Lessons of Light: Ethan Tweedie Captures the Beauty of Hawai‘i Island

By Gayle ‘Kaleilehua’ Greco

Sitting on the front steps of Parker School, a teenage boy pensively gazes at Mauna Kea, not knowing why, and yet, in his heart he knows he is home.

One winter day, living in New Jersey, his father returned home from a trip to Hawai‘i and asked 15-year-old Ethan, “Do you want to move to Hawai‘i? I’ll buy you a car!” Two months later, they arrived in Hilo, picked up the car, and at Christmas break, Ethan found himself basking in the ocean at Hapuna.

Arriving in Waimea, Ethan Tweedie was immediately captivated by Hawai‘i Island. The majestic mountain, the serene ocean at Hapuna Beach, the starlit skies and beauty of Waimea were all at his feet.

“It’s about life,” says Ethan when asked what motivates him. He was fascinated with photography as a child and carried that passion with him to Parker School, where he took photography classes as part of the activity program. His best friend’s father, Warren Roll, was chief photographer for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Warren also taught photography at Parker School, which surrounded Ethan with the essence of capturing images on film. Ethan’s grandfather, Harold Tweedie, was also a photographer and an amateur geologist. Subsequently, many of Ethan’s childhood memories were seeds planted in what would become his profession.

Ethan graduated from University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with a degree in geology, all the while continuing his studies in photography and honing his skills as the school newspaper photographer. As life would have it, Ethan took a job as a stockbroker for Dean Witter in Honolulu, and his career in finance took him to the plains of Texas just north of Dallas. Successfully building a client base in the investment world, Ethan was recruited by a pharmaceutical company where he stayed for 12 years. Ethan’s travels centered on the national parks and anywhere he could capture the light refracting on nature.

In 2003, Ethan bought his first digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera and a world of creativity opened for him. Rafting in the Grand Canyon for five days, Ethan knew capturing nature’s images is what he was meant to do. His passion was to bring all of life’s lessons together—the geology, the weather patterns, the photography—it was all here for him behind the lens. And the light, always the light, gave him lessons upon lessons of how to make his work increasingly better. Ethan enrolled in the Texas School of Photography and began intensive studies, mentored by some of the best photographers in the business.

In the summer of 2009, Ethan’s mother and stepfather called him with an invitation that had a familiar resonance to his earlier years: “Do you want to join us in Hawai‘i?” Having been away from the islands for more than a decade, Ethan eagerly accepted the invitation for what appeared to be a two-week vacation. Driving up towards Kawaihae, a road all too familiar to him, he was in reach of the mountain, and a voice from within inquired, “Why did I ever leave?”

Now back home again, Ethan was even more in tune with the beauty of the island and the light. Revisiting his hometown of Waimea, seeing old friends, connecting to the mountain once again, Ethan knew there was more to his homecoming than a short visit. On a drive to Volcano, Ethan recalls seeing a shipping container in a restaurant parking lot. The paint was worn off on one section of the container and someone had taken their finger and written “Be In The Moment.” That became Ethan’s motto. It is how he has always lived and what photography taught him—always be in the moment.

Ethan returned to Texas, only to sell his house, finish his studies, and pack up his belongings. In six months, he was back in Waimea—home again. While packing up his personal items, Ethan found old letters from his grandparents. With a touching expression of tear-filled eyes, Ethan reminisced about summers he and his brother spent with his maternal grandparents in Michigan. Fond memories of ‘ohana, carefree days, American values, and always respect for his grandparents. Ethan favors his grandfather, Waldo Hanson, in looks and in his gregarious personality. While his grandfather passed away in 1998, Ethan still feels his presence and guidance, particularly on days when he is getting ready for a photo shoot.

When asked what inspires him, Ethan says, “It is God. God is telling me what to do. Before I walk into a shoot, I ask for God’s vision and ask, ‘Let me see this through your eyes.’ If not for him, there is nothing.”

Never truer was one night, after working a 16-hour day touring Hawai‘i Volcano National Park for Hawai‘i Forest & Trail, Ethan was driving home on Kawaihae Road. The moon was centered in front of him. The winds were gusting between 30 and 40 miles per hour; the rain was falling like spears from the sky. And a voice, a familiar voice, said, “There’s going to be a moonbow to your left.”

As quickly as Ethan heard the instruction, the moonbow appeared. He stopped the car, gathered his camera and tripod, battled the weather conditions, and found a spot where his back sheltered his camera from the wind and the rain. As he set up for the 30-second exposure, he looked at his camera screen and it read, ‘card error.’ He tried again and the same message appeared, equally as bold. Quickly, Ethan grabbed another memory card, watching for the eminent vaporization of the moonbow, he reset the entire shot again. He took two photos and the moonbow disappeared. Yet, as luck would have it, one photo captured it all! The photo went viral, and is now internationally known as “Waimea Moonbow,” a gift to all of us who may never see a moonbow in the dark of the night.

