It still remains my biggest fear about photography.  Do I have permission to photograph you?  The answer is an easy yes, I do.  That doesn't mean I should.

From time to time I encounter people who don't want their photo taken.  Shit, before I got into nightlife, I NEVER wanted my photo taken.   On many occasions, I have denied photographers from taking my photo, for whatever reason.  Mainly because I didn't want to be plastered on Honolulu Pulse, or Nonstop Honolulu.  It's completely understandable and not uncommon at all.  I encounter this about twice a night, and even then, their are some shoots where I can photograph anything but they will be filtered by another photographer to post else where.  All of this sits okay with me, because I just like taking good pictures.  If a person doesn't want to be in a picture, then it doesn't make for a really good shot unless its a candid.

So we raise another point.... candid portraits. Its an important type of shot in any set, because the photographer is able to capture that very moment.  No posing, no making sure the hair is okay, its how the event unfolded. 

All of this leads to ethics.  Is it okay for a photographer to take a photo of someone with out them knowing?  The answer in short is yes, but then you have to show them the shot.  In most cases, they are surprised, and enthusiastic about the photo, but sometimes they immediately request me to delete it.  Both is okay.  I have never experienced anyone getting pissed about me taking a candid shot... they understand what I was trying to do.  When I delete, I show them the notification I get when a photo has been deleted.  

As a nightlife photographer, it is very beneficial to know the crowd, and for them to get to know you.  In my experience, the more comfortable they are with you and your big ass lens, the better shots you will get.  They will feel confident that the photos of them will turn out great.

Marques Wyatt Returns to Hawaii

When I was in high school, my band teacher Vic Izzo used to try to explain to us about what a musical experience is.  "Its not just the sound, though its important, its about how you feel; When the hair on the back of your neck stands up."

Marques Wyatt has once again proven that he is the Master of House.  The night was perfect.  The drinks were being poured fast and proper and the sound quality at Lotus Downtown is second to none.  The crowd wasn't just dancing to the music, they were all in sync with each other as if Marques had some sort of  secret jedi crowd sync button he brought with him from Chicago.

That being said I had a good night and I left really late, too late in fact as I had to work early the next morning.

Be sure to check my facebook page to see the entire set.

I started night life photography back in 2011.  I was sitting at Lotus Downtown sulking in the idea that I had just broke things off with a really special girl.  By this time I had dabbled in nature photography with my dad's old Nikon D100 that he had sent me for my birthday.   My stuff was decent, thanks to a house mate I had who happened to be a combat photographer for the United States Marine Corps.  He had Nikon D700 at the time with a case full of Nikon lenses.  The photo on the left is still one of my favorites from that period of time.
I was approached by a photographer named Ana Medina.  Canon 5d that really caught my interest with a big plastic thing on the top flash (Gary Fong Lightsphere). 

"What is that?"  I asked.

"Its a flash diffuser" Ana replied.

"Who do you shoot for?"

"Dosomethingtonight.com"

I then whipped out my phone and showed her my photos of flowers, bugs and lizards.  I was thrilled, she liked my work! 

She said "Come shoot with me next week."

"What?! No, no, I don't shoot people, I'm way too shy for that." I hesitantly replied.

"Just bring your camera next week, I'll show you how."

So I did.  She tricked me, well... maybe not... but I didn't JUST bring my camera, I ended up shooting, and I liked it and made new friends.