photo.phile: jyoti mau

the drizzly skies hovering over my neighborhood today seemed to brighten while gathering up images for today's photo.phile. i recently became reacquainted with the work of jyoti mau, and found myself blissfully intrigued by the most magical peeks underwater. (fyi: a mu'umu'u heaven invite deserves credit for the introduction.) the oahu photographer also captures the most evocative settings from her travels, and her hollywood series is resonating with me at the moment with its cotton candy skies combined with the twinkle of lights spread far across the city.

i hope you enjoy these glimpses of jyoti's work . . . after all, they were filed away for a rainy day!

{photo.phile notes}

what inspired you to pick up a camera and start clicking?
i can't remember, although i do recall being quite young and feeling something glorious every time i went to longs to pick up my prints. the anticipation was great because i adored looking at these tiny rectangles of wonder. they always gave me more to think about and the surprise of what i was about to behold was purely fun. i loved seeing people and things in photographs, and i appreciated how i could be taken back into specific experiences and moments in a finer way.

with time i developed a sensitivity towards the act of framing a photo and i also found myself becoming more critical of composition. photography seems to have always been a natural extension of innate desires and i continue to be grateful for the satisfaction that i'm given from this simple act.

photography muses that spark your imagination?
years ago i worked for a kind photographer named paul chesley. he has taken hundreds of thousands of images in his career - all prior to our digital era. he worked extensively for national geographic for the past four decades and his images of the pacific and asia in particular are so beautiful. i am very thankful for the time we spent together where i was able to learn, merely through looking at his hundreds of thousands of slides, what can make an image last in one's mind.

also i am always impressed by the work of mario testino. i find his work truly compelling, and it has brought new ideas into my life that i am very thankful for.

kelly [condor]'s work is so carefully thought out and so unique. i have always been inspired by her since the first moment we met several years ago. she's a dear friend and an honest artist. she creates beauty all around her and im always moved to think higher when i see what she's up to.

my sweet mother has an amazing eye. she is naturally gifted in effortlessly seeing things in nature that seem to appear to only her. i truly adore her photographs of our islands. her work makes me appreciate hawaii even more.

favorite island moment caught on "film"?
there are many, but all seem to be of my godchildren at different beaches. probably because for 9 years they have been my most fanciful of subjects here in the islands. a particular image that stands out is from an afternoon where my twin god daughters couldn't stop running their happy little bodies around the vast beach of polihale. their dark skin and hair against the golds of the sand and the whites of the 'ehukai made some beautiful moments.

which camera stays close by for everyday shooting?
my well loved and well used yashica. the one i have now is so magical. thank you keith.

pay it forward with the best photography advice shared with you:
keep taking pictures.

local delights that are a must in your beach picnic basket?
a govinda's guava juice and some apple bananas.

mahalo jyoti!