Perhaps Ethan’s greatest talent is understanding and capturing Hawai‘i’s astonishing light. He remarks, “Every photo that is taken is all about the right light—where the sun is, where the moon is, the angle of the light.”

In another photo adventure in August of 2012, Ethan’s friend and park ranger at the Pu‘ukoholā Heiau, Greg Cunningham, asked if Ethan was going to take pictures of the Perseids meteor shower. Ethan thought that was a fine idea and it created a vision for him to shoot south with the heiau in the foreground and the Milky Way in its vertical position.

That August night, Ethan set out for the photo shoot, soon realizing he did not have his camera battery with him. With the weather in an uncooperative state, Ethan decided to try again the next night.

The following day, he followed rainbows from Hawi, shooting the sunset at Upolu Point and the windmills under the night’s starry sky with the meteor shower in full array. As this show concluded, Ethan thought, now is the time to go to the heiau. In the stillness of the night, headlamp secured, watching the moon beams reflect on the calm waters of the bay, Ethan sat and waited. In a moment’s time, the Milky Way ascended to its most vertical reach, and was captured by the shutter of Ethan’s camera. “The Milky Way at Pu‘ukoholā Heiau” is an iconic photo, enveloping the ancient culture of Hawai‘i’s revered Ali‘i, the sacredness of the ‘āina, and witnessed by the star-studded galaxy. “The Place of Destiny,” the Pu‘ukoholā Heiau, was certainly seen in all its beauty on this summer night.

Ethan takes a moment to honor his education and experience at Parker School. He is filled with pride and appreciation for the school’s founders, administrators, and teachers. The mission of the school is based on Excellence, Integrity, and Compassion. The Parker School Value Shield, remains with Ethan today. The strong foundation has kept him centered in who he is and what he has to offer, all in the name of humility and respect. You can feel the reverence Ethan has for Waimea, from the beauty of the Parker Ranch to the summit of Mauna Kea, this is where Ethan’s heart resides. As his award-winning photography spans the globe, Ethan remains loyal to his community, always remembering the source of where he started.

A major subject of Ethan’s work is Mauna Kea, the mountain that inexplicably calls to him. “I am just drawn to it,” he says. “I don’t know why, I can remember seeing it the day I moved here. I stare at it all the time. I look at it all day long. It fascinates me. The light is always different.”

He continues to express that he needs to live where he can see the mountain and remarks, “If I can’t see the mountain, it feels like the umbilical cord is disconnected. There’s an emptiness in my heart.”

As much as Ethan loves all the variety and beauty of Hawai‘i Island, it is clear that the center of it all is Mauna Kea, from which he draws his creativity, drive, passion, and wonderment.

Ethan’s path has ventured into luxury real estate and architectural photography. He states that shooting architecture is some of the most difficult work. When asked why, Ethan says, “The light. If you are inside shooting out to capture the view, you are working against the light.” Yet it is this challenge plus the detail, the beauty, the aesthetic design, and the precision that captivates Ethan to perfect his craft. In a highly competitive field, this acclaimed photographer remains an ever-present student. Ethan is passionate about his gifted profession and mindfully reflects that when you do something that you are meant to do, it is not work.

A young boy who was brought to the island shaped into a man and artist deeply connected to the mountain and the land. His art has been nurtured by the teachings at his local school and by his respect and reverence for his grandparents and parents. What developed from the sum of Ethan’s experiences is more than a photo. What developed is a man with a humble yet brilliant gift of capturing images for all of us to experience. How many of us could see the Milky Way hovering over the Pu‘ukoholā Heiau, or see the moonbow crossing over the road in the night’s sky, or embrace the colors cascading over Mauna Kea? We all can, visitors and residents alike through the elegance of Ethan Tweedie’s inner eye and outward lens. This is his contribution. So many of his life lessons and teachings are brought forward to this present moment, where he unveils the gifts that were shown only to him and captured with the click of a camera.

Where once a young boy sat on the front steps of the Parker School gazing off to the mountain, now a grown man pays homage to that which has imprinted the graces of his life.

A moonbow is a rainbow produced by light reflected off the surface of the moon (versus the sun) refracting off of moisture in the air. A rare sight to see, indeed. ❖

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Ethan Tweedie’s fine art prints can be found in galleries on Hawai‘i Island: Wishard Gallery in Waimea, Harbor Gallery in Kawaihae, and Wishard Gallery at the Queens’ MarketPlace.

Contact Ethan Tweedie: EthanTweedie.com

Photos courtesy of Ethan Tweedie.

Contact writer Gayle ‘Kaleilehua’ Greco: gayle.greco@gmail.com