Photojournalist Bob Young was a pioneer in surfing photography, capturing the drama of huge waves and the athletes who rode them for local and international newspapers and on posters that became collector's items.

On assignments spanning three decades with the Honolulu daily newspapers, he covered moments in island history and everyday life in Hawaii. He won several local awards, and six of his photographs were nominated for a Pulitzer prize.

Young, 76, died Jan. 9 in Honolulu after suffering a stroke.

“;He was famous for his picture catching the surfer in the curl of the wave up close. It was a really rare thing at the time,”; said retired Star-Bulletin writer Lyle Nelson.

Young claimed to be the first photographer to get into the water, not on a board or a boat, to shoot photos of towering surf. He got pictures of legendary surfer Eddie Aikau on his first day at Sunset Beach. One of his first assignments yielded a portrait of Duke Kahanamoku.

“;He would have been a huge name in the international surfing photography world, but he did not promote himself,”; said Dick Schmidt, who retired from the Sacramento Bee after 40 years as a photojournalist.

“;He liked to tell stories with photos. It was his passion,”; said Schmidt, who worked with Young at the Star-Bulletin in 1972. “;He had a quiet, gentle charisma. He reached out to all kinds of people.”;

They remained friends. “;He was still tuned in to photography,”; Schmidt said. “;He was always upgrading his cameras.”;

When the Hawaii quarter was issued on Nov. 10, Young used his iPhone to send Schmidt a photo of it.

Star-Bulletin writer Richard Borreca recalled covering a 1970s fire in a city landfill when he and Young climbed into the dump in the dark of night: “;Bob set up the tripod and clicked off some time exposures. Then he pulled the tripod out of the dirt, and flames shot up from the holes.”;

Young got that photo, but only after the pair got back on solid ground.

After a six-year stint at the Honolulu Advertiser ending in 1961, Young worked as a freelance photographer in Europe, recording President John F. Kennedy's famous “;Ich bin ein Berliner”; speech on June 26, 1963, in Berlin.

Young left the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in the mid-1980s, but he continued to pursue his vocation. He produced postcards and posters and recorded his travels in the mainland, Europe and Asia.

“;He was fascinated with people's personal stories,”; said his daughter Tara Young. “;He never wore a watch; it was a way to strike up a conversation. He would talk to complete strangers and would be engrossed in their stories.”;

After leaving the Star-Bulletin, he became full-time parent for Tara and her brother Kevin and took them on extensive travels. “;He showed us the world, life beyond Hawaii,”; she said. “;He instilled his love of photography; neither of us can be found without a camera.”;

Jackie Young said her brother's passion for photography was inspired by their father, the late Paul Bai Young, an avid amateur photographer. Young always spent time in the ocean dating back to childhood summers on the North Shore. Scuba equipment was not available, so, as a teenager in the 1940s, he devised a protective housing for his camera and, with a compressed air tank on his back, explored the reefs, she said.

Young grew up in Wahiawa and graduated from Punahou School. He attended Yale University, where he was photo editor of the Yale Daily News when William F. Buckley was editor.

He is survived by son Kevin, daughter Tara and sister Jackie.

A private memorial service was held.