.” said Stacy Pearsall, my team leader during our first team meeting at Eddie’s farm.
We all laughed nervously because deep down, we all knew she was right.

My team, the Lilac Team, had the theme of “Talent” – between the Ten of us, we each photographed a person in the town of Sullivan and did our best to find and tell a story about who they are and what their talents are. Each story was thoroughly researched by our team’s producer, New York based Leah Latella.
I got to spend my time photographing Ramona Jan of Damascus, Pennsylvania who lived along the Delaware river. Ramona owns a store called “Vintage Bling” and aside from selling vintage clothes and jewelry, she made lamps from recycled antiques and ceramic doll heads.

I spent a nice chunk of my first shooting day getting Ramona accustomed to me being there, I wanted her to eventually think of me as just another item in her studio where she made her lamps. A fly on the wall if you will. Being a fly on the wall would allow her to open up and not act any certain type of way, allowing me to capture who she really is. It was very cool being able to watch the physical manifestation of her creative process at work while she assembled, disassembled and re-assembled the lamp she was working on, only to disassemble it again.

After shooting, editing, and listening to speakers, students were able to get their work reviewed by editors and photographers from many different newspapers, magazines, and agencies at the 1130 club. I got to meet and show my work to Patrick Witty of TIME, Sandy Ciric, Pierce Wright, Michael Heiman and Mario Tama of Getty Images, Diana Suryakusuma of Bloomberg Business week, and Jimmy Colton of Sports Illustrated to name a few.

Todd Heisler, Jimmy Colton, Leah Latella, Jamie Wellford and my teammates gave me the support I needed throughout the weekend, and really put a lot of things into perspective for me. Where my work needed improvement, and helped me realize that I don’t need to move from Hawaii to pursue stories…just yet. But, beyond my work, and what i needed to do to improve, I realized that I had become a part of something bigger than all of us, I made friendships and connections with people from across the world — all of whom I am proud to know, and call them Ohana.

Toro Nagashi

2011-06-01T23:36:00.000-10:00

Volunteers hold lanterns as they get prepared to set them out to open water at Ala Moana Beach Park.

Every year Shinnyo-En Hawaii, and the Na Lei Aloha Foundation come together to host a Lantern Floating Festival held on Memorial Day. Lantern floating is an Asian spiritual tradition that beautifully symbolizes the wish for all beings to live in peaceful coexistence. As the lanterns are released onto the ocean they take with them written prayers and/or messages for victims of conflict, famine, disaster and disease as well as hopes for the happiness of all past and present. The event is sponsored by Na Lei Aloha Foundation and officiated by the Shinnyo-en Buddhist sect. More photographs after the jump.

People waited in line to obtain a lantern to participate in the 13th Annual Lantern Floating.

A moment of silence is held for those who passed away, and who lost their lives in the Japan earthquake as well as in service to the United States Armed Forces.

Camera people crowd the beach shoreline. A lot of people attend the ceremony to take photographs of the lanterns.

A woman wipes tears away during the ceremony.

A lantern floats out to sea bearing the message of a family to their loved ones, whom had departed.

Canoes carrying volunteers navigate through a mass of lanterns floating towards open sea.

A girl pauses after releasing her lantern out on the water at Ala Moana Beach Park.

People crowd the shallow waters hoping to get one last picture of the lanterns as they float out towards the open water.

Lights Out

2011-05-26T13:52:00.000-10:00

Thunderstorm clouds over Manoa.

A thunderstorm knocked out power in East Honolulu for hours on May 2, 2011. Power was later restored, but not after a torrential downpour in Manoa. The residents of the Atherton YMCA had to deal with no lights and no power in their small college dormitory. Lit by only a handful of battery operated lanterns, and fed by the Blue Truck Teppanyaki Wagon, they hung out and kept each other company through the night.

Staff and residents of the Atherton YMCA Dormitory gather in the lobby after the power went out in East Honolulu.

A line forms at the Blue Teppanyaki Truck after a power outage prevented residents from cooking their dinners.

A waterspout is seen off of Ala Moana from Manoa.

Traffic on University Avenue backs up after a power outage in east Honolulu kocked out traffic lights.

Residents mull around the lobby as heavy rains blanket Manoa.

China Cabalteja examines Brian Almanza's head by flashlight after he returned to the dormitory with a head injury. This proved difficult as the YMCA's first aid resources were finite, and there was no electricity available.

Martin Quitigua sits in the lobby after running out into the heavy rain pour to assist in closing windows to prevent water from flooding the lobby.

All images © Kent Nishimura Photography.

Human Planet - BBC

2011-04-07T23:24:00.000-10:00

A BBC Audio Slideshow by Human Planet Photographer Timothy Allen.

I usually blog about my own photos here, and It's rare that I blog about anything else. But I figured why not, I should share some thoughts about an audio slideshow that was shared with me. The other day, I was shared this link by Kim Baxter, Kim is a professor at Kapiolani Community College, where she teaches communications. I'm currently enrolled in her Newswriting class.

A joint production of Discovery and the BBC, the Human Planet television series travels to eighty of the most remote locations on Earth to find stories about man's remarkable relationship with the natural world. Timothy Allen was the photographer assigned to shadow the film crew as they spent almost 2 years working on this project.

It's an amazing body of work, with great moments in great light; it takes an intimate look into many of the worlds indigenous cultures still trying to make it on this planet. Amazing work. It's a 8 minute slide show, you should check it out! Click on the screen grab of the website or click here.

Hong Kong Day 4 - Kung Hei Fat Choy

2011-02-05T08:15:00.001-10:00

Guests pack the rooftop of the Salisbury YMCA for the viewing of the Lunar New Year fireworks show on Fri. Feb 4, 2011.

Kung Hei Fat Choy! Even though being Chinese, and having parents that strongly encouraged the cultural practices of our heritage, I had never seen the celebration of the Lunar New Year to be as big of a deal as January 1. Probably cause I would get to blow shit up. In China, the Luar New Year goes out with all the Pomp and Circumstance as any other country celebrates the regular new years. There was a massive parade complete with floats, a 10 million dollar (HKD) fireworks show, and to top it all off everything was fricken closed!!! doh! As apart of our tour pacakge, we had the New Years' buffet at the Salisbury YMCA (hotel we're staying at) and got to witness the fireworks show from the YMCA's Roof.

Another take on the first photo. Fireworks appear as 'blooming bokeh'

Guests pack the rooftop of the Salisbury YMCA before the start of the Lunar New Year fireworks show.

People file away from the Cultural Center, which is right on Victoria Harbor after viewing the fireworks show.

Hong Kong Day 3 - Peak Travel

2011-02-04T08:00:00.000-10:00

Shadows are cast in the midday sun on Feb 3, 2011 in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.

