Contest captures spirit of 'ohana everywhere

By Esme Infante Nii and Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writers

This year, the response to the contest doubled compared with last year, with nearly 250 entries.

Photos were judged for content, technical merit and expression of the theme. There were so many worthy entries that the judges had a tough time and took hours narrowing the field. They settled on these winners:

• First place: Lynn Kobayakawa of Kane'ohe, who won a $100 gift certificate to the restaurant of her choice.
• Second place: Gigi Wunderlich of Nu'uanu, who won a $25 restaurant gift certificate.
• Third place: David R. Saito of Pearl City, who also won a $25 gift certificate.
• Honorable mentions: Gail Hamada Chun, Hawai'i Kai; Kala A. Goriup, Honolulu; Janet Guild, Wahiawa; Genie Martin, Pauoa Valley; Diana Toves, Mililani; and Keiko Williams, Honolulu. Honorable-mention winners will receive Advertiser logo merchandise.

The judges were Advertiser staff members. Preliminary judges were Esme Infante Nii, assistant features editor, and Zenaida Serrano Espanol, Advertiser staff writer. Finals judges were Saundra Keyes, editor; Jim Kelly, executive editor; David Montesino, managing editor; Seth Jones, director of photography; Stephen Downes, art director; and Elizabeth Kieszkowski, features editor.

Pablo Rubonal loves to while away afternoons playing with his grandchildren in the dappled shade of his Kalihi vegetable garden. His daughter, Lynn Kobayakawa, loves to take pictures of her loved ones and is known as the family shutterbug. These passions intersected with heartwarming results one afternoon last September when Rubonal, then 70, was teaching his grandson, Israel Ogata, 1, how to salute, and Kobayakawa captured the moment on film.

Kobayakawa, 47, said both her parents are "very close with all of our kids." Israel is the son of Kobayakawa's sister, Yolanda Ogata.

Rubonal has taken many a grandchild out to play onto the cool concrete step leading down from the garden. "They sit out there and talk story," Kobayakawa said. "It's always so cute."

Judge's comment: "I loved the affection that was shown, his (Rubonal's) facial expression, his hands holding those little hands, the way he's just surrounding him with love, and I thought it was beautiful composition," said Advertiser Editor Saundra Keyes. "It was the arms surrounding him. ... You can tell the child knows that the love is there."

"What really makes this picture special to me is the spontaneity of the hug," said Gigi Wunderlich of the moment captured in this photo. Her family had been playing at what the kids call "Granny's Beach" — a stretch of shoreline across Wunderlich's parents' home in Hau'ula. "I was trying to get a picture of my son, August, in his lava lava when all of a sudden his younger sister, Lyla, came over and gave him such a nice, warm hug."

Wunderlich says she is fond of this photo also for the cultural diversity it reflects, showing, in her words, "a haole kid wearing a lava lava."

Judge's comment: This photo "just has the feeling of being spontaneous. There's a brother, a sister, and you can tell that he's not so sure about this," said Seth Jones, Advertiser director of photography, with a chuckle. "There's just the love exhibited between the kids."

Saito took this photo of his son, Dayne, who was 2 at the time, and Dayne's cousin, Allyson Yamamoto, then 3, last August as the family was on their way to a bon dance at Rissho Kosei-Kai Hawaii Kyokai, a buddhist temple in Pacific Palisades.

Saito said the photo is special because it reminds him of his childhood.

"A lot of children (today) miss out on that kind of stuff," Saito said about the bon dance festivities. "It's really important for kids nowadays to connect with their cultural background." So Saito hopes to make the bon dance an annual family tradition that his son will be able to pass on someday.

Judge's comment: "With Hawai'i's diversity of cultures, this photo with two children on their way to a bon dance reflects the joy of celebrating their culture," said David Montesino, managing editor. "The costumes and the smiles lend this photo its authenticity."

Honorable Mention

With so many entries in The Honolulu Advertiser's second " 'Ohana in the Islands" photo contest — there were 250 — the judges couldn't name just three top winners. So here are six entries that earned honorable mentions, plus comments by the judges, all Advertiser staff members.

Goriup took this picture of her daughters last April at Shark's Cove by Waimea Falls Adventure Park: from left, Delaney and Eryn, then ages 3 and 7. Goriup took her daughters to the beach that day to take photos of them to send to her father-in-law in Delaware for his birthday.

"To me (this photograph) is the spirit of Hawai'i: that innocence of childhood and nature, the contrast of the harsh rocks and the softness of children, and even the movement of the sand under their feet," Goriup wrote. "It was one of those rare moments when the camera, nature and my children all cooperated at once to tell in a single frame the story of childhood and sisterhood."

Judge's comment: "The color, the composition — you can almost feel the sand under your toes when you watch the little girls inching closer to the surf," said Jim Kelly, executive editor. "Even though you can't see their faces, you can tell what their expressions would be."

Williams snapped this photo of a friendly wild mynah visiting with her husband, Bud Williams Jr., and their then-4-month-old son, Joey, on June 10 at their home.

The bird is a regular visitor who has adopted the Williams' courtyard as its daily hangout, said Bud Williams Jr., who submitted the entry. "I believe the image portrays a special feeling of warmth and a perspective unique to living here in Hawai'i," he wrote.

Judge's comment: This photo is "just unusual," said Stephen Downes, art director. "And everyone in the picture appears to be fully absorbed in the moment, including the baby and the bird."

Guild recalls last year as "turbulent" for her family. Her daughter, Nettie, was diagnosed with leukemia just before the start of 2001. With treatment, she's since gone into remission. "When this picture was taken, Nettie, age 3, was a few weeks shy of her first anniversary of her leukemia diagnosis," Guild wrote. The photo captured a moment in a weekend of celebrating: The night before, Nettie had been the guest of honor at Tripler's Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. Then the family, including Nettie's dad, Tim, and brother, Evan, spent the night at a Waikiki hotel, and Nettie went swimming the next day. "Of course, for the Guild family, a day in Waikiki is not complete without a stop at the shave-ice stand," Janet Guild wrote. "How ' 'Ohana in the Islands' is that?"

Judge's comment: "I liked the spontaneity of the photo," said Stephen Downes, art director. "It's just a quiet moment of sharing between father and daughter."

Toves captured the affection shared between her grandson, Hunter Gentry, and her husband, Oscar Toves, at Hunter's first birthday party, held last July in Silver Spring, Md. "This photo is special because it shows how much Hunter adores his grandpa," wrote Oscar Toves, who submitted the entry.

" 'Ohana is all about caring for one another."

Judge's comment: "This photograph just truly shows the unconditional love of a child, and the unconditional pride of a grandfather. It's that simple. It sure captures that moment," said David Montesino, managing editor.

Long before Martin and her boyfriend, Jonathan Domingo, began a family, they talked of their shared dream to encourage a love of the outdoors in the children they hoped to have. Last September, Martin shot this photograph of Domingo, and their son, Draktan Kaleihiwaonalani Domingo, then 16 months old, at Kualoa Beach Park. This photo "draws on the importance of father love and how we, as parents, should be there to guide and support our children, to instill a positive childhood that they'll remember," Martin wrote.

Judge's comment: "Beautiful composition. It just says 'Hawai'i' to me," said Jim Kelly, executive editor. "The photo of a father sharing something (he) loves with his baby son is moving."

Chun caught on film this playful moment between her nephew, Adam Cobeen, and Cobeen's daughter, Kaiao, at Kaiao's first birthday Dec. 29 at Kualoa Ranch.

"Dads love to rough it with their kids, and Kaiao gleefully shows her dad how much she enjoys this horseplay," Chun wrote. "This candid photo captures the expression of love of this young father for his daughter and that father-daughter bond."

Judge's comment: "I just thought there was a real joy in their faces. The interaction was very loving," said Elizabeth Kieszkowski, features editor. "And the cowboy hat added a humorous touch."