www.jamesknudsenphotography.com
Undercurrents: Photographs of
What struck me most about Honolulu was not only its beauty, but also the strange visual quality I kept noticing, both obvious and hidden: the looming shadows of palm trees, the 60s and 70s throwback architecture, the epic cloud formations, the exhausted tourists and local characters walking the sunlit streets. I find a continuing paradox between the visual beauty of Honolulu and the undercurrents of a darkness I cannot name but the camera reveals.
Using one camera with one lens, I often photograph the same places again and again—Chinatown, Walls, King Street, the area in Waikiki between Kuhio and the Ala Wai. As best I can, I attempt to stay present and allow my eye, mind, and instinct to dictate when to press the shutter. My intention with this work is to convey the strange quality I was drawn to during my first years of photographing and living in a new city. I continue to strive to see Honolulu through fresh eyes, as I did that morning when I picked up the camera again.