We made the trip out to Victoria Peak since Liam, my younger brother, hasn't been there...ever. We decided to catch the peak tram up to Victoria Peak, and spend a good chunk of the day up there. The last time I was up there, the Peak Tower was closed and the Peak Tram was undergoing some major maintenance, so it was inaccessible to the general public. We made the mistake of getting off the subway at admiralty station instead of central station, and had to footmobile it up a angry hill. It did provide for some cool photos while we made the trek up to the tram terminal.

Riding the peak tram to Victoria Peak.

After the "harrowing" experience that is riding a tram at a 75 degree angle, we made it to the top. As you can tell from the angle that I shot the last photograph at, I was standing for the duration of the trip. There wasn't a lot of room, and I had given up my seat for an older gentleman (not pictured.)

Victoria Peak Visitors are framed by Lai See hanging on a tree at the Peak tower on Thurs. Feb 3, 2011.

Victoria Peak Visitors are cast in silhouette by backlight at the Peak Tower on Thurs. Feb 3, 2011 in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Day 1

2011-02-02T16:49:00.001-10:00

Traffic on Hong Kong Island Wed. Feb. 2, 2011.

Adjusting to the new time zone has taken quite the toll on our little travelling group. I had about 5 hours of sleep since we had landed, gotten unpacked, arrived at the Hotel, and gotten to bed. 5 hours after all of that, and I found myself awake and on the move, yet again. First stop. Dim Sum for breakfast. Then it was a half day of touring Hong Kong in our little travel group from Pali Tours. We made our way to a little noodle factory, where between my mom and Chuck Tsui (our travel leader) they must've bought out the entire remaining day's supply of noodles.

A woman patiently waits her turn in line for recycling cardboard on Wed. Feb. 2, 2011 in Hong Kong Island.

The really neat thing about places like Asia, and Hong Kong is the large signs that practically blanket the city. Large signs with awesome bold color make for great backgrounds.

My dad blows on his wonton min in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island on Wed. Feb. 2, 2011

We were taken to a "world famous" noodle shop in Hong Kong after purchasing stuff from a dried seafood store. My mom kept raving how No Reservtions' Anthony Bourdain was featured in a magazine article at that shop. After a filling lunch we headed back to the Hotel, The Salisbury YMCA, where we broke into groups and walked around on our own.

I hopped on the StarFerry to Hong Kong Island from Kowloon, and made some photographs there.

A group of friends walk along a walkway on Hong Kong Island, Wed, Feb. 2, 2011.

View from the StarFerry as I made my way back to Kowloon and the Salisbury YMCA.

Fatigue finally caught up with me, and I headed back to the hotel where I went to sleep around 8pm HKST.

Off to Hong Kong again

2011-01-31T23:39:00.000-10:00

Passengers disembark a Korean Airlines flight from Honolulu International Airport (HNL) on Tues. Feb 1, 2011 in Seoul, Korea.

Looks like 2011 is going to be the year of travel for me. :) Headed to Hong Kong (HKG) with my family for Chinese New Years. As per our usual travel into China, we have a layover in Incheon International Airport (ICN). This time, instead of my sister Gwynnelle joining us, my brother Liam will be joining myself and my parents. We won't be staying in HK for too long, roughly a week, as Liam and I need to concentrate on our studies. Please check back here for updates as the days progress.

Members of the Nishimura family mull around Gate 14 at Incheon International Airport on Tues. Feb. 1, 2011 in Seoul, Korea.

We'll also be taking a short jaunt into Shenzen, and hopefully I'll be able to meet up with some of the YMCA interns that came from Hong Kong during the Summer. Aloha from Incheon.

SportsShooter.com's Significant Student Images of 2010

2011-01-08T16:15:00.000-10:00

Runners make their way along 18th Avenue as the Sun rises during the 38th Annual Honolulu Marathon on Sun. Dec 12, 2010.

I feel very fortunate to be apart of the SportsShooter Community. It was through sportsshooter and other avenues that I had come to meet friends like Daniel Berman, Luke Sharrett, Joel Hawksley, and Patrick Fallon. Robert Hanashiro, founder of SportsShooter asked student members to write about their experiences from this year. The great guys I mentioned above wrote about a significant image and the experiences they had this year. You should check em out, too.

Here is the story I submitted…

Photojournalism has given me opportunities and experiences I would never have dreamed of, I've been so fortunate to meet people, make connections and relationships and experience new things each and every day because of it. To top it all off I get to tell stories.
Freelance work was harder to come by with the shutdown of the Honolulu Advertiser since there isn't a ton of interesting news happening in Hawaii. I was fortunate to be hired to shoot the Honolulu Marathon by the event's photographer Ronen Zilberman --- along with Jay Metzger, Greg Yamamoto and Norman Shapiro. We each had our own assignments: Ronen and Jay covered the lead runners for the men’s and women’s race, Norm covered Waikiki and the finish line while Greg and I covered the rest of the course. For two photographers to cover the majority of a marathon course Greg and I had a lot of ground to cover.
We were assigned motorcycle riders to take use wherever we needed to go. I had never ridden on the back of a motorcycle and I was a nervous because the seat was backless and there was nothing to hold on to. After the start of the race the driver Timmy asked where I needed to go. We headed to City Hall where Christmas decorations were up and shone brightly in the early morning light, I made a couple of photographs, but nothing spoke to me, there was no "iconic hawaii" in it. At that instant I had an idea: There is one point on this course where you could look down a hill and see hundreds upon hundreds of runners along the course with palm trees and the ocean in the background and most importantly, the sun rising. Problem was, it was 6:40am, and sunrise was at 7:00. How was I supposed to get to Kaimuki-Kahala area from city hall? Tim had the answer: "Kent, we're gonna need to use the freeway."
A we headed from city hall onto the freeway on-ramp it hit me: "Wait! Freeway? Did you say freeway?" A thousand and one different things ran through my head as we flew down the the interstate towards Kapiolani Community College, "Oh my god they're gonna have to scrape me off of the freeway with a putty knife!" "Holy heck I don't have a helmet! Why don't I have a helmet?" and "Why don't I have anything to hold on to?"
Seven miles later we got off of the freeway and I made it to the location where you could see the run rising, fired off a couple of frames, ran down the street, fired off more frames. My favorite is actually an outtake, not the frame I had wanted to make, but the light was very beautiful, it was rare to see this kind of light in December. I felt truly blessed.
Jogging along side a group of runners I asked them what their most memorable moments from the course in previous years and they told me it was this area at this time. Running down the hill with the sun rising, rejuvenating them they said. With that, I stopped jogging and sat on the side of the road, slightly frazzled from my ordeal on the bike, but still smiling. Happy that I had made it. I thought to myself, "Only photojournalism could have given me this experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

To see my blog post about the Marathon check it out here.

