North Shore NewsBy Noah Grodzin
Bill Romerhaus’ connection to Hawaii through photography is as vast and deep as the ocean in which so many of his experiences and images revolve around.
As a boy Bill grew up in town watching Duke Kahanamoku surf in Waikiki, the Romerhaus family eventually moved to Wahiawa where as a student at Leilehua High School Bill worked as the sports writer for the school paper. The sports coverage led him to the North Shore where in 1967 he would shoot iconic shots of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay as well as other locations. Bill, himself a big wave surfer, would surf with many of the all-time greats such as Gerry Lopez and Eddie himself. A young John John Florence once mentioned to Romerhaus that it was his images of the old time greats that he would look at for inspiration. As Bill honed his photographic skills he made it a point to take pictures of everyone, not just the big names. Chances are if you were on the North Shore anytime from the late 1960’s through the 1990’s there might be a picture of you surfing, bodyboarding, or even catching a sunset in his collection.
In addition to surf photography; Bill would go on to shoot weddings, landscapes, portraits, advertisements, and even rock n roll greats. He fondly remembers shooting a promotional series for Don Ho as well as the classic local band Kalapana. He also worked with Jefferson Airplane on one of their Hawaii visits. One of his great regrets was not taking his camera with him when he went to see Jimi Hendrix at the Waikiki Shell in 1969; although the concert was unforgettable. Romerhaus mentions the stories of the backyard parties on the North Shore with Led Zeppelin and the time when Black Uhuru was playing down at a beach in Mokuleia. His works have been included in movies, TV shows, books, and he is also a long time contributor to the North Shore News. His photo “Paddlers at Avalanche” won first place in the ‘Best published’ photo categories in the 1994 Hawaii Visitors Bureau Travel & Journalism Awards.
Although surf photography has been his long running passion; today Bill has immersed himself in restoration photography with a focus on old Hawaii. Bill has been able to restore and bring back to life amazing photos from the past and in-doing so is preserving history for future generations. Bill has spent hours researching the State Archives and along with archive materials, pictures that he has collected from families, and his own photos; he may have the most impressive and varied collection of historical Hawaiian photos in the world.
The best place to find Bill Romerhaus is at: northshorephotohawaii.com.