So, if you’re not completely familiar with `olelo Hawai`i, my name and business name might be unfamiliar. It’s not a very common Hawaiian name and frankly, it’s not even my first name. It’s a part of my middle name, Keaomalamalama. My parents carried out the local tradition of giving your child an odd first name, thus compelling me to insist that my real and only name is Keao (kay-ow). Only those who have known me for longer than fifteen years and were present for my five most embarrasing life moments still refer to me by my first name. Oh, and my parents, but I figure they can call me whatever they like. They earned it. And yes, I gave my daughter an English first name and Hawaiian middle name too. I like tradition. But I am hoping she sticks with her first name, I happen to like it.
I loved hearing how my parents named me. I inherited my middle name from my grandmother. She was a wonderful, quiet woman and my fondest memory is seeing her sitting on her living room floor with the daily newspaper spread out in front of her. She worked the graveyard shift at Aloha Airlines but she didn’t fall asleep until she had gone through the morning news. That is the picture of her I carry with me when I think of her.
Keao is one of the Hawaiian words for “light.” I find it so fitting that now as an adult, I find myself with my camera in hand chasing that beautiful light. When I was a kid growing up in the small sugarcane town, Honoka`a, on the Big Island, we didn’t travel much. But my dad had a subscription to the National Geographic and I would just pore over the pages filled with stunning images that allowed me to glimpse into lives and cultures all over the world. Images just jumped off the pages at me. I dreamed of being a photographer for the National Geographic but, alas, I figured out that it probably required a lot of travel and I’m happiest at home. Instead, I followed my other dream and studied molecular biology but I will always remember that childhood dream. I’ve never been good at painting or drawing so I was thrilled when I discovered I was able to create something beautiful and artistic with a camera. I love the creativity of being able to show everday life as extraordinary. As you can probably see from above, I don’t have a lot of experience in front of the camera. I tend to be the one behind the camera, that’s home to me. And I strive to make my clients feel at home in front of the camera.
Thank you so much for taking time to find out a little about me. I’d love the find out more about you!
Keao Sunaoka
Owner and Photographer, Keao’s Photography
