 And Aloha! How you doing? Gordo the Tex are here. Welcome to another exciting episode of He Bacchi Talk. Check out our new location photo. How's this one? This location is awesome. Our guest today is Ms. Tina Lau. She took this shot. We're going to get a little more background on the kinds of things that she's been doing in Hawaii for a while. So please grab yourself a libation and sit down and join us for this wonderful conversation. No Andrew today. Again. And he took Angus with him. So we don't have Angus either. So it's just you and I. Oh, you're so happy. You don't like Angus, do you? Tina doesn't like Angus at all. Anyway, so Tina Lau, you're the owner and founder of TinaLau.com. I know you didn't want founder, but you are the founder and you are the owner of Tina Lau.com. You have a very unique and interesting background. Look at this great shot. What another great shot. I think you did this one too. So tell us a little bit about yourself. So where did you go to school? Like, where did you grow up? See, I don't even know this. I grew up in Manoa Valley. Okay. And I went to Marino for grade school and I graduated from Sacred Hearts Academy. Oh, no, when do you do all that work at St. Patrick? St. Francis. Wow. So, so, so you went to school. Where's that? So you went to St. Francis? No, I went to Marino and Sacred Hearts Academy. Oh, Sacred Hearts Academy. I'm sorry. I'm confusing you with someone else who went to St. Francis. So you graduated from school and you decided you were going to do what with your life? I wanted to be in radio. Okay. I worked in radio from the time I was 15. Back then it was KKUA and the days of Kamosami Kong. And after high school, I worked at 98 Rock for a while. You don't look old enough to Kamosami Kong days. I'm not. Oh, okay. It's amazing. Yeah, your little carries, they wheeled you in. So you got in radio and that's spent a lot of time in radio. Yes and no. I did a couple years at 98 Rock, which was really fun and exciting. There weren't a lot of FM radio stations at the time. And I was doing sales. And but I had two young children I was also raising at the time. So you were, why did you pick this career? I'm just trying to figure out why would you go into this. Nobody knows. I was trying to be very kind. So what year was this? And then I'll date you and you won't come on again. Anyway, so back in those days you were selling advertising? I was selling radio. In 1989, I decided I needed to be self-employed in order to be there for my kids. Pick them up from school, be able to do homework and all of that stuff. Play mom, put them to bed and continue to work. So I actually started doing graphic design work. And out of graphic design work came photography. Graphic design work back in those days was more pencil paper, right? It was designing on the computer and then it was printing out laser prints of the artwork, taking them down to the client, getting it all approved, coming back home, making the changes. You weren't emailing this stuff. There was no emailing. This was before fax machines. Okay. And I would hand deliver ads to the Star Advertiser. And then so you'd hand deliver it, then they would, once they got the ad, wouldn't they have to then get it onto the printing presses of some, somehow? Yes. But they used the laser copies in order to... Were they doing color back then? I'm just checking. Okay, because it was the time they weren't. So color was, you'd have to print out four different sheets of paper for each color. For each color. Yes. Wow. And so you did this for how long? I still do graphic design work. Okay. But back then, my big clients were security diamond when they were at Alamona Shopping Center. Okay. And then came Tom Moffitt. Okay. And Tom Moffitt, you know, was he a launching pad? And I don't want to talk a lot about Tom because we're going to do a follow on show about Tom because you've got some great stories about Tom. Was that like a launching pad for you into this business or were you still, were you had something else going? Maybe a little bit. You know, I always had an interest in photography. I always had a camera. And then back then, you know, I started working shows with Tom and being backstage. I always had a little camera on me. Okay. So I was constantly taking photos. So I have, I'm going to get Zuri to throw up a photo that you gave me permission to use today, which, and I know you didn't take this photo, but it has a great story behind it. And Zuri, I don't know if you've got it available there. It's the one that I just sent you a little while ago. And I would like to get the story behind, you know, how this, how this worked out. It's not there. Oh, there it is. Okay, so everybody I can't look, I can't look at this photo and not laugh. I don't know why. But for some reason, I cannot look at this photo and not laugh. But who is that guy on the right on my on my right, your left? I think he's someone currently with a big court case going on. Yeah, I think so too. But he was coming to play at the Blaze Della Arena or concert hall. Okay. And I guess they were having trouble selling tickets. And this is before any of the drama came. Yeah, right, right. So he was doing a meet and greet. So he they invited fans from everywhere to come down and meet him. Right. So I was down there and I saw several people that I knew Fernando, the