We’ll kick this off by saying this house isn’t for sale. The owners wanted photos for doing long-term rentals with friends. They contacted Leane Horton of Hawaii Life who suggested yours truly for the job.  

The backyard of the house is a well-known surf break; while the house smells like the beach in the best way possible. Yes, that salt spray is corrosive and destructive but walking into this house with that smell, it fit. My Aunt had a beach house that smelled like that. The first swim team I was part of, the rickety clubhouse that you guessed it, had that smell. I think my main reaction to the house was the positive feelings I associate with salt spray (negative rusting and other undesirable side effects need to be forgotten for this description).

The layout of the house doesn’t waste space. The design embraces an open concept that flows effortlessly from the beach, to yard, to porch, to living room, kitchen, and dining spaces. The rest of the downstairs is dedicated to a bedroom, and additional kitchen / living space. The upstairs is bedrooms. It’s clearly a space to entertain family and friends and enjoy the ocean. There aren’t random sitting rooms or spaces that make you wonder if anyone ever goes in there aside from the occasional dusting. Which in my opinion is good because those sitting rooms tend to involve fancy-looking uncomfortable chairs which negate their purpose of being a sitting room (come on there had to be some kind of tangent in this blog).

The shoot ran smoothly. Leane was there staging (and kept me company) which was a massive help. I provided an extra set of eyes and we eliminated potential items I’d have to erase in post-processing. There was one tiny hiccup when I took out an extra lens and put it in a random kitchen drawer to get it out of the shot. I went to use it and I couldn’t remember which drawer it was in. Insert me retracing my steps mentally swearing…tada! Only had to open 3 drawers to find it (imagine me brushing my shoulders off).

I’ve seen this house a hundred trillion times. This house has watched me get smoked, swim in a treadmill current, helped me line-up my position, and seen me take some of my favorite water shots. Not that I wondered but it was interesting to see what was past the bushes that line the sand–kind of like finally putting a face to the name.  

I Funk in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!

Dear Reader, that catchy closing line is under construction as I haven’t determined how to Funk in someone’s general direction yet or it may endure the test of time, stay tuned, dun, dun, dun