I prefer photo cards to plain ones; I take pride in making nice QSLs but find that that many people do not. It's a shame, really, for ham radio is defined by people who are reaching out to contact and learn from others. After a QSO, what better way to share a bit of your life than with a photo card showing something of yourself or your surroundings? It lends a personal touch that generic cards cannot come close to duplicating. Below are a few of my own QSLs from years past.

This beautiful full-size mural was painted on the side of an apartment building in full view of westbound traffic on H1 in downtown Honolulu, and each time I would drive by it I would think what a lovely QSL card it would make. It took me a few years to finally pull off the freeway and photograph it, but by then it had already started to fade from the unrelenting sunlight. I regret not having photographed it sooner when the colors were really vibrant, but I still thinks it makes for an eye-catching QSL design.

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I worked at Hawaiian Airlines until late 2020, and during the COVID-19 pandemic nearly all flights were canceled and planes were parked in rows along the taxiways of Honolulu International Airport. It was a haunting image to be sure. All of Hawaii was on lockdown and we were subject to emergency stay at home orders for several months. I tried to use that time productively, and I'm happy to say that with the help of my good friend Paul N6PSE I was finally able to get on the air on FT8 after several years of procrastinating. I decided to make this special commemorative QSL not only to mark the unusual time, but also to celebrate my entry into digital communication.

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A past QSL design featured one of the Hawaiian Airlines aircraft done up with the Disney Moana movie livery. Three of our planes were decorated with Moana themes and flew around the world with them for several months in early 2017 to promote this inspiring Polynesian story.

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One of my favorite Oahu photographs, taken on the beach at Waimanalo on the windward side of the island. I went to the beach that day scouting out possible photographs for a new QSL, and I came upon these girls playing in the sand. I'd never before seen them and have not seen them since, but a lot of people assume they must be relatives or friends of mine. They are neither, but rather a perfect example of the innate friendliness of the Hawaiian people...

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The QSL below fuses my three main hobbies: ham radio, photography, and scuba diving. I received my scuba diver certification in June 2000 and immediately started testing my photography talents underwater. This card is the second of what I hope to be a long series of underwater photo QSLs. Shot at a depth of 90 feet.

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Taken at a depth of 30 feet, this was the first scuba photograph I used for a QSL. Green sea turtles thrive in the waters off Oahu and are relatively easy to photograph, especially if you are wearing a scuba tank and can follow them after they dive!

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A shot of a girl on Waikiki Beach. This card was a first for me in the fact that it had a photo on both the front and the back (the reverse side showed an aerial image of Koko Head crater).

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Below, the only vertical QSLs I've ever created. I'm a big fan of photographer Kim Taylor Reece, who does exceptional photography; one of his most beautiful photographs became the inspiration for the QSL on the left. A random picture of a random island beauty became the second QSL. I found the cover artwork from Alan Brennert's book Honolulu to be captivating, as the resulting QSL on the right attempts to portray.

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My first photo QSL design featured what I love to photograph most: the lava of Kilauea,
one of many natural splendors found at Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.

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One of favorite past QSLs, the card below was also made from a photograph taken at Volcanoes National Park,
this time incorporating myself into the fiery natural display.

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Click here to see QSLs from each Hawaii county

Click here to see QSLs from each of my personal DX & IOTA expeditions