I met Kyle with his wife Tiffany a few years back at my old shop Exclusive. Tiff and I knew each other from HCC when we attempted to take fashion technology. But I got to know the duo when they came down to support our art shows/artist at Exclusive. Yayy for instagram we got to see Kyle’s no so hidden talent! Chatting with them at the grand opening we linked up! Hope you can join us Saturday, July 20th 2013 from 4pm-8pm at iKANDY Harbor Center Studio/Btq for our first Photo Installation “Young Reverie” opening featuring Hawaii native Kyle Addison Kahopukaunaokalaniopu’u Wright. Limited run of photos, prints, canvas & exclusive iKandy X Young Reverie shirts will be available for purchase. Come see his breath taking photos on display July 20-August 20, 2013. Event is FREE, All ages welcomed — See you there!
MY INTERVIEW WITH KYLE:
Name: Kyle Addison Kahopukaunaokalaniopu’u Wright
Business / Artist Name: Young Reverie
Email: youngreveriearts@gmail.com
Age: 29 | Instagram: @duberz
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born and raised in Makakilo on Oahu, Hawai’i. I now reside in Honolulu. At age 17 I moved away with my family to South Carolina. After 4 years, I moved back to the islands and came back with a deeper love and appreciation for this beautiful place we call home. I love the ocean and being in the water. It’s my sanctuary, my escape. I’ve always been mesmerized and aware of its magic and power so once I picked up a camera something in my head just clicked, like a light had been turned on. I was now able to capture these images that I saw right in front of me everyday and it naturally just became another medium to feed my creative hunger. I was hooked. I’ve always dabbled in art of some form. It has always been a part of my life. Whether it was through drawing, painting, graffiti sketches, music, or now with my photography. I love every facet of art that there is. It pushes me to discover myself and really opens my heart and mind to so many beautiful things in life that I would sometimes take for granted.
Any inspirations, role models, mentors?
My wife, my parents and siblings, my family, my friends, all my homies that I shoot with, musicians/music, artists of every type, the ocean, sunrises, sunsets, the elements, thinkers, doers, writers, creators, originators, life/death…. The list is endless.
How would you describe your style?
Bright, colorful, psychedelic, odd, weird, experimental. A constant work in progress.
Your underwater shots are incredible. What’s the attraction, and what are the challenges of shooting underwater?
Thank you! Oh man, the ocean is an unbelievable place. It’s another world. There are billions of different life forms, underwater canyons and mountains, changing tides and currents, unpredictable/beautiful energy, fluidity and movement, and just a whole bunch of things we haven’t even begun to discover. It’s scary and beautiful at the same time. Some challenges of shooting in the water include positioning, timing, being able to physically handle demanding conditions like unpredictable surf and strong currents. Also, holding your breath for periods at a time, getting water spots on your lens, sharks, photo bombers, reef, and just all kinds of stuff. That’s kind of what adds to the fun though.
What’s your idea of a great shot?
Of course things like composition and good lighting are all necessary steps for a good shot, but for me the most important things are just raw energy and emotion. Something that grabs your soul the moment you lay your eyes on it. Yeah, you can follow the “rules” of photography or any other art form down to its tiniest detail, but if you’re not passionate and don’t put your whole heart into what you’re doing then you’re just going through the motions not the emotions. Immerse yourself in your art or work and love what you do. It’s the difference between those who are good and those who are great.
Capturing the moment – how do you know where you need to be for a particular shot?
Living in Hawa’ii, like a lot of other locals, I’ve grown up with the ocean as my playground. Surfing, body surfing, body boarding, sand sliding, skim boarding, swimming, etc. are all activities I’ve grown up doing. So to have somewhat decent knowledge about the breaks and the tides and seeing what the wave will do as it happens really helps. I pretty much stay in the impact zone most of the time waiting for the wave to break right over head. I’ll take my licks for sure but it’s a blast.
Your camera of choice?
I use whatever I have on me at the time. Depending on where and what I want to shoot I’ll either use my GoPro, Olympus 35mm, or my iPhone with my iProlens and attachments. Sometimes I’ll even end up using all three at once.
Your favorite photographer?
Definitely all my good homies that I shoot with all the time: Zak Noyle, Jake Marote, John Hook, Yusuke Kobayashi, Jon Nishikata, and a whole bunch of others. Not to mention all the other greats like Larry Beard, Robbie Crawford, Ryan Beppu, Gregg Daniels, Zach Ramos, Tom Anderson, Willem Ungermann, Ray Collins…. I could go on and on!
How would your friends describe you?
Weird, crazy, painfully handsome, mentally unstable, a clown, sarcastic, scatter brained.
What’s your favorite photo you’ve taken & why?
It’s a really perfect and glassy backwash flair taken in the afternoon with all the sunset colors. It’s something I’ve never really seen, especially in my own work, and I’m really lucky to have captured it! Also, I love a lot of the sunrise shots simply because of the magic that happens as the sun breaks the horizon. It’s breathtakingly beautiful. To be there in those moments is amazing. I’m being baptized in water, colors, light, and magic all at the same time. I start my days refreshed and ready.
What would you like to be doing 5 years from now?
I’d like to be doing what I’m doing now but on a bigger scale. To be able to make a living doing what I love is one of my biggest dreams. Also, I’m hoping my wife and I can have our clothing brand established by then.
Best thing about living in Hawaii?
How much time do we have? This may take a while…
Closing statement?
I just want to say a huge thank you to my wife Tiffany, all my family (especially my Grandma Wright and my parents), and all my friends for helping me, not just with this recent endeavor but in all aspects of my life. They all have always been there for me no matter how many mistakes I’ve made. I am forever grateful and love you all so much! A big MAHALO to all my friends and supporters on Instagram. They have always been so kind and encouraging towards me. Finally, I’d like to thank Christina and the iKandy Ohana for giving me this amazing opportunity to share my work with others. Aloha!