Closing out 2010 with POTUS

2010-12-31T10:17:00.002-10:00

US President Barack Obama shares a laugh with Island Snow store employee Renee on Dec. 27, 2010 in Kailua, Hawaii.

Been quite busy as of late. We got word of POTUS' return to his native Hawaii for vacation, so Cory flew back to hawaii where he and I assisted with ISP (Indpendent Still Pool) coverage of President Barack Obama's annual winter vacation. Kudo's all around to Ron Sachs, the ISP coordinator, My awesome editors at Getty Images, Bloomberg, Corbis, Spia, and ABACA, and most of all Cory, who is a kick butt photog, an awesome mentor and really great friend.

There was one problem with this years coverage however, POTUS was scheduled to arrive in Hawaii on the 18th of December, but his travel plans would have to wait as he was overseeing some of his administrations key legislation move through congress.

Cory and I rotated our days in the 'tight pool' or 'travel pool', which is a miniature version of the White House Press Corps. It was an honor shooting along side AP's Carolyn Kaster, AFP's Saul Loeb, and Reuters's Kevin Lamarque, as well as rotating with Cory, who kicked ass! More after the break.

Below are assorted images from my day's in the Pool while POTUS vacationed in Hawaii.

US President Obama golfs at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course on December 23, 2010 in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

US President Barack Obama greets current and retired members of the US military and their families as they eat a Christmas Day meal at Anderson Hall at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on December 25, 2010 in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Two young boys holding American flags wave at US President Barack Obama's motorcade as it returns to Obama's vacation compound in Kailua, Hawaii after working out at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Dec. 27, 2010.

US President Barack Obama eats shave ice from Island Snow with family and friends on Dec. 27, 2010 in Kailua, Hawaii.

Agence France-Presse staffer Saul Loeb poses for a portrait with a sufboard in Kailua, Hawaii.

Sunset

2010-12-24T01:50:00.001-10:00

People watch the sunset off of Waikiki beach on Oahu's South Shore on December 23, 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Snagged this photo while on my way home from Obama Duty 2010. What a way to end the year! :)

The 38th Annual Honolulu Marathon

2010-12-20T17:18:00.000-10:00

The lead runners take off of the starting line at the 38th Annual Honolulu Marathon on December 12, 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Leading the pack in jersey F1 is Svetlana Zakharova, the 2009 champion.

Once again i found myself covering the Honolulu Marathon. I covered it back in 2008 for the Honolulu Marathon Association with Ronen Zilberman and Joaquin Siopack. Joaquin and I were both hired by Ronen, the Marathon's Staff Photographer. This year however, Ronen and I were joined by Jay Metzger, Greg Yamamoto, and Norman Shapiro. For those of you who don't know, Greg used to be the Photo Editor, my boss, at The Honolulu Advertiser, and Norman was a fellow Staff Photographer. Jay is the Multimedia Specialist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Athletics Department. All in all, Ronen assembled a pretty good team that I was proud to be apart of.

Ronen and Jay covered the lead runners for the Men's and Women's races, Norm covered Waikiki and the finishline while Greg and I covered the rest of the course. With the exception of Norm, we all covered the start of the race. Jay and Ronen needed to be on the chase vehicles early on so Greg and I took care of the starting line for images. Below, mixed in with single still images are diptychs that I think help tell a story about the Marathon.

The beginning to the end. Runners stretch and relax before and after the marathon.

Waiting for the starting gun. (L) Runners in the second tier gather in their staging area. (R) The lead runners prepare to fly off of the starting line.

Coming and going in nice light along 18th Avenue (L) and Kilauea Avenue (R) at the 38th Annual Honolulu Marathon on December 12, 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Mike Kramer of Fairbanks, Alaska runs toawards the Waikiki finishline while a pack of race-walkers/runners head towards Kahala Ave and Hawaii Kai.

(L) Silhouettes headed along 18th Avenue and (R) along Diamond Head Road, headed towards the finish line.

Runners making it to the finish. (L) Sebastian Velasquez of Honolulu staggers as he heads towards the finish line. (R) Tatsuya Hayashi cheers as he crosses the finish line. He is followed by Nana Kozai, Joelle Birkham, and David Kansaku.

Yumiko Fujimura of Soja-Shi, Japan celebrates after crossing the finish line with a time of 5:04:17.

Start and Finish. Alpha and Omega. Beginning and End.

Ronen had one major shot that he wanted me to get. The "Quintessential Hawaii" photo. A photo that screamed Hawaii. One that the Marathon could use in travel magazines. Especially with the sun rising over Oahu, bathing the runners in its golden light. The perfect place?? 18th Avenue. My bike driver Timmy Wong and I headed to 18th Avenue and i was able to make a couple of frames of the sun rising bathing everyone in its golden light...with palm trees and the ocean in the background.

**All images copyright Kent Nishimura/The Honolulu Marathon Association**

I shot a wedding...

2010-11-27T23:01:00.001-10:00

Derek Fujimoto gets ready in a bathroom while his best man, Brad Choy waits behind him.

I had the privilege of shooting the wedding of two friends, Derek and Mari. I've known both of them for quite some time; from the YMCA. One photo from the reception after the break. Gonna go back to editing photos and working on the album.

Mari & Derek share their first dance.

Signs

2010-11-26T12:39:00.004-10:00

A girl waits for a wave on a sunny afternoon at the Kapahulu groin in Waikiki, Hawaii

Nate and Breena

2010-06-14T21:16:00.000-10:00

Nate and Breena share a moment under a tree at Sand Island on June 13, 2010.

So there's this guy i know. Nate. We both grew up at the YMCA. He was a Teen/Junior Leader when I was a kid in program, and later he was an Advisor when I was a Teen in program. At one point we became co-workers...but then somethings happened and we both no longer worked there...

one day outta the blue, he called me. "KENT! I'm getting married! Can you do some engagement photos of Bree and myself??" I replied...like always.... "SURE!!!"

Geena was a tremendous help. I don't know what I would've done without her there with me. We shot at two locations. Judd Trail and Sand Island. Geena graciously helped carry my lighting gear around the place as we went throughout the shoot.

Geena carries lighting gear to our location along Judd Trail on June 13, 2010.

Here's my one favorite photos of the day.

Nate and Breena pose for a portrait on June 13, 2010.

I really need to get out and shoot more engagements or just portraits in general.

Buh-Benny and the Mets...

2010-04-20T16:46:00.000-10:00

Growing up, I played baseball between grades 3-4. Not a long time, but a fun time. I remember my father being into baseball. It was him that really encouraged me to go out and play. To make friends, and get more interested in the sport, and other sports. Needless to say through high school I was out of shape and overweight, and the only extracurricular things i did was Band, Debate (9th grade) and Youth Symphony.

