aloha, fish sandwich

in october, i was afforded a wonderful opportunity to visit hawaii to photograph a friend's wedding... and eat delicious food, body-surf in spectacular waves, sip delicious kona coffee, relax on beautiful beaches, and forget for a while about the depth of responsibility that lived on the mainland. if you get a chance, i highly recommend it. anyway... i arrived in kauai around 9:30pm, which is about 2:30cst, and the groom and guys (2) picked me up at the airport, and they were very ready for dinner... i, on the other hand felt like my stomach was asleep and i was on my way to dreams. but, as they say, "when in kauai..." so, i joined the guys at the perfect island "dive," with the perfect island server, for a perfect island fish sandwich. it was a simple and delicious introduction to the soon to follow experience in hawaii. during the dinner, i watched and waited for an opportune time to ask this (seemingly guarded) gentleman if he would be willing to be a part of this project. i was unaccustomed to any traditional "island ways," and i had no idea if i would crossing the line by asking to take his picture... especially with my central time zone brain half asleep and dreaming. so, it wasn't until after dinner that i felt comfortable approaching him, even though there was no genuine connection born between us during the meal. he was behind the bar working when i asked him the question, and he quickly nodded to a "better looking" gentleman sitting at the bar, hoping to derail my intention... but, he is who i seriously wanted (for obvious reasons,) to include here. so, i went about my way to sell him my story, and, as you see here, he lightened up and became open to the idea of participating with pride ( he was an excellent waiter, and during the shoot, he tended to his tables with glancing eyes, and even served dinner to a table of four.) the groom to be and his smartphone offered the server a peak at this blog to help validate me and the project... it was a slightly surreal moment, and, as i reflect on it, it occurs to me that it may have been a dream.