Photographer Daniel Honma

When I was at the O-Bon festival over the weekend (see previous post), I ran into a local photographer named Daniel Honma.  What struck me about him was his camera - an old Japanese large format film camera.  In this day and age of near instant digital production, I was perplexed and very interested in Daniel's system.  He has to set up each shot meticulously and he doesn't really know what he'll get until he develops the film.  However, the images he produces using his methods are nothing short of extraordinary.  

The "problem" with digital SLR's today is that everyone is using them.  Photography is now the realm of the layman due to the ease of using digital.  I can literally shoot, edit, process and print a photo in less than 4 minutes using my camera, laptop, software, and printer.  So, any Joe with a modern Nikon or Canon DSLR, no matter how advanced or expensive, produces images that look similar due to shared technology.  Some images from the better DSLR's will look sharper or perform better in low light, but still, the essence of the image is pure Japanese DSLR.

This is not the case with Daniel's images.  Daniel has a dedicated darkroom in his basement and his work  epitomizes the "art" of photography.  You can see some of his work here, here, and here.  I snapped Daniel during the festival over the course of the evening.  


Daniel, do you have a website in which to showcase your work?  I saw your images on display at the Paia Tattoo Parlor and in the Maui Weekly, many of which I can't find on the web, and I thought they were unique and thought provoking.

O-Bon Festival

It's summer in Hawaii, which means it's bon festival time at all the hongwanji temples (jodo buddhism) around the state.  These lantern festivals honor the spirits of departed ancestors, and it is believed these spirits come to visit their living relatives during the summer months.

I went to an O-Bon festival this weekend at the Paia Mantokuji Soto Zen temple.  This was my second one, and all the familiar sights, smells, and sounds flooded the air as people from all over the island came to participate.

Paia Bob

Sometimes finding the best opportunities for photos comes off the beaten path.  While patrolling in Paia, I decided on instinct to meander off of Hana Highway and down one of the side streets into a mini residential subdivision.  I ran into a well known Paia personality named Paia Bob.   A 22-year resident of Maui, Bob is an outspoken Hawaiian rights activist with often controversial points of view.  You can find his videos on YouTube here.

Do I Have To Eat?

I love pizza, but clearly this little guy is more interested in his toy vehicles.  I'm passing by Flatbread Co. in Paia at dusk.

Night Stars

As the night falls on the North Shore of Maui, the first thing I see is the planet Venus.

To see other night stars in the area, one just needs to head to Charley's in Paia.  Here you will find a healthy dose of North Shore nightlife as well as live bands.  Willy Nelson comes here.  

Pickle Mango

Let's say you have a mango tree in your front yard.  Of course the fruit ripens all at once, and since a fully-grown mango tree can give birth to hundreds of mangoes at the same time, you can't possibly consume them all before the fruit rots.  What to do?

Enter a local tradition that goes hand in hand with  food preservation methods dating back thousands of years - pickling of the mango.

"Pickle mango" is simply sliced mango pickled in a chilled sweet brine solution, usually infused with li-hing powder - a tasty plum-like flavoring common in the Islands.  Locals put li-hing on everything - popcorn at the movies, preserved fruits like cherries, gummy bears, you name it.  Li -hing makes everything a bit sweeter and more savory.

This pickle mango stand was set up on the side of Hana Highway right before Paia town.  You will see this very distinctive pickle mango sign all over the North Shore, so if you're in the area and see this call to mango lovers the world over, why not pull over and have a taste of local Hawaiiana?

Holy Rosary Church

On Baldwin avenue near Paia rests the Holy Rosary Church, home to a memorial of Father Damien.  Damien was the Roman Catholic priest that lived on the Kalaupapa peninsula on Molokai, where he cared for and lived with Hawaii's leprosy patients.   Since performing three miracles, the Pope canonized Father Damien in October 2009 creating Hawaii's first saint in the process.

King Kamehameha V, determined to rid Hawaii of Hansen's disease (leprosy), quarantined all those afflicted to the Kalaupapa settlement beginning in 1866.  I've heard stories of early patients literally dumped from the transport canoes near shore and left to swim to Kalaupapa to fend for themselves.

