remember i did that Fine magazine photo shoot last month? well, all that hard work paid off. yeah, try to get in contact with 8 young surf stars in hawaii and organize a photo shoot in a few days. hawaiian time? yeah, sometimes. but hey, it’s hawaii so it can’t be helped. i know all these kids and i was stoked to work with them, and i’m stoked they all made it into the top teen fashion magazine in japan. good job kids!
this issue is on the stands now so please go pick one up and read what the top 8 surfer kids in hawaii are wearing these days. if you get featured in Fine magazine, you will be instantly famous! i’ll take you behind the scenes for each photo i shot.
left is derek wong. use to be a kewalo grom turned lifeguard. i shot this at a park and thought it would be best to show what this kid wears every day on the job. just like baywatch!!! and yes, derek wong rips! surf photo at secret spot in town. i can’t tell you where.
right side is alyssa wooten. yes, go-naminori blogger, model, surfer, and a girl i knew since 12 years old. it’s great to watch this kid grow up into a fine young business women. i shot this at a secret park on the south/east side. there were actually some aggressive bees in the bushes in the back. surf photo taken at bintang in the mentawai’s by me.
kelia moniz is another go-naminori blogger from the very start. nobody knew her back then, but the whole world knows her now. a roxy icon and living her dream life. and yes, as you know, kelia is my beautiful niece. i shot this at queens. surf shot taken by tammy moniz at queen’s.
buddy wiggins is half japanese and speaks it fluent. super cool kid and good surfer. part of the tony moniz faith surf school crew down there at waikiki. i took this photo right in front of the sheraton hotel. surf shot taken by ryan foley.
barak maor is quiet, humble, and let’s his surfing do the talking. shot this photo in the back of his truck. surfing photo at secret spot. again, can’t tell you where.
alyssa quizon has a few surf champion titles. this girl surfs better than most of the guys here in hawaii. i needed this surf shot of her so i asked her to paddle out, catch a wave, and look in because if i got the shot, we were done. this was her first wave and that’s all i needed. raw talent!
alisha gonsalves is another roxy sponsored girl. grew up with the other girls and knows how to surf! i took this photo at kapiolani park. surfing photo taken by david gonsalves.
matty costa is from the west side. i was scouting ground to shoot near point panic and when i seen this punching bag, i knew this was going to be my best portrait shot. hawaii’s top surfer standing next to a punching bag that says “i am the greatest.” awesome.
wanted to thank Fine magazine for giving me this opportunity. wanted to thank meiko shinomiya for coordinating the project. and wanted to thank the 8 kids involved. hard work pays off and you are all officially either famous, or more famous in japan. as for me? nobody cares who the photographer is anyway. haha.
