“Volcanic Vortices” gets Hilo's Omori a Smithsonian showing

HILO, Hawaii – A photographer whose work with Madame Pele is well known in Downtown Hilo has been recognized for a stunning photo of the lava ocean entry near Kalapana.

Bruce Omori, owner of Extreme Exposures Fine Art Gallery in Hilo, received the Windland Smith Rice International Award for his photo titled “Volcanic Vortices,” which will be displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s annual exhibition in June.

A media release says his winning photograph was selected from almost 20,000 submissions from photographers in 46 countries.

Bruce Omori, photographer

“I’m humbled by this experience, to stand with so many other great photographers is an honor. I love what I do and to be recognized in this way leaves me a little speechless.”

“Volcanic Vortices” won the top honor in the Power of Nature category. Finalists from each of the 15 categories will be featured in the Fall/Winter edition of Nature’s Best Photography Magazine. Omori described how he captured the moment in a media release.

Bruce Omori, photographer

“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, and as it rose, multiple vortices began spinning off of the huge plume. A vortex or two is a pretty rare sight—but when one after another kept forming, my fumbling with the lenses turned into a panicked rush to switch my telephoto to wide angle lens to capture this awesome scene of seven vortices in a row.”

Omori is co-owner of Extreme Exposure Fine Art Gallery in Hilo along with Tom Kualii. The shop is filled with incredible images captured “on the edge”, where lava from Kilauea volcano meets the sea, and elsewhere in Hawaii. They are online at extremeexposure.com.

Local Tweets

Congratulations to Bruce Omori of @extremeexposure for winning such a prestigious award—Image at Smithsonian Museum http://t.co/lNzVowtBo6

— Tina Mueller (@MahinaMedia) May 20, 2013

Congratulations to Bruce Omori from Extreme Exposures Gallery in Hilo, Hawaii. Wow, what a photo!! fb.me/2zdXerewz

— Ke Ola Magazine (@keolamagazine) May 21, 2013

Congratulations to Bruce Omori for receiving the Windland Smith Rice International Award for his lava photo titled… fb.me/N5CT12QV

— Duke Aiona (@DukeAiona2010) May 21, 2013

What an epic shot! Congratulations to Bruce Omori, owner of the Extreme Exposures Fine Art Gallery in Hilo…. fb.me/27Pr0D57w

— Experience Hawaii (@ExperienceHI) May 21, 2013