Time is not your friend - I flew to Honolulu with @_ilamac_ to be a part of @treehousehawaii 10th anniversary aka 10 years of analog celebration. I did a photo walk with them and @thefindlab and last night I presented along side some other photographers who also have had long careers of shooting film. I decided to not try and book any work while I was here so I could really spend time with Ila. We stayed in the heart of Waikiki and it reminded me of the last time I did this. Her 6th grade field trip at Hauula Elementary where they spent the week in Waikiki for Career Week and I chaperoned (basically documented the week). We visited all these places and people to see what they do for work. This was 5 years ago. My kids have grown up with me and a camera pointed at them. It’s normal to them. They’ve seen me work and even assisted me before. But they’ve never seen me teach or present to a crowd even though I’ve been doing it for over a decade. Except for last night. I shared three personal projects all shot in Hawaii: Pearl Harbor, Kahuku Football, and Mauna Kea. I spoke to the importance of personal work, how it’s the only way you’ll get better as a photographer. How at the end of your career you shouldn’t just have photos of you chasing a white dress or someone else’s kids. How personal work can make a difference in the world through your images & how your story is only as good as your access. Everyone, & I mean EVERYONE, has specific access to utterly unique stories that they could only tell due to the trust granted from said access. There were a lot of people in the room but I was there to talk to Ila. To show her what I do and why. After my presentation we had tintypes done. Memorializing what she looks like now at 17. Which is a stark contrast to the almost 12 year old in these photos. I feel like I got to take her on my career week. See what dad does for a living which has been priceless. It’s been a wild juxtaposition of that 11 yr old from May 2017 to the 17 year old of now. I’m still using my camera to fight my nemesis, time. #rolleiflex #ektarpushed2stops #hp5pushed3stops #thefindlab