Page 11 - MidWeek - Sep 8, 2021

job depends on it.
“One of the things that I
What sets Noyle apart, though, is the light that’s found within. The South African floats through life on gratitude and goodwill, always finding the silver lining in whatev- er life throws at him, which, most recently, was quite the curveball.
Due to its accessible na- ture, Noyle welcomed attend- ees from all across the island chain and, much to his sur- prise, across the globe, too (38 countries, to be exact).
“I like to think of myself as a farmer putting something back in the ground. I think it’s im- portant for us to share knowl- edge, and I learn things from people all the time.”
encourage everybody who’s interested in photography is to observe the natural light around you, like a family member washing dishes and beautiful light is coming in and there’s a nice pattern on the face,” Noyle says. “I don’t need any setup; I don’t need any lighting arrangements.
For the last 12 months, Noyle has devoted much of his time and energy to orches- trating the fifth annual Photo- CON, that was slated for Sept. 11-12 at Kualoa Ranch. For- ty-two workshops spanning a variety of topics — from capturing images of shooting stars to fashion models and ev- erything in between — were
“Postponing (PhotoCON) was a painful decision,” he says. “There were a lot of moving parts ahead and it took a lot of time and effort to be able to get it there. But at the same time, I had preplanned ... 14 virtual workshops (the last of which takes place today, Sept. 8). Little did I know that I would have to rely on those as my entire event. All 14 workshops are free; I felt like that was the right thing to do in COVID times. It gives me
“The cockles of my heart are warmed,” he says, smil- ing. “My sharing of educa- tion is really my motivation to help people — I’ m going to use a horrible pun but — to see the light.
This very sentiment is what led Noyle to his unex- pected career path in the first place. Long before his myriad awards and accomplishments, ones that you’ll never hear him boast about, Noyle was just a boy from Cape Town who found joy in developing pho- tos in a darkroom. It wasn’t until years later that he would pick up his first camera.
“I look at people in their cars and look at the lighting and go, ‘Wow, that’s just beautiful.’ I certainly don’t take a picture of them,” he says with a laugh, “but it’s about understanding the nuances of light — soft,
“I have had an extraordi- narily good run as a commer- cial photographer in Hawaiʻi and I’ ve seen my success in my family. It’s just some- thing that I go, ‘Man, I’ m really happy to be able to do
Noyle comes from a line of photographers (his son,
“I got hired by Pan Am as a flight attendant; little known fact, but that’s true. Then, in ’ 72-’ 74 when the oil crisis happened, we got laid off and
SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 MIDWEEK 11
The creator of the annual PhotoCON event is one of the most decorated photographers around, yet Ric Noyle’s greatest success may be in how he always views life through a lens of gratitude and positivity.
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P hotographer Ric Noyle has a keen eye for the right light. After all, his
hard and diffused — and that they’re all beautiful.”
on the docket for the three-day event. However, with the ex- ponential rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, Noyle made the call to reschedule the convention for a later — and safer — time.
a lot of pleasure that we (were able to) still bring people in.”
what I can with a career that I love,’” he enthuses.
Zak, makes the fourth gener- ation of cameramen) so, it’s no surprise that his father, Ken, whom he first met on his maiden trip to America in his early 20s, gifted him with a Canon. In the time since, Noyle has witnessed many of the planet’s great wonders, all through a lens. He’s been down the Nile River, at the top of Egypt’s pyramids, ventured throughout Russia and Europe, and swam along Tahiti’s reefs, but, for him, there’s nothing in the world quite like Hawaiʻi.
SEE PAGE 18