But enough about me. This is actually about another Hawaii boy. The difference between myself and him is that he made it to the big time. His name? Benny Agbayani.

Benny Agbayani made his major league debut with the New York Mets on June 17, 1998, as part of an 8th inning double-switch where he defensively replaced center fielder Butch Huskey during a 5-4 loss to the Montreal Expos. Agbayani made his first start and picked up his first big league hit two days later. Leading off the bottom of the first inning by singling to second base off Florida Marlins pitcher Brian Meadows. But now, having retired from Professional Baseball, Benny is an educational assistant at Mililani High School.

So I got a call from the Daily News in New York asking if I was available for a freelance gig.

my reply?

SURE!

So I drove out to Mililani High School a Friday Afternoon...right after i bought an iPad! But thats another story for another time. I got there was taken to the class and waited for Benny to show up.

*RIIIINNNNGGGG*

the bell rang, and Benny hadn't shown up yet. The Vice Principal Andrea Moore sat next to me and joked about making sure that when Benny shows up I'd better make sure to make a picture and write in the caption that he was late for class.

So I spent the class time photographing Benny in his new element, working with the kids in the class.

Then I made a Portrait and had to run home to file...so i could finally play with my iPad.

It was fun! Getting to meet Benny was an amazing experience.

Shooting Fill-um

2010-04-06T16:10:00.001-10:00

A girl crosses the intersection at University and Metcalf on her way to class. Scanned 35mm Tri-X 400.

"Ken-chan no take pictures of me, you gonna waste all your fillum" is what my grandmother alwasys says to me when a camera (film or digital) is pointed at her.

So lately I've been starting to shoot a lot more film. Not entirely sure why I started to get interested, perhaps it's due to the fact that I'm doing an independent study for ART307 - Advanced Lighting and Large Format photography.

I had taken 10 rolls of tri-x and a Canon EOS A2 with me on a trip to Hong Kong, early December 2009.

Men sit next to a news stand in downtown Hong Kong Island. (Photo: Kent Nishimura)

Film...especially black and white hasa feel, and color tone to it that digital doesnt have. For me, there's a certain mood that's created when you look at film grain. There is a definite tonal quality that resonates visually. Yes! That's right I said resonates (sound) visually (sight). Furthermore the whole process from capture to development, to printing is just amazing. having compelte control over what you do, and how every smallest detail affects the image is really cool.

More scanned negatives after the break.

Photographer Austin Larson poses for a portrait in Studio 2. Scanned 4x5 TMAX400 Negative.

I've been fortunate enough to have access to cameras that come from a variety of different formats. Large Format (4x5) Medium format (120) and standard 35mm. The Photo lab actually has a 8x10 camera that I want to try, but not at this time. I mean, I can barely handle one format...let alone four?

Robert Tang laughs after hearing a joke in the UH Photo Lab. Scanned 35mm Tri-X 400

Stanley "the Pickcha Fricka" Tomita walks into the UH Photo Lab on a monday afternoon. Scanned 35mm Tri-X 400.

Austin Larson makes a face as Justin asks him a question in the Photo Lab.

Brent Akana pauses for a moment as he ponders his response to a question. Scanned Tri-X 400

A man walks in a crosswalk near Kamehameha Shopping Center. This image was made with a Olympus OM-1 and a 600mm Mirror Lens.

Brent Akana Pauses for a moment to take in the scene in his old house in Kalihi.

Geena surfs the internet at her boyfriend's home in Kalihi.

Color is next. hehehe. Gonna use some Ektar 100, Portra 160, 400, and Superia 400.

More soon // k

Heads up...

2010-03-30T09:46:00.001-10:00

A man stands next to a sign that warns passers by of fly balls coming from the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in Manoa, Hawaii

Signs are always interesting. The only time I don't like photographing signs is when they are being used as a message board to convey opinions or messages like "Lingle is da man!" or whatever have you...come to think of it i might have held a sign like that when i was in high school protesting something or another...

but that is neither here nor there...

More after the jump...

Signs and an American flag frame the words reading "Hawaii Hall" where the University of Hawaii at Manoa Administrative offices are housed on Wednesday, October 7, 2009. Over 500 students, faculty, and community members gathered at a "Teach-In" in front of Hawaii Hall to voice their concerns. (Kent Nishimura/Ka Leo O Hawaii)

Back to what I was saying about signs...people make sings because they have a message that they want to get across and I've come to the rationalization that it's not my job to convey that message for them. I'm out there, in the field, looking for people, their interactions and these moments between them. I’m looking for faces, for these moments where real life is happening...as a photographer I try to make interesting pictures that involve the reader, engage the reader and get them to want to know more about the story and the people that we’re photographing and writing about. And I usually find that photographing someone’s sign and the words on the sign is not really treating the story with the respect it deserves.

It’s all just a little too easy to do it that way...

Eddie Would Go...

2010-03-29T19:00:00.001-10:00

Kohl Christensen rides a wave during the first round of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Competition big wave surfing contest on December 8, 2009 in Waimea, Hawaii. Thousands of spectators and surfers are flocking to Hawaii's beaches to see some of the largest waves in the state in half a decade. Forecasters are predicting waves could reach heights of 50 feet.(Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The image above of Big-Wave surfer Kohl Christensen was shot while on assignment for Getty Images. This image ran everywhere. New York Times, TIME Magazine, Wall Street Journal. Suffice it to say, I was stoked.

Twenty-eight of the best surfers from around the world plunged board-first into the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational - one of surfing's most prestigious and rarest events - on a Tuesday morning in December of last year. People from all over the world and across the state of Hawaii flocked to Oahu's north shore in anticipation of this rare surf event.

The last time the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational was held was 2004, and the contest itself had only run six times before that in the past 24 years. This is because the contest requires extremely large waves measuring anywhere from 20ft to 60ft. But that's enough about "The Eddie" Onto my story...the day before "The Eddie"

It was a Sunday night, and I had received a call Hugh Gentry, a local freelancer and good friend, called me up asking if I would be able to cover for him (He's a stringer for Thompson Reuters, but he had taken a gig from Quiksilver at the time...) because the waves were supposed to be GINORMOUS. Reuters wanted coverage, and if Hugh had to shoot for Quiksilver, he wouldn't be able to shoot for Reuters. I called Cory Lum, a good friend and mentor, and asked if he wanted to tag along to the North Shore. (He indicated that he had an interest in going along.)

Just to warn you, dear reader, the photo below the break may be found offensive to some, please do not judge my character, or make rash decisions about me because of this image. :) haha! I kid, Cory. You are a great friend and mentor...not to mention a phenomenal photographer. As Austo-D would say..."Cory...he's got the Fu!"

