Like fellow photographer and business partner Tom Kualii, Bruce Omori captures hot lava as it explodes against a cool Hawaiian shore. Shattering into a million piece, the rocks go on to form the famous black sand the Big Island is known for, or in essence, a new beach. As Omori states, “Lava exits a tube and flows into the sea, creating another new black sand beach and delta of land, forever altering the Big Island’s coastline. This truly remarkable and dynamic scene is mesmerizing to witness, let alone shoot.”
In the stellar shot, above, taken on the early morning of January 1, you can spot his friend Tom with his tripod and camera, standing precariously, right on the edge of a cliff. As Omori states about that fleeting moment, “A few weeks after this shot was taken, the ledge Tom was standing on, and the spot where I stood to capture this image, both fell into the sea.”
Omori worked for 24 years in an engineering firm on Oahu before he left his corporate life and moved back to his hometown of Hilo to pursue his passion for photography.
As he says about his personal journey, “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 extremely 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 pu i kealapono – Please join me on my journey of rediscovery!”