The settlement is definitely worth a visit, although it's best to book a tour in advance.  The peninsula is surrounded on 3 sides by ocean (duh) and the 4th side abuts a very steep, 1,700ft tall cliff face.  Access is difficult.

Funk Plastic on Maui

I was treated to something magical this afternoon in Paia on the way home.  Ladies and gentlemen, please meet Todd Irving, a.k.a. Funk Plastic.  This famous one-man musical phenomenon had people applauding and walking out of Paia restaurants to pay heed to his nationally renown street drumming.

Having just arrived on Maui two weeks ago from the Pacific Northwest where he drummed during Portland Trailblazer games, Funk Plastic's speciality is to use upturned 5 gallon plastic buckets as his  drum set.  Todd sounded spectacular.  I've never heard street music this good in Paia.  Ever.

I chatted with Todd for a bit and he explained to me the finer aspects of his drumming methodology and the science behind aspects such as the sonic differences of hitting the top of the bucket in the center, versus on the rim, versus on the area in between.

I hope he gets a gig in a local venue soon.  For a video of Todd click here, or for more info, just Google "Funk Plastic."

Todd, if you read this, please leave me your e-mail so I can send you pics - joshwbergeron@gmail.com. :)

La'a Kea Community Farm

I've been feeling philanthropic lately, so in the vein of the Maui Food Bank, I want to share with you  a very unique venture called La'a Kea Community Farm.  Maui County's special needs population is around 3,500.  Hawaii's special needs employment rate is 5%, which when compared to the national average of 23% is quite appalling.  So what to do?  How do you help these people out?

Like a hui or a kibbutz, La'a Kea is a farm resting on 12 acres in upper Paia on Baldwin Ave.  I went yesterday and discussed at length with Moki, the Farm Manager.  Currently farming taro and bananas, with plans to plant an assortment of crops such as cacao, herbs, and sweet potatoes, the Farm is an idyllic setting where Hawaii's developmentally disabled adults (example - autistic), can work, live, and learn.  I saw the master plan blueprints and the site will include full-fledged housing lending to a college campus atmosphere.

How did I hear about this place?  An advertisement in the paper for the farm stand - the current "commercial" arm of the project.  It's really not a true commercial operation due to the non-profit nature of the organization as La'a Kea relies mostly on charitable contributions.  For example, Yellow Seed Bamboo donated 100 clumping bamboo plants that Moki stated will serve, in addition to the banana plants, as a natural perimeter windbreak around the vegetable beds. The roadside stand offers local, fresh, organic produce from the farm and other nearby farms at reasonable prices.  Another alternative for local fruits and veggies is a boon for locals and Maui agriculture.

In addition to Moki, I talked with a worker named Ian and a customer, Marilyn Hotta of Paia, let me shoot her.

For more info or to donate, please visit : http://laakea.org/


  

A fantastic location overlooking the North Shore - 12 acres!

Ian and Moki manning the stand

Practicing their shakas

Marilyn looking deliberate

Personification of Paia - a timeline from light to dark

Paia is one of most idiosyncratic and eccentric towns in Maui.  It's also very charming.  Basically a T-shaped village at the intersection of Hana Highway and Baldwin Avenue, Paia sits right near Baldwin Beach on the North Shore.  Its inhabitants can range from surfers, travelers, various youth, and free-thinking spirits.  You must check it out!  The businesses that line its streets vary as well, from eclectic fashion boutiques to tattoo parlors, to trendy restaurants.  There's even a hotel and a natural foods store.

I tried to capture some of this town's magic yesterday, and I think the overcast skies and rain helped.  Here's a selection of shots in chronological order from dusk to sundown.

Aloha Santa - 6:20:25 pm

Da Hemp House - 6:23:33

Exhale - 6:25:20

Got Drugs? - 6:26:43

Passing Through via Alaska and Seattle - 6:29:34

Puka Puka - 6:33:49

Fish Market Rush - 6:49:06

Hanging Below the Parlor - 6:51:43

The Intersection - 6:54:39

We Scream for Gelato - 6:58:29

Mambo Noir - 7:11:09