my grandpa osaki built my house about 60 years ago. it’s strong, well built, and has a lot of heart. my pipe just broke yesterday and as i was under the sink fixing it, i had deja vu. about 30 years ago, i came to this very same house to help my grandpa fix the sink. i remember him going under the sink as i was passing him the tools. i felt like he was right there passing me the tools. i learned a lot by just watching him and that’s the only reason i can fix anything these days. he taught me by doing things, i learned by watching. my grandpa was a great teacher and a great grandfather. just that deja vu moment yesterday gave me one of the best feelings in the world. gosh, i miss my grandpa osaki.
being a photographer, diver, surfer, and traveler isn’t as easy as you think. from charging batteries, to cleaning, to adjusting things takes time. it’s a relaxing time for me and i love it! but guarantee, i will forget something. haha.
as a photographer, i’ve had about 10 cover shots published, 4 books, and hundreds of other photos that were published in editorial magazines and books around the world. but the biggest accomplishment of my photographer career just happened. ESPN is the biggest sports company in the world and their site gets millions of hits each day. now, millions of people from around the world will see a photo i took. it’s on “The Best photos in Action Sports” for the month of may. to send photos to them and get selected is one thing. that, i didn’t do. they found one of my photos and wanted to feature it. that is another. if i quit being a photographer today, i am totally satisfied. but no, that’s not me, i want more, more, and more!
the photo they used is a photo i took of legend snowboarder Taro Tamai on a tiny deserted island in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Taro-san passed by me, i dove down and took a photo of what it looks like from underwater. everything turned out perfect!
**CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ESPN BEST PHOTOS OF MAY. THANK YOU ESPN!
