Maui Photo Festival Update

Maui Photo Festival & Workshops

PO Box 185, Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, 96732-8865

 

Press Release for Immediate Release

Contact: Event Director Terrie Eliker 808-283-8438 or

              Marketing Director Barbara Santos 925-560-1403

 

 

 

New Developments at the Digital Photography Event You Can't Miss—

The 2009 Maui Photo Festival & Workshops

September 16-20, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa

 

July 1, 2009--Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii—New developments have come to light for the Maui Photo Festival and Workshops. Newly added presenters include Lori Barbely (ISLANDS magazine photo editor); Scott Bourne (nature photographer/digital media entrepreneur); Andy Katz (travel photographer and Sony Artisan of Imagery); Eli Reed (Magnum Agency photographer and Olympus Visionary); Dane Sanders (wedding photographer and author of Fast Track Photographer); and Jim Sugar (National Geographic photographer and master of the Nikon Creative Lighting System). The festival just added more optional photo excursions such as Traveling to Turtle Town (an underwater photography dive with David Fleetham) and a preconference—The Pirate Project—where Dr. Russell Preston Brown of Adobe Systems will lead his crew of attendees from concept through finished movie poster. There will be a free-to-the-public lecture on travel photography techniques given by Rick Sammon…and more is on the way. Maui Photo Festival session samplings and event schedule overview can be viewed at www.mauiphotofestival.com.

 

The Maui Photo Festival & Workshops event will bring world-class pro photographers and masters of the digital darkroom to one of the world's most photogenic destinations: Maui. The event will be held this September 16th-20th, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa on Kaanapali Beach.  Complete details and online registration are available at www.MauiPhotoFestival.com.  

 

The Maui Photo Festival presents a blend of classroom sessions, location shoots, real-world assignments and hands-on photo excursions led by professional photographers. Organizers plan a series of event-long photo competitions for both amateurs and pros. Each evening at the Maui Photo Festival’s outdoor big-screen theater on Kaanapali Beach, attendees will view the images and hear the stories of presenting photographers; learn the latest digital darkroom techniques from the sponsors; and check out the images shot that day and entered into competition.

 

In addition to the newly added presenters already mentioned, Maui Photo Festival & Workshops presenters also include Canon Explorers of Light Jack Reznicki, Rick Sammon and Eddie Tapp; former aerial combat photographers Stacy Pearsall and Andy Dunaway; award-winning portrait photographer Judy Host; Senior Creative Director at Adobe Systems Incorporated Russell Preston Brown and Adobe Senior Digital Imaging Evangelist Julianne Kost; international  fine art photographer and founder of the Pacific Center of Photography, Michael Gilbert; Maui's own fine art photographer Randy Jay Braun; advertising, fashion and architectural photographer Lou Freeman; commercial, editorial and fine art photographer Tony Novak-Clifford; celebrity portrait photographer David Rose; Waimea Bay shorebreak surfing pioneer and photographer Clark Little; international underwater photographer David Fleetham of Hawaii; and more to come. The most up-to-date listing of presenters can be found at www.mauiphotofestival.com.

 

To get a better idea of the overall quality of this event—and the Sweet Light Photo Safari in particular—see a course description below. The organizers intend to have Maui be just as big a star as the presenting pros. Each day will start with optional golden-hour excursions to some of the most beautiful landscapes and seascapes in the world — including a trip to the top of a volcano — to shoot some of the most spectacular sunrises. It should be noted that golden-hour and afternoon excursions are priced separately and may have limited availability.

 

The four-day festival registration fee of $695 includes an opening reception with pupu (appetizers) and no-host cocktails; three full days of morning keynotes, classroom sessions, and extended afternoon sessions; three more evenings in our outdoor Paradise Cinema on Kaanapali Beach, and a special Sunday wrap-up session. Registered attendees will also be able to choose from a list of optional golden-hour and afternoon excursions. 

