Bruce Honda had a window of four hours before his life changed forever.

That was the amount of time his mother gave him to process the news and say goodbye to friends before boarding a one-way flight from Hawaii to Federal Way. Since arriving in the city in 1971, Honda joined his father as an employee at Weyerhaeuser, but it was his love for the city that encouraged him to pick up a camera and start shooting.

Since that time, Honda estimates he’s taken over 250,000 photos, sending a good portion of them to the Mirror. His willingness to document his city’s happenings, both big and small, is what prompted Mark and Carolyn Freitas to nominate Honda for Citizen of the Month.

“Bruce Honda captures the heart and soul of Federal Way,” the couple said in an email. “He is the most recent ‘cultural historian’ of our area through his pictures. He captures ‘the best in us.’ He contributes his images to those that ask.”

Honda said he doesn’t consider himself a notable photographer, but admitted the quality of his camerawork has improved over time.

“I shoot what I like, and most of the time I like what I shoot,” Honda said. “I usually hit one out of 10 that work out. No serious editing software yet – just some crop, contrast and exposure adjustment. I average about 100 shots an hour, but that’s been picking up with more activity shots, and my shutter seems to have a bit more hair trigger than before.”

The first camera Honda remembers picking up was a Kodiak Brownie 8, a model first released in 1955. He said it used to take a week for the local drug store to develop the film.

As far as technical training goes, Honda has one photography class, which he described as “a low-cost, no-credit, choose-your-topic-and-hope-the-instructor-knew-more-than-you fun-time.”

Aside from the local shots found in the paper, Honda’s work can be found on the cover of the Federal Way Chamber of Commerce business guide, which he took on final descent into SeaTac Airport when returning from a business trip. He has also taken a number of photos for Applebee’s promotions.

There isn’t much left in the city that Honda has yet to explore through photography. According to him, there really isn’t a difficult shot in the city, although lighting can make the process take longer than anticipated.

“Light is what photography is all about,” Honda said. “Your eyes do a much better job of integrating light and motion. The DSLR camera can capture a portion, and that’s the challenge.

“You can get the camera to perform beyond what your eyes can do, but it’s still within that limited window.”

This year has been a difficult one for Honda behind the lens due to the number of shootings the city saw in such a short span of time. But despite the emotional shaking the events brought, Honda was there to capture it all.

“The hardest photo shoot was the recent shootings in Federal Way,” Honda said. “And to see the pain and anguish in the faces. Completely opposite to what I like to shoot.”

Through both good and bad, Honda’s photos have been featured on 52 cover pages of the Mirror, none of them earning their photographer a dime. Being an electrical engineer, Honda said the last thing he needs is money, so he does it purely for the love of the hobby.

He’s told over 250,000 stories through his photos. With a number like that, it appears he has plenty of time to find the next compelling tale.

“Freelance gives me the freedom to shoot what I like,” Honda said, “and it helps me tell the story of Federal Way from my perspective.”

To nominate a Citizen of the Month, email your name, contact information and why you believe the Mirror should choose your nomination to editor@fedwaymirror.com.