Bruce Omori — Resting Honu

About the artist:

Bruce Omori is an international award winning photographer and photojournalist based in Hilo, Hawai‘i. His passion for the craft developed long ago as a childhood fascination with the magical ability of film to freeze a moment of time, and it’s still very much alive as Bruce strives to infuse elements of the moment into each frame… such as emotion, energy, and beauty, with creative use of light and movement. Much of his time is focused upon documenting his obsession, Kilauea’s volcanic activity, as its mesmerizing display of incessant, fiery energy has become a source of his inspiration and creativity. An asthmatic who is allergic to sulfur, he grew up having to stay in the school bus on field trips to the volcano, which spawned a “burning desire” to see lava up close. Now, he’s a full-fledged lava junkie.


After spending 24 years with an engineering firm on Oahu, Bruce kissed life in corporate America goodbye, and moved back to his hometown of Hilo with his family to pursue this passion full-time, and he continues to artistically interpret his view of our beautiful island home through the lens. His images have graced the walls of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, and the Natural History Museum in London, and have been published in numerous newspapers and magazines across the globe. He and his wife, Sheryl, own and operate Extreme Exposure Fine Art Gallery in historic Downtown Hilo.

Message from the artist:

“Born and raised on the Big Island, I took a lot for granted, as I was terribly oblivious to much around me… the beauty of our landscape, our exotic native plants and animals, and the wonderful people who call Hawai‘i, home. Only as I moved to “da big city” of Honolulu has my love and appreciation of our islands grown. Sitting in traffic, standing in lines, and surrounded by concrete, my thoughts drift off to a time when life was simple and pure, landscapes clean and uncluttered…

“Through these images I’ve captured, my desire is to share with you, the beauty I see, the Hawai‘i I love. E hui pū i kealapono – Please join me on my journey of rediscovery!”

Follow @bruceomori and extremeexposure.com for more.