Since joining the Eyes of Hawaii photography club in Honolulu, several people were asking me about what it was like to live in Ecuador. Being a photography club, I decided the best way to explain it was by creating a slide show / video for them. In looking over our photographic resources from our living […]
Video – Toraja
I created this video / slide-show for our Honolulu photo club (Eyes of Hawaii), to show them what we experienced when visiting Toraja this past Summer. This was a culture that is beyond anything we have ever experienced before, or even expected to still be active in the 21st century. I am not sure I […]
Hukilau Reenactment
The Hukilau event in La’ie last Saturday was staged for a documentary film on the shaka gesture. Volunteer photographers were recruited and provided with a shot list that may be used for the documentary produced by Bizgenics in association with Henry Kapono, a Hawaii legendary performer and song writer, who was nominated for a Grammy […]
Blues on the Bay Air Show 2022
The Blue Angels, the elite US Naval flight demonstration squadron, showcased their exceptional precision flying skills, and were the headliner at the air show at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) this past weekend. They have not flown over Kaneohe Bay in Oahu for seven years. The airshow was also celebrating the centennial of the […]
Indonesia 28 – Toraja 7 – Grandpa’s Last Party
This is the last big party before the spirit of the deceased ascends to heaven in the village of Kandeapi, in Toraja, South Sulawesi. Once the burial is complete, the sprit is finally released. It was a festive occasion, with the friends and family carrying the deceased in the procession from the festival site to […]
Indonesia 25 – Toraja 4 – Pig Heaven
Toraja society is organized along a strict caste system. The person’s caste, or class, is inherited through the mother, and it is strictly forbidden for a woman to marry a man of lower class. The noble, or upper class, is considered to be descended from a person who descended from heaven. When someone of the […]
Indonesia 23 – Toraja 2 – Raising the Dead
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First off, we apologize for the amount of text in this blog post. Please read it all though. Torajan funerals are very complicated affairs that are likely completely foreign to anything you have ever seen or even considered. Without understanding some of this background, none of the photos or video will make sense. Funerals in […]
Indonesia 20 – Bali 11 – Tanah Lot Sunset
Before leaving Bali, we decided to visit Tanah Lot Temple, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations with more than 9,000 visitors daily. Tanah Lot is still an active pilgrimage site, and there were thousands of people bringing offerings and praying at the temple. It is also one of the best locations for […]
Indonesia 17 – Java 7 – Ramayana Ballet
We frequently appreciate seeing the cultural activities of the countries we visit. While in Java, Indonesia, we attended the masterful Ramayana Ballet in Yogyarkarta, which is considered a highly stylized dance form. This Javanese ballet combines music, dance and drama, and is performed outdoors with the base of the ancient Prambanan Temple as the back […]
Indonesia 16 – Java 6 – Bromo Village
After we were refused entry to the Yadnya Kasada Festival, we searched for alternative activities, since we could not enter the festival boundaries. The local guide asked permission for us to attend the Reception Night, where East Java governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, the first woman governor in Java, would be attending. She was being inaugurated […]