Architectural Commission

The building sits two blocks from the old studio space. Architecturally speaking, it's quite unusual; a turreted, modern, ivy-clad structure rising out of a small grove of palms smack dab in the middle of the town's business, legal & state-county services section. In paradox to it's urban setting, the building also sits at the gateway to lush valley of Iao with it's boulder-lined stream and soaring vertical mountain walls.

An elegant brass & dark marble entrance lobby greets you as you pass through the doors- flanked with arch-topped smoked glass windows rising five stories from ground level on either side. Inside the corridors on each level, you find the familiar florescent lit, plastic hallways. Pass though the rich koa veneer doors leading into the various office configurations and wow... a wall of floor to ceiling windows with views so magically distracting that it becomes easier to understand why the wheels of local government, the building's principal current occupants, turn so very slowly...

The building, built during the orgy of easy money real estate development of the late 80's, had fallen on hard times in recent years. Now under relatively new management, the place is coming back to it's original glory. Thanks to a commission from a mainland-based Capital Investment firm, I had the pleasure of spending a day capturing images of the building inside and out. The budget, number of views required, etc. meant I had to work quickly and with available light only. 

Pleased with the resulting body of work, the client has added another small project that I hope to complete by the end of this week.

Stairway To....

Here we are again in the full thrust of the holiday season... tree trimming, gift shopping and various other seasonal home projects that must be completed in the next couple of weeks before things shut down completely for a week or more during the Christmas & New Year's holidays.

Today has been spent around the studio finishing up the editing and delivery of a couple of projects from last week, finalizing last minute details on a couple of projects online for this week and printing a few images as gifts for family & friends.

One of those projects from last week, an architectural assignment to photograph a beautiful staircase recently installed at the brand new Andaz Wailea Beach Resort, was commissioned by Brooklyn, New York based design, engineering & fabrication firm Workspace 11. 

An amazing bit of engineering, the staircase is built of beautiful, rich bent-wood mahogany of amazing organic form & curvature, now a "feature" showpiece of the resort.

Within hours of uploading the final edit to the client in NY, this lovely email appeared in my inbox:

Thanks Tony

The shots look great!!,  exactly what I was looking for, thank you!

I'll wire the balance to you today

Thanks again 

Best wishes

Thank you! It's notes like that that make my day!

Catching Up - New Tear Sheets

Finally got my hands on a copy or two of the most recent issue of Fairmont Magazine, along with a nice note from the publication's designer. The publication, put out quarterly by a team in Montreal, Quebec, is the corporate magazine of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Internationally. 

Contacted by them late last spring to photograph recent renovations to their Maui property, I am ecstatic to see the results finally in print, a ten page Design Special spread with multiple full-page photo use.

Equally nice was the note received from the designer:

"Thanks for everything. You have no idea how much i love them. I was scared that this story will visually look like a boring hotel article, but this is stunning. Thanks so much."

Always eager to lend a hand to a worthy non-profit group or community organization, I was contacted recently by the Hawaii Chapter of The Make-A-Wish Foundation .  The plan was to capture photographs of young Kenny, a child diagnosed with Sarcoma, and to illustrate his desire to see snow for the first time. The foundation just sent me the latest issue of Honolulu Magazine, sporting a full page, inside back cover ad featuring my photo of Kenny.

Friday Roundup

I'm just back from a five day architectural project photographing interiors and exteriors at the brand new and just opened Ritz Carlton Residences, the complex now occupying the site of the former Kapalua Bay Hotel. Commissioned by Denver, Colorado based Exclusive Resorts, the shoot went just about as well as any I can recall, all aided by the most excellent art director from ER, Justin Parnell... and my new regular assistant, Jeffery Oltman. Big mahalos extended to both of you for lending your talents and for your hard work to make the project a great success..

Speaking of assistants... photographer Chase Jarvis has an entry up at his blog this morning about what he looks for in an assistant. Those of you contemplating working as future assistants would be wise to take a few moments to check it out. I concur with EVERYTHING Chase writes here. Find the entry here.