Extreme Exposure Fine Art Gallery — Local services in Hawaii

If you want to truly see the Big Island as its wild, awe-some, untamed, and absolutely alive self, Bruce Omori of Extreme Exposure is the person to get you there, both as a guide and through his photography.

As a budding extreme nature photographer, I’ve found I do my my best work when my photography is paired with a deep sense of place. I want to truly know a place, feel a connection, and set that free in my shots. You can’t truly know the Big Island (or any part of Hawai’i) as a new arrival/outsider, in my opinion, unless you are invited in through the eyes of someone who knows it fully and deeply in a way that only locals can, and can skillfully immerse you in such a way that you feel like you belong. That skill is incredibly rare (as is being a kind, thoughtful and respectful human without bravado when guiding), but Bruce is a master.

During my last visit to the Big Island, Bruce spent two days showing me parts of the island largely inaccessible to outsiders. One of the days was a lava tour; at each stop, his passion for volcanoes and the active history of the island shone through. I was totally nerding out and he was right there with me; you’d never have known he had seen these things a million times. He patiently answered every question, never once rushed me or seemed bored, and clearly was invested in making sure the visit was exactly what it needed to be. I felt like I was spending the day with an old friend. The second day was an exploration of a lesser-traveled part of the island, and was a grand adventure. We had to traverse a small stream crossing on foot to go check out a waterfall, and Bruce let me slowly creep around like a dummy, making sure I didn’t fall on my camera in the water without seeming inpatient or disrespectful, keeping me upright and pointing out stable areas in the water where I could step.

The next time I return to the Big Island (which will hopefully be on the regular to see lava!), it will feel like I’m going home, and that is in large part due to the way Bruce shared it with me. If you want the real deal, this isn’t a place to cut corners - and honestly, I’m not sure you’re really going to find an experience like this with anyone else there. Mahalo nui Bruce and Sheryl for...

WORTH IT.

For a tour guide I would think it easy to fall into one of two pitfalls: Become entrenched in the repetitiveness of visiting the same locations ad infinitum, resulting in a rote and uninspired tour; or, develop an ego around being the one “in-the-know” and become blustery or obnoxious. But there is a category into which the best guides fall, which is that of the guide who genuinely loves to share a place with every person they come across, for whom every time is like seeing the place anew. Bruce Omori is one such guide.

Bruce is kind, gracious, and genuine. We spent nearly two full days together, during which I saw so many different parts of the magic of Hawai’i that I don’t think I ever could have truly explored and absorbed without him. He subtly weaves history, culture and local knowledge into his presentation of the nooks and crannies that make Hawai’i special. Bruce shares the delicate beauty of this place with you in a manner that always comes off as natural, and never as over-confident. He shows you Hawai’i with the tenderness it deserves, and serves it in a way that is never tiring or overwhelming. He is patient with your questions and curiosity, and allows the experience to take exactly as long as it needs to. Which is to say, it takes as long as it should. It was like spending the day with an old friend in a new place.

My two days with Bruce were inspiring. They gave my eyes a sorely-needed reset, as both a photographer and a human. I saw the world with a fresh sense of wonder, one that Bruce seemed to share with me despite his familiarity with our subjects. I was excited about the pictures I was capturing, using my photography not as a means of separating myself from my subject but rather as a means of immersing myself in it, of exploring it more deeply. And while I went into those days with some apprehension about his rates, I can tell you that booking Bruce was worth every...

Bruce Omori is one fantastic photographer only to be surpassed by his incredibly kind and generous personality. Every time I go to Hilo, I buy more of his prints because they are just beyond comparison. I have them up on my walls at home as they really convey the beauty of the big island of Kilauea and Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. If you want an authentic for photograph of the native birds, or of the lava eruptions or the snow packed Mauna Kea in wintertime visit Extreme Exposure. It will be well...