More photos after the break...

Good friend and fellow freelance photographer Cory Lum reacts as I make a picture of him. "Whoa Meister! Watch where you point that thing!"

So Cory and I picked up a friend of mines; John Nakatsu, a fellow student at the University of Hawaii, and we headed out to Waimea. It was 4am, and we were heading out to the North Shore in a dinky gold saturn, armed with only our wits, some photo gear, one poncho and two mugs of coffee. We were in some serious trouble. Having driven out to the North Shore many, many, many times while interning at the Honolulu Advertiser, I knew which way would probably be the best way to travel to Waimea: Kahuku.

The nice thing about living on an island is that eventually you'll end up going to the place where you started initially. So if Waimea Bay was my destination, i had two ways of getting there. From Kahuku, or Haleiwa. Since lots of people were coming from town, i figured that it'd be easy enuff for me to travel the other way and get there with time to spare.

So our intrepid little gang of photographers got there at 4:45am, and parking was already a premium. Parking along all of Kamehameha Highway was already backing up past Shark's cove towards Sunset Beach, and I wasn't about to walk a few miles to make some pictures...especially since I wasn't sure yet if Hugh needed coverage.

People walk along Kamehameha Highway in the early morning in anticipation of the 2009 Quiksilver in the Memory of Eddie Aikau Big-Wave Invitational on December 7, 2009 in Waimea, Hawaii.

It was pretty amazing seeing all the people out and about so early in the morning. Traffic was basically crawling along Kamehameha Highway from 5am till about 6pm the next day! Yowza!

A surfer walks along Kamehameha Highway towards Waimea Bay for a chance to surf 30 foot waves on December 7, 2009. The Quiksilver in the Memory of Eddie Aikau Big-Wave Invitational would run the following day.

Jamie O'Brien cuts across a wave at Waimea Bay in Waimea, Hawaii on December 7, 2009 in Waimea Hawaii.

This was shot with the 1Dmk2N and the 200 f2 + 2x Extender. Making it a 400mm f4. The lens even with a doubler is sharp...for the most part. Just 400mm isn't long enough for the Eddie. 600mm...better yet...the 800mm is definitely needed.

A surfer watches the waves wash up on shore at Waimea Bay on December 7, 2009.

Beach goers are reflected in the water as they walk along Waimea Beach in Waimea, Hawaii on December 7, 2010.

Kamehameha Highway is gridlocked for foot traffic and auto traffic on December 7, 2009. The Quiksilver in the Memory of Eddie Aikau Big-Wave Invitational ran the following day, causing another traffic gridlock along Kamehameha Highway.

All in all. It was a fun day. Got to hang out with Hugh, Cory, John, Scott Morifuji from the Advertiser, and met tons of people at Waimea. I went home that day, and as i was about to take a nap and make plans to hang out with geena the following day after work. BUT...Getty called. "Hey Kent, it's Pierce. Think you can cover the eddie for us?"

"Sure..."

So, I headed out there with Geena, a ton of gear, a 600mm and 2 hours of sleep.

Tsunami.

2010-03-29T10:54:00.002-10:00

I was working at the Atherton YMCA when the news broke. A 8.8 magnitude earthquake stuck Chile, and created a tsunami which put the entire pacific on alert.

CNN wasn’t really helping the situation at all. Reporting that there would be 40ft waves, and even at one point saying that waves would be 40 meters. “Holy Tall Tales Batman! 40 meters!” 40 meters is, of couse, ONE HUNDRED TWENTY FEET. get the facts right CNN…

Thankfully, Hawaii dodged a bullet, and no major wave came and slapped the living crap out of the islands. I wouldn’t really have liked to be floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean a top my bed.

I digress, back to the chain of events that day.

It was 2:00am, and Getty Images had sent me an email asking if I was up, and available for coverage. Getty has been a good client in the past with Obama Duty, the Eddie Aikau, and other stuff, so I obliged them.

I hadn’t had anysleep, and didnt really feel like shooting while dopped up on a 5 hour energy, so i told my editor, “I need some sleep! will head out in an hour or so…i have been up since 7am the previous day!”

So i went home. popped the batteries on the charger, cleared my cards, and caught an hour of sleep. I ran out the door, and started to look for people buying supplies, and/or freaking out about the Tsunami.

Drove through Waikiki, and didn’t find much. Streets were emptier than usual, but at 5am everywhere is practically deserted. I drove to Times Supermarket on Waialae. What luck! They weren’t open, but had a line forming outside!

Okay. so it wasn’t really a line…more like a crowd. Thank god it wasn’t a mob. Yikes!

HONOLULU - FEBRUARY 27: Shoppers line up in front of a grocery store as they wait for it to open Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, in Honolulu. Hawaii residents are stocking up on food and emergency supplies Saturday for a potentially damaging tsunami, after a massive earthquake off Chile sent waves across the Pacific Ocean. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

More Photos after the break
So as the morning progressed, I noticed that people started to drive a bit more recklessly, with out caution or regard for others, and tensions started to run a bit higher…

So as i was filing images to Getty, Shawn Thew from EPA (European PressPhoto Agency) called and asked if I was available for an assignment. I told him, sadly no, but I did know a guy who would be able to shoot if they needed.

Enter Austin Larson. Austin, who shall now be referred to as “Austo” or “Austo-D” is a really good friend of mines. Not to mention a stellar photographer.

So I passed Austo’s info to Shawn and after EPA hired him for the day, I picked up Austo, and we headed to Waikiki to scope out what was going on.

HONOLULU - FEBRUARY 27: Teresa Burge and Bill Bodnar of Calgary, Alberta, Canada walk along Waikiki Beach, Saturday February 27, 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The State of Hawaii is under a tsunami warning after an 8.8 earthquake struck Chile earlier today. Many residents are loading up on gas and emergency supplies due to the warning. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

We bumped into some familiar and new faces…

HONOLULU - FEBRUARY 27: Honolulu Star-Bulletin Staff Photographer Cindy Ellen Russell and Reporter Gary T. Kubota walk along Waikiki Beach, Saturday February 27, 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The State of Hawaii is under a tsunami warning after an 8.8 earthquake struck Chile earlier today. Many residents are loading up on gas and emergency supplies due to the warning. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

So after spending time in Waikiki, and letting my meter expire way past the 10 minutes i fed into it, we headed for Round Top Drive above Makiki. There were some real characters up there. People making makeshift tents, people sleeping UNDER their cars, even people sitting on the roofs of their cars having a “beverage” or four…

HONOLULU - FEBRUARY 27: Matt Martin sleeps under a truck as his friends (L to R) Tokiko Torres, Justin Fukushima, and Michele' Solesk sit and stand on the trucks roof. The State of Hawaii is under a tsunami warning after an 8.8 earthquake struck Chile earlier today. Many residents flocked to higher grounds to escape the impending tidal wave. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

When all was said and done, Hawaii really dodged a bullet. 60 foot waves were reported somewhere off shore. yikes!

