This series is an ode to my upbringing in Hawaiʻi and my loved ones who have helped shaped me.
This series is an ode to my upbringing in Hawaiʻi and my loved ones who have helped shaped me.
An image of my family's apartment in Wahiawa, HI.
My brother, Emmanuel Hobro (left), prepares for a day out while my sister, Catherine Hobro (right), does the same. There are four kids in the family and I am the second oldest below my older brother, Simeon, who is stationed in Vegas for the Air Force.
The street in front of my family's apartment in Wahiawa, HI.
My family eating dinner as our dog, Big Puppa “Biggie” Hobro watches.
Biggie, who was around two months old at the time, laying on the floor during her first week home.
My younger brother, Manny (left) laughs with my mother, Erna Hobro (right), as he's given a baton for his 19th birthday. Manny is currently following in my mother's footsteps to become a music teacher. At the moment, he is an assistant band director at Wheeler Middle School. We were surrounded by music growing up and still are to this day.
My Lola Vilma (Grandma) braids my sister's hair as my brother, mother, Lolo (grandfather) and Aunty Mouse sing to broadway songs.
BB (left), a family friend, hugs Catherine during her high school graduation on May 25, 2018. Catherine was the very last Hobro to graduate from Leilehua High School.
My sister, Catherine, poses for a portrait on her 17th birthday at Wheeler Middle School. Both her and my brother, Manny, spend a lot of time there and her friends decided to hold her surprise birthday party there.
My mother (left), watches fireworks being lit by our neighbors on our street with my father, Daniel Hobro (right), on New Year's Eve. Even though fireworks are now illegal in Hawai'i, this doesn't stop locals at all. Wahiawa becomes a clouded city full of smoke during this holiday.
My father, Daniel Hobro, puts a YouTube video of a fireplace on multiple different devices to try and get the Christmas feel.
Manny Hobro poses for a portrait in our family car.
(From left to right) My father, mother and godmom, Lilian Nachman, excitedly open their Christmas gifts at our hanai family's house. My Tita Lilian is my mother's best friend and helped take care of us when we were babies.
My mother kisses my brother, Manny, on the forehead after a heated family fight.
My mother, Erna Hobro, poses for a portrait in front of our living room window.
MARIE ERIEL HOBRO IS A DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER AND FILMMAKER BASED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SHE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MARYLAND UNTIL THE AGE OF 10 AND SPENT THE REST OF HER PRE-TEEN AND TEENAGE YEARS IN HAWAI'I. SHE IS CURRENTLY STUDYING VISUAL JOURNALISM AT BROOKS INSTITUTE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND WAS A STUDENT PARTICIPANT IN THE EDDIE ADAMS XXIX WORKSHOP.
HOBRO ENJOYS WORKING ON STORIES THAT CELEBRATE AND EMBRACE INDIVIDUALITY, BREAK SOCIAL NORMS AND DEFY ODDS. SHE IS ALSO INTERESTED IN EXPLORING THE HEALING POWER OF HUMOR AND THE EFFECT THAT IT HAS ON MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH. WITH HER CAMERA AS HER TOOL, SHE HOPES TO GIVE A VOICE TO THE UNIQUE AND UNNOTICED PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD-- EMPOWERING THEM AND GIVING THEM THE POSITIVE RECOGNITION THAT THEY DESERVE.
"JOURNALISM IS FOR THE PEOPLE.
IT IS COMMUNITY-CENTRIC YET GLOBAL IN PERSPECTIVE.
IT IS TO INFORM AND ENLIGHTEN; TO EXPAND THE DIALOGUE;
TO PROBE AND PROVOKE; TO STIMULATE AND ENGAGE;
TO SHOW THE WAY OR PRESENT ANOTHER WAY;
TO OPEN THE DOORS AND TO COVER WRONG;
TO GIVE THE VOICELESS A MEGAPHONE."
-BRENDA BUTLER