Panoramic Series #5: The Beauty of Forests

I wanted to parallel the beauty of two very different forests with this series of panoramas. On the left is what I believe to be a banyon tree. I came upon this tree while hiking the Jack Ass Ginger trail.

On the right is a panoramic that I shot in Big Sur while adventuring a flooded creek off Nacimiento Ferguson road with my brother. The beauty of the red wood forests is something that is had to parallel but I think the jungles of Hawaii come close.

Panoramic Series #4: Kaipuu and Mahiai St.

Balancing the city lights and the evening sky was a challenge for this shot. I watched the sky for a number of nights to get the right moment. Finally I decided that the moment was going to be non-other than when I just went out and started shooting.

We live down the street to the right. Just above the Nissan truck on the 2nd floor with the light on. Life in the city of Honolulu has been treating us well.

Panoramic Series #3: Sunset over Diamond Head

I shot this on my way home from work one evening. We are looking towards Diamond Head from Hawaii Kai. It is really cool that I caught the sun setting this particular evening because the sun is no longer setting over Diamond Head today since Winter is bringing the Sun's course across the sky further South.

Musical Beginnings

I started playing the acoustic guitar in high school thanks to an old friend Tim Zuni who showed me the ways. I have since fallen for my sweat six-string and bring her with me almost everywhere.

Another passion of mine that began to take root in high school was digital photography. I had shot with film previously for a few years, thanks to my dad, who would let me use his old equipment. For graduation my grandma told me that I could either get a class ring, or put the money towards my first digital camera. There was no decision to be made, just a DSLR to be found. This was one of the first digital images that I took with my Nikon D70. I really thought it was neat looking back at the beginning of two passions that have come along way with me through life, or at least what seems like a long way 21 years of life.

Panoramic Series #2: Sun Sets Over Honolulu

Both of these panoramic images were taken from near the top of Tantalus Road above Honolulu.

I shot this wider panoramic initially, but I wanted to also get a shot that really emphasized the honolulu city lights. I had to wait for a while get the perfect balance between the sky at dusk and the city lights.

North Shore Waves at Rock Pile

After leaving the skate park on the North Shore of Oahu, there were some good sized waves breaking at Rock Pile beach. These may no look that big from so far away, but I am looking down on them. I could feel the rumble of the ground through the car tires when some of the wave would break on the beach.

I will get some shots of real huge barrels later in the Winter as the real waves start rolling in.

Panoramic Series #1: Kailua Sunrise

Recently I have become fascinated with creating panoramic images. Often times I am stitching anywhere from 4 to 9 images together to generate on final panoramic. What I have grow to love about this technique is the profound impact am image can have when such a vast perspective can be taken in all at once. This is the beginning of an on going series of posts of the panoramic photographs that I have created of the beautiful world we live in.

Kailua Sunrise - This was the first time I watched the sun rise out of the Pacific Ocean, 9/9/10 three days after we arrived on Oahu. It was amazing the way all of the clouds lit up the sky before the sun was even visible on the horizon with beautiful blues, pinks and yellows. There was no way I could take in all of that amazing sunrise in one shot, I tried, so I settled on these 8 to do the moment justice.

Finalist in 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest

I was shocked when I got the email that this image had made it into the Finalists category of the Photographer's Forum 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest because I had honestly forgot that I had entered. Great surprise! I was able to shoot this on the Kern River with the help of one of my best friends, Brenton Henderson (seen in photo). This was shot as a multiple exposure assignment while studying at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. Using a Calumet 4x5 view camera, I set up on a rock in the midst of the raging Kern. I shot my initial 3 sec. exposure with Brenton in the frame, then had him climb out and I exposed the film for an additional 3 sec., creating a ghost-like effect on Brenton and causing the water to take on a form which could never be observed by the human eye.

Later than evening as we were leaving the canyon, we stopped by the sign at the entrance that warned of how dangerous the Kern can be when it is not given due cation and respect. I parked such that the headlights were illuminating the signs and then composed my camera so that the signs would be exposed on the same part of the film that most of the rushing water occupied. The end result of all this was the triple exposure photograph that you now see. Often times in this digital era such an image would be captured digitally and layered together in post production, but I was proud to have captured all of this on a single piece of film. It is one of the most conceptual images I have ever captured on film and I'm stoked that it has been acknowledged by the judges of Photographer's Forum's 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest.

Santa Clarita A Chosen-Few Contest Photos

On the 4th of Sep. right before we left for Oahu Hawaii, I had the chance to shoot a skate contest in Santa Clarita, CA. A CHOSEN-FEW is organized by skater Quinn Feldman, who has been putting a lot of energy into rollerblading and supporting those who are coming up in the game. ONE magazine used some of my photos and Quinn's words for event coverage. Just doing what we can to make what we love look good.

Anthony Luna / Soul to Fakie


Anthony Willams / AO Porn 540 out

Anthony Williams / Rocket Fishbrain to Fakie

Connor O’Brien / AO Top Soul 450 out

Jeremy Soderburg / Abstract 540

Connor O’Brien / Zeropsin Rocket Fishrain

Jeremy Soderburg / Frontside Air to Fakie

Matt Mickey on the mic.