I updated my sportsshooter profile with images from the day and was featured on the Top Breaking News. again! Cool!

Austo-D kicked ass. he got two photos to run consecutively in the @NYTimes. check out the www.nytimes.com links here and here.

Clearing my head

2010-03-13T09:09:00.001-10:00

A couple poses for a portrait at the Pali Lookout. In the background, Kaneohe, Kailua, and clouds as far as the eye could see.

So I went for a drive the other day. A very brief drive between meetings, group study sessions and developing film in the Photo Lab. Life is strange how it can come at you so very quickly.

This semester is rapidly coming to a close and I'm closer to graduation, but not close to getting a job that I want. It's been...not a lot of fun watching as the industry gets smaller, jobs get cut, and good people are forced to find jobs doing things outside of a field they love so very much.

On my drive, I ended up at the Pali Lookout. It was a beautiful day; clouds as far as the eye could see. Feeling the wind rush against my face, I could only try to clear my head, and tell myself...

"All will be well."

Portraits...Homage to Avedon

2009-05-20T01:17:00.004-10:00

The Quintessential Student was a project started in 2009 for my large format class. Click on the picture to launch the flickr set.

A homage to Richard Avedon's "In the American West"

A final semester project for my ART307 Class at UH Manoa. Test shot with Digital SLR. Final negs made with 4x5 View Camera.

Final products have the Kodak TMAX400 Border around the edges.

Thank you to Anelise, Kelli, Vanessa, Kris, Carlie and my good friend Austin.

Aloha.

Blogs, blogs, blogs

2009-05-02T22:00:00.001-10:00

Blogging MORE is something that I'm going to try doing in the near future. As many of you have noticed...this blog's URL has changed from http://kentnish.blogspot.com to http://thephotopile.com.

In addition to that I'm starting a new blog for my internship at the honolulu advertiser this summer. Check it out...

http://www.interndiaries.net

Aloha.

-- Kent via iPhone

Just some musings...as of late...

2009-03-26T14:51:00.009-10:00

I've been studying about alot of photographers lately...perhaps one of the more influential photographers I've studied is james Nachtwey.

One thing that he said, has stuck with me...

"I have been a witness, and these pictures are
my testimony. The events I have recorded should
not be forgotten and must not be repeated."

As photojournal- no wait...visual journalists...we all bear witness to the events and happenings of the world, and life around us. it's actually kind of amazing to see the images, both incredible and scary, that great photographers like Nachtwey and Salgado and even young 'whipper-snappers' like myself make. Due to our individual consciousnesses, we are all gifted with our own unique perspective. Each and every person sees something differently, yet we all see the same thing. Five different photographers can shoot the same scene with the same lighting, but the way they shoot it, and the emotion and part of themself that they pour into the image makes it inherently their own.

of course i'm preaching to the choir.

but its something i feel none the less.

back to the original reason for this post.

In a recent discussion that i had with a colleague and friend, I began to analyze why people make pictures...what drives them. People say they're tired of images that people perceive as beautiful, and that they want to create images that stir up emotions. I humbly believe that all images...if done correctly...stir emotions.

I come from the school of thought that any 'effects' that are done to an image are done 'in-camera' Photoshop is not something that should be used to alter or 'bastardize' and image by manipulating the intended reality to create a new one. Of course, there are those who argue this point and say that it is art. It may just be. But that's their cup of tea, and not mines.

Photographers like Nachtwey, Salgaldo, Smith, Lange, Laforet, McNally, Lum, Miho, Aquino, Burley, Walker, Lee, Tomita, and more have had such a profound impact upon the way i think critically, or approach an image or an assignment. It's just not enough to document it.

The viewer of the image needs to live the moment.

Day one...pau!

2009-03-23T00:45:00.000-10:00

After spending most of the day in the air, I've finally gotten around to sorting and re-sizing my photos.

@ HNL airpiort

My sister, Gwynnelle, is framed by windows as we looks out at planes at Honolulu International Airport (Photo: Kent Nishimura)

Liam is silhouetted by backlight coming from the windows as we wait for the plane to depart (Photo: Kent Nishimura)

in the air

The one thing i didn't enjoy about the flight was the intermittant turbulance. Things were a little...shaky...Quite frightening. (Photo: Kent Nishimura)

Clouds...far as the eye can see. Awesome. (Photo by: Liam Nishimura)

Once again...Liam is silhouetted by window light. This time however. We had just landed in In-Cheon, Korea. 4:30p KST. (Photo by: Kent Nishimura)

@ In-Cheon Internation airpiort - Korea

Disembarking passengers are silhouetted by in coming window light in a fleeting moment as they head towards the baggage claim and transfer stations. This was the first image i made in Korea. Yay! I've got the silhouette fetish going, as you can see. Time for a two hour layover then its a two hour flight to Beijing. (Photo by: Kent Nishimura)

A man is silhouetted as he walks by "Gate 9" on March 22, 2009 at In-Cheon International Airport. The waiting areas had these huge windows. Really nice light! (Photo: Kent Nishimura)

i sat at "Gate 9" trying desparately to connect to the internet. Here, i sorted photos and waited form Liam, Gywnnelle and my mom to return with food and drinks. (Photo by: Kent Nishimura)

Images from Beijing and landing are fortcoming. It's 5:44am HST and 11:44p.m. in Beijing. Time for me to crash. I'm off to Tieannemann square tomorrow and then its off to the Great Wall on Tuesday. Stay tuned.

//k

last minute post...running out the door

2009-03-21T15:34:00.002-10:00

I had dinner last night at my grandmothers place. It was a real gourmet feast. hehe. Bentos from Marukai…since we didn’t wnat leftovers and I didn’t want to have to do dishes…

Dinner at Popo's house. T-minus 15 hours til Beijing. (Photo: Kent Nishimura)
For those that don’t know…I did a picture story on my grandmother. Here’s a new image from last nite, that i made that, and i like…

Lily sits on the couch as her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren get dinner ready, Friday March 20, 2009. In the picture frame you can see myself and my two younger siblings. (Photo: Kent Nishimura)
One final image to end the night…

Gwynnelle, my younger sister, is blurred by a slow shutter speed as she enters the front door of our house. We leave for Beijing, China tomorrow morning, (Photo: Kent Nishimura)

Down to the wire...

