We partnered with Maui-based photographer and filmmaker Orion Owens to bring one of his images into the everyday. Captured at Peʻahi on a light-wind afternoon, the photograph holds power and calm in the same frame. After a spinal cord injury reshaped how he moves through the world, photography became Orion’s way of staying close to the ocean. Printed on a towel, the image takes on a new life. Something carried, not scrolled past.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Orion Owens. I am a photographer and filmmaker based in Maui, Hawaii. Photography and filmmaking are two of my loves in life and has been since high school. I sustained a spinal cord injury 9 years ago which has shifted the way I move around, but to this day photography is a way for me create, explore and express myself.
Can you tell us about the day you captured this wave? Where were you, and what stands out about that moment now?
On this day I remember setting out specifically for photos at Pe’ahi. Sometimes I find myself splitting my time between photos and videos because I love them both. It was a fairly light wind day in the afternoon and I really love shooting in the afternoon because rainbows are always popping off. And that was my goal, capture a rainbow and wave crashing in the same frame.
How did it feel seeing your photograph translated into a tactile, everyday object?
Putting images on tactile objects is surreal. Nowadays so much content is consumed on screens it’s too easy to forget about images. To put it on an object like a beach towel that can go with you to so many places, make memories with it, is such a fun way to live with a piece outside of a classic wall art.
What role does the ocean play in your creative practice or daily life?
The ocean has always been a source of energy and escape for me. It used to be more of a physical escape before I was hurt, but now I find it more of an energy escape. A place I can go to be mesmerized by the beauty and calmed by the meditative energy.
Does this wave hold any personal meaning for you beyond the image itself?
Not personally but every time I shoot Pe’ahi I get so excited because the conditions have to be right and I’m in awe of the energy the waves possess. It’s so other-worldly and if I do say one of the prettiest waves in the world.
If this towel could hold a memory or a feeling, what would you want it to carry?
Good question, it think it’s a form of duality, how something so pretty can be so dangerous and powerful.
Follow alongn with Orion here
Shop the towel here
