23 Oct Meet the Photographer: Barb Toyama, of Endless Summer Photography
Favorite Movie: That’s a tough one – I’m not one of those people who watches movies over and over. I get completely drawn in and invested while I watch a movie – most make me cry at one point or another – and then, poof, they’re gone from my mind. Thinking about it now, the first one that pops into my head is “The Vow”, a movie I do recall that touched me deeply, probably because it’s a real story that could happen to anyone, and it illustrates just how deep love runs.
Favorite Book: Any book that’s an actual book made of paper! Much to the amusement of my husband, I’m old school that way and cannot stand e-books, I need to be able to feel the book’s weight, turn pages, and (unless it’s a library book) earmark and underline. Besides novels, photography/business and parenting books, I really love looking through picture books, both the art and children’s varieties.
Favorite Lens: Ummm, all of them? It entirely depends on what I’m shooting. For client sessions, the 24-70 for practicality reasons. The 24mm for underwater, and for personal work I love free-lensing with the 50mm and playing with my Lensbaby, both of which I’d like to start using with clients more often as well. I can tell you my least favorite lens – the 70-200. While I love its beautiful compression, I just find it too heavy, slow, and far away for the type of work I’m doing.
Favorite Magazine: I rarely read magazines anymore, except Click, which still arrives in my mailbox in paper form, and I will occasionally read Mozi Magazine.
Favorite Website or Blog: I love David duChemin’s blog. Not just as an artist, but as a human in general, his words always speak to my heart and inspire me. And he really makes me think – I love anyone who can bring that out in me.
Favorite Music: I love anything catchy and happy, so it’s all over the place. Looking at my playlists you’ll find Mumford & Sons, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Zac Brown Band, The Airborne Toxic Event, Grouplove, Ed Sheeran, Vampire Weekend, The Lumineers, fun, The Killers, Social Distortion, The Avett Brothers, with a few Top 40, Country and local Hawaiian songs mixed in for good measure.
Favorite Store: I don’t need much so I don’t shop much. At the risk of sounding like a kill-joy, I frown every time they announce the addition of a new store to our island – I feel people would be happier if they spent less time in stores acquiring stuff, and more time outside enjoying life.
Favorite Local Spot: Hands down the beach and ocean!
Photographer Idol: I have always admired Sally Mann. Not just for her talent as a photographer, but her courage as a woman, wife and mother. She unfalteringly marches to the beat of her own drum, no matter what anyone says, in both her early and current work, and I only have respect for that.
Favorite Instagram Accounts: Instagram is the one social media platform I find most worthwhile. Through it I have made many great connections, friends even, and enjoyed thoughtful conversations. Some I follow simply because their photos put a smile on my face, though I really enjoy the people who share not just pictures, but stories and thoughts to go along with them – I like learning who they are and what life is like in their corner of the world. It’s a bit like traveling without leaving home for me. Besides the people I know in real life, some favorites, in no particular order, are: @anartistatsealevel, @michellenicoloff, @spielkkind, @seasidelucy, @anajkay, @jeijay, @iamtonyhammond, @wild_delicious, @devshmev, @maritahodges … too many to list, really.
Favorite Pinners on Pinterest: I don’t do Pinterest. I know. Gasp.
Favorite Quotation: “Always be a little bit kinder than you need to be.” Don’t know who said it, but such a simple thing everyone could easily apply to help make our world a nicer place. (Editor’s note: J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, said “Always be a little kinder than necessary.”)
Most Interesting Place I’ve Traveled: I traveled a lot between the ages of 16 and 20, when I was a travel agent and still living in Switzerland. I appreciated seeing all these vastly different places, but the one that left the biggest impression was Northern Thailand. There’s something about seeing how people can live with so little, yet be so happy, that has stayed with me ever since.
Favorite Family Vacation Spot: I think we’re living in it – I see a lot of staycations in our family’s future.
Guilty Pleasure: There’s nothing quite like an ice cold beer, especially with a side of sunset after a run or a surf session.
If money were no object, my occupation would be: Mom, housewife and artist. I’d love to take all the time in the world to raise a flock of kind, outdoor-loving little humans alongside a bunch of animals, grow food in our garden and cook healthy meals, and satisfy my creative side with documenting our family, creating fine art, and volunteer work.
What Makes Me Memorable: I hope people remember me for my kindness, and neverending happiness and optimism – I’m basically a big child fascinated by little things. I’m also pretty funny, or at least I think so, but you have to get to know me a bit better before that comes out.
A Favorite Personal Photograph: One of many favorites from our wedding day (photo credit: Love and Water Photography). This was mid-ceremony. I love that it perfectly sums up my happiness – holding my husband’s hand, laughter, the ocean, being on our surfboards, the officiant talking about our love for each other.
A Favorite Photograph from Your Business: This is one of my all time favorite professional photos – the joy-filled moment, the colors, the carefree feel of it. It represents my brand perfectly since I’m all about documenting family life in an undirected way, recording their happiness and love for each other, one moment at a time.
Thank you for sharing with us, Barb! For more from Barb, and for booking inquiries, visit Barb’s website, Like her Facebook page, and follow Barb on Instagram.
Header image courtesy of Love and Water Photography.
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