photo.phile: dallas nagata white

happy monday! for today's photo.phile, i gathered up a few of the very pretty and romantic pictures from maui-raised & oahu-based photographer dallas nagata white. there is a sweet soulfulness to her photos which made me curious about the girl behind the viewfinder. and, while the island lovelies striking a pose first caught my eye, dallas's all consuming crush for photography captured my attention.

much to my delight, dallas also snaps the occasional polaroid, and, after clicking through her gallery, i discovered she has an eye for both finding and making a moment. dallas credits her yearlong gig assisting local fashion photographer daeja fallas with finetuning her camera chops, and i dare say she is quickly establishing her own style with every click and becoming quite a storyteller with her camera.

you may have caught word of her white twedding last year which set twitter hearts all a-flutter, and, while her hubby was deployed to afghanistan, dallas documented their year apart with a photo-a-day blog (the final welcome home photo, shown below, is très romantique!).

more peeks and a q+a with dallas after the jump!

message in a bottle

dallas & ed

{photo.phile notes}

what inspired you to pick up a camera and start clicking?
my dad was always a photographer, doing mostly nature shots around haleakala national park (where he worked until he retired), but he also has pretty much my entire life documented on slides, prints, and more recently, digital images. i'd used his old nikon a few times in high school for art projects, but it wasn't until my first semester at uh manoa (fall 2004) when introduction to photography was the only 100-level art class with openings that i got my own slr and fell in love with photography. that christmas, my parents got me a digital rebel, and from then on i was constantly shooting.

i'm really happy that i started out shooting film even as consumer-friendly dslrs were starting to become readily available, because using it made me both appreciate its qualities that digital can't quite replicate, and also taught me a lot about getting the best possible image in-camera. however, these days i'm very stingy with my film since processing can be so expensive, so i find myself shooting wild and free with my digitals, but more careful and considered when i am shooting film.

photography muses that spark your imagination?
too many to really name . . . i'm inspired by everyone, including classics like ansel adams and w. eugene smith, local talents like daeja fallas, to new discoveries like one love photo (thanks to your post about them)! every day i'm on my google reader scrolling through the dozens and dozens of photography blogs i'm subscribed to, soaking in all the awesome creativity.

favorite island moment captured on "film"?
i just went and looked through all my portfolio photos, and i've had so many great moments this year! some of the big ones are my military images, because as an army wife with a deployed husband, being a little more involved in the military world with my work meant so much to me. however, one of my favorite spontaneous photos has to be my rainbow wave image, taken on christmas day 2009. it was just a couple weeks after i'd met my husband, and i was back home on maui watching the surf at hookipa with my mom, and i somehow managed to catch a rainbow in the spray!

still, i must say my favorite moment is yet to come, and will be the end of my current year-long daily photo project - the homecoming of my husband from afghanistan.

any simple tricks to share on how to best capture a lovely, evocative shot?
create an image that means something to you, and don't be afraid to be whimsical. some may see things as cheesy, or overdone, but i figure some things are overdone for a reason! shallow depth of field and the golden hour (right before sunset) are always favorites. but no matter what equipment you have or what time of day it is, if it's something that touches your heart, go for it!

which camera stays close by for everyday shooting?
my g11 is always with me no matter what, but thanks to my epiphanie purse that is actually a padded camera bag, it's easy to take along my 5d mark II, no matter how heavy it is! lenses depend on where i'm going and what i'm doing, but i'll usually have at least my 50mm f1.4 on me.

pay it forward with the best photography advice shared with you:
shoot your digitals like you'd shoot film - trying to get the most image data you can. although i can definitely create images in-camera, i'm often exposing with post-processing in mind, making sure i'm getting as much information in both my shadows and highlights. and of course, always shoot raw.

local delights that are a must in your beach picnic basket?
the ginger ono smoothie from lanikai juice, and spicy tuna rolls from wherever is closest!

mahalo dallas!

while her photography services are for hire, dallas is currently on hiatus to enjoy time with her hubby who just returned from overseas. until then, browse her gallery of i do's and 'ohana portraits at d'amour pacific, and click over to the online shop where you can order prints from her portfolio.

aloha friday scoop

the clouds have begun to roll in for this weekend's big rainstorm. perfect weather for catching up with oscar hopefuls before the red carpet rolls out on sunday night!

ARTafterDARK delights your friday night with a bossa nova carnaval, zip tours of modern art, and food by town.

• when: tonight, feb 25th - 6p to 9p
• where: academy of arts, 900 south beretania street
• tix: free for academy members; $10 non-members

two more days to knock 30-to-50% off beds, daybeds and ottomans during fishcake's sleepover event.

• when: now to sat, feb 26th - 10a to 6p
• where: 307c kamani street, kaka'ako

the spring 2011 collection by fighting eel debuts in-store with mimosas for early birds (10a to 12p) and 10% off storewide 'til closing time!

