The primary reason I came to Kauaʻi was to attend The Landscape Nude – A Destination Art Nude Workshop, one of a series of photography workshops put on by Aaron Feinberg, a Kauaʻi based fine-art photographer. The five-day workshop had four days of shooting with a rest day in the middle, and described the shoot venues as requiring “moderate, but short hiking to get to some locations.” This last phrase set my expectations for how much physical exertion I would be doing waaaayyyy below what turned out to be required, and exacerbated by my less than optimal back health it was quite a challenge … but I survived. There were three photographers including myself, and we were joined by two outstanding models, Anoush Anou (who I’ve worked with before), and St-Merrique.
The first day didn’t include any shooting and was basically just gathering up the group and ultimately making our way to our group house in Princeville on the northern edge of the island. It was a very nice house, with each photographer getting a bedroom, and the models sharing an upstairs bedroom accessed by a spiral staircase. I lucked out since I was the first to sign up so I got the master bedroom.
Despite the physical challenges, I had a great time on this trip. I came with pasty white skin and spotless white Nikes, and I went home with a bit of a tan and shoes thoroughly filthy stained with mud and water. I got to experience sun, sunrises, sunsets, rain, sand, mud, mountains, cliffs, ocean, beaches, forests, rivers, waterfalls, and mosquitoes, and I got to collaborate on some great photographs with some very creative people.