To The South

The Big Island is a vast little place; a stunning land thousands of miles large, containing more variety than the Hilton Waikoloa breakfast buffet, which is also the best breakfast buffet I’ve ever tried.

Another favorite of mine on this incredible island of ours is the district of Ka’u, home to such sights as the Green Sand Beach, the southern-most point in the USA, and the ever-popular black sands of Punalu’u. But the district is also home to many great memories for me — it’s the district where my family and I most often pitch our tents and camp for the weekend, down on quiet, remote beaches accessible only by 4×4, local knowledge, or both. Ka’u is a place of family, history, beauty, country and tradition. The coast is a wild one, unforgiving, but full of life and nearly pristine of major development. Upland, up mauka, is a wonderland of dense jungle, secret waterfalls and small, old towns. There’s a quiet power to this place, like the tail end of a thunderstorm, reverberating its history off the slopes of Mauna Loa.

So when the Braun family, who live in Hilo, wondered if we could do a session down that side of the island, I instantly said yes.

Of course, I wasn’t enthused just because of the prospect of shooting in Ka’u. It was also because the Braun fam are such nice, easy-going and adventurous people! We had a great time back in 2012, and this session was even better.

And just like last time, we busted out the bow for a few minutes and got some epic shots. Monsieur Braun is actually a pretty accomplished competitive archer, and it was great to see him in his personal element. It reminds me of my own little dream to someday shoot a family who loves Star Wars, all dressed up as Star Wars characters.

Thanks so much to the Braun family for an awesome session! And thank  you to you for reading. 🙂

– Jim