Lava creeps down Makamae St and Leilani Ave during the 2018 Kilauea Eruption.

Makamae St at Leilani Ave

October 10, 2018

Our journey into Leilani Estates led us face to face with Madame Pele. Here is my continuing story about how we found the elusive lava that destroyed a beautiful community in Puna.

Steam gushes out of an active fissure near a Leilani Estates welcome sign.

Getting past the road blocks

September 24, 2018

As the Kilauea begins to quiet down inside Leilani Estates, I am sharing my experiences covering the eruption for the several weeks I was on the Big Island. Many of the people we encountered during this time were truly unforgettable and my adventures with them will stay with me for a lifetime.

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Low Winter Sun: Capturing Instinctive Gestures on Tokyo's Winter Streets

December 17, 2025

This past winter, my Japanese-born wife and I traveled to Japan to handle private family matters concerning her father's estate. Over ten days, we visited Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture and the tranquil Kusatsu Onsen, but most of my time was spent walking the streets of Tokyo—nearly ten miles a day with my Leica M10 in hand.

That's when I began noticing a subtle, universal gesture: strangers instinctively raising a hand to their forehead to shield their eyes from the low winter sun's blinding glare. At first it was just one person, then another—and soon I saw it everywhere. This fleeting act became the heart of my new black-and-white street photography series, Low Winter Sun – Tokyo Streets.

The photographs capture these candid moments of human adaptation amid harsh light and deep shadows, shot discreetly from the hip to preserve the spontaneity of Tokyo's fast-paced urban life. The recurring hand-to-forehead gesture unifies the collection into a quiet meditation on how the city's unforgiving winter light shapes everyday behavior.

View the full series here: Low Winter Sun – Tokyo Streets

December 17, 2025