About / FAQ

ALOHA, I’M RAIATEA!

I was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Growing up in Hawai’i allowed me to gain a first-hand appreciation for our waters, forests, mountains, our ‘āina. I found a passion for landscape photography in high school and have had the opportunities to explore our islands and beyond. I graduated from the University of Hawai’i at Hilo with a business degree in 2020 and currently reside in Federal Way, WA.

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FAQ:

What equipment do I use?

Cameras:

  • Sony a6000, Sony a6600, Sony RX100 IV, Sony a7 III

Lenses:

  • Full Frame: Sony 24-105mm f/4, Rokinon 14mm, Rokinon 24mm, Nikon 500mm f/8 Reflex, Olympus 200mm f/5, Tamron 70-300mm
  • Crop: Rokinon 12mm, Sony 18-135mm

Tripods:

  • Feisol CT-3342 legs + Feisol CB-40D ball head: Very well built and versatile tripod. The best feature is that it lacks a center column. I can get it really low, which I do quite often.
  • Slik Pro 723CFL legs + Sirui K-20X ball head – My heavier setup.
  • Sllik Pro 614CF legs  + Sirui C-10X ball head – My ultimate lightweight tripod.
  • Sirui T025X legs + Sirui C-10S ball head – Good all around lightweight setup.

Timelapse stuff:

  • Syrp Genie Mini, Revolve Travel Slider

Filters:

  • Tiffen 3-stop ND filter: Couldn’t shoot seascapes without it. Allows me to get long exposures.
  • Tiffen Circular Polarizer: Makes waterfall photos look really good.

Other stuff:

  • Lighting – Paul C Buff Einstein and DigiBee, Yongnuo YN-560 III flashes, flash triggers, stands, and umbrellas.
  • Bags – Mindshift Backlight 26l, Lowepro Event Messenger 150, Osprey Aether 60 Hiking Bag

Do I photoshop my photos?

Yes, but not quite like what it implies. I use it to blend bracketed photos in situations where my camera can’t capture the whole range of light in a single exposure (sunrises / sunsets). I also use it to selectively adjust the contrast and color. I don’t use it to move or resize objects. I don’t add anything to my images that aren’t already there. If I ever composite my photos, I will mention it in the description. I strive to rely on good compositions and lighting. I can’t make a bad photo look good in Photoshop, but I can make a good photo look great. You can see exactly how I edit my photos here.

What software do I use?

  • Lightroom: Great for organizing my photos, initial photo edits, and editing timelapses.
  • Photoshop: For editing that I can’t get done in Lightroom
  • Premiere Pro: Video editing
  • LRTimelapse: Creating timelapse transitions
  • After Effects: Compiling timelapse sequences, and some special editing