What is Cambrias Collective?
Cambrias Collective is all my artistic personalities merging into one entity that is my full self. I am a multi-faceted individual with a lot of ways I love to express myself and my beliefs and values artistically. I do not feel they should be separated and they as a whole truly represent me as an artist and as a person.
I shoot photography for the love of the craft and to achieve my personal artistic desires as well as to showcase things in this world that I feel to be important for others to feel, experience, or know.
Portraits
When it comes to portrait photography, helping others feel comfortable and happy in their own skin is just a perk to doing what I love. That is what I promise to provide in our photography endeavors together. The world is a beautiful place with so many people of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities/races, beliefs, lifestyles, and personal styles. That diversity plays a big part in contributing to the beauty of this world. Unfortunately, not all people see it that way and there can also be so much cruelty and hate due to people's differences as well. That is why I really feel it is important with my work to help every individual see their true beauty and feel proud to be who they are in a world where it can be hard to see yourself in a positive light all the time. I strive to take photos that will show your personality and beauty in a way that you can cherish and show the world for years to come.
Landscapes
As with portraits, I feel that with my landscape work is important to capture the vast beauty that there is in this world. With all of the natural disasters and crises going on it is vital to make sure to capture the landscape as it is now because you never know when it could be gone or they throw a Walmart up in that beautiful spot down the road. Capturing that beauty and sharing it with the world can also have great effects on preserving our world as it is. It can evoke strong emotions that can help people feel determined to keep that place as it is and preserve our last remaining natural wonders.
Documentary
My documentary work has a very special place in my heart. It has two different avenues: Forgotten Places and the Crisis in Hawaii.
Coinciding with my landscape work Forgotten Places showcases what can become of our world when we don't respect the land and when nature takes back over the buildings we have left behind. I capture abandoned structures in a haunting way to show what has become of past beloved places like schools or malls where many once had cherished memories. I like to show the ghosts left of our past memories, and it is important for them to tell their stories as we have left them behind to rot and collapse back into the earth.
Crisis in Hawaii is such an important piece of work to me. It is an ongoing project where I am striving to document the effects of the colonization of Hawaii. It has led to a massive housing crisis and homelessness, a water crisis, invasive species, over-tourism, endangered local species, wildfires, and so much more. I am not Native Hawaiian, but I am Native American and we have suffered in the past a lot of the same injustices due to colonization so I understand and support Native Hawaiians. As I have made Hawaii my chosen home and through being here and seeing these things firsthand and hearing their stories I can understand their concerns and their pain. It feels selfish of me to live here, but I have never felt so much at home anywhere else and I really love the quality of life this place has to offer. When you choose to live in Hawaii when you are not Native it is of utmost importance to respect the ʻĀina (land) and to give back to Hawaii as it gives to you. Something at the very core of Native Hawaiian values. E Malama ‘oe I ka ‘Āina, e Malama ka ‘Āina ia ‘oe - take care of the land and the land will take care of you. Hawaii is seen by most as just some dream vacation destination and they use this land for their own personal fun without understanding or respecting it. Sharing with those who may not know what is really going on here is truly important to help people take more initiative to preserve their favorite vacation spot. Along with this work, I will also donate 20% off all shop sales to several non-profit organizations: 808cleanups.org, waterkeepershi.org, www.wildhawaii.org, and hawaiiancouncil.org