COURTESY JIM KASTNER / KASTNERDESIGN.COM "Moonflow, Puna," of which Kastner writes: "Beneath a rising full moon, a sensuous dance of fiery liquid lava and colorful pastel fumes celebrates the creation of new land ..."

Sharing inspiration

Kastner's images of nature are on display at the Canon Photo Gallery

Jim Kastner sees his photographic work as a cycle, one that isn't complete until his works have an audience. "Sharing nature's inspiration is my life's goal," he says. "It is at the core of the practice of my art."

Kastner must feel quite fulfilled artistically these days, thanks to the exhibit of his dramatic landscape work at the Canon Photo Gallery. While Kastner's subjects -- land, sea and sky -- aren't all that original, it's the colorful, exhilarating shots and unique perspectives that are refreshing.

The photographer's passion for his work began at age 12, when his grandfather willed him his Argus C3 and complete black-and-white darkroom. That same year, Kastner walked into a bank with his father and saw the work of Ansel Adams hanging on the wall. It was at that moment that he decided on a life career, and after 26 years in Hawaii, Kastner says he still finds subjects that are interesting and worth sharing "wherever I turn."

Kastner's work is on display through July 30 at the Canon Photo Gallery, 210 Ward Ave., Suite 200. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. Call 522-5930 for more information.

COURTESY JIM KASTNER / KASTNERDESIGN.COM "Waves in a Sea of Leaves" is among the photographs on exhibit at the Canon Photo Gallery, where Jim Kastner's work is on display through July 30.

COURTESY JIM KASTNER / KASTNERDESIGN.COM "Hope comes in many forms. I saw it symbolized in this composition of many-toned clouds, with future's bright promise shining beyond the foreboding foreground of the present."

COURTESY JIM KASTNER / KASTNERDESIGN.COM "Spiral": "This curious lava form, beaten and shaped by constant pounding from ocean waves, is the home of various limu. I was drawn to this composition by the spiraling combination of opposing characteristics: dark and light, static and dynamic, solid and liquid."

COURTESY JIM KASTNER / KASTNERDESIGN.COM Kastner writes of "Mystery": "A strange animal-like rock form surrounded by mist guards this hanging valley on the north shore of Molokai."