What is the first image that comes to mind when you think of Hawaii? Maybe it’s the colorful flower chains, maybe it’s happy smiling Hawaiians at a party on yellow sand, in the background the turquoise water on one side and the lush green forests on the other side. Maybe it’s Hawaiian shirts. But chances are high that it’s bright colors that you associate with Hawaii.
The archipelago in the central Pacific also has another side, an almost melancholic, profound soul that can perhaps be overlooked at first glance or from a distance. The famous portrait photographer Olaf Heine has visited the islands for years – sometimes privately, sometimes for an assignment – and takes his very own look at Hawaii in a new photo series.
“I lived in Los Angeles for eleven years and a trip to Hawaii is a bit like flying from Berlin to Mallorca,” says Heine in an interview with star from the beginning of the special project. The first visit took place in 1999. After that, he kept coming back – at first because of his job, “but then the islands captivated me more and more.”
Hawaii is more than its colorful image
What exactly attracts the photographer, who usually shoots musicians and celebrities from all over the world, to a place like Hawaii? “What fascinates me most is the ocean. It is both life-giving and threatening to the inhabitants of Hawaii; the water constantly changes the contours of the islands,” explains Heine. At the same time, the ocean also mercilessly reflects the consequences of human actions – for example in the form of huge collections of plastic that wash up from the sea. “The so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a plastic dump three times the size of France – circulates off the coast in the east and south of the main island of Hawaii.”
During his visits, Heine quickly realizes that Hawaii is much more than its colorful image. So he decides to portray the islands and especially their inhabitants. Just like he did before, in Brazil. Both photo series are mostly in black and white. The Brazil project occupied Heine between 2010 and 2014. He encountered a country on the upswing – socially, culturally and economically – and with an optimistic spirit of optimism.
Hawaii as one of the last original places in the world
“It was above all Oscar Niemeyer’s architecture that excited me and which I used as a unifying element to capture this atmosphere,” says Heine. And then he describes a Brazilian term he wanted to hit: “Saudade.” This roughly means longing and is one of the most important words for Brazilians. “It describes a kind of attitude to life, you can feel it almost everywhere.”
So Brazil is now followed by Hawaii. Both illustrated books are currently being published because for Heine they somehow belong together. But Hawaii is an important project for the renowned photographer for another reason: “For me, Hawaii is one of the last places on earth that is very close to the origin of our planet. On the one hand because of the vegetation, on the other hand because the planet is there still incredibly active in the form of erupting volcanoes.” And then of course there is the ocean. Ultimately, in Hawaii everything revolves around the movement of the sea, the waves and the constantly changing weather. “The ocean determines the rhythm of life. For me, it is somehow the secret architect of the archipelago.”
In our picture gallery we show six photos from Brazil and Hawaii – and let the person who does it best explain them: Olaf Heine.