Hawaii and a quest for authenticity
Entry #1
*This is NOT a travel blog, so let’s get that out of our systems right from the beginning. This is also not a polished product, so please keep any grammar or spelling corrections to yourself; honestly I couldn’t care much about grammar or spelling as long as whatever is written is legible. You could say this is a random spewing of thoughts from a 28-year-old who has had a few unique life experiences and happens to occasionally be in unique locations. For example, I wrote this while sitting by a pool, drinking coffee in Ecuador.
Although I highly doubt that writing again (or “blogging”) will reach mass-scale and help my aspirations of being an independent creative, I figure that my recent life decision to travel much of the world at least deserves some sort of documentation. Not only that, but it will allow me to share some of the photos and videos I take along the way in a less repulsive format than social media. I actually used to write often throughout college, mostly about entrepreneurship and some small endeavors I was undergoing, so this already feels like a nice journey into the past. Somehow those blogs got erased when I transferred over my website, so here’s me starting again.
A blurred horizon near Pipeline on the North Shore of Hawaii. This is one of my favorite photography techniques.
Before moving onto Hawaii, I’d like to quickly comment on the current state of social media and why I refer to it as “repulsive” in the previous paragraph. Apologies if I sound like a disgruntled old man during this short segment…
What used to be a healthy mixture of cat videos, regular people sharing life updates, and creatives sharing honest work, social media now seems to be highly saturated with pranks, cringy dances, photography “trends”, and soulless hype videos. It seems like everyone is now a “photographer”, “videographer’’, and “artist” just because they own a nice camera and make a 12 second video to a remixed version of John Bellion’s “All Time Low”. Believe me, I’ve made my fair share of bull-shit cringy videos, but I recognize the issue and am trying to be better. Also, I’m obviously aware that exceptional photographers and videographers do exist on social media, but it seems the trend is going further and further away from legitimate, authentic content.
Recently on a plane ride from Mexico to Ecuador I went on an Anthony Bourdain “Parts Unknown” binge. I suppose that if I could summarize my hope for content I might be able to produce one day it would be something along the same vein as that show. I love how Anthony brings his viewers with him into the locations he visit and the meals he shares. I love the rawness behind his presentation from his occasional shy personality to his laughs with guests. I love how the program makes an effort to tell real and meaningful stories of the people around them in the locations that they visit. I also like how they clearly depict the good and the bad of a location with an effort to highlight some of the more difficult situations. Traveling isn’t all about glamour like social media might suggest.
A group of Humpback Whales coming up for air along the North Shore of Oahu. Two helicopters caught in frame in the upper left; likely from the USMC as there is a base nearby.
Now a quick summary of Hawaii as that was the first stop in my travels and subsequently part of this title. I recently had visited Hawaii not long before this trip and scheduled to go back mainly because I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do post military. In retrospect I’m glad I did because it gave me some additional opportunities for photography, I met some good people, and it allowed me to ease into the solo travel life before the following legs. I’ll give you 5 bullet points from Oahu and 5 from Maui. First Oahu:
Stayed near the North Shore with friends and shot most of the surrounding areas.
Swam at GasChambers (just adjacent to Pipeline) in fairly large waves for two hours taking photos with friends.
Dove with Galapagos and Sandbar sharks off the shores of Haleiwa in open water; always a rewarding experience.
Hiked nearly every day including a few memorable ridges and Ka’ena Point on the Northwest side of the island.
Paddled out to a small island on a surfboard in the rain and hiked it barefoot.
Now Maui:
Caught the end of whale season and saw groups of Humpback Whales compete for mating rites.
Drove the Road to Hana with a local Hawaiian I met my first day at a shaved ice shop.
Experienced the good and bad of hostel life for the first time with some positive friendships, a few somewhat sketchy drugged out hippies, one nice accommodation and one extremely hot and humid dorm room.
Made a genuine connection with another photographer from Armenia and traveled parts of the island with him.
Saw a plethora of turtles as they are very common on the island.
Obviously Hawaii is beautiful, this goes without saying. I visited this time with some consideration that maybe I could live there, but after being there again I’m not sure it’s for me long-term. Either way, I’m glad I visited a second time. I’d be curious to experience as few of the other islands as I feel each one is unique.
Hopefully this little rambling had some form of value and I’ll write again next week about Mexico. If you thought this was worth a few minutes of your time and would like to hear more of me, sign up to the email list below. I’ll start sending out these posts via email when I write them so you’ll be the first to be notified.
Also if you’re interested in purchasing any of these photos let me know. Some are already offered, but contact me directly if you have a request.
Onwards and upwards.
Ben
A little video I made the last time I was in Oahu. Nothing crazy, just some nice clips.
