The Making of a Photo Shoot

Hawaii Visitors' Bureau (HVCB), Maui Visitors' Bureau, and Hawaii Tourism Authority all contributed to hire me for a six day whirlwind shoot of lifestyle and scenic images all over Maui, to promote tourism in the Islands. We had three models, all from Maui: a "haole couple" and their "local" girl friend/guide. This fit in with the Visitors' Bureau theme of locals sharing their islands with visitors.

We sailed to Lanai, shot beaches, hiking, dining, waterfalls, driving shots, shopping, snorkeling, even windsurfing. I shot nearly 3,000 images, and worked like a demon.

We had a great team, with Petra Crosier and Dave Daniels from the successful ad agency MVNP, and Laura Aguon, a talented stylist/hair/makeup artist and a mood maker. Jaci Murakami from HVCB spent several days with us, and graciously allowed me to use her "making of" images here. Kyoko Nakayama, my assistant, business manager, and basically the brains behind my business, made the entire shoot happen. It was good fun working with Dave Daniels, the art director from MVNP, for his interesting ideas on angles and composition, which made the shoot more productive. The team had a sort of synergy, so that we created a better project as a whole.

Here are a few of Jaci Murakami's "making of" photos taken while we were shooting, followed by my images from the same locations.

- Tor (November 27th, 2007)

All photos © Tor Johnson, except for photos by J. Murakami

Tor and Dave on Lanai scouting a kayak shot from the rocks. (photo above by Jaci Murakami)

Resulting photos...

Below: Tor's photo, as seen on Hawaii Visitors Bureau's gohawaii.com website.

Tor shooting Honolua Bay from a ladder, with account executive Petra, art director Dave, model Frank and assistant Kyoko. (photo above by Jaci Murakami)

Resulting photos...

Tor and crew on the Trilogy boat, with Maui in the background. (photo above by Jaci Murakami)

Resulting photos...