As usual while waiting for my race, I was taking photos of the 2011 edition of the OHCRA Championships at Ke'ehi Lagoon. I was joined by Star-Advertiser photographer, Bruce Asato, and we started talking story about paddling photos. Asking him if he had taken some race photos from one of the official boats, he smiled and said he preferred to stay onshore. However he mentioned that he had shot the Moloka'i-Oahu race before from one of the boats with the help of a little "medication." He went on to say that one of those photos was used for the cover of a book about the race. Hmmm, I thought, do you suppose it was the cover photo we used for my book on the history of the Moloka'i race. Sure enough, it was the shot of Lanikai on the way to winning the 1995 race in record time. Bruce said it was pretty choppy off Hawaii Kai, and the Lanikai crew was really flying. Their canoe happened to hit a wave and shoot up in the air, and the result was a great photo I had always liked in my search for photos for the book. I got a copy from the Advertiser and paid the fee for usage but I didn't know who the photographer was other than his name. Eventually we decided to use that image for the cover of the book, which was published in 2006. This past year I started seeing Bruce at basketball games and volleyball games while taking photos for my son's Moanalua games. I didn't make the connection with the paddling photo and had forgotten who the photographer was until today in the process of having our casual conversation. Like many memorable photos, there are often behind the scenes stories ranging from just being in the right place at the right time to pure luck. It's one of the reasons for the fascination with the world of photography for us amateurs and in Bruce's case, accounts for his success in his profession. Thanks, Bruce!!
An additional note: Having steered that race, I can testify that 1995 was a rough one, and for those spending the the day in an official boat, no doubt Bruce wasn't the only one helped by some anti-mal de mer meds. Another point of interest about the photo is that it looks like there are only five paddlers in the canoe as the paddler in seat #5 is almost completely hidden from view!