love machine was there. Bart from 107. Sorry. Fernando, the love machine as opposed to Cosby the machine. And they were waiting to meet him. And, and I was just randomly taking photos. And, you know, I've worked a lot of meet and greets in my time working concerts. And I noticed that Cosby didn't have anybody to help him expedite. So I naturally just jumped in. Okay, so I'm expediting I've got a camera bag on one shoulder and I've got my camera strapped across my body. And I'm helping him I'm getting the next people ready to bring to him. And Cosby tells me come here. And I'm like, okay, so I step a little closer and he's like, no, come here, come here. And he reached over and he grabs my camera bag off my shoulder and shoves it under his chair. And I'm like, Oh my god, my car keys are in there. This is long before this is way before the stuff, right? So Cosby was a was a hero in the country in the nation. I think at that time, you know, he had the shows and everything that was going on. He was he was looked up to by by many. But it still felt odd. I've never I've worked with hundreds of celebrities. No one's ever tried to take my bag and certainly not shove it under their chair. Yeah, it was very, very kind of a strange story. So you've had some incredible encounters. I have another photo that I should have brought up earlier. It's the ones like who has got who has team allowance one. And I don't this one, I can't even tell you. Is that you? That is me. You look like you're like 12. That's actually in Japan. Oh really? Wow. So it's done. Who's that young child with you? She's a friend's daughter who is now a beautiful young woman going to college in Japan. Well, so you so you were a young girl that when you're not that you're not a young girl now, but you were a young girl that I'm just stepping all over it. So so maybe 20 years ago. Okay, well, that's kind of neat, kind of neat. So you so then you decided to get into get into photography. And you started in photography around when? A little over 20 years ago. Okay, look, are there a lot of women in photography? Because I haven't seen a lot of in in my time growing up. I haven't seen a lot of women that are in the photography business. The really funny thing about that is there are three female photographers in Hawaii named Tina. Okay, there's Tina UN, who works for Pacific Business News. Okay. And there's Tina. Oh, she's I've she's taken my photo. Yeah. Okay. And the three of us were at Hawaii 50 sunset on the beach and we finally got a photo of the three Tina's. Wow. So that's the only three women photographers in Newtel State. They're all named Tina believe there are others with other names. Scary. That would be scary. Yeah. But you know, I do a lot of children's photography. And I do a lot of senior portrait work. And I fix their uniforms and I touch the kids. And I think being a female and being a mom and a grandmother, you know, it just it's a natural thing that I'm going to fix whatever is right versus having some person male, right? I certainly wouldn't want you touching my children. Yeah, you're taking their photos. Excuse me. I'm a great grandfather. What the hell are you talking about? Here's a message. Well, if I didn't know you. Yeah, if you didn't know me, hey, feel don't feel bad. I was Santa Claus for 10 years. And I had to deal with like, how do you, you know, hold the child and do all that kind of stuff. I mean, look at this beard on growing it out so I can be part of the RBS a know what that is? No, the real beard Santas of America. Oh, so yeah, I'm going to join but my beer is not long enough yet. It's a great goal in life. Another career path. What can I say? I'm nothing but one opportunity after the other. Okay, so give us give us an idea of a couple of some of those. So obviously, the Bill Cosby was a fun project. But it wasn't even a project. But what was it? Who's the who are these guys? I mean, what fun projects? I look at this and wait, I think I know, I know Tom Moffat, I recognize him. But who's who's this this cadre of individuals here? This is every member of the band Chicago. That's Chicago, one of my favorite all time band. They're so amazing. And they came to town so many times. And they loved Tom. You know, on that night, actually, Tom and I were sitting off to the side of the stage. Chicago does a lot of instrumental songs. Yes. And because their shows are really long, they perform for a really, really long time. They do instrumental so everybody else can have a break. So as they would take breaks, they would come over and talk to Tom. Hey, Tom, remember that time we were here in 1970? You know, and they'd start telling stories. And it was just it was such an incredible evening. So so this, this, this occupation that you've created, you've built this, I mean, you have done this sensing on your own, has given you an amazing amount of opportunity. But how difficult was it to break into this into this? I mean, there's a lot of competition out there. You know, I'm pretty blessed, you know, things have come to me talents have come to me that I haven't even been aware of. And people just find me. Yeah, you don't have these huge banners and ad campaigns going on out there. I mean, it's all word of mouth. I'm very passionate about my work. And I love the people that I work with. So how is the