Bruce Omori, co-owner of Downtown Hilo photo gallery Extreme Exposure, once again is a winner in the Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards competition. ADVERTISING Bruce Omori, co-owner of Downtown Hilo photo gallery Extreme Exposure, once again is
Bruce Omori, co-owner of Downtown Hilo photo gallery Extreme Exposure, once again is a winner in the Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards competition.
Omori’s winning entry in the Art in Nature category, “Ribbons in the Sky,” is a wild airborne abstract created by a huge lava bubble explosion at ocean entry.
“Lava bubbles are definitely one of my favorite aspects of volcanic activity, as its infrequent and unpredictable nature make it difficult, yet exhilarating to shoot,” Omori said. “The bursts are so spontaneous, there is no way to plan for a precise composition, and this 50- to 60-foot-wide bubble was no exception.
“The early morning light gave a perfect balance to the expanding ribbons of lava against the contrasting background for a one-of-a-kind image. And talk about being in the right place at the right time.
“I’m just so thoroughly blessed to have the opportunity to witness, let alone photograph, this incredible living and breathing planet we live on, from this perspective … at home, here in Hawaii!” Omori added.
The annual competition receives approximately 25,000 entries in the fields of photography, science and conservation. Each photograph is judged on technical quality, originality and artistic merit.
The winning photographs are on display through August 2016 in the 20th anniversary Awards Exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
Omori and his wife, Sheryl, will travel to Washington this month to receive his award at the Smithsonian.
