Parting Shot Enters the Digital Age

As Parting Shot leaves print, the beloved photo feature finds new life on our digital platforms.

As we softly retire parting shot from the pages of Hawaii Business Magazine, we celebrate a feature that has long captured the essence of our community. For years, Parting Shot has spotlighted Hawaiʻi locals — leaders, business owners, artists, and new talent — each framed in a way that revealed more than a portrait.

The star of Parting Shot was never just the person in the photo, but rather what they were doing and where they were. It was about action and atmosphere — the details in the background, the sense of place, and the moment unfolding. These elements together made each image dynamic, pulling readers into a story that stretched beyond the frame.

Guiding this vision has been our incredible in-house photographer, Aaron Yoshino, whose artistry and instinct shaped the voice of Parting Shot. For this closing feature, Aaron selected a photograph that holds special meaning to him: a 2021 portrait of Pat Saiki, taken for our Sages Over 70 issue.

“Pat’s political service to the state of Hawaiʻi was important, and I loved that I got to shoot portraits of her in her living room, with her dog,” Aaron reflects. “It’s not the usual setting for a retired public figure of her prominence. I was grateful for the opportunity to portray her in such a personal way.”

The image also resonates with our Wahine Issue, honoring women’s leadership and legacy in Hawaiʻi. In that sense, it’s a fitting closing note — a reminder that Parting Shot has always been about capturing not just a person, but a story: where they are, what they’re doing, and what that moment says about who they are.

Though the print feature is retiring, the spirit of Parting Shot will continue on our digital platforms and in the archive of images Aaron has created — a vivid record of the people and places that shape Hawaiʻi.