competition? There's a few others that do a lot of sports photography like I do. But I have certain clients that I work with that love my work. And so I continue to get business out of them. And you know, when one drops off off, you know, because the children get older or whatever, then someone else comes in because they pass it on down. Yeah. So is there any particular and you said you do a lot of sports photography, is there a particular sports photography that you that that's more challenging than the other? Which is the most difficult? Because there's a lot of different sports out there. Now you don't do hockey here. So one of the photos I gave you was volleyball. Yes, and we're gonna show that in the second half. Volleyball is extremely challenging because you're in a gym with low lighting. As opposed to a sport like football, where you if the sun is out, then you have great lighting. And the other thing with volleyball too is the ball is moving so fast. And everybody who shoots volleyball wants to get a photo where the ball is intact, that it's not blurry, right? Because it's really hard to do, you know, you have to adjust the camera right and there has to be enough light. So that kind of action photography is a little more challenging. So and baseball is probably sleeper. You know, on baseball, I'm usually focused on the picture. Okay, you know, and trying to get that even then again with the ball. I mean, they're throwing that ball so fast. Yeah, 90 plus miles an hour and getting it up into that air. And then, well, soccer is another, another great sport. But again, you got to wait for the right opportunity, I would guess. But a lot of what I'm shooting are the post photos. Okay. So they're, you know, they're cute, little five year olds holding the soccer ball and then the team photo. And amazingly, I shoot a lot of four and five year olds. Oh, really? And it's just great. I mean, I get these kids for for just a couple of minutes, and they're so cute and fun. And so they're they're here for a tournament or something like that. And then they're, no, they're playing, you know, I shoot a lot at school field barracks. And the military has year round sports to keep the kids busy. So shooting a lot of kids up there. So I see them only for two or three years. And then they move on, which is kind of sad. But but I get these kids who I've been shooting maybe from when they were 1112 going up. And they'll see me the following season and come running up to me because they want to see if I'm taller than I am. Yeah, it's all if you've grown up any. And look how tall you are now. Anyway, we're going to take a short break. We've already burned through half the show already. I'm here with Tina Lau from Tina Lau.com. She said, I was gonna say season photographer. I don't think that's being bad. Anyway, she's a seasoned veteran photographer, and she's going to talk about some more of her exciting encounters in the second half. We'll be back after we pay some bills. Aloha, this is Kelly Akina with the weekly A Hana Coco. Let's work together program on the Think Takawaii broadcast network Mondays at two o'clock PM movers and shakers and great ideas. Join us. We'll see you then. Aloha. Hello, my name is Crystal. Let me tell you my talk show. I'm all about health. It's healthy to talk about sex. It's healthy to talk about things that people don't talk about. It's healthy to discuss things that you think are unhealthy because you need to talk about it. So I welcome you to watch Quok Talk and engage in some provocative discussions on things that do relate to healthy issues and have a well balanced attitude in life. Join me. So all this hacking has become a major topic. I'm Andrew, the security guy. Join me on Hibachi Talk and learn a little bit more about it. I have my friend Gordo and my puppet buddy Angus. Check us out on Fridays at one o'clock on Think Takawaii. Aloha. Gordo the Texow here. Welcome to Hibachi Talk. I'm here with Tina Lau, you know, a photographer extraordinaire and she's had some great experiences. We're not even going to be able to cover all of them today. So we're going to do a we're going to run a little series. We're going to run a paparazzi series where you've got some really cool shots. And then we're going to do a Tom Moffitt series because you and he worked together for for decades. And so we're going to follow up with a couple of shots on that. So you're tearing up and so am I. So anyway, so what was your so you're talking about volleyball will pop that shot up about the the volleyball. How difficult it is because this is a kind of a cool shot because you've you've you've been able to take all kinds of unique photographs of unique people over the years. And so what's been the toughest assignment? See, there's there's your there's one of your those are your shots, I think those are both my shots. That was Connolly Wolfpack, which is a great basketball organization and Connolly. And the other is coming home may have playing. I don't know who the other school is. And unfortunately, the ball is just cropped off at the top. But there's no blur of the ball. It's stuck right there in the air. Yeah, that's cool. I think I know who number 14 is. You think you might be related? Maybe. Yeah. He's he is adorable, though. I know he's one of my favorite people to photograph. I think he's