Community Corner

Mission to Fiji: Tropical Photos, Clean Water and Charity

When he isn't posting photos to tropicalphotosbylarson.com, Darrel Larson helps supply clean water to Fiji and is a minister at Newbreak Church. This June he will work with Volcom and ASP World Tour surfers to continue to bring water filters to Fij

Do a Google search for "tropical photos" and the work of one man comes up first: Darrel Larson.

His work is a mixture of photos primarily taken along the San Diego coastline, including Imperial Beach, and further away destinations like Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago and Hawaii.

Some of his photos have few changes while others are a combination of images known as HDR or  high dynamic range to produce bursts of dramatic light and artistic colors.

"With HDR you get rid of shadows and get super big highlights and have a way to expose all the beauty of a tropical scene at sunset and sunrise," he said.

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Though he may be closely associated with tropical photos online, Larson said taking tropical photos is a hobby.

His day job is being the missions pastor at Newbreak Church and he runs a nonprofit organization called Give Clean Water which partners with people in Fiji to provide people with potable water.

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Larson's attraction to island nations of the Pacific Ocean is not a coincidence.

"I think it's part of me... I grew up in Oceanside and I went to school and grew up and played football with a lot of Pacific Islanders," he said. "That's always really felt like family to me. All my best friends growing up and still to this day are Pacific Islanders."

Since it was established in 2008, Give Clean Water has provided filters to supply potable water to more than 40,000 people in Fiji, Larson said.

"When you go to Fiji you feel just like family. You're welcome in every village," he said.

While some of the world's best surfers stop in the island nation in June for the Volcom Fiji Pro, Give Clean Water will partner with the surf retail company Volcom and the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour (ASP World Tour) to bring more water filters to rural villages of Tavarua island.

Larson learned about clean water filters while working with ministries to build homes in Mexico.

Give Clean Water has also supplied filters to Papau New Guinea and Haiti after earthquakes in 2010, he said.

The nonprofit focuses on Fiji today but may expand to other parts of the South Pacific. Along the way, Larson said, he will "be out there with a tripod and camera" taking pictures.


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