Last month I was asked by Left/Right, a production company in NY, to be the director of photography for a new show that they are developing for the Travel Channel called Island Explorers.

According to broadwayworld.com Hereʻs what the show is about “In Island Explorers, husband and wife adventurers, Jeremy and Wendy Gilbert, take viewers to the coolest off-the-beaten-path spots throughout the Hawaiian Islands. From a bargain gourmet meal on Oahu and the most elusive hidden beach on Kauai to the coolest thing to do on the Big Island after dark, this is a Hawaii you won’t find in any guidebook.”

The main cameras we used were 2 Sony PMW-F5ʻs with Canon 17-120mm cinema zooms.  We also used 2 Canon 5Dʻs, as well as, Go Pro 4ʻs and a Kinect Housing for 50/50 water shots.

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The Gilberts

The Gilbertʻs lead us through 4 epic episodes involving 4 islands, 2 helicopters, several waterfalls, 35 sharks and one 10ʻ inflatable aqua ball.  It was a challenging shoot due to the extreme environments we found ourselves.  One day we spent the better part of 12 hours in an underground cave system known as the Kazamura Lava Tubes, on another we were braving the large swells off the Na Pali coast on the North Shore of Kauai.  During the Na Pali coast shoot we had to quickly ditch our Sony F5ʻs for our smaller more agile and less expensive Canon 5Dʻs.  At times waves of water splashed over the sides of our Zodiacʻs drenching everyone and everything in the boat.  If we did our jobs the the extreme conditions, dramatic ocean cliffs, and incredible caves will all be a part of an upcoming episode of Island Explorers premiering July 3rd 2016 on the Travel Channel

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Show Producer Dunia on final day of shooting.