Olaf Heine, Capturing the Aloha Spirit in Black and White for Almost 30 Years

Olaf Heine, the acclaimed German photographer known for his rich portraits and architectural work, joins Paris Chong to discuss his latest book on Hawaii.

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The Paris Chong Show welcomes renowned German photographer Olaf Heine, known for his rich portraits of artists, musicians, and athletes, to discuss his latest book focused on Hawaii. The book is being celebrated alongside his current exhibition running at Leica Gallery LA from Thursday through June 1st. Heine’s new work features personalities like famous surfer Laird Hamilton and captures the island's unique spirit.

Heine explains that his decades-long relationship with Hawaii began in the late '90s on a commission in Maui, where he instantly became "totally hooked". The discussion explores the core values of the Hawaiian people, particularly the Aloha Spirit, which is described not just as a greeting, but as a philosophy of unity, solidarity, and open-hearted living. They also address the environmental challenges facing the islands, including over-tourism, volcanic activity, and the devastating fires, underscoring the fragility of life so close to nature.

Heine justifies his bold artistic decision to present the work in black and white, arguing it is a more "pure and reduced" approach that highlights the harsh, rugged, and volcanic origins of the islands, rather than focusing on the golden beaches and color. He views the ocean as the true "architect" that shapes both the land and the people—from fishermen and surfers to tourists. The photographer aimed to capture a subjective narrative that shows the extremes and different sides of Hawaii, connecting with a diverse group of native Hawaiians, activists, and celebrities to understand the mutual relationship between the environment and the people.

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Episode Timestamps

00:00 Intro
00:22 Meet Olaf Heine
01:38 How Hawaii Began
02:41 Respecting Culture
04:39 Aloha Spirit Values
07:58 Nature and Extremes
09:22 Making the Book
11:07 Publishing with TeNeues
11:55 Brazil vs Hawaii Home
13:29 Hawaiian Food Ocean Life
15:59 Why Black and White
18:48 Locals and Portraits
19:33 Earning Local Trust
20:22 Island Taboos And Respect
20:51 Subjective Hawaii Lens
23:07 Why Leica Matters
25:53 Chasing Giant Swells
32:32 Fragile Nature
34:45 Rwanda Project and Farewell

Links to Olaf Heine

Olaf Heine's Website
Olaf's Instagram
Olaf's LinkedIn
Art Pill Page of Olaf's work - Link
LFI Exhibition Page - Link

🎵 Music by Andrew Raiher

📸 Shot & Edited at Visible Audio Studios

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Intro Song: It's the Paris Chong Show. It's the Paris Chong Show, Show, Show. It's the Paris Chong Show.

Paris Chong: Okey-dokey, here we go again. Hello, everybody. I'm Paris Chong. Welcome back to the Paris Chong Show. Um, today I'm with, uh, my next... Well, actually, my next guest is also the next show at, like, a gallery, Los Angeles, so hopefully you'll be able to see him there.

Uh, the show will be running this Thursday through Jun- June 1st. I have Olaf Heine here, who's a renowned, uh, photographer, very known for his beautiful, rich portraits of artists, musicians, and actors, athletes, and a lot of architectural landscape work. He's won awards for his music videos and short films, commercials, and he currently has a show up in his native Germany, in Berlin, correct?

Olaf Heine: Uh, no, not in Berlin. Oh. On the coast.

Paris Chong: On the coast.

Olaf Heine: In a museum.

Paris Chong: And s- simultaneously with Leica Gallery LA, so he has a lot going on. Welcome, Olaf Heine.

Olaf Heine: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Paris Chong: I'm so glad you're here.

Olaf Heine: Yeah, I'm, I'm happy.

Paris Chong: And we all got the mem- yeah, we all got the memo about wearing all black, so that's good.

That's- And we really didn't, but ...

Olaf Heine: my, my boring, regular color.

Paris Chong: I only wear black. I try so hard to buy another color, and I still just buy the black stuff. I don't know. I think it's good with my hair, but okay, so the book is about Hawaii, and I'm also Hawaiian, so of course, I was gravitated to showing this work because I love Hawaii so much.

And then on the cover of your book, you have Laird Hamilton, the famous surfer.

Olaf Heine: Mm-hmm.

Paris Chong: And w- a lot of other celebrities in the book. Now, how does a German photographer who usually shoots people, actors, and rock stars create a story about Hawaii?

Olaf Heine: Well, in the, uh, late '90s, I had moved to LA, and I was commissioned to photograph a band that was recording, uh, on Maui, and, um, the shoot was done within two days, and, um, but I had another week to spend there.

So I just, um, met some people, started scuba diving, tried surfing, and, uh, just got totally hooked.

Intro Song: Yeah.

Olaf Heine: And, um, I returned a few months later and just fell in love with the island. And, uh, yeah, for the past Two decades, uh, to quote the great, um, Joan Didion, I, I spent, uh, what seemed to other people that I knew, um, an eccentric amount of time in Hawaii.

Paris Chong: Yeah, no,

Olaf Heine: yeah. I just, I just came back all the time- We all did ... and then, yeah, just started shooting there a lot. Mm-hmm.

Paris Chong: Yeah. Well, um, now Hawaii's been facing a lot of h- uh, really big environment- environmental challenges- Yes ... especially with the over t- tourism. There's been volcanic action and, um, a lot of m- Mother Nature activity, the fires.

Intro Song: Yeah.

Paris Chong: And I know that, um, b- because I'm Hawaiian, I know how they're, uh, the Hawaiian people are very protective of their land. Yes. So, um, uh, did you h- run into any problems there with people giving you a hard time, uh, as a, you know, white dude and over there taking pictures of the Hawaiian culture?

