Demian Barrios did an exceptional job photographing my wedding and since then I've enjoyed watching his success grow as a lava chaser. DB was on the front line during the 2018 Leilani eruption! I have heard since he even opened his own photography gallery at 112 Ponahawai Street. read more

Ridiculousness and Disappointment: How I Had to Chase the "Lava Chaser," Demian Barrios, to Get My Money Back. I am posting this as a 2-star review because I think a lot of 1-star reviews are dismissed as being vengeful or not credible; I want people to read this and actually consider my experience before potentially doing business with Demian Barrios/Primary Focus Photography. This is not a malicious post; I'm not going to disparage Mr. Barrios, or give him any other reason to have this review deleted for libel or false facts. I will stick to the facts of my dealings with him, and how I had to recoup the money I paid him when he had not delivered the agreed-upon product after four months. I am itemizing my largely one-sided communications with him beginning in May 2018, until I was forced to finally seek third-party assistance to recover my money in late August. Here is the timeline of how the whole mess unfolded: * I initiated a conversation with Mr. Barrios via Instagram (@dbphotogallery) on May 9, 2018, asking to have a print made of one of his photographs which my girlfriend loved, but which was not offered on his website (primaryfocushawaii.com). * He did not respond until May 17 - that should have been red flag #1. * I reached out and asked him if he was interested in continuing on June 27. 40 days to respond -- red flag #2. * He responded on June 28, and I asked him if we could communicate via text or phone to make it easier and more expeditious. He did not respond. Red flag #3. * He got back in touch on July 11 to say he had been busy and was trying to locate the photograph. * We agreed to print size and price on July 18. * I paid him via PayPal on July 19, per an invoice he sent from Primary Focus Hawaii. * I sent a status request on July 30, and he answered August 1 that he was checking on the order. * I sent another status request August 3. * A local third party also intervened on my behalf on August 3, urging him to respond to my inquiries. He sent me a long series of messages via Instagram the next day, apologizing and explaining that there had been a delay at the printer but he had been unaware because he does not check his email, messages, etc. He cited the volcano eruption as having been a preoccupation, but those events were largely over during this time; however, he HAD been busy promoting himself and his media to news agencies (I was also told that this is how he normally conducts his affairs, picking and choosing when to communicate with people because he has a bit of an ego). * I answered him the next day (ironically, he actually hit me with a second message and asked me to answer him), acknowledging and thanking him for his response. I told him I was interested in continuing, IF he would make the resolution of our deal a priority. He did not respond. His message the morning, August 4, asking for a response was the last communication I ever received from him. * I called (got his # from Facebook) and left a courteous but firm voicemail on August 16, asking him to call me immediately; it was never returned. * I called and left a second, less-cordial voicemail on August 17, demanding an immediate call back; it was never returned. * I sent a text message on August 20, asking for a status update and a response to my numerous inquiries; it was never answered. * I posted a comment on his August 21 Instagram post the next day, hoping to spur some sort of response; it went unaddressed and is still on the post as of the writing of this review. * I sent him an email via PayPal in error, intending to report the problem but unintentionally ending a direct message; although it detailed all of my bad experience to date, it still went unanswered. Realizing just how ridiculous it was that I was trying to make someone answer me who was not going to, I initiated the refund request process with PayPal on August 24, 2018; thankfully, Mr. Barrios stuck with his usual pattern and didn't respond, and I was refunded my money by default on September 1. It had been three months and three weeks since I contacted him - six weeks since I had paid him and four weeks since my girlfriend's birthday had come and gone. Now of course I do recognize, in hindsight, how many red flags there were in trying to communicate with Mr. Barrios, and how ridiculous the situation was even before I paid him; I bear some blame for this mess. It was obvious from the start that I was not dealing with a professional, but I still tried to make things work. I should have done a little more research before contacting him (had I simply Googled his name and the word, "scam," those results alone would have kept me from ever reaching out to him. By his own admission, Mr. Barrios isn't the best at communication; he told me (see Instagram conversation screenshots) that he doesn't check his email very much. Every text message and voicemail I ever sent him went unanswered. read more

I bought some metal prints from them that I love. I have also seen their real estate photos that looked awesome. They really have the eye for photography. read more

I have hired him before and had an excellent experience! I am already scheduling him again to shoot my 2 businesses! He is amazing! You won't be disappointed! read more

Demian was the best photographer we could have wished for on one of our most special days, our engagement. We did our proposal on Mauna Kea in the Big Island, which required hours of his time and the ability to navigate very windy conditions. He captured the pivotal moments of the proposal at sunset perfectly. Not only that but he was able to be very discrete and keep the surprise factor throughout the whole day. We ended the day taking amazing photos in front of the stars. I couldn't more highly recommend Demian and his work. read more

I have nothing but great things to say about DB photo. Demian was both professional and fun during our company headshots and group photo! I would highly recommend his services to anyone. Whether your looking for stock photos, action shots or tell sell your home, hes your guy. read more

Demian is an awesome photographer! He captures the most amazing photos! I felt super comfortable and not awkward at all during my photo shoot. He created the most memorable photos by thinking outside of the box. I will deffintley be booking again! read more

I've used Demian for several residential real estate listings now and have always been completely satisfied with the results! He has an excellent eye for detail and has always been great to work with while I'm running in and out of rooms staging for the shots. His photos are not overly filtered as a lot of real estate photography is. He uses different camera angles and natural lighting to capture a realistic and beautifully framed shot. His ability to do video footage of homes and drone photography allows the use of just one photographer for anything I've needed for real estate listings. I follow his other work as well with nature shots, amazing lava photography and portraiture and am always impressed with his creative eye. DB Photo is definitely a good choice for any type of photography you may need!! read more

Demian did an excellent job photographing our rental unit for our Airbnb listing. His professional photos made a world of a difference for our page and we have seen more bookings since I updated the page with his images. THANK YOU, Demian! read more

I have hired Primary Focus for years to take pictures of my homes after I rehab them. Before I found Primary Focus I felt that I had to take buyers to the home because my pictures didn't die the newly rehabbed home any justice. Now, the pictures speak for themselves. Mahalo, Primary Focus team! read more

Real professionals with heart! The video and commentary of the phenomenal events occurring during the current eruptions of kilauea and the fissures along the east rift zone have been excellent. Even before production, the videos were great. As a frequent visitor to Hawaii island, I feel a huge need to be connected to what is happening right now. Primary Focus has made that possible! read more

We had Demian and Stacey do family photos and headshots for our business website. They were flexible with scheduling and willing to meet us at the location of our choosing. They were great at working with your young boys - engaging them for some great shots. We love the photos and especially that we got the finished digital files to use however we want at one flat price. read more