Mike Dempsey / Backside Unity to Fakie

Rick Rodriguez / Truespin Soul to Top Soul 180 out

Tyler Hester / AO Porn to Switch Miszou to Fakie

Brent Hicks / Fishbrain to Fakie

The second spot was most defiantly a step up from the first. We debated on even having this as a second spot because of how big and difficult it was. But these days everyone wants to skate a bank ledge, so I decided to give it to them. This secret gem is located behind a fence covered with ivy, and honestly there really is no way to find this spot unless you look at just the right moment when you’re driving on the freeway. People were really pushing themselves on this spot. I didn’t get to see all the action because I was running around so much, but what I did see was great. Fabio Enes killed that spot. He laced 270 Back Royale 450 out on the ledge among other tricks, and 450 Back Royaled the steep rail as well. Tyler Hester also enjoyed the steep rail, lacing up a nice Cab True Miszou. Garret Whitney tried Royale transfer Royale to the far rail, which I didn’t even think was possible, and although he got close, he did not land it. He says he will be returning to do it again and landing it. Daniel Rosato was lacing some steezy tricks on it as well. But one of my favorite tricks was Rick Rodriguez’s AO porn because he was one of the only skaters who started at the high point on the ledge (which is about neck high on him).

Anthony Luna / Royale 360 Royale

Connor keeps up the hype.

Garret Whitney / Royale to Disaster Royale Transfer Attempt

Jeremy Soderburg / Backside Fastslide

Matt Mickey keeps everyone in line.

Max Dubin / AO Top Acid

Max Dubin / Soul Gap to Transfer Soul Attempt

Mike Dempsey / Front Torque

Rick Rodriguez / AO Porn from the high section

Rick Rodriguez / Royale to TTS

Taking a breather.

Tyler Hester / AO Top Soul

Winston Wardwell / Sweatstance

Fabio Enes / 450 Back Royale

The final spot was back where we started. It was a big kink rail that no one was too confident about, except maybe Garret Whitney. The reason I picked this as the final spot, besides that it’s a big kink rail, is because it was directly across from the crowded skate park. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the amazing final spot. Even the skateboarders, bmxers and scooter riders came over and joined the crowd. The stuff that went down on this kink rail was epic to say the least. Garret did Top Acid hop Backside Royale, Top Porn hop Backside Royale, Top Acid hop True Miszou, and Top Acid hop Backside Fastslide. Fabio was skating as good as ever on the spot as well, lacing Backside Royale 540 out on the smaller kink and Hurricane Soul on the big kink. Unfortunately, he was injured trying to Hurricane Top Soul the big kink. He slammed his knee into the ground and was unable to continue skating. Anthony Luna probably hit the most tricks of the round with a Sweaty on both the small and big kink, a Top Acid on the big kink, Top Acid hop Back Farv, and a Top Acid hop Backside Torque. Towards the end of the comp this crazy dude started trying to Negative Makio through the kink. Tyler Hester, of course, had the highlight trick of this round which earned him Best Trick at the comp with a perfect Hurricane Top Acid to fakie. He also laced Hurricane Soul to fakie perfectly, and to Top Soul. The final spot overall was epic. The skaters and the crowd were going wild, and and everyone else was in AWE of what was going down.

Anthony Luna / Negative Makio through the kinks

Fabio Enes / Top Soul

Fabio Enes / Hurricane Soul

Garret Whitney / Top Acid Gap to Fastslide

Garret Whitney / Top Acid Gap to AO Miszou

Tyler Hester / Hurricane Top Acid

Thanks to all the sponsors who really came through for this comp with product. I know I say that a lot, but I really appreciate their support. We had an awesome product toss with frames, wheels, liners, hats, stickers, magazines, clothes and everything else you would want to chase and tackle friends for.

The Comp ended at a nice afterparty with a full bar and TVs. We premiered the highly-anticipated Chosen Few profiles of Tyler Hester and Anthony Gallegos. Then the Top 10 were announced by our great MC, Matt Mickey. Prizes and cash were handed out, and the judges decided the top 10 as follows:

1st: Tyler Hester
2nd: Anthony Luna
3rd: Garret Whitney
4th: Rick Rodriguez
5th: Fabio Enes
6th: Anthony Williams
7th: Daniel Rosato
8th: Connor O’Brien
9th: Max Jubin
10th: Jeremy Soderburg
Best Trick: Tyler Hester

Words: Quinn Feldman

Rachard Johnson - Street Artist Signature Wheel Spread

I recently caught up with Rachard Johnson and we shot some photos down in the Long Beach area. I also shot his Street Artist Signature Wheels, courtesy of Matt Mickey at Intuition Skate Shop. Thanks Matt. Dig the Photos, stoked to have added these to the portfolio.

Look for more photos from sessions with Rachard in the near future.