adorable, because I think he follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, whoever that might be on his father's side. I agree. Thanks a lot. Okay, so we'll so you do you do a lot with the youth and things like that. So what's been one of your toughest assignments that you've ever that you've ever had to do? Besides the recent one that I saw these pictures that we'll talk about in just a second. I don't consider them tough assignments. Okay, you know, challenging would be maybe weather related, you know, I'm photographing a lot of things in the rain, and trying to make it look good. And it's amazing how well things will come out in the rain. But as far as that that part of it, well, I guess, and here's something else you have a photo of I just photographed all 51 members of the State House of Representatives. I think I got I think I sent that to Zuri. So we got it. So here they are off. How many 51 51. I didn't do any closeups. So these are the people you meet. Yes. So this had to have been just delightful. It was absolutely delightful. This was over a period of three or four days. Okay, right before the session started. And there's no egos there at all. Not at all. None whatsoever. So I guess you had to have this big fancy studio where you'd get them all set up and so on. So they could be there and they're like all looking good. I do a lot of headshot photography, right? But I do it all on location to make it convenient for the client. Okay, so you were down at the big square building? Exactly. I set up a studio right outside the floor of the house. That's a hallway. It's a hallway. But it was my studio for a few days. So they all came down individually. Some came down newscaster style where they had jeans and slippers on underneath and some came fully dressed. But yeah, just boom, boom, boom. So yeah, so how so you said only took two days? It took three days. Okay. So I would think not that these people have egos, I would think that it would take like almost three days per every six. You know, amazingly, though, you must have a technique. I'm I'll do about four or six shots on a on a headshot when I'm doing a series like that. I think that a lot of us when we get older, we're a little more self conscious. Nobody really wants to sit there for 20 minutes and have their photo taken. Yeah, no kidding. And generally, I find that it's the first shot is the one of the client ends up choosing. Because of the probably, oh, they're most prepared, maybe they were ready. I don't I don't know what it is. Wow. So that's fun. So you met so you sat met with all the joy I wish you'd know doing that wish I had known you were doing that because I would have handed you some of my some of the things I'd like them to work on. And you can just sit here. Oh, this is from this is from Gordo. He'd like you to take a look at this. But the fun thing about that whole layout, because then I have to take it into Photoshop and lay out there's 55 in the photo. And they said across the top, I had to put the minority leader and the minority floor leader. And then after I did the whole layout, then what happened in the house, they changed it. No, they changed the leaders of the so I have to move someone down in alphabetical order, and then move somebody up and move it all around. Based on what had changed during that was the first week of the session, there was a major shakedown with the Republican Party, right? Well, which affected my Photoshop layout. Well, it's not like they have a big Republican Party down the square building. What impacted how many people? Well, it impacted me because I had to move everything around and get them all set up. So that's an interesting shot of the people you meet. But I have another one, you've met actors, you've met athletes and so on. I got another one. So there's here's here's three right here. There's actors and athletes and these are your shots. You took those. Let's start from the right, the right hand side. Who's that? Football player. Yeah. That is Russell Wilson. That's Russell Wilson. So that's a nice shot. You made him look young. I'm on the field at Aloha Stadium for Pro Bowl. Okay. And that's Russell running out. And then the other one is the one in the middle is Julius Peppers, who is a football player I've enjoyed watching for many, many years. And it was so nice to see him at his age, playing in a Pro Bowl and to have him framed in the Pro Bowl trophy like that. Yeah. And when that game finished, he and I were walking off the field together. And I looked over and I put my hand out and I said, thank you. And he looked at me and I said, just thanks for being a great football player all these years. It's so neat to get to do that. And you know, when they come here for Pro Bowl, they're so excited. They just love feeding off the Hawaii crowd. And when I put my hand out sincerely like that, he really took it to heart. He got teary. Well, that's kind of neat. So yeah, how do you feel about them? We're going to shift a little bit. But how do you feel about the fact that we've lost the Pro Bowl? I think it's absolutely horrible. Just horrible. Years ago, I was working for the EA Sports Madden Challenge. And I was a local contact to put it together. And we were at Best Buy. And they sent us athletes to play Madden against kids in Best Buy. Okay, how fun would that be? Well, so