Hiking Kuliouou Ridge amateur photography Scott Sesko is in the zone peering through the viewfinder of his trusty Nikon D-800 clicking fiercely away snapping image after image of the different foliage.
The 21-year-old Denver native, who moved
to Hawaii two years ago for college, easily captures over 1,000 pictures on his
camera each week. “I’m usually out shooting three to four times a week at least,”
he said. “I’m out a lot on shoots to try out new concepts.”
Sesko, a self-taught photographer
who’s learned and developed most of his techniques though through online
tutorials and trail-and-error, has come a long way since first taking up
photography his sophomore year of high school. “I first picked up a camera, and
really started to play around it, my sophomore year of high school,” he said. “By
senior year the ‘photobug’ bit me hard and had me hooked.”
To date Sesko has sold several of
his photos at different community festivals, and has had his work displayed in
galleries and entered into competitions. “I’ve been in some art shows back in
Colorado,” he said. Many of the pieces he’s entered into photo competitions
have been selected and displayed in different photo galleries in his hometown.
Sesko, who especially enjoys
landscape and nature photography, goes out hiking every week to capture
pictures. “When I’m out hiking I really like getting landscape shots,” he said.
“I like looking for different way to show people what I see in nature; what I
think makes nature so great.”
Nature has always been Sesko’s
playground. Having grown up by the mountains, Sesko can’t recall a weekend when
he wasn’t doing something outdoors with friends or family. “It’s always been a
big part of my life growing up,” he said. “It plays a large role in my family.”
Although Sesko has moved away from
his Denver roots, he still has a great fascination with nature. He now plans to hike every trail on Oahu, and
document it with his camera for the world to see. “I want to remind people
there’s more to this Earth than big cities and the ‘hecticness’ of things,” he
said.
Sesko
prefers hikes at the crack of dawn. “It’s one of the best times to shoot,” he
said. “The trails aren’t as crowded, and the lighting is a great for getting
pictures.”
Taking close-up
photos is a particular favorite of Sesko’s. He likes to capture and showcase
the unique details of things he sees. He specifically enjoys shooting flowers.
He explains that no one flower is made exactly the same, and that there is
beauty in their individual uniqueness.
Sesko dreams
of one day being hired as a photographer for National Geographic, and being
able to travel the world and document the differences between various countries
in the world. “Just tell me where the
dotted line to sign my life away is,” he said.
“Who wouldn’t want to have a job where you can travel everywhere, and
your only job is just get photos of it?”
Currently
Japan is on Sesko’s list of top places to visit. He hopes to be able to travel
to the country within the next couple of years and be able to shoot there.
Having a particular interest in the Orient, and its art and architecture, Sesko
would like to visit the country and experience its culture and history while capturing
its beauty for others to see. “I’d shoot the cities, and go to the old
monasteries and rural country,” he said. “I want to go to Japan and just
capture it through my eyes, through my lens, and have it show through me.”
Sesko is currently
working to market himself and his photography. He’s published, and started
shared his work, on photo-sharing websites like 500px and YouPic.
Gaining
recognition for his work is not one of Sesko’s top priorities however. He
explained that he does photography and shoots because of his passion and love
for the craft, not for the recognition or money.
“If I take a shot and 100,000
people love it and like it, and it becomes viral, that’s great, but I do it for
me,” he said. “I don’t ever go out and shoot thinking ‘this is going to go
viral,’ I go for myself, and to share what I see within this world.”
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