Born and raised in Hawaii, Kea grew up surrounded by the island’s JDM car scene and late-night drives that sparked his love for cars and photography. Entirely self-taught, he learned through a lot of trial and error. These days you can find him chasing the light and capturing the stories behind every car, from a classic Porsche to a humble daily driver. For him, every car has history, personality, and meaning—and photography is his way of preserving that.
Age (or age range): 31
Where you live and/or where are you from?
I am from Hawaii but now live in the Midwest, USA
What is your earliest memory with a camera?
I remember using my mom’s old point and shoot camera that was reserved for “vacations only.”
What drew you to photographing cars?
I loved cars growing up. I grew up in Hawaii so the JDM scene was huge there. I remember staying up late with my friend and just driving around. I never was able to get my own fun car but now with photography I can go back to photographing the cars that I have grown to love. However Akira Nakai and his love for making beautiful porsche’s have really made me see how there is a lot of beauty into creating a car. Then I saw that other car enthusiasts also had a similar love and I really love cars and feel like there is a huge love for photography in the car world.
Did you learn photography through formal education or on your own? If you studied it academically, was it worth it and what was the most valuable thing you took away from it? If you’re self-taught, what has been your biggest challenge in the process?
I was self taught. Through many trials and errors it took me a long time to get photography down. I really had a hard time breaking down settings and how the camera worked. Until I broke it down one section at a time and many trial and errors caused it to finally “click.” My biggest challenge has been editing however. Learning what each slider did and really dissecting how a film photo reacts to light compared to a digital sensor.
Is there a particular shoot or collaboration that you would like to make?
I would love to shoot more roller scenes especially on film. I got the opportunity to go to the Dragon in Smokey Mountain National park. I had some small photo opportunities but I would love to have more time to get more roller photos especially on film.
What do cars represent to you beyond the machine itself?
Cars to me represent a piece of history, a story carried with each vehicle. Whether it’s a Toyota Camry or a vintage Porsche, every car has something behind it. People put so much time and effort into their cars that when I see a beautiful one, I know the person behind it has an eye for detail and a story worth telling. For some it shows discipline or order. For others it might be a way to recreate a memory of a relative’s car or even a nod to their favorite movie character. Every car can hold something meaningful. I know car photography can feel cliché with the usual shots and angles, but I love it. For me it’s personal, and I’ll take photos of cars every day because I want to capture the story each one carries.
What’s your go-to film camera for shooting and what would be your dream film camera to shoot with?
My hasselblad 500cm is my camera of choice. The Zeiss glass that was created for this system does so well with a 3d pop quality that is great for features that cars have. It has been my go to camera and has given me some of my favorite car photos ever. If I had a dream film camera I would say it would be more dream lenses. Something for my Nikon F5 that would have a good auto focus telephoto to get some great rollers.
What challenges have you faced shooting on film?
There is of course light leaks. Also with working with older cameras like a Hasselblad you really need to have most of your settings dialed in. Of course color negative and black and white film can be very forgiving, but sometimes with how light changes sometimes if you aren’t paying attention it can slip away from you so quickly.
How has your approach to photography evolved since you first started shooting film?
As cliche as it sounds, slowing down is probably the biggest thing. And being more conservative with what frames that I choose to capture.
How do you stay inspired when creativity feels low or stagnant?
I am a huge believer that looking at photo books are a great way to spark inspiration. Also looking at photo books or other work that is outside a certain niche. You can gather so many compositions or lighting ideas from things outside of what you are capturing.
Which car have you been waiting to shoot and have yet to encounter?
If I ever have the chance to see a Lamborghini Diablo in the wild I’d be so stoked. Or a Nissan Skyline.
Have you ever completely messed up a roll? What happened and what did you learn from it?
Yes. I remember at a car show after completing a roll I just took the insert out my film back without rolling it back up. It was the first time I have ever done that and I’ve shot probably 100 rolls already on that camera. So it was a random thing for me to do. Of course I had some ruined frames but it looked cool. Nothing I would share tho.
What’s the boldest experiment you’ve done with your gear or style?
Nothing bold but I’m a huge believer in pushing your film in development. You can really get a certain look with how long you develop your film in chemistry. For example if I had a lot of sunlight and a lot of vibrant colors I would shoot Ektar 100 at 400 iso and push it 2 stops in development. I also love very crunchy black and white film photos. I have developed it twice the amount and gotten the most gritty blacks that made me just love it even more.
If you could shoot only one film stock for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
Portra 800. I love how the grain and colors look. Also I don’t mind shooting with smaller apertures as it helps with the fine details on cars and with landscapes and other work. However recently Cinestill 800t has been calling my name more and more and I’m learning how beautiful that film stock is.
What do you hope to transmit with your photographs?
I hope my photos show a sense of love for photography. I don’t have any niche. I just fell in love with photography and found out I love all types of photography. Also with my story about how trial and error can go on and on then finally work. Because we are all students of life so it's great to document your journey and I hope that I have done that with my work.
Is there anything that you'd like to promote? I.e. Your business website and what you do, other social channels, or projects you wanna promote?
Nothing. I just love photography. I share more tutorials on tiktok which is the same as my Instagram handle @keashootsfilm
