Portrait Photography How To

Pomai The Great
While in Hawaii for a month-long shoot in 2013, Colin Anderson was fortunate enough to meet a native named Pomai. Upon talking to him, Anderson discovered that his lineage dated back 27 generations, which meant his roots predated that of King Kamehameha the Great. Hence, the idea for this “environmental portrait” sprung to life.

To maintain the authenticity of his wardrobe, a Hawaiian cultural expert made the headdress and wrist dressing. Amazingly, Pomai actually owned the malo, or cloth material around his waist. Capturing this stunning portrait was not without its challenges, though. Anderson says, “Once the wardrobe was sourced everything was pretty straightforward. Lighting on the day was a bit tricky as the sun kept coming in and out but I think the biggest challenge was that of Pomai climbing the tree, which was much higher than it looks, and then balancing high above some very jagged rocks below.”

You can see a larger version of the photo here.

The image was shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and a 24-70mm f/2.8 II lens at 30mm, ISO 640, 1/100 second, f/5.6. Anderson also used an Elinchrom Ranger Kit with a Rotalux Deep Octa to provide a bit of fill light. To view more of Anderson’s images, visit andersonproductions.com.au.