 

For optimum one-on-one interaction, attendance is limited to 350 photographer attendees. The exquisite location for the event—the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa—is offering a special Maui Photo Festival room rate (that is too low to publish). All photographers are welcome to sign up for the email newsletter to find out the room rate, special discounts, and when new presenters or excursions are added. Go to www.mauiphotofestival.com for complete information about the Maui Photo Festival & Workshops, including an up-to-the-minute list of presenting professionals and new activities as they are added. Registration is available online or by calling (925) 560-1403. For more information about the event or sponsorship opportunities, call (808) 283-8438. 

 

 (pau)

 

2009 Maui Photo Festival & Workshops sponsors include:

 

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa,

ISLANDS Magazine, The Maui News,

Adobe Systems, Canon, Epson, Nikon, Sony,

Breathing Color, PocketWizard, Profoto, Booth Photographic, Graphic Authority, LIghtcrafts, Nik Software, Quantum Instruments, Mitsubishi, Pictorio and x-Rite,

 County of Maui and the Hawaii Tourism Authority

 

 

 

* Sweet Light Photo Safari:
From 9AM-5PM, on September 16th. Learn how to control and master natural lighting to create beautiful and dynamic portraits. Judy Host and Eddie Tapp will share their expertise and tips of how to “see the light,” the best natural light with emphasis on understanding light quality. The day will start in classroom with a slide show and detailed instruction. Then the group will split in two to accompany either Judy or Eddie for the location shoot. Later we’ll return to class to learn some of the latest software retouching techniques. Students will work with models and each other to generate exciting images. $150  

Note: This safari is a snapshot of their 5-day Sweet Light Safari workshop that sells out at $1100 each time they present it in Hawaii so this is really a sweet deal for Maui Photo Festival attendees!

Summer Is For Slacking....

... slacking from the blog, that is. Those of you that tune in here on a regular basis will note my consistent lack entry-making of late. The truth of the matter lies on two fronts... 

First, I'm happy to report that suddenly I'm busy again. The last few weeks have seen an increase in work commissions. We've recently shot new images for opening collateral pieces for the new luxury spa in the Kapalua Resort. Editorial pieces for several lifestyle & arts publications have come in & been completed, there is a five day architectural project on the books to begin production starting on monday of next week and restaurant images for a re-branding campaign at a major south shore resort to start the following week. All in all a good sign for things to come. Cautious optimism remains the operative mode around the studio. 

Secondly, as you will note from my entry last week, I did some unexpected traveling. That entry was actually made in the Las Vegas airport while waiting to board a flight to Hawaii. Thank God for the cities that provide free wi-fi in airports for travelers. Got that Maui & Honolulu? Let's get on the program!

The images we made several months ago for the band, The Throwdowns, is suddenly now appearing everywhere I look. From posters promoting future gigs to the cover art of the recently released new EP/single. Known mainly as a food, still-life & architectural photographer... the new exposure to the local music scene is gathering attention and I have tentative deals to shoot more local music acts such as Mojomana and a couple of other acts. This is all great news to me as it provides an opportunity to flex creative muscle largely unappreciated by my resort clients and also brings a new sense of fun to the work. 

The image below was captured during a recent editorial foray into the historic Iao Theater, home of local theatrical company Maui Onstage. Having worked previously in an earlier life as a production tech for rock & roll acts, I love wandering around theaters, especially old ones. The Iao is located just a block from my studio, yet in almost thirty years, I've managed to avoid spending much time there. Thanks to this assignment, I was given run of the place for a couple of hours and my favorite shot of all is this one taken backstage. 

In other news... we lament the demise of Kodachrome film. It did give us "nice bright colors", as Paul Simon wrote. 

We also welcome new & sorely needed leadership at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in the form of Art Vento, former longtime General Manager moving up to the top position, along with Teri Freitas Gorman, former Director of Corporate Communications at Maui Land & Pineapple Company. Art & Terri now act as Co-Ceo's at the MACC. For myself and many others, this is welcome news. Congratulations guys... you can call me again.