then they drop off Reggie Wayne, who had won a Super Bowl three days before. He was with the Colts. They won the Super Bowl. They flew him over here. And I got to spend time with Reggie. And I said, Have you ever been to Hawaii before? And he said, No, because I always said, If I ever went to Hawaii, the NFL was going to pick was going to pay for it. And what he meant was that he would get named to the Pro Bowl. Right. And I realized how important it was to the rookies that it was in Hawaii. It meant so much. And so as part of my career, I was Mayor Peter Carlisle's photographer. Right. And during that time, we did a lot of events with the Pro Bowl players. And they would come up, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor, please keep us, please keep it here. And I would tell the players, you go to the NFL PA, and you voice your concerns with them. We want you here. We all welcome you here. It's the NFL that you need to talk to. Yeah, I think I might and my opinion on this too, is I think, you know, we, you know, obviously the people that live here and support sports and athletics and so on, are very concerned and hurt that they've left. But you know, I and I still take a lay blame on the politicians, and I still lay blame on the business people in this town who never took how serious this opportunity is. This is one of the mostly highest grossing sports in the in the world, and next to soccer and NASCAR of all things. And we think I think we essentially just blew it. I give Hanuman credit. He tried to make the thing happen a lot. He he busted on it. Well, you know, Abercrombie was paying through $3 million to the NFL to keep it here. And he was criticized for that. Yeah, and people don't look at the big picture of how much money was generated from our $3 million investment, because it wasn't a donation. Yeah, that was an investment. Yeah, that return with that return was double digit return. And even numbers that we probably can't even calculate because we don't have the technology systems in place at the square building and like to say, hey, we're making our GT a loan based on the the tourists, the shops and everything that all came in here and so on. So now we did digress, but I think it was a worthwhile, wild digression. So so you've you've got to you've got to meet and photograph athletes and actors and such. Now, so what what messages would you have to the young women in this day and age that are trying to figure out what career they're going to get into? I mean, you've been doing this for a while. So what advice and guidance would you would you give to them? You know, for me, it was about following a passion. You know, I've always followed my passions and it switched. You know, when I was in high school, I thought I was going to work in radio forever. And then I realized that it was in marketing and sales where the money was. And so I was hardcore selling advertising. And I'm kind of on a softer end of marketing, you know, where I have corporate clients as well. St. Francis Healthcare System is one of my clients and I'm blessed to photograph all of their events and they're they're wonderful events. But following your passion, I think is the most important thing, whether it's photography or anything. Whatever it is, it's what you do. I what you enjoy doing. Yeah, don't make it work. Make it a career. What you want to do. So speaking of events, and I want to I'm going to invite you to this event, I'm going to give you a ticket. The boys bunch have their annual and you've been there a few times. I have never been to a boys bunch event. You never have. Okay, well, this will be a first and maybe what you can fix up our photography work that's going on over there. Anyway, the 31st April Foolish fundraiser for Make-A-Wish is coming up on April 7. And it's at Gordon Bearsh. And I would encourage people to to check it out. I have tickets if people would like to get some tickets, I give mine away. And when all 10 of them are gone, then you're gonna have to buy yours. And are you raising funds to buy new aloha shirts or? Our president of the club gets to decide on what the aloha shirt will look like for the following. The fundraiser that what is the fundraiser? The fundraiser goes to Make-A-Wish. Okay. Last year, we raised over $50,000 for Make-A-Wish. That's awesome. And so, you know, it's a bunch of old futs that get together on a on a we get together every Tuesday night. We should have you come by Tuesday night. Amazing. I've never been to one. Well, that's boys bunch, not girls bunch. Anyway, we'll have you come by on a Tuesday night. And so, believe it or not, we have burned through the 30 minutes of the show. So we're going to do this a great one of my favorite shots. Okay, got to hold it together here. Tom Buffett and Tina Lowe. So, hey, no guest goes unrewarded. autograph solo cup number 105. Use it for your water. Please do not throw that away. One day it might be worth some money. Who knows? Anyway, Tina, we're going to have you back to do the paparazzi show. We're going to have you come back and talk about Tom Buffett and all the things that you were involved with him. Anyway, with this, Tina Lowe, Tina Lowe.com, founder and owner of one of the best photography companies in the state of Hawaii. And as we say at the end of every show, one, two, three, how you doing?