Olaf Heine: Well, no.

I think, well, first of all, yeah, I've s- I've spent a lot of time on the islands, and I've seen a lot of the changes, uh, in, yeah, everywhere, in the climate, uh, in social structures, um, uh, i- in the economy, in the housing market, in the, in the labor market. Um, and, uh, especially the climate- Mm-hmm ... has changed quite a bit.

And I was there during the fires three years ago. Oh, God, you were? I didn't know that. Yeah. No, I was, I was there. We actually, we went out that night. Um, the fire in Lahaina. Mm. I mean, the whole city burned to the ground. City where- You were there? A city where I was just scuba diving the day before. Um, so we were there.

But I think if you're sensial-- sens- uh, sensitive about, um, you know, the, the, the, the way of living there, um, you don't run into problems. And what we did, for instance, just realizing, and I had my family with me, and we're just realizing we had to leave the islands to make space for help- Yeah ... you know, f- that came in through the airport- Oh, my God.

That's horrible ... um, for instance. Now I've, um, I've met so many people that were so supportive of, of all the stuff that I did there over the years. And, um, yeah, you have to be s- Yes ... sensible about the culture- Yeah ... obviously, you know. Um, but the thing that strikes me about Hawaii is really the, the, the values of the people there.

Mm-hmm. The spirit, you know, which-

Paris Chong: Aloha spirit ...

Olaf Heine: the aloha spirit, you know. And most people, p- most people, I guess, think it's just a, a way of greeting.

Paris Chong: It's not.

Olaf Heine: No, it's not. It's just- It's a way

Paris Chong: of life ...

Olaf Heine: it's, it's the way of life. It's, it's, to me, it's kind of like a- philosophy, a way of living- Mm-hmm ... you know, uh, just a, a, a concept of, of unity and solidarity and, and a way of, um, you know, going through life with, um, just an open heart and just respecting each, every- everyone- Yeah

just for their pure existence. And if you are behaving the same way, I think, you know,

Paris Chong: you- Yeah, I got goose pimples even just talking about that because it be- You know, my mother was born and raised on Oahu.

Olaf Heine: Yeah.

Paris Chong: In h- in, um, I, so I spent a lot of my time. I just go, I spent a lot of time in Hawaii, and it's- Right

so, so much a, a part of my, my c- my, who I am and how I live and what I learned as a child, and I'm so proud to be Hawaiian. Yes. It's, like, one of the coolest things, I think, um, I, I, that, that I am. I love

Olaf Heine: it. Well, to me it's the, the, and that is why maybe I'm so fascinated by. I come from, you know, a continent that is super crowded, Europe.

Paris Chong: Yeah, yeah.

Olaf Heine: You know? And, um, over the, the centuries- Mm ... you know, we could go to other countries, invade them- Mm-hmm ... and do wars and blah, blah, blah, you know? Just, um, I think when you, when you live on a small island like this, you know, the Polynesians, you know, the, the, the ancestors to the Hawaiians, they had to find different ways of approaching life.

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm.

Olaf Heine: And, um, they developed different values, um, different approaches to Sorry. Different, different approaches- You scared me ... to life to, in order to, to survive on- Mm-hmm ... these small islands. And I think that those principles and codes that they developed, I think, um, they just, they just passed it on f- Mm-hmm

from generation to generation. And you can sense it in- The language in, in the songs-

Paris Chong: Yeah ...

Olaf Heine: in the poems, in the stories that you hear in these days. And, um, and those values, you can, I mean, yeah, you can- I

Paris Chong: love Haw- Don't you love Hawaiian music? Oh, she's fantastic. It's

Olaf Heine: so beautiful. I know, it's so- Yeah,

Paris Chong: yeah

and especially when you're in Hawaii- Yeah ... you only wanna hear that music. I

Olaf Heine: photographed a few, uh, Hawaiian musicians and- Oh ... yeah, no, it's beautiful. That's

Paris Chong: cool.

Olaf Heine: Yeah.

Paris Chong: Yeah, no, I, I, um, but I, you know, I also kn- I've also heard of people being treated badly there because it is, like, a protective, you know, where my Grandma Chong lived is you have to have Hawaiian blood to live in this ape- Oh, okay, yeah

area, uh, Kuliouou. And so, and they do, I have heard of, of c- certain friends getting mistreated. Yeah. Like, "Oh, you Haoles, get out of here. Go home," you know, stuff like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And my dad was also, like, a, my dad was German and, you know, big white guy and he, he fell in love with Hawaii. Yes. That's wh- and so he, and my mother, and the, the culture, and the islands, and, um, I actually have a sister named Leilani 'cause- Hm

"Sweet Leilani" was his favorite song. So I just thi- I don't think there's anywhere else like it in the world, you know? Right, yeah. So, so, um, what is, what do you love about it the most there, the culture or just the landscape or?

Olaf Heine: Um, yeah, I think it's, first of all, it's the people. Mm-hmm. You know, the diversity.

Yeah. And, and as I said, those, those values in, in the Hawaiian way of living, uh, the aloha spirit, but then yeah, obviously the nature. I mean, it's just- Mm-hmm ... it's just, uh, yeah, just magical.

Paris Chong: Yeah.

Olaf Heine: Um-

Paris Chong: The, uh, when you see the mountains, it's like you know there's

Olaf Heine: a heaven,

Paris Chong: right? Yeah.

Olaf Heine: Well, when you are on the, on the North Shore of, uh, Kauai and, and you see the Na Pali Coast and, uh, it, it's just, it just looks, you're looking straight into the origin of our planet.

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm.

