Carlin Ma Media

18/07/2026

Free classical music in the park? ✅ 1st time all major Seattle classical orgs gathering and sharing a stage? ✅ Surprised yells of delight from sporadic water canon punctuations from the International Fountain? ✅

On July 5, Classical KING FM 98.1 and Seattle Center gathered the 6 big classical music orgs onto The Concert Truck, free for anyone who wandered over. It was beautiful watching crowds camping out in the sun and shade, listening to groups they may never had heard previously heard of.

I have photographed Seattle Symphony and Seattle Chamber Music Society in concert halls for years, and have known Susan Zhang (fearless leader of Concert Truck) since our teenage years. Capturing them play in the sun, with blankets, dogs, toddlers in the front row, was a real joy.

A special moment came at 5:30, when friends and strangers rose stood up together under the Space Needle. With Choral Consortium leading the helm, the whole lawn sang "Dona Nobis Pacem" as a canon… a true moment of unity and beauty as a whole community.

Thank you Classical KING FM 98.1 and Seattle Center for bringing everyone together, and for a day that really was classical music for everyone!

Seattle Symphony Seattle Chamber Music Society SEATTLE OPERA Pacific Northwest Ballet Early Music Seattle Greater Seattle Choral Consortium The Market Street Singers Seattle Peace Chorus Susan Zhang Michael Jinsoo Lim Martin Bakari Andrew Armstrong David Wall

27/05/2026

Beyond being mesmerized by the liquid lava fountain, I was struck by its power to create its own weather patterns, scattering the skies into ... (double?!!?) volnadoes??  Thinking about the lava heat from precursory activity is enough to form a volnado blows my mind.
From Kilauea Eruption 46 + 45
Location: Kilauea Crater
Cameras: z6iii
Lenses: Nikkor Z100-400mm
Bag:
Filters:

04/05/2026

One of my favorite perspectives from episode 45! While it wasn't the closest, the framing felt elegantly profound. Imagine a cradle of darkness and shrouded mist, with this fountain of fire tumbling down, spanning across the Kilauea Crater.

Camera: z6iii
Lenses: Nikkor Z100-400mm
Bag:
Tripod:

29/04/2026

What a true treat, creating new films and capturing beautiful moments at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park with Sam Paris and Joshua Nakazawa! We're humbled to be chosen as Artists-in-Residence and excited to offer a concert/photography experience at Kahuku Unit this Saturday, 9:30am! Mana Music Hawaii

27/04/2026

A sunrise with a different source of light... our beloved Earth. Episodes 45’s flames continued erupting, greeting sunrise. Volcanic plumes challenged the clouds to a swirling dance, as we watched below. How could something so toxic be so beautiful? In the past eruptions, the trade winds weren't so favorable, dumping tephra and Pele's hair to the surrounding habited areas. Thankfully, not today….

Location: Kilauea Crater
Cameras: , z6iii
Lenses: 11-16mm 2.8
Bag:
Tripod:

Big thank you to at for selecting us to be Artists in Residence for 2026 spring, helping us stay on the Big Island to capture amazing moments like this.

25/04/2026

So much gratitude to be selected as Artist in Residence for at , along with my amazing colleagues and !! We're working on film projects together, but then eruption episode 45 happened...

Embraced by the vortex of Pele's Fire at I felt sanity stripped from my bones and inspiration infused to my spirit. A fountain of Destruction and a landscaper of Life, it put my humble little life into perspective. The crowd around me watched it with rapt, (almost) silent attention, like those magical concerts when everyone listens closely, when truth is spoken.

What a beautiful way to spend Earth Day, witnessing its death and birth. More photos/videos to come!

Location: Kilauea Crater
Cameras: , z6iii and z6ii
Lenses: Nikkor Z100-400mm, 11-16 2.8
Bag:
Tripod: and .usa

kilauea episode45 hawaiitourism wanderlust dailypic nationalpark

17/07/2025

Amidst the summer heat, here’s a special, icy gem! I’m so thrilled to share my new music video, filmed in an Alaskan glacial ice cave with live sound capture by Eric Silberger (as violinist AND recording engineer). It’s aways an adventure to work with Eric (whom I've known since 4th grade) combining our mutual passion for pushing boundaries, music, and film.

Imagine hearing Bach beautifully refract and amplify from the ice crystals, while a hushed carpet of glacial river roar echoing underneath. It was as if time suspended, falling between the lyrical lines of the pre-historic ice, to the soft counterpoint of centuries-old Bach, to our current performance resonating in the space.

Huge thanks to Tim Duerinck, the inventor of these new flax fiber instruments that can withstand extreme temperatures (better than our fingers.... ).

Hearty shout out to my partner-in-crime, Sam Paris for co-directing and co-producing this project, keeping everyone sane and organized! Also, much gratitudes to Jill SpiceGirl Rosholt and Scott Swingle for their generous hospitality, research, and adventurous spirit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goI8deEOL5w

Co-Directed and Filmed by Carlin Ma
Co-Directed by: Sam Paris
Audio Recorded Live by: Eric Silberger
Instrument: http://www.bit.ly/4nOz19K
From the same series, here's the cello with Joshua Nakazawa - https://youtu.be/RAWwbaERf04

http://www.bit.ly/46dExN0 🎻Flax Fiber Luthier Tim DuerinckPerforming in the heart of the Icelandic volcano Thrihnukagigur, I felt the sound reverberate, alm...