A Tribute To A Life Lived Fully

Loss is a very hard thing to deal with. Loss of a loved one even more so.

My maternal grandmother would have been 100 years old on August 12th of this year. She was a strong & independent woman, much admired & respected by everyone who knew her. She outlived three husbands, all of her siblings & most, if not all of her friends.

A few weeks ago, she became very ill from an infection in her foot. She was treated at the hospital but treatment was unsucessfull. Last week her doctors recommended she be transferred to the local hospice in Little Rock, Arkansas. Members of my family called and suggested I catch a plane ASAP... no one knew how much longer she would last. I caught the first available flight to Arkansas last Thursday morning. Mamaw left while I was enroute somewhere between Seattle & Houston. She was buried Monday.

I miss her.

Here's to you Elsie Veazey Jacoway (1909-2009). You enriched our lives and set the bar high.

Photography, Rock & Roll, Film

The Maui Film Festival opens tomorrow and runs through June 21st at various venues & theaters around the island, culminating each evening with the top film picks projected in the Celestial Cinema on the golf course in Wailea. A giant screen erected on the grassy course, complete with massive, portable Dolby® sound system, this is an opportunity to bring beach chairs & blankets & beat the heat as you spread out under the stars each evening to view the best of the best of this year's crop on new film offerings from Hollywood and independent studios alike.

Of particular interest to me is a film screening on thursday evening at 8:00pm.

Rock Prophecies documents the 40 year career of music photographer Robert Knight, a former Honolulu resident, who has travelled the world photographing the biggest names in Rock & Roll and discovering the next wave of guitar talent. To find out more about the film and to order tickets online, click here.

Here's a trailer to the film to wet your appetite:

Hot Summer Nights

Yes, summer is upon us. Summer in Hawaii means Obon Festivals at all buddhist shrines & temples around the islands. This is a welcome opportunity to get out at night, to beat the heat and to meet with other friends & community members for an evening of fun, dance, spectacle and food. You don't have to be buddhist or even religious to take part in the fun. Regular participants will be more than happy to show you the ropes and encourage you to join in. The dance is quite simple really and once or twice around the center tower and you will be an expert.

For a brief decription of the Obon Festival, see last July's blog entry here. You'll also find a few pictures of Obon festivities at Lahaina's Jodo Mission at Mala Wharf. The Jodo Obon is my all time favorite as it also is the only Maui shrine/temple that holds a floating lantern ceremony before the dancing begins. This year's Obon at Lahaina's Jodo Mission is scheduled for Friday evening July 3rd. The lantern floating ceremony begins just after services at approx. 8pm with dancing, food & fun to follow until late into the night.

A complete schedule of Obon activities throughout the state can be found here.

The kids pictured above broke out in spontaneous hula-hooping during last weeks First Friday street festival on Market Street in Wailuku. First Friday is held, obviously, on the first friday of each month and features lots of live music, arts & crafts booths, food, great restaurants and lots of fun. The cops have even now begun closing down market Street for the past two events, making it seems even more like a great street fair/block party.

Business As Usual?

Chase the Light is pleased to announce that the recent inactivity here at the blog has been the result of a sudden flurry of assignments photographing outdoor luncheons at sewage treatment facilities, turning heavy-equipment construction sites into serene, oasis's of wellness, investigating the steamy side of the $200 per assignment editorial fee, pawning the trusty Nikormat to cover Generous John, the rep's 35% cut & fending off corporate legal teams hell-bent on demanding signatories on boiler-plate right's grabs templates. All in a day's work for today's busy image makers. 

Playlist For Tuesday, June 2

Playlist for Tuesday, June 2nd's Academy of Errors radio program, 6-10am every tuesday morning on listener supported Manao Radio, 91.5 FM and with live streaming via the internet here.