Olaf Heine: You know? And, uh, and then the diversity, the extremes. I mean, Hawaii is one of the most biodiverse, pristine, uh, regions on Earth. You know, you have, in Kauai, the wettest spot on the planet, and at the same time you have really s- uh, super hot extremes- Yeah ... you know? You... And I mean, talking about changes, you know, the, the Hawaii is sort of drying out.

I know. I, I, I feel, you know? Um- The

Paris Chong: whole world is.

Olaf Heine: The whole world is, yeah. And, and we just had the floodings in, in-

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm. Well, LA had the fires, so it finally just kinda n- Yeah ... and, and had a drought for years. Yeah. But now, so, so I, uh, the, uh, Kauai's the only island I haven't been to- Oh, okay, yeah ... out of the Hawaiian islands.

Yeah. I've gotta get over there. My sister goes all the time. So now, um, with, uh, how long did it take you to make this book? Like, how long did it take you to complete this series?

Olaf Heine: Well, as I said, um, I was, the, the first trip I did, um, was in the e- late '90s. Mm-hmm. And the last picture is the last picture actually is from that first visit.

Paris Chong: Right.

Olaf Heine: So it's nearly 25 years old. That's wild. And it's- a building in Lahaina, and the building is no longer there. Yeah. You know? And so that's kind of like a reminder of, of the city. So it, I didn't work on the book for 25 years, but, you know, that's how long, how much time I've spent on the island. That's good.

And, um, I did a few jobs there. I returned, uh, privately. I returned to, uh, you know, meet friends, um, go scuba diving, trying to surf. I'm not a good surfer, unfortunately. It's hard to surf. Yeah, it's hard. Uh, I don't have, we don't have waves in Germany- Yeah ... so it's, it's, it's-

Paris Chong: Can't practice.

Olaf Heine: Yeah. It's, it's hard.

No.

Paris Chong: Even if you were getting good, you can't even practice at home. Yeah. Yeah, no, my, my, I had a, uh, cousin die when we were really young- Yeah ... surfing, so my mom was really protective about us being out in the water, and you-

Olaf Heine: Right ...

Paris Chong: it d- uh, the water's different there. It's kinda scary, you know? I almost got taken out a few times.

Olaf Heine: think I'm a, I'm a, I'm a fairly good snowboarder.

Paris Chong: Are you?

Olaf Heine: But there's so many variables in, when you surf. Mm-hmm. And, uh-

Paris Chong: Like sharks?

Olaf Heine: Like- One of them. I'm scared of them. No, but

Paris Chong: I- I don't even

Olaf Heine: like water

Paris Chong: anymore ...

Olaf Heine: I just, I just realized I'm, I'm, I'm better in just capturing it, uh- Yeah ... and, and, you know, just spending time with the cam- camera in the surf.

And, um, so, uh, yeah, I prefer that.

Paris Chong: So this is with TeNeues?

Olaf Heine: It's with TeNeues,

Paris Chong: yes. You, uh, you've, you've gotten really lucky with your publishers, huh?

Olaf Heine: I guess. Yeah. Yeah. Well, the thing is, I'd done, I've done a book, um, I've done a book published by TeNeues in 2014- Brazil ... which was Brazil, and it was, um, on the, kind of on the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer- Mm-hmm

compared with, you know, the, the images from the, from the society, from the landscape- Mm ... from the people. Um, so when I, um, developed the idea that actually my photographs from Hawaii could be more than just a loose-

Paris Chong: Yeah ...

Olaf Heine: selection of images, uh, I just figured, you know, maybe, uh, they are the right guys to, to publish the book, yeah.

No,

Paris Chong: they're great. Yeah. So I have never been to Brazil. I've always wanted to go. I need to get over there. Do you prefer, I know it's so drastically different, but where do you feel more at home, Brazil or Hawaii?

Olaf Heine: Oh. Oh, it's hard. '

Paris Chong: Cause there's a lot of Germans in Brazil. I know- Oh, yeah, yeah ... like, you know, there's a huge German community- Many

there. Probably more so than Hawaii, but then-

Olaf Heine: Well, I mean, talking about Oscar Niemeyer, the legendary architect who, who died, and I, I met him, like, shortly before he passed, uh, his grand-grandma was from my hometown in Germany.

Paris Chong: Oh, really?

Olaf Heine: Yeah, it's really interesting. What's your

Paris Chong: hometown?

Olaf Heine: Hanover. Hanover. In, in the north of Germany.

Okay. Yeah, so, um, no, obviously Hawaii is just a magical-

Paris Chong: It really is ...

Olaf Heine: place to be, and I've spent so much time there. I like Brazil a lot. Uh, I like the, the way of living there as well. But, you know- I thi- I consider the world kind of- Yeah ... my home. I don't believe in, in frontiers really. I, I feel like... I mean, that's why I come to LA.

Paris Chong: Do, do you ever miss living in L- LA?

Olaf Heine: I miss my friends.

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm.

Olaf Heine: Um-

Paris Chong: So that doesn't sound like you miss LA.

Olaf Heine: Well, it's a tough place in the moment, I have to say. It, I know, it is a little- I mean, the States-

Paris Chong: It's changed a lot, right?

Olaf Heine: The States are... It's, it's a little tough coming here these days. I know. Uh, because there's some weird- Unfortunately

Paris Chong: I know ...

Olaf Heine: LA is my second home for sure. I've, I've lived here- People don't like us

Paris Chong: anymore.

Olaf Heine: No, we all like you. Mm. There's certain people we don't like- It's, it's, it, it's hard ... maybe, if I can, if I'm allowed to say

Paris Chong: that. Yeah. No, you are allowed to say that. It's hard going to Europe too, 'cause it's just everyone wants to talk about the one horrible thing.

