I apologize for my lack of posts lately, I've been swamped with photography work. When I'm not shooting, I'm planning/designing the next shoot.
One of the big events was a photoshoot in Hilo with some visiting models. The models were imported by another photographer, who kindly let me borrow them for the day (thanks Theodore!). Mike Lane flew in from Kentucky, Mattchu from Vegas and Rachel from Honolulu.
My photo adventure began with an early morning flight at 5:00 am. Half-asleep, I checked into my hostel and spent a half hour walking through Hilo town scouting for locations. After a quick breakfast with everyone, we set out for our first session at a nearby beach.
Unfortunately the weather was not the best. Rain and chilly winds greeted us at the beach, but that's Hilo for ya. Big kudos to Mike & Rachel for standing in the rain in relatively skimpy bathing suits for the 50's retro shoot. It was also my first time doing hair on a female myself because my makeup artist Mish could not join me for the trip. Rachel and I collaborated to get the victory rolls in her hair. In spite of our weather woes, the shoot went great. I had an umbrella casualty, forcing me to bid adieu to yet another piece of equipment. At least it was put to good use before it was tossed.
The next shoot was of Mattchu in a pair of overalls I'd been dying to use since finding them. Unfortunately, the perfect location was alongside the Hilo Farmer's market, so we had a couple gawkers during the shoot. Being a model means being unabashed and Matt pulled it off effortlessly. After a quick wardrobe change, we tackled a schoolboy shoot on the sidewalk, which is where we took that behind the scenes photo.
The final set was a 1970's inspired look. Mike wore a unique orange shirt and mustard pants combo I had set aside specifically for him. Ironically, Mike's outfit was purchased entirely from the women's section ha! Rachel wore a very retro muumuu I had in my collection for a while. The historic Palace Theatre served as the backdrop for our final session of the day.
Afterwards, we took the time to play tourist. We enjoyed some shaved ice and drove to Rainbow Falls. We even stopped at an international Pow Wow they were having. Mattchu and Rachel are part Native American so they joined in the dancing festivities while I shot candid photos of them. It was an interesting way to end our day.
We rewarded ourselves with some great food and drinks at a local bar and then it was time for my return flight home. Yes, I stayed in Hilo for approximately 14 hours. It was quite a whirlwind adventure, but well worth it. I not only got some stellar images, but I also made great friends that I look forward to spending time with again!
