About the Photographer

My name is Yukiko Tokutomi Northon, and I live in a beautiful place called Hawai’i. I like to say that this place is a living, breathing, growing being, constantly changing with new and ancient bits coming into light. With all the microclimates, deserts and jungles, new and old lava flows, the imagery is endless.

My father gave me my first camera, a Canon Q-L17 Rangefinder. It was an amazing camera for an eleven year old! I quickly learned all its settings and dials, how to load and unload film. We took it to the store to get the results developed and printed and waited for at least a week to pick them up. It was a time that I treasured, sharing the photos with him, talking about the poetry and art he found in some my images. I used the Rangefinder until I went away to school.

As a young adult, I wanted to try a newer, modern camera and moved up to a Canon Single Lens Reflex Ftb 55mm. I adapted quickly to the Ftb, but still loved using the Rangefinder. That said, with the Ftb, I was able to change lens to a telephoto or macro and enjoyed being able to dial in and take photos I couldn't with my Rangefinder

Eventually, a friend decided that he wanted to sell his camera, lenses, filters and tripods. I jumped at the chance to have the entire set. This was the first time that I veered away from the Canon and moved over to the Nikon. That set had an amazing range of lenses to experiment with. It was a lifetime experience that I treasure.

Now in the digital age, I have a Nikon that I enjoy using but have my sights set on returning to a Canon.