2009-03-21T15:24:00.001-10:00

Like usual i find myself packing for a trip at the last minute.

its typical of me to forget to pack something, so heres to hoping that i don't forget anything this trip.

this blog, of course, will contain photographs from my travels around beijing during the next week or so. stay tuned...i need to find my card reader for some of the pre-trip packing hullabalo that's been going on, but stay tuned...i'll have stuff up.

i have to run off to make a portrait and setup the new staff photographer so she can shoot volleyball.

all the best.

//k

Changing it up

2009-03-09T09:49:00.002-10:00

Decided to change it up a little bit.

I'm starting to enter that phase again where i begin to search for my self.

Things have been going pretty well. School is alright. Geena and I are doing great.

It's just that I'm feeling some kind of hole in my life right now. not sure what it is just yet though...

a 2008 retrospective

2009-01-15T08:36:00.002-10:00

January - My first semester at Manoa. After semesters of dilly-dallying around at KCC and LCC, i finally took the plunge towards my final academic goal. Graduation. I was set on going to graduating and going to medical school. Little did i know that after i joined a certain organization my life would take a totally different path. I was hired as a staff photographer at Ka Leo O Hawaii.

My first published image in Ka Leo.

February - wasnt too exciting for me. another lonely valentine's day came and gone. i wasn't shooting that many assignments for Ka Leo. I found photography to be fun...just things had stagnated. Time would continue to march on.

Fishing with the YMCA Teens. Andre caught something with his hockey stick.

March - Whistler, BC, Canada. Perhaps one of the funnest trips i had been on in a long while.my last out of country trip since Japan in 2002. Mahalo to Troy, Geena, Andre, Allison, Tammy, Corey, Andrew and the others for making it a memorable one.

Fresh powder every single day. woo-hoo!

April - Finally started shooting sports for Ka Leo. Baseball, probably one of the harder sports to shoot is my first sports assignment. bleh. haha! Befriended Richard Walker and Jamm Aquino, star-bulletin photographers. Great guys. good friends.

May - First semester at UHM wrapped up. I did well. Passed ART206 decently. Really made me want to take 207. Applied to be the photography editor at Ka Leo. Got the job. decided photojournalism is something i wanted to pursue.

Lantern Floating 2008.

June - Bryan was fired. I was almost fired too. Decided i had enough with the hypocrisy of the YMCA. It would be only a matter of time before i left the Metropolitan Office.

July - Geena and I started dating. who could've predicted this. Started JOUR307, taught by Fred Larson. Wicked awesome photographer. Really lit a fire under my ass.

Geena and Me, 6 months later. New Year's Eve 2008.

August - continued working on a picture story about my grandmother, Lily Yuen, entitled "Bound by Love' Still a work in progress. Traveled to Portland.

September - 23rd Birthday. Also befriended a guy who i call a photo mentor. Cory Lum. A real inspiration, a good friend, and all-around great guy.

October - ART207 stressing me out. Ka Leo work picking up speed. became close friends with Kelli Miura and Abigail Trenhaile.

November - Elections. Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States. Very Cool.

December - what a way to end the year. Member of the White House Traveling Press Pool for PEBO's stay in Hawaii. Geena and I made 6 months.

Busy as of late...

2008-11-14T10:55:00.003-10:00

Been pretty busy lately.

- Election came and went. Obama is now the President-Elect. =) I was at Pearl Ultralounge for the result announcement, McCain's concession speech, and Obama's speech. Then i headed over to Hannemann HQ where i hung out with Mike Burley, FL Morris and Bruce Asato. Too cool.

- Been shooting alot for Ka Leo lately... especially since no one ever wants to cover news and features...only sports...

- Internship Applications are due...i'm really starting to stress because im down to the wire, and i really want to get an internship... i'm currently applying to the NYT and the Honolulu Advertiser...not sure where else just yet...AP perhaps? haha. i wish.

Remembering the Fallen

2008-10-09T19:43:00.002-10:00

Stephanie Blevins Borabora, sister of 2nd Lieutenant Thomas A.K. Blevins speaks about her brother, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in 1966, at the Army ROTC Fallen Warriors Wall Dedication Ceremony on October 9, 2008. Blevins was a 1965 graduate of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa's ROTC Program. (Ka Leo O Hawai‘i photo by Kent Nishimura)

Wild Art: Silhouettes

2008-10-09T09:49:00.005-10:00

A lone fisherman made a picturesque scene as he is silhouetted by the setting sun on a quite Saturday afternoon at Kakaako Waterfront Park. (Kent Nishimura/The Photo Bistro)

Silhouettes are always fun to make. The dictionary defines “silhouette” as an “image in which only the outline shape of a dark subject appears against a lighter background.” This word came from Etienne de Silhouette, the Minister of Finance in France way back in 1759. He cut out portraits of people from black paper and pasted them on light-colored backgrounds. Here, at Kakaako Waterfront Park, this fisherman was silouetted by the setting sun. You can see the light slightly washing over him.

Usually, the bright sky serves as the background for silhouette shots. You can also use water backgrounds, shaded subjects against atmospheric backgrounds like haze, fog and smoke, and sunlit backgrounds (as in the picture above demonstrates.)

Over the next couple of day's i'll be posting silouhette shots and stuff from my advernture at Kaka‘ako.

So, lately...

2008-07-27T12:49:00.003-10:00

We're closing in on another semester of school for me. Yet another year of still being a student. Only slightly closer to graduating. Slowly trekking to the "finish line" that is the real world.

I attended Frederic Larson's "Shoot the Moon" Class sponsored by UH Manoa Outreach College's Pacific New Media sessions.

lingering moment by sunset and moonrise

A beach going musician plays some tunes while in the background, an almost full moon rises in the distance out of diamond head crater.

Kent Nishimura | The Photo Bistro

Journalism 307 - Project #2

2008-07-24T12:48:00.003-10:00

Journalism 307 Project #1

2008-07-17T12:46:00.002-10:00

My Daily Gear

2008-06-03T03:11:00.002-10:00

The Arsenal, L to R: LowePro Photo Runner, Lens Case 3, DMC-Z (Not Pictured), Ka Leo O Hawai‘i Presspass, Ka Leo O Hawai‘i business cards, Canon Speedlite 580EXII, Maglite Mini, Eneloop AA batteries and wall-charger. Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM, Canon EOS-1D + EF 70-200mm f/4L, Canon EOS 1D Mark II N + EF 17-40 f/2L, 2x NP-E3, Sandisk Extreme III 2GB CF Cards, Apple iPhone, Apple Macbook Pro 15.4". (NOTE: NP-E3 Batteries also in camera for 4 total batteries, 4GB CF + 4GB SDHC in 1Dmk2N, 2GB CF in EOS-1D)

The other day, I was out on assignment, and someone asked me if i was a photographer. I replied "sure. I think so...although I've always though of myself as just a guy who makes photos...nothing more, nothing less..."

That got me thinking. For some strange reason that question is always posed to me even as I walk down the street, cameras dangling from my shoulders.

So, yeah, I guess I am. I must say, I think I look pretty ridiculous with all my gear. With that said, I try my best to keep my equipment to a minimum, and the photo above shows what I carry with me on a daily basis when working for the Ka Leo. Less is more in my book.

The Flash Setup:
Once my buddy John Nakatsu comes back to the islands i'll have my 420EX and ST-E2 back in my hands, so that'll be cool. I want to actually get some lightstands and unbrellas so i can set stuff up. I can trigger the remotely with the ST-E2 transmitter. Nice light, cheap, and quick and dirty. I'll use the Omni-Bounces (Not pictured) when I need to go on-camera with the flashes. They soften the light a little, and disperse the light for a somewhat softer look than straight, naked, on-camera flash.

The Bag:
As a PJ in the field I’m not much of a bag man. I prefer to keep my cameras out so they’re always ready. And since I don’t carry much else, I just use a waist pack to hold my strobes and transmitter, the EF 24-70mm, and some extra batteries. While the bag itself doesn't hold much, I find it light, quick to access and very convenient; when i'm in the field.

The Cameras:
I carry two bodies. The EOS 1D Mark II N and the EOS-1D. I actually just picked up the Mk2N. It was a friggin steal. $2,000, 8k auctations and practically brand spanking new. SWEET! Anyway, the 70-200mm is always on either the Mk2N or the Classic. Either way, both shoot at a blazing fast 8fps. Most of what I shoot here is done with those pieces of equipment. The Mk2N is great for sports and fast moving subjects, and does exceptionally well in low light. I also really like the 1D Classic, sure it's almost 8 years old, but who cares. The color is good, and like the other 1D cameras it has a APS-H sized sensor with a 1.3x crop factor. Which is why I always have a UWA like the 17-40L on there. I like the pincoushin distortion a lot and that’s why I use the Camera+Lens combo. Gotta be careful with it though — beware the “cone head effect.” If you shoot at 17mm and put people in the corner of the frame they tend to end up looking like cone heads. Not as bad as if I was shooting FF. But I do like the look of really wide photos where there’s so much context jammed into one frame.

The Laptop:
Since the Ka Leo O Hawai‘i is totally digital, the photographers use laptops to process and edit our daily work. Since the advent of digital communication, we can send pictures to the office from the field. So after a football game we can whip out the computer, edit our shots, and send the photos to the photo editor...oh wait thats me! It definitely makes things a lot easier.

Failure...

2008-05-28T16:26:00.003-10:00

Got this off of David Jay's Blog. Wow. It's great. Watch it! :)

Memorial Day

2008-05-27T20:13:00.000-10:00

A memorial day in Hawai‘i nei.
We honor those who gave their lives for peace.
who gave their lives for love.
who gave their lives for liberty.
who gave their lives for family.
who gave their lives for freedom.

Thank you brave soldiers of life and liberty. thank you.

Photos are from the Mayor's Memorial Day Service at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and the Lantern Floating Hawai‘i festival at Ala Moana Beach Park. Photos were taken while on assignment for the Ka Leo O Hawai‘i.

as of late...

2008-05-20T08:40:00.003-10:00

Been kinda busy busy lately. Haven't really had a chance to update this thing. This semester has been a whirlwind of events. I can't wait for the next semester to start...weird huh? LOL.

Here are some photos i recently shot for the Ka Leo O Hawai‘i and the Western Athletic Confernece among other clients.

my day at the lab

2008-05-12T10:07:00.000-10:00

Kenji Yamazaki and other students from ART206 work on finishing their mattes for their final project.Exposure details: Canon SD870IS, 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ASA400 at 4.6mm

So last week, the ART206 Final Project entitled "Body in Crisis" was due. I believe i must've spent at least a good 20-30 Hours in there. Above is a photo of a bunch of us trying to finish out matting on Tuesday night. The day RIGHT before the project was due. I'm going to be totally honest. I really enjoyed the class. I think it was the only class I didn't skip a day this semester. (Definitely NOT a good thing though...) Which is why I think I'm taking ART207 next semester. Stan Tomita is the professor again, and I definitely know hes got a lot that he can teach me. So I look forward to it. John, Cameron, and Gabe will be in my class again next semester. Looks to be a lot of fun. Stay tuned. Once I get a scanner up and running I'm going to try and post the prints I've made in the class.

my goal

2008-04-29T01:54:00.000-10:00

So I was on the POTN forum, perusing through the posts in the Honolulu Hale thread, and i came across a post by PocketNinja.

Here's something interesting for everyone to talk about. What are your goals for photography?

So it got me thinking. What is my ultimate goal? What do i want to do? Every time i think about it, i guess my ultimate goal in photography is to capture and create a visualization of my interpertation the human condition...to continually photography each moment as it comes and document it like writing a history photo-book. Of course along the way there are little steps here and there...i want to shoot concerts, weddings, big events, the state of the state address, the state of the union address, super bowl, the olympics, when the bows go to another college bowl again. I want to be able to go and take photos for some humanitarian organization like Thirst Relief International or the Peace Corps and take photos of places like the Brazilian Amazon. I want to go to iraq and photograph things happening there. I want to travel the world capturing the spirit of the people, the essence of their culture, the depth of their environment. To document things, happenings and occurrences as they happen, so that i may share the here and now with those that come later.

It all stems back to what i said about capturing what i see, and creating a image of that moment frozen in time...back to what i said about capturing the human condition. To be honest its not just the technical stuff of photography that interest me.

While I believe that taking photos of people smiling and posing for the camera is fine. I believe that capturing them in the moment doing something, and making a photo of that is so much more powerful. It captures who they are, and it makes the viewer of the image think about the drama/emotion created from the photo. Who is this person, why is he/she doing what he/she is doing at the time the image was created? What made them do what they did. and so forth. I believe myself to be analytical and someone who is a deep thinker. I like to analyze things, and I believe that my photography reflects that. Like i said in one of my earlier posts, through my photography i seek to change the way you see the world.

Camera Talk

2008-04-24T22:53:00.000-10:00

So I decided to check on the shutter life of my cameras. Much to my dismay, i discovered that according to the amount of times that I've logged how often i;ve reset my memory card on my 20D, the 20D's shutter life should be somehwere around the ball park of 50,000 clicks. the life is around 50-60k.

whereas my EOS-1D is rated for around 100k worth of clicks. I have 131,789 clicks on it.

holy crap its time for a shutter replacement? maybe a sensor cleaning...how aobut just new gear.

i'm accecpting donations. :)