Olaf Heine: Yeah.

Paris Chong: So it's a lot. Now, now, um, h- did you get to try, uh, any Hawaiian food?

Olaf Heine: Oh, yeah. Plenty.

Paris Chong: Do you like it?

Olaf Heine: Oh, I love it.

Paris Chong: Hawaiian food's kinda weird, right?

Olaf Heine: I, uh, well, I

Paris Chong: don't know. I mean, well, not, but not the, the loco moco plate, like the- Yeah ... teriyaki and rice and mac and che- mac and, uh, macaroni salad, that stuff.

But some of it can get kinda weird, like kalua pig and lomi salmon-

Olaf Heine: Yeah ... and chicken and rice ... but I, I have, I have some really good friends on the island, and some of them are fishermen, and-

Paris Chong: Yeah ... if

Olaf Heine: you get fresh, uh, ahi- Yeah ... I mean, it's just- That's good ... it's just- So you eat well there ... amazing. Yeah, and it's...

No, it's, um, I like how you spend your day, uh, in line with the ocean-

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm ...

Olaf Heine: and the sun.

Paris Chong: Yeah.

Olaf Heine: And you get up in the morning when- Yeah ... the sun come, comes up, and you, you go to bed when the sun, you know, goes down, and everything evolves around the ocean, and that's pretty much what my book is about, you know?

Mm. I, I, I always say in, in the, talking about Oscar Niemeyer in Brazil, I always say the, here in Hawaii, the arc- the, uh, the, the ocean is the architect, you know? That's right. Because the ocean really shapes the islands, you know? It just takes away the land, and it, it, it, it brings it, builds it up again, and, uh, everything evolves around the ocean, and the ocean defines the people-

Paris Chong: Yeah

Olaf Heine: on the islands, no ma- no, no matter if it's the f- the fishermen, the surfers, or the tourists. Yeah. You know, everything evolves around the ocean, and it's just... Yeah.

Paris Chong: Well, I read somewhere that Hawaii's considered the happiest place to live in the United States.

Olaf Heine: Probably, yeah. Yeah,

Paris Chong: I think that. I- Yeah,

Olaf Heine: I would, uh, probably agree.

Paris Chong: Yeah, growing up there k- I used to get island fever 'cause I was always a big city girl, and I still am, but the, the, the older I get, the more I'm thinking maybe I could live in Hawaii again, you know? 'Cause I lived there in, from like, you know, I was- Yeah ... I was seven when I left Hawaii, so-

Olaf Heine: Yeah ...

Paris Chong: and then came to the mainland.

But I could, I think I could totally live there. You said you could live there too, right?

Olaf Heine: I think I could live there for a certain time.

Paris Chong: Yeah, then you'd have to travel.

Olaf Heine: I, I just, yeah, I, I, I like traveling. I like different cities- Mm ... different cultures. Um, I like exploring arts. I like, I, I like big cities and museums, I have to say.

Me too. That's always the first thing. I'm a big

Paris Chong: city

Olaf Heine: girl. I mean, I came here a week ago, and I've already been in, like, a couple galleries and museums- Oh ... and it's just-

Paris Chong: Anything inspiring?

Olaf Heine: Uh, I saw a great show of paintings, uh, last yesterday at, uh, Hauser Wirth in- Oh, nice ... in downtown and, um-

Paris Chong: Did you say you made it to the Bruce Weber show?

'Cause I was gonna go

Olaf Heine: up- I was there, yeah. Oh, that's- The Bruce Weber show at Fahey's, uh- I'm so bummed I didn't make that ... obviously, uh, amazing photographs. Yeah.

Paris Chong: Now, because Hawa- k- Hawaii's such a, a group of the, like the most colorful, um, islands ever, the, the, the, so much about the beauty of the islands is- Mm-hmm

the color of this blue sea, the green mountains. Like, what made you decide to go with the book in bold, bold black and white?

Olaf Heine: Um, well, apart from, you know, that I, I do a lot of black and white- Mm-hmm ... photography because I, I like the... To me it's a bit more pure- Mm-hmm ... and reduced and minimalistic and a little bit more abstract in a way.

It's also a bit more timeless to me. Mm-hmm. Well, um, Hawaii is of, of, uh, volcanic origin and, you know, the, if I look at the islands, I don't pay too much attention to the golden beaches and the sunsets. Yeah. I look at the volcanic rocks on land as well as in the ocean.

Intro Song: Mm-hmm.

Olaf Heine: And, uh, the islands are more harsh and rugged and, um, I just love that blackness of- Yeah

of the, the vo- the volcanic, um, yeah, formations on- Right ... the islands. So I figured it's a little more appropriate to use black and white. Also, I think color could distract, uh, a little bit from what I wanted to say, which is, you know, um, show the, the different, the extremes, the different sides of Hawaii, which is on one hand the harsh sides, the changes- Yeah

the climatic changes, the, the, um- The landscape, the volcanoes, um, but then o- on the other hand, the, the sensuality- Mm-hmm ... in the way of living. So, uh, I figured black and white is, is, um, yeah, is just the perfect for me.

Paris Chong: That makes sense, the volcanic rock. You, have you been- Yeah ... to any of the black sand beaches to swim?

Olaf Heine: Oh, yeah, yeah, of course.

Paris Chong: Oh, my God. I went one time with an ex-boyfriend of mine, thinking- Yeah ... it was so romantic. No, no, no. You don't, you don't want that stuff in your ni- nooks and crannies. Yeah, well, also- It was painful. Um-

Olaf Heine: Also, you have swells, you know?

Paris Chong: Yeah, I know. I was like, "This isn't as- You gotta be careful

this doesn't look, this isn't as fun as I thought it would be, and this-

Olaf Heine: But there's this great- ... actually

Paris Chong: hurts my feet."

Olaf Heine: There's this great- Yeah ... um, there's this great, um, sand beach, uh, volcanic sand beach, black, black sand beach in Hana on Maui, which is where Herb Ritts used to shoot- Yeah ... a lot in the, in the '80s and '90s, I guess.

So- You know

Paris Chong: that was b- about Puff the Magic Dragon, right? Hana- No ... Lei? In the land called Hana Lei? Oh, really? Remember th- do you know that song? No. Do they have that in Germany? No. Oh, anyways, there's a famous song- ... about Puff the Magic Dragon. Okay. And it was about... And I didn't, and that was my favorite childhood song, and I didn't realize they were singing about Hawaii till years later.

Right. And drugs, but anyways, so go ahead, sorry.

Olaf Heine: No, um,

Paris Chong: s- So d- you didn't find any obstacles with the, with the, some rude Hawaiians? I'm shocked 'cause I've heard this from so many people before.

Olaf Heine: Well, I mean, yeah, again, um, I mean, I photographed native Hawaiians, and I feel like if you wanna understand the, if you wanna understand the islands, you have to understand the people.

Mm-hmm. You have to meet the people. And I mean, you said there's a lot of celebrities in the book. There's actually not so many celebrities. Some. There's some. Mm-hmm. Some w- more well-known people like Laird, um, or, you know, the, obviously the surfers, you know, Kelly Slater, Kai Lenny, um, um, Derek Duerner, the, the, the, the legendary lifeguard, uh, Jack Johnson.

Yeah. Uh, Kalani Pe'a, the, the singer. Um, but I met so many people, and I met everyone from, um, fishermen, taro farmers, um, activists, um, dropouts, homeless people. I mean, I met- Yeah ... I met so many different people, and it, it was especially hooking up with some of the, you know, typical native Hawaiian families and communities where I got insights into- Mm-hmm

their tradition and their culture. And if you- are respectful and I didn't wanna take away anything. Yeah And, and in fact, I was just very, um, fond of it and enthusiastic, and I think they sensed that, so I, I got a lot of help from, from these communities and-

Paris Chong: Yeah, you're not supposed to take anything away.

There used to be this bra- this show called The Brady Bunch, and they went, they did a episode in Hawaii, and they, like, if you take a rock or anything off the island, it's bad, bad

Olaf Heine: luck. No volcanic, you

Paris Chong: can't take away any

Olaf Heine: volcanic rock.

Paris Chong: And, yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's not good to do. A

Olaf Heine: lot of tourists do that. I know.

You shouldn't, you

Paris Chong: shouldn't

Olaf Heine: do that, no.

Paris Chong: They, I'm s- I wonder if they made it home. Yeah. Yeah. No, we, we just- I know ... were raised not to take anything off the island- Yeah ... 'cause it's just supposedly bad luck. But-

Olaf Heine: Well, I think, I think it's also, um, I think it's also, you know, when, I mean, you said it, you know?

It's, it's weird. M- it might, might sound weird if- Yeah ... a Northern European comes to Hawaii to, to, m- you know, make a book about Hawaii. Um, but I feel like I d- to me as a photographer, I, I don't really say what I depict is, is really true to an objective reality. Mm-hmm. You know? I'm, I'm w- I'm super subjective as a photographer.

I just capture m- You're, you're

Paris Chong: so good. Your photos are just so

Olaf Heine: beautiful ... I just capture my own encounters- Mm ... and, um, try to formulate a narrative in my pictures. So I would say you can call me more of an, um, essayist maybe. Yeah You know? So I just try to formulate my own perspective on Hawaii. And, um, you know, I was very privileged that, um, William Finnegan wrote the preface to my book.

Pulitzer Prize winner. And William Finnega- Finnegan is, yes, is, he's a New York staff writer and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author for Barbarian Days, one of the, I mean, best books about surfing. Mm. And he, you know, I was lucky he, we could, we want him for the, to, to write the preface. And, and he grew up in Hawaii.

He's very familiar with Hawaii. And, um, and he wrote something like, I don't know exactly, but he wrote something like, "Is there any more, a- any place more photographed than Hawaii? And even if you haven't been to the islands, you kinda know what-

Paris Chong: Yeah ...

Olaf Heine: what it looks like. But then Olaf Heine comes and sh- you know, shows us pictures that you've never seen before, and the place is darker-

Paris Chong: Yeah

Olaf Heine: uh, and more moody and less inviting." And I find myself in those words, you know? Yeah. That's kind of like how I look at the islands. I don't just see the, the beauty.

Paris Chong: Yeah.

Olaf Heine: I see a lot of- The downsides

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm

Olaf Heine: But that's just how it's alwa- always is with everything in the world, yeah Well, everything

Paris Chong: has a up and, you know- Exactly

the good and the bad. But, and that's why I thought it was cool to put you, 'cause you're showing, uh, alongside with, uh, Nikki Reed, who's showed before, and I, I thought it was cool to have a German man taking pictures of a, a, a American- Right ... city, Hawaii, and then to have Nikki Reed doing a show about Switzerland.

Yes. So I thought that was kind of cool. And Stefan Kyle w- um, you know, was, was, um, trying to get the, you know, everybody on the schedule, and like, "Oh, I love these two together." So and you're h- so now you shoot with Leica.

Olaf Heine: Yes.

Paris Chong: And so, uh, why Leica?

Olaf Heine: Well, I've been shooting with Leica since the mid-'90s- Mm-hmm

to be honest. Um-

Paris Chong: Besides you're smart, why Leica? You know, why, why wouldn't you wanna shoot with Leica? It's the best camera.

Olaf Heine: Well, it's, uh, German engineering.

Paris Chong: Yeah.

Olaf Heine: No, um, I like how handy the M is. Mm-hmm. And I've always, I've always-- I think my first M was an M6 analog, and I've always photographed with Leica, uh, when I'm on the road, when I do more documentary kinda work.

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm.

Olaf Heine: And, um, yeah, it's just the quality, the lenses, um, it's just, yeah,

Paris Chong: magical. What, what did you shoot this book with?

Olaf Heine: Well, I, uh- On the M? Well, you know, the way I, I, um, move through this world is just using different tools, you know? Yeah. I, I do the portraiture more with medium format cameras. Mm-hmm. But then when it comes to more documentary work, when it's something that is a bit more maybe sensitive, I use, I use my M because it's also quiet and-

Paris Chong: Yeah

Olaf Heine: it's very small.

Paris Chong: How many Leicas do you have?

Olaf Heine: A couple.

Paris Chong: Yeah. That's good.

Olaf Heine: Yeah.

Paris Chong: That's

Olaf Heine: good.

Paris Chong: Leica

Olaf Heine: doesn't give me enough, obviously,

Paris Chong: but I know. I know. I don't have one.

Olaf Heine: Hi, Stefan.

Paris Chong: Yeah. I hope he hears this. So a- now you've, you've s- you've s- you've photographed so many, um, surf legends and- Yeah ... celebrities and, um, uh, athletes.

Um, how do these interactions influence the, the project and yourself?

Olaf Heine: Um, well, I try to focus pretty much on, um, how the environment-

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm ...

Olaf Heine: shapes the people on the island, but then also how the individuals act up on the island. So it's kind of like a much-- mutual, um, relationship between- Mm-hmm ... the environment, the nature, and the people that live there.

And I just wanted to get to know the island, so I had to meet, um, yeah, just a, a large, diverse selection of people. And I spend some time, some trips With surfers and then others, I just went specifically to meet, I don't know, workers on the fields or- That's good ... just got to know people, um, through friends that, that lived there.

Yeah. So I guess that's the best way to, to understand it and ge- also get an insight, you know?

Paris Chong: Do you have a favorite island?

Olaf Heine: No, I like a bunch of them. I'm, I mean, as I said, I like Hawaii a lot because it's probably one of the smaller islands and als- Less

Paris Chong: populated ...

Olaf Heine: less populated, more nature, more, more original.

Uh, well, obviously the surf on the Oahu's North Shore is amazing.

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm.

Olaf Heine: But then again, I started in Mau- on Maui and, uh, I love Maui. Um, uh, the scuba diving there is amazing. The surf is amazing. Uh, I mean, the last time I was, um, and that's one of the pictures that's actually not in the book- Oh ... but it's in your show.

In the show.

Intro Song: Yay.

Olaf Heine: Is a, um, is a photograph I took in the winter of 2024, where, um, there was a five-day swell that delivered up to 80 feet, um, waves.

Paris Chong: Jeez.

Olaf Heine: And I had the, the opportunity to go out in the surf on, on a jet ski one day at Jaws. How fun. And dude, that was the one of the most incredible things I've ever witnessed.

Um, it was just the sheer seismic power of the ocean.

Paris Chong: Have you ever seen a shark out there?

Olaf Heine: Oh, yeah, plenty.

Paris Chong: You're kidding. No. I would

Olaf Heine: have

Paris Chong: a heart attack and die.

Olaf Heine: No, I did, I, I did many shark dives out there.

Paris Chong: Did you?

Olaf Heine: Yeah.

Paris Chong: Oh.

Olaf Heine: But you don't see... I mean, that day in, in the winter in, in, I think it was Decem- December 22nd, uh, '24, was one of the biggest days, uh, with surf in Hawaii.

They, they had the eddy on Oahu. Um, uh, I was in, at Jaws with, uh, my friend Daniel who, who was, you know, um, so supportive and took me on, on his jet ski and, um, you don't see many of these days, and it was, the surf was incredible. The waves-- I mean, it was really like when we started at, um, the harbor, uh, which is kind of like four miles away from Jaws, and you see all the boats and all the jet skis going out there, and everybody's getting more and more quiet, and the ocean starts breathing and lifts up.

Uh- Mm-hmm ... it just feels like there's an army of You know, army going out there into war, and that's what it fe- that's what it felt like. You know, not that I've been to war, but just felt like-

Paris Chong: Well, stick around ...

Olaf Heine: dragon fighters just looking for the dragons out there. And-

Paris Chong: So that's kind of a scary feeling then, a little bit

Olaf Heine: maybe.

Yeah, but at the same time, it's so exciting.

Paris Chong: Yeah.

Olaf Heine: It was amazing. It was amazing. I was, I was really lucky to have that day. And, and, uh, it's, it's big part of the culture. I mean, that's how I met Laird, 'cause I saw the pictures, um, from when they started doing the tow-in surfing in the, in the '90s, and I really wanted to...

And he's the, the, I mean, the... How do you say that? He's, I mean, he's the original big wave surfer. Yeah. I just wanted to understand what drives him, and so I met him a few years ago on Kauai, and he said, "It's just the energy of the ocean." That's how this picture came about. Such a

Paris Chong: beauti- where was this again?

Olaf Heine: Uh, that's on the north shore of Kauai, a, a place called Queen's Bath. And, um, yeah, we had a great swell that day, and then the, the, the waves are just shooting against the volcanic rocks. Talking about the volcanic rocks- Mm-hmm ... and you got that, you know, all that rugged, um, formations here on the foreground.

Paris Chong: It's a beautiful photo. Was it- Thank you ... easy to choose this for the cover? Um- '

Olaf Heine: Cause there's so many good ones ... no, it was, it was clear that, it was clear to me that the picture was, had something special. And, um, well, I, I picked it mainly because if you look at my Brazil book, there's a, there's a photograph of the National Museum in Brasilia, and there's a girl running down the, the ramp of that museum, and she's kind of floating.

And it's kind of exactly where Laird is standing here in relation to the surrounding, um, landscape. And it's, so both of them are, um, just a good match.

Paris Chong: I, that's a gorgeous cover, too, the Brazil book. How many books do you have now? Five?

Olaf Heine: Six.

Paris Chong: Six?

Olaf Heine: Yeah. That's a lot. Put out six books. Wow. Working on the seventh.

Paris Chong: You are? Yeah. What is that about?

Olaf Heine: I can't-

Paris Chong: You can't? ...

Olaf Heine: can't tell. Uh- Is it a place? I have

Paris Chong: to

Olaf Heine: kill you. Uh- Oh,

Paris Chong: I don't want that to happen. No. Okay. I don't, I, I thought we were having lunch after this. Don't kill-

Olaf Heine: We do.

Paris Chong: Don't, just kill me after lunch. Yeah. Okay. Well, um, do, now I know this is such a, a, you know, it's a har- it's like picking your favorite song, but, uh, do you prefer taking pictures of people or landscapes?

Olaf Heine: People.

Paris Chong: People.

Olaf Heine: I mean, what I always say is, um, I probably spend most part of my time as a photographer, um, trying to observe what people have created- Mm-hmm ... what they've designed, what they composed, what they wrote, which means- I've spent a lot of time with creative people- Yeah ... artists of all sorts and- I

Paris Chong: only like hanging out with creative people.

Isn't that awful?

Olaf Heine: And I, I've just, I've just tried to find out what their inspiration was, what, where the art is coming from, where their, you know, um, what is the, what is the impulse that sparks creativity- Mm-hmm ... no matter if it's on the darker side or the lighter side, you know? It's kind of the, the good and the bad, the, the, it's all sorts of the human condition.

Um, so with this book, I think I try to, you know, look at what nature creates-

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm ...

Olaf Heine: in, in contrast. Um, how it shapes the islands, how it shapes the people that live with it, you know? Um, it just has such an, uh, yeah, impact on, on all the people there. I mean, not on the people there, on, on all of us, you know?

Yeah. We have to be careful with the oceans, and we, we- With everything ... and we forget about that. Yeah. Yeah. No, I never- You know, I mean, look at the, look at the polar regions. Um, we don't, we don't... I mean, that's why I'm so sad about- Yeah, the world ... like everything that ha- that is happening right now- It's bad

because we're not paying enough attention to our home, this planet.

Paris Chong: The planet's paying attention.

Olaf Heine: Yes, for sure.

Paris Chong: Now, is there, is there anything, um, th- like, did, what was the most, um, inspiring thing that you learned about Hawaii that you didn't know or understand before you got there?

Olaf Heine: Well, it's probably, yeah, it's probably how l- fragile the nature is there.

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm.

Olaf Heine: And how fragile life is when you live so close to nature. I mean, you know, we talked about the fires. I mean, that was really horrendous, devastating.

Paris Chong: Horrible.

Olaf Heine: Now they just had the floods, um, on the islands, and the ocean gives and it takes, and, um, and that's what the planet does-

Paris Chong: Yeah, they're saying that-

to us ... Hawaii's, um, sinking.

Olaf Heine: Yeah, probably a lot of- Yeah ... the Polynesian islands are.

Paris Chong: Mm-hmm.

Olaf Heine: Yeah.

Paris Chong: Have you spent time in other islands like Tahiti or any of the other Polynesian- No, unfortunately,

Olaf Heine: no.

Paris Chong: No? I wish... I

Olaf Heine: w- I would, I would love

Paris Chong: to go to Tahiti. Yeah, me neither. But- I know. I wanna go to Tahiti too.

Yeah. Do you have a, a photograph that is kind of like your most iconic photograph that kind of defines you and your career, like your most well-known photo?

Olaf Heine: Uh, I try to avoid that subject. You do? Uh, uh, you have to ask other people, I think. Um, no, I think because I'm I kind of like go through life and I have different approaches all the time and, you know, for a certain couple of years I'm focusing on one thing and then I might focus on something totally different in the next, uh, period.

And, um, yeah, I mean, for a long time I have worked with a lot of, you know, well-known artists- Mm-hmm ... musicians, uh, specifically. And, you know, obviously there's a few images that are-- that found their ways into museums and on magazine covers and, and then those are probably the more well-known of my images.

But I like kind of all my-- I mean, I like all my kids.

Paris Chong: Yeah.

Olaf Heine: So I like all my books and my projects I have to say. Yeah. And I have, I have, you know, that's the only color project that I've done so far is a, a project that I did in, uh, in Rwanda, in Africa, um, where I spent a few years, um, traveling to. And that book is not so well known because it's, it's a very sensitive subject.

I photographed, um, 85 women that were victims of, um, sexual, um, um, uh, cri- sexual crimes during the genocide in 1994, and I photographed them with the daughters from those rapes. That's so... Oh. Um, and obviously that's not a very popular thing- Yeah ... but it's, it's very close to my heart as well, you know. So I don't really wanna-

Paris Chong: When-- what year did you do that?

Olaf Heine: Uh, I did that between 2016 and 2018, and, uh, we published a book with Hatje Cantz. Um, it's a project that I, um, approached on very, very different. I just photographed it on from, from a tripod, medium format, just, uh, um, you know, natural light. Um, I moved through all over Rwanda, uh, worked with an aid organization.

Mm-hmm. And we'd done, um, two big museum shows and tried to sell images and, and the books and raised money for these, these women. And, um Really beautiful, strong, strong women and You

Paris Chong: should try to revisit that. I think it's more timely right now for like, uh, when women, more women becoming interested in photography- Yeah

and more trying to help with these kind of issues in the world- Yeah ... for women that maybe, um, reaching out to like a women's, uh, organization or a w- woman, a woman-owned galleries- Yeah ... would probably be really, uh, good to ... I, I don't think s- you know, shows or art die, you know? No. I think that that sounds like something that seems timely now.

So maybe- Well ... you wanna revisit trying to get some, uh, s- do that show somewhere.

Olaf Heine: Yeah. Well, we've shown it, we've shown it last, um, in 2024 for the 30th anniversary of the genocide, and- Yeah ... every time we show it, um, we try to open up a space where we can talk about-

Paris Chong: Yeah ...

Olaf Heine: um, you know, rape and, and, um, sexual, um, um, discrimination and, and, and crimes in, in wars and, and try to, you know, invite victims and hear their stories.

Yeah. And, uh, because I mean, we have a lot of wars going on right now, and it's happening every, every day. I

Paris Chong: know. And- You should send that story, send a book to Oprah.

Olaf Heine: Yeah.

Paris Chong: You should. Well,

Olaf Heine: it's called- She

Paris Chong: helps things like that ...

Olaf Heine: it's called Rwandan Daughters. If anybody wants to- I wish Oprah was

Paris Chong: the president.

Olaf Heine: Yeah.

Paris Chong: Don't you?

Olaf Heine: Yeah, that would be nice.

Paris Chong: I'd be so happy if

Oprah-

Olaf Heine: I think it's time for, uh, s- Can Oprah be the pres-

Paris Chong: Oprah,

Olaf Heine: please ... I think it's time for a female president in the US. I've been

Paris Chong: saying that for a while, but you know- Yeah ... I th- there's a different way that women do approach things, and I think we need that feminine touch right now.

But, um, now I'm so excited for your show. It's, uh, opening on Thursday. We're installing tomorrow, so by the time this comes out, uh, w- the show will be up and running. And so when you see this, you can come and see the show at Like A Gallery LA. It is up through June 1st. We're gonna be doing a book signing for the Hawaii book on Sunday.

And, um, I, I'm just so excited to have you. We've been talking about this for a while.

Olaf Heine: Thanks for having me.

Paris Chong: Now, and one quick question. Again, uh, you mentioned k- uh, something about kids. Uh, do your ... Are your kids creative like you?

Olaf Heine: Yeah, each in their own, own way, um, they are. And, uh, my son, who's actually traveling through Asia right now.

Oh, really? He just finished school and he's traveling, he's backpacking through Asia. Um, yeah, he has my first camera, uh, analog camera- Oh, that's great ... and he takes pictures, so.

Paris Chong: Okay, we love hearing that. Yeah. That's good news. Yeah. Okay, so the, so the creativity's gonna be running in the family.

Olaf Heine: I hope so.

Yeah.

Paris Chong: Well, I just wanna say thank you for being here. Thank you. How can everybody look up your

Olaf Heine: work? You know, the usual-

Paris Chong: Old ...

Olaf Heine: places, Instagram or coming to your gallery- Yeah ... looking at bookstores. Um, I mean-

Paris Chong: Is there anything else you want to tell us about anything happening? Are there any sh- other shows coming up besides your show in Germany or in LA?

Olaf Heine: Well, if you are in Europe, I have a big museum retrospective- That's amazing ... in the moment, and that's running through September in the town of Rostock.

Paris Chong: And what's that museum called?

Olaf Heine: Uh, it's c- it's called Kunsthalle, which is, uh, yeah, it's just art-

Paris Chong: I'm

Olaf Heine: glad you said that. I'm- Art hall. Kunsthalle.

Kunsthalle Rostock.

Paris Chong: So you say, and you say Olaf Heine?

Olaf Heine: Olaf Heine.

Paris Chong: I feel so bad. I'm a bad American. I've been saying Olaf Heine. Here's-

Olaf Heine: No,

Paris Chong: it's

Olaf Heine: all

Paris Chong: right ... Olaf, it's Olaf Heine. Yeah. I know. It's so embarrassing. My name's Paris and I don't speak French, and my dad was German, I don't speak German, and I'm Hawaiian, I don't speak Hawaiian.

But that's okay, I speak English, and I have my own show, so whatever.

Olaf Heine: Congr- congrats on your show.

Paris Chong: Yeah, no, it's- Thanks

Olaf Heine: for having

Paris Chong: me, Paris ... we have a lot of, we have a lot of people listening in Europe. Yeah. So that's a good thing. Yeah. I think it is 'cause, uh, I'm German, but, um, and thank you for being a good boy, Disco.

Thank you to my team, and thank you for watching and listening to The Paris Chung Show. Please share, and we'll see you the next time.

Olaf Heine: Thank

Paris Chong: you. Okay, I think you can play my, my jingle now.

It's The Paris Chung

Intro Song: Show. It's The Paris Chung Show, Show, Show. It's The Paris Chung Show. It's The Paris Chung Show, Show, Show. Sit down in a chair for a while. Tell me everything you know. Let's be naughty, let's be nice. It's The

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