Maui Maternity Love + Laughter

When Ryan first contacted me about a Maui maternity session for her and her husband Dan, I could immediately tell they were a match made in laughter…

Maybe it was the way she answered her Questionnaire, or maybe it’s because I started following them both on Instagram and adored the way they entertained each other; whatever it was…I was SO right! (Go me!)

From the parking lot, to the beach, then to the ocean, they made it really hard for me keep my camera focused b/c they couldn’t resist being so cute with one another. And the conversations we had together were even more great! Can we say “flooooowing”?! If these two lived on Maui, I would totally adopt them as friends!

Top 3 things I love about these two:

1) Even after almost 10 years, they STILL flirt as if it’s Day 1

2) They’re practically fish in the water 🐟

3) Their amazing hair!

So Ryan + Dan, thank you for bring along your whits, your love, your bump, and your all around awesomeness. I can’t wait to see the three of you again!

Maui Maternity Photos on Land & In the Ocean

In search of beauty, uniqueness, and someone to truly capture “them”, Mary + Bart (and their bump full of twins!) waltzed into my life in 2020. On the agenda? A Land + Ocean Session at Sunset…

At 27 weeks, Mary was feeling like a million bucks, and the two dresses she chose for each portion of her session were drop dead gorgeous! Did I mention these two couldn’t wait to get into the ocean? I swear, it wasn’t because it was hot + humid 😉

I like to get to know my clients before, during, and in the moment, at my sessions; so when Mary + Bart told me they’d been practicing their swimming for this session, I was so excited to see what they had in store (especially Bart). And seriously, Bart if you’re reading this, I’m STILL so in awe of your skills! Mary - you’re full of grace, patience, and absolute beauty - you’re a complete natural as well!

Some of my favorites from our evening together…

Hair + MUA: Melissa from Maui Makeup Artistry

#1 Reason You Should Have Your BabyMoon on Maui

LEMME GUESS…

A) You just found out you’re pregnant (yay!)

B) You’re currently pregnant and JUST started thinking about a baby moon trip..

C) Or, you’re about to pop and haven’t even thought about a baby moon until RIGHT. THIS. MOMENT.

Well…let me help you make one of the most important decisions of your pregnancy! Whether it’s your 1st, 2nd, or 5th child, every pregnancy is special and deserves to be in the spotlight…especially during your baby moon to Maui!

SO WHAT’S THE #1 REASON YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR BABY MOON ON MAUI YOU ASK???

TO HAVE THE MOST ADVENTUROUS, AUTHENTIC & FUN LAND/OCEAN MATERNITY SESSION WITH ME OF COURSE!!!

So let’s get this process started shall we?

STEP 1) Book a flight to Hawaii! Any island is gorgeous, and they’re all ridiculously magical & full of images of paradise you’ve only dreamed of. But Amanda…we’re kind of in the middle of a global pandemic…are you nuts?!? By nature, yes 🙃 but I’m not talking about now! I’m talking about planning for your future, especially if timing lines up right for you & yours and it’s anytime after June 2020 (maybe later, I’m just being optimistic)! Obviously travel is restricted right now, but that shouldn’t stop you from thinking into the future and reserving those dates!

STEP 2) BUT!!! You should know I’m located on the Island of Maui, so keep your costs down and come here for a visit, book a Maui maternity photo session with me, and instead, invest those pesky travel fees to other islands into your child’s future college fund! Maui is totally worth a visit, even if it’s only for a few days (and even if it’s only to see me!), so if it’s the latter, I can guarantee it’ll be even MORE worth it!

STEP 3) Let’s talk about a Land or Ocean session (or BOTH!), capturing your growing bump & love for one another! The water here is practically as warm and cozy as a nice warm bath, so consider having your session in the ocean - it’s fun and the results? STUNNING and unlike anything you’ve ever seen before!

STEP 4) Let’s get you locked in, discuss wardrobe, hair, makeup, location, and all those other fun things us gals can’t get enough of. Plus, we’ve got plenty of time to get to know each other via text, email, phone, whatever you prefer. I’m all yours and here to assist in planning for your session in any + every way possible!

And these photos below? From a beautiful growing family that scheduled a VERY last minute maternity session on land + in the ocean✨

A Maui Engagement Photo Session to Remember

Recently engaged, Jessica + David came to Maui to celebrate their love, in the most adventurous way possible. So they booked a Romantic Couples Photography Session with me, specifically my Land + Ocean session! We utilized two different locations to get the very best that Maui has to offer - because sometimes, one location doesn’t have it all (I know…hard to believe!).

They didn’t really want romantic photos, but they naturally fell into it, because who can hide the love when it’s literally all over the place?! These two were absolute magnets. They were fun. They were completely down for anything. And the ocean? It loved them too.

It wasn’t at its clearest, but it was good enough to get in some beautiful moments that for us all, were pretty unforgettable ;-)

Here’s some of my favorites from my time w/ Jess + David <3

Oahu Ocean Maternity Adventures

Weather reports across the Hawaiian Islands were going bonkers. Tropical Storms or Hurricanes? How many are to the North and South? Will they miss us? Luckily they both did, and simultaneously (phew)! But not without gifting us with some turbulent, milky waters, and lots of cloudy skies and rain showers.

Insert Vivian & Louis. 30 weeks pregnant and as adorable as ever…vacationing on Oahu. They found my underwater Maui maternity photos so breathtaking, that they just had to fly me over to Oahu to capture these once-in-a-lifetime photos…so off I went!

I swear, my full-time job isn’t being a Photographer - it’s being a Weathergal! The amount of time I spend checking the weather, analyzing ocean conditions, wind & sun direction, is just bananas! It’s part of my job, and my life as a surfer. But when it comes to working around Mother Nature for scheduled maternity photo sessions? I should seriously start my own reporting station! (Past clients…you know this and thank you all for sticking through the “storms” that may or may not have happened. You all rock!).

Shoot time: Sunrise.

Forecast: Ocean conditions: Murky all over the island, NSEW. Currents: Even more bananas. Swell: 5-7 ft faces. Weather: 60% chance of rain.

Actual Session Conditions: Ocean: Murky & 2-5 ft. Currents: Still bananas. Weather: 0% chance of rain.

So what did we do? Shot at my favorite North Shore Oahu location for the land portion, then travelled 10 minutes to another location for calmer waters & stunning backdrops. The result?

This.

Mahalo Vivian & Louis - you two were beyond “great” xo

The Most Beautiful Maui Babymoon Portraits

WHO: Sarah + Kuali’i | WHERE: Lahaina, Hawaii | WHY: 7 month Maternity Shoot

First off…I just LOVE underwater Maui maternity sessions! They literally feed my soul - they honestly and wholeheartedly “complete me” <3

So when I met Sarah & Kuali’i via Instagram, I just knew that our session was going to completely rock the casbah for so many reasons…

We started on land as all my MAKAI Land & Ocean sessions do, then we slowly worked our way into, then under the water, because the clarity was THAT good at Sunset!

Thankfully they both were even more experienced in the water than we had initially discussed (to book my water sessions, it’s a “must” that my clients are experienced to expert swimmers. Hawaiian oceans are no joke!). Kua, who is originally from Maui, also paddled for Hawaiian Canoe Club like myself, so naturally, we had ALOT of mutual friends and tons of experience with the ocean and it’s conditions. Sarah is a beautifully talented dancer and hair/makeup artist, so believe me when I say, this girl worked it in the water! Her toes? ALWAYS POINTED 😉. Her swimming abilities? Flawless.

The finished product was exactly what I had hoped for and so much more. See for yourself…

Underwater Maternity Dreams

WHERE: MAUI, HAWAII | WHO: SOON & NICK | WHY: BABYMOON

It’s Soon’s first pregnancy and she’s known from the beginning that she wanted to do an underwater Maui maternity shoot with gorgeous crystal clear water…and where else than on Maui!

Now, let’s be clear (no pun intended), finding clear waters on Maui for an underwater photography session isn’t always guaranteed, but at Sunrise & at some of my personal favorite locations, our chances can be higher than usual, giving us those breathtaking & dream shots!

Luckily on the morning of our session, the water Gods were watching over us, as were the weather Gods! But really, clouds don’t scare me…they offer more dramatic skies and that’s kiiinda my thang ;-)

Did I mention these two lovebirds were just as beautiful as the Sunrise & Ocean itself? Soon & Nