WELCOME TO BENJAMIN ONO STUDIOS
BENJAMIN IS A DIRECTOR, PHOTOGRAPHER & CiNEMATOGRAPHER BASED ON THE NORTH SHORE OF OAHU, HAWAI’I
His work has earned international recognition, including a 2025 Webby Award for Best Sports Series and multiple Vimeo Staff Picks for his distinctive visual storytelling. A graduate of the University of California San Diego with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Ono spent the first decade of his career in the environmental sector—enforcing air pollution regulations in the Pacific Northwest, monitoring water distribution in the Eastern Sierras, and managing wastewater infrastructure projects on Oʻahu to help build a more sustainable future for Hawaiʻi.
Though rooted in science, Ono knew he could tell a deeper story—one that transcended data and spoke directly to the heart. Through filmmaking and visual imagery, he found a way to amplify the planet’s voice. His work is infused with an intimate knowledge of nature and people, a deep sensitivity to color, and a rhythm drawn from life itself.
In recent years, Ono has traveled extensively with a camera in hand—chronicling stories across Europe, Japan, Indonesia, Central America, the South Pacific, the U.S. mainland, and nearly every island in the Hawaiian chain. Whether hiking deep into the jungle, freediving offshore reefs, or chasing light across mountain passes, his approach to storytelling is rooted in movement, presence, and curiosity.
As both a filmmaker and photographer, Ono brings a distinct visual language to his work—balancing instinct with intention. His photography spans the raw and the refined, capturing the quiet pulse of nature, the spirit of people, and the fleeting rhythm of moments above and below the surface. He is a trained underwater operator and photographer, with housing for the RED Raptor 8K and a deep familiarity with marine environments.
He works primarily with RED digital cinema cameras (Raptor 8K and KOMODO 6K), Leica R lenses, and a range of tools suited for both remote expeditions and high-production commercial shoots. For aerial work, he flies the DJI Inspire 3 and is an FAA Part 107 certified and insured drone pilot. He also holds PADI Open Water and Freediving certifications, allowing him to document life from the surface to the sea floor.
Ono’s technical foundation is matched by his instinct to explore—adapting to any environment with equal parts precision and feeling, always chasing the frame that speaks deeper than words.
