CAMERON BROOKS

Born and raised on the island of Oahu, I graduated from Punahou high school in the year 2001.

Having been interested in fine art photography my entire life, I began taking professional helicopter photos back in the year 2013, and have fallen in love with so many special areas across east Oahu. I'm always amazed by the fact that I can fly past the same location over a hundred times, and still discover inventive new ways to shoot unseen angles of magical spots like the Kaneohe sandbar and Kualoa valley. (Like what you'll see in the shot "Sandbar Reef Spikes")

Over the years I have captured some insanely rare occurrences of nature in places that I never would've expected in so many different parts of the island. Be sure to keep an eye out for my "Swirling Sands of Waimanalo" 50 megapixel collection that was captured back in 2016. In well over 300 helicopter flights, that was the only time I've ever witnessed such dramatic changes in color swirling around out at sea.. and I circled around the area a few times to capture as many angles as I could of this 'first in a lifetime" sight. In case you might have a home or office in Hawaii Kai, Waimanalo or Kailua, you'll be able to point out your residence somewhere in the distance of one of those shots! I also captured the most magical high altitude sunrise photos that I've ever taken of Lanikai on that same flight.

Some other notable collections that I am especially proud of would be my ultra wide high altitude sunset shots, my low light nightscape heli photos, and my "Epic Light Beam" shots of Waimanalo at sunset.. (those were just captured in the year 2021). It's amazing to realize how it took almost a decade of fine art photography before I captured light rays as massive as the ones you'll see in that collection over everyone's favorite Hawaiian lagoon.

I was also lucky enough to go on a helicopter flight where I chased a massiverain cloud all the way from Makapu'u Lighthouse back to Diamond Head at sunrise- capturing at least 20 epic rainbow (and double rainbow) shots across everyone's favorite locations - including a shot of the rainbow aligning perfectly over the summit of Diamond Head. That was an experience that sounded too good to be true.. but the "camera info" in the files will prove that they were all taken in a 40 min window of time! That is a collection that no drone photographer will be able to match for years to come.

Even though my main passion is helicopter photography, I am also on the look out for any other super rare natural occurrences on the ground as well. After the historic storm that Oahu experienced on Dec 9th, 2021, I was the only fine art photographer on the island to bring a 50 megapixel camera with a 130 degree lens down to the massive puddle of water that formed on the left side of Kapiolani Park. I was blessed with a beautiful sunrise that morning and took the time to create ripples of water with my feet to add some drama to the epic reflection of Diamond Head.

I also went back to the park at sunset and captured some adorable shots of a group of 15 ducks that swam all the way to the edge of the treeline which was another "first in a lifetime" sight to behold! I was blessed to have a lens wide enough to capture Diamond Head on the left and the golden sunset light all the way on the far right edge of that historic shot.

Each of those shots would be a surefire way to start a lot of great conversations if blown up the size of an entire wall. As much as I love full size wall enlargements, I also am honored if anyone considers decorating an entire wall with dozens of my shots printed as 8x10s as a large collage - creating an epic roller coaster ride around the entire island for their family, friends, and guests to their establishments.

The greatest reward to owning my artwork, however, is to realize just how awesome it feels to just walk around any of these areas for a few hours with a large 48inch canvas of a super rare heli photo.. and just watch how many random strangers come up to introduce themselves wanting to start interesting conversations out of nowhere - it's a fantastic way to meet new friends!

It's almost a bit like the next best thing to feeling like a movie star.

Follow Cameron on Instagram: @cameronbrooksart