Jake Marote is no stranger to bouncing between the Hawaiian Islands. At first, friends, family, and an innate desire to explore the outdoors took Jake island hopping across the state. But about five years ago, a friend created an Instagram account for Jake and handed him a GoPro, and the rest is history. Quickly evolving from his iPhone to the world of DSLR cameras and underwater housing, Jake is now a seasoned professional photographer working in the surf industry and traveling the world to get the shot. With help from his peers and the self-discipline to research and implement best practices while learning from trial and error, Jake made the jump from hobbyist to professional. In between photo sessions with John, Bryce, and Elliana, we caught up with Jake to get some outdoor photography tips and his perspective on shooting in the islands.
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What types of images do you post?
Iย try to keep it versatile and not really stick to one thing. I dip into all these different hobbies that I have. If the wind is good, then Iโll go diving or fishing from the Jet Ski. And if the windโs really bad, then Iโll try and do something on land, whether itโs hunting, hiking, riding bike, or dirt bikeโanything to get outdoors.
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Where has your photography taken you?
Iโve gone to Switzerland to shoot the most random stuff. We surfed in freezing lakes and did a bunch of canoeing. Iโve been to Bali and many other third-world countries. Since I mostly work in the surfing industry, I travel throughout the summer looking for waves in secluded, semi-exotic locations.
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Do you get to island hop around Hawai'i often?
I was island hopping before I got into photography because I have a lot of friends and family that live on outer islands, whether itโs Kauaโi or Molokaโi. I had the nickname Manuela Boy, which in Hawaiian means a wanderer, or to go with the flow. But once I really got into photography I was island hopping just to take pictures of beautiful landscapes and the people. Now I can pick up jobs and island hop to neighbor islands as well.
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Where is your favorite place to shoot?
My most favorite place to shoot is underwater, whether itโs marine life, or diving, or surfing. When I first started shooting, I was diving with my DSLR camera and my water housing. Everything fell into place when I was in the water. Iโve always had a passion for surfing, diving, and fishing. Hawaiโi has greatly influenced my photography. It makes my life, and job, a lot easier, as itโs so easy to go outside and search for a good photo opportunity. Thereโs so much beauty hereโitโs just a footstep out of your front door.
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Can you share some photography tips?
For starters, itโs important to have a lot of charged batteries and empty memory cards, because youโll be taking a lot of photos. Be respectful of where youโre shooting. Donโt go trampling all over all of the bushes or whatnot. Before you go out and shoot photos, look around and observe the area and any people around. If you donโt see the local going to a certain area, or doing what you want to do, then maybe itโs not a good idea. And bring a rain jacket and a waterproof cover for your camera bag, because it could be sunny one minute and then five minutes later itโs pouring rain. Always try to think outside the box and figure out how to shoot things differently. This way you can stand out and make a name for yourself. Research what other people on social media are doing and figure out how you can better your photos based on what you seeโthink about how you could make an image different by approaching it from a different angle or by playing with the light.
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How should photographers balance sharing beautiful photography with overexposing fragile environments?
As much as I want to share how beautiful Hawaiโi is with the world, I also donโt want to bring all kinds of crowds. Iโve seen so many places, especially on my home on the Big Island, where social media is exposing our local spots. Thereโs more litter. You canโt find parkingโit takes away from the natural beauty of what it used to be. Itโs fine to portray Hawaiโi as this beautiful place where the sunโs always shining and the water is always nice, but at the same time you have to respect the people that live here, and respect the land youโre indulging in.