• when: sat, feb 26th - 10a to 6p
• where: 1133 bethel street, chinatown

Click to read more ...

spring forward with tend

hello eco orb!

mainland week is about to come to a close and i hope you were inspired by the kama'aina lovelies sharing a hint of the islands in their adopted hometowns. before we wrap it up, let me introduce you to today's gorgeous find!

while visiting san diego last fall, i spied a mention of tend owner britton neubacher in a local glossie and became curious to find out more about her oahu connection. while dishing with britt over email, we discovered that we lived just down the street from each other in hawaii kai, and possibly crossed paths during after school candy trips to the pantry on the corner.

even before we shared that small world moment, the mini landscapes found within tend's earthy terrariums (known as eco orbs) already had me at hello. since i hope to one day cultivate a green thumb, it seems only appropriate that my gateway to garden nirvana be grounded with a blush of succulents and other botanical delights which are both drought-tolerant and resistant to my ineptness.

i just love how the modern terrariums are an effortless way to bring nature's abundance indoors and can be set on a table top or hung as a floating garden. britt also plants spectacular living walls around san diego, and creates eco-friendly wonders for cali weddings inspired by nearby deserts with the help of succulents, proteas, air plants, and locally harvested flowers.

let's step on the lanai for a few of the fetching possibilities . . .

autumn wedding * desert orb

hitched tablescape

desert i do's

while hawaii friends willing to source plants locally are welcome to order just the fixings, the four varieties of pre-composed eco orb kits with greenery can only be yours if you call the mainland home. until tend's online shop launches later this year, place your diy order at pigment's plant lab or make your way to the north park storefront when in san diego.

price tag starts at $25 with four sizes to woo you. and do say hello to britt if you require loveliness for your home or i do's.

p.s. find glimpses of britt's latest botanical riffs on tending to it (cheekily subtitled notes from a garden hoe), and follow her monthly column on design milk for modern plant musings.

{photo credit: 1-4/scott caligure & 5/sarah yates}

a peek inside general store

it's back to the west coast for today's mainland week discovery. i first happened across a mention of san francisco's general store in sunset magazine last fall which briefly noted shop proprietor & artist serena mitnik-miller's childhood ties to kaua'i. the carefully curated shop, which serena and hubby mason st. peter opened in early 2010, sounded like a little haven for design geeks so the mister and i made our way to its outer sunset neighborhood during our holiday getaway to the bay area.

the spare design of the shop interior combined with the handmade mix of merchandise was a pleasant antidote for my lingering winter cold. within minutes of our arrival, i was delighted that we agreed on the perfect clock (made in japan!) while i happily scooped up the elusive travel size bottle of jasmine scented hair powder along with a pair of pastel washi tape. somehow my wish list had magically manifested on the shelves within the tiny storefront . . . a very rare occurance for me.

with a few crushworthy objects left behind for another trip, i was most impressed with serena and mason's cultivated eye for thoughtfully designed goods. since we are slowly dispensing of no longer loved things in our small space, general store's wares reinforced our notion to live with less and fill our surroundings with well crafted designs that bring happiness to our day.

curious to see more?

wood stamp

malibu

i have also become quite taken with serena's artwork composed of minimalist wood stamp prints and quiet photographs of the sea. low-key and graceful reminders of keiki years spent exploring the islands and her adopted hometown of san francisco. (fyi: a current inventory list is available on request.)

for those not able to pop in and say hello, an edited selection of pieces from the general store inventory can be ordered in the online shop. and, bay area friends are advised to sign-up for the mailing list to stay posted on pop-up events and art openings hosted by the shop.

• where: 4035 judah street, sf
• shop hours: mon to fri, 11a to 6p & sat/sun, 10a to 6p

hour of nine letterpress

hello, hello! mainland week is traveling across the country to nyc today where honolulu designer lehua chong recently established a small letterpresserie called hour of nine. the lovely jeweler misa hamamoto can be credited for introducing me to the eco-friendly paper goods printed on lehua's antique letterpress machine, and i found myself completely charmed by the sweet whimsy of her lovable supermonsters trio.

before hour of nine made its first impression, the former fashion publicist was sending handmade postcards to friends as an old fashioned hello. the lucky recipients were so delighted to find the unexpected notes in their mailbox that lehua became encouraged to start her own stationery line. the debut collection is filled with eclectically inked designs drawing on the twinkle of furry friends and reimagined architectural elements to the ethnic flourish of hindu weddings and makahiki celebrations.

despite being only a few months old, hour of nine has already received coverage in the ny times and made the cut at the standard hotel's gift shop.

intrigued?

brint

taliesin

makahiki

radhika

as hinted above, lehua opted for tree-free cardstock selecting 100% bamboo paper which also happens to be chlorine-free. and, custom orders are always welcome whether you require a full wedding invitation suite to social stationery and business cards.

if you call nyc home, you can find a selection of hour of nine notes at the standard, or click over to the online shop where card sets start at $17.

{mahalo misa!}