FINE ART PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WEEK: PU'U PEHE, LANA'I

©Kelly Fitzgerald.  Pu'u Pehe, Lana'i
Archival Pigment Ink Print
30" H x 40" W
Limited Edition of 5
Price: $1,800 USD

I'll never forget exploring this area of the island of Lana'i. I found a nice spot of stable ground, right on the very edge of a rocky cliff and set up my camera and tripod.  With crashing ocean waves below, I stood in awe and admired the wonderful view of Pu'u Pehe.

Standing 80 feet tall, Pu'u Pehe - also known as "Sweetheart Rock" - is one of Lana'i's most recognizable landmarks.  It is also the setting for one of Hawai'i's most enduring legends.

The story goes that a ravishing young princess from Maui, was captured by a young warrior from Lana'i.  He took her as his wife and brought her back to his home island.  He was so stricken with her beauty that he was afraid to let other men see her, and thus he confined the princess to a sea cave near the rock.

One day, as the warrior was away, the weather suddenly changed drastically, and the raging surf began to pound this side of the island.  The warrior rushed back to the cave, but it was too late, his beloved Pu'u Pehe had drowned.  Heartbroken, he retrieved her body and with the help of the gods, climbed the steep rock island where he buried her in a tomb.  Overcome with grief, the warrior then leapt off the rock to his death.

Professional framing is available for an additional charge.

I recently came across this piece while working on The Archive Project.  This piece is now part of The Hawai'i Series. 

This work was created by using an old medium format film camera and Kodak Professional Plus-X 125 Black-and-White Film.  Sadly, the 120mm film size is no longer being manufactured.  The traditional negative is scanned on a drum scanner to create a 300 megabyte digital file which serves as a vehicle for the tonal balancing, lighting, and darkening that was formerly done in the darkroom.  Once the aesthetic interpretation is realized in the computer and matched with the artist proof print created in the traditional "wet" darkroom, the image is then printed as a warmed toned archival pigment ink print.

A fine art photographic print by Kelly Fitzgerald
will beautify your home or enhance your place of business.

If you are interested in purchasing an original fine art print, please contact Kelly Fitzgerald at info@kellyfitzgeraldphoto.com or call (760) 670-6616.  A range of print sizes are available.  For more information, please visit the print information page on her website.

Mahalo nui loa.

To learn more about "The Hawai'i Series" body of work, please click here.

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