Two Perspectives in Paradise: Using the Leica M & SL2-S with 35mm and 21mm in Hawaii
There’s something magical about photographing Hawaii. The light, the culture, the layered contrast between nature and city life—it begs to be captured with intent. On this recent outing, I ran a two-camera setup: the Leica M10 and the Leica SL2-S, paired with two of my favorite focal lengths—35mm and 21mm.
Waikiki, 2025, Shot with Leica SL2-S, 21mm Voigtlander
The 21mm: Immersive and Bold
The 21mm is my visual exhale. On the SL2-S, it let me breathe in the entire scene—sand, sky, palms, and people—all in one shot. I used it heavily along Kuhio Beach and the edge of Queen’s Surf, where skateboarders, uncles with ukuleles, and sunburnt tourists all share the same square footage.
This lens makes me move closer, physically engaging with the space around me. I’d crouch low to get beachgoers framed against Diamond Head, or shoot upward to catch the contrast between modern hotels and vintage signage. And thanks to the SL2-S’s EVF and stabilization, I didn’t have to worry about precision—I could shoot fast, low light, and still walk away with sharp, dramatic frames.
It’s the focal length I use when I want to tell everything—environment, subject, and the space between.
Waikiki, 2025, Shot with Leica SL2-S, 21mm Voigtlander
Waikiki, 2025, Shot with Leica SL2-S, 21mm Voigtlander
Waikiki, 2025, Shot with Leica SL2-S, 21mm Voigtlander
The 35mm: Classic, Connected
On the M10, I mounted my 35mm Summicron and let it stay there all day. This lens is my anchor—tight enough to isolate, wide enough to tell a full story. It’s the focal length that keeps me honest. Walking through Waikiki, it gave me just enough reach to capture subtle gestures without feeling removed. It’s perfect for street portraits, layered storytelling, and moments that need to breathe but not drift.
There’s a rhythm to 35mm on the M—it rewards patience and anticipation. I found myself waiting for gestures, looking for clean lines in busy frames. It pushed me to move with purpose.
Why the Combo Works
Waikiki is more than palm trees and postcard sunsets. It’s tension and energy—tourists colliding with local culture, waves crashing alongside fast food and designer shops. To photograph that honestly, I need two perspectives:
21mm to capture the canvas.
35mm to capture the characters.
Pairing the SL2-S and M10 gave me the flexibility to chase both scale and subtlety without switching lenses or breaking flow.
Waikiki, 2025, Shot with Leica M10, 35mm Summicron
Final Thoughts
I walked Waikiki with two cameras, but one goal: to tell the story of a place that’s always in motion. From the wide-open drama of the beach to the quiet poetry of a passing glance, the 21mm and 35mm helped me document both the chaos and the calm.
This is how I see Waikiki—not just as a location, but as a layered, living story. And these tools? They help me tell it.
A Lot Has Changed And There’s More To Come.
Damn, it has been a long time since I’ve been active on this platform!!! Almost three years, INSANE!!!! The neglect is over and I think I will do a lot more blog posts on my location, whats going on in my life, gear, and other things evolving around my photography journey.
I’ve been in Hawaii for almost 2 years so far and it’s…it’s been an interesting ride. I got here, got inprocessed, 6 months later I deploy to Kuwait with some of the dopest individuals I’ve met in my military career. I spend 6 months in the desert there to come back to Hawaii PCAn over to Bellows Air Force Station with the mindset of retiring. I’ve never been so confident and ready to make this move and start a new chapter. I’m stoked to be able to spend more time with family and to travel on my time if I want to. The excitement is real over here!!
As far as photography, I’ve met a pretty chill community here on Oahu and mainly ive been shooting in Waikiki. It feels redundant but for some reason I’m finding myself going there to shoot all the constantly. I’ve also been challenging myself on not comparing my work with others and also diving into photo books for inspiration. I want to push my eye to another level and evolve on my style of shooting. I want to also get over mental hurdles while shooting too. I feel street photography is definitely a challenge but also a way to find out who you really are mentally as your success rate in getting a good photo is slim and then fighting the anxiety to compose and press the shutter button while your subject is looking directly at you or you having to get closer to shoot. I’m getting better but we will see when I go on this trip to Tokyo to shoot.
Glad to be back and more to come…..
All We Got Is Love and the Time To Make It Right
“If You’re tired of starting over, quit giving up.”
Getting the jump on goals and resolutions before the New Year has been motivating already for me. Having the time to sit down and think what of the challenges I want to go full steam on as well as goals I want to set. Writing out a task list I want to accomplish in the next 120 days is just the start.
Life is short and all we got is love and the time to make things right as living with intention. Pursing your passion is one step of living with intention and I encourage everyone of you to do so,. Whatever it is you love to do, do it!!! Whatever your gift is, enjoy snd give to the world. Live with good intentions!!
Shoot For the Moon....I Gotta Do Better
“Feelings go numb ‘cause you’ve been through things” - Moonshooter - Ab-Soul
This is off the top of my head. Just typing away my feelings as I vibe to this new Ab-Soul album. From the quote above, I heard it on one of my favorite songs on the album and it made me stop and think. I’ve been through some shit and still going through it and I’ve gotten so good at numbing the feelings that it has been my everyday walk of life. Is it a mask? Is it who I am? I have no clue honestly but I know I gotta do better. I’ve gotten so good at numbing the pain with over saturating my life with work and keeping my mind busy and every time I think about it I go back to distracting myself. I think it is time for me to be real with myself and take that step before it is too late. I gotta do better today, I gotta do better before it’s too late……
Decisions
I recently have been thinking about what I want to do next in my career. Pondering is it time to start planning my retirement from the Air Force or dedicate/sacrifice more of my time and life to this machine. I recently thought to myself when was the last time I woke up happy to go to work and I still can’t pinpoint a day I had that feeling with what I am doing now. I feel it is time for me to give back to myself and do what I want to do finally. Am I ready? Do I really want to make that move? This is a big decision.
I’m ready to feel happiness once and for all.
Proud But Not Satisfied.......Catching Stride
Proud, but not satisfied. Lately I’ve been on the go shooting constantly in the streets where I am at and just learning how to really operate my camera. I can really say the time and effort is showing in the photos I’ve been able to produce. This journey has been a love hate relationship but I wouldn't change it for the world. The people I’ve met and places I’ve experienced has given me great gratitude and appreciation for just the basic and simple things in life. I look forward to challenging myself more but most importantly appreciating the grind.