Hilo photographer Bruce Omori wins international award

Bruce Omori is a professional photographer and co-owner of Extreme Exposure Gallery in downtown Hilo. The Hilo native’s dramatic photos of lava flows and other natural beauty of his home island have wowed both visitors and locals. His work has now won international acclaim.

On June 7, one of his photos will be included in the opening of a special exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The photo, “Volcanic Vortices,” won the Power of Nature category in the prestigious 2012 Windland Smith Rice Nature’s Best Photography International Competition. Washingtonian magazine calls this exhibition “one of the ‘Top Ten’ exhibits to see in Washington, D.C.”

Regarding the winning photo featuring seven concurrent water spouts birthed from lava flowing into the ocean, Omori said: “On an early morning shoot at the Waikupanaha ocean entry, lava from the Kilauea volcano poured into the sea. This created a huge escape of steam. As it rose, multiple vortices began spinning off the huge, billowing plume. A vortex or two is a rare sight — but when one after another kept forming, my fumbling with the lenses turned into a panicked rush to switch to my wide-angle lens. I captured the incredible scene of seven vortices in a row.”

The exhibition information can be found at http://www.naturesbestphotography.com/smithsonian_exhibitinfo.php. Visit Extreme Exposure Gallery in downtown Hilo at 224 Kamehameha Ave. Suite 103, or visit online at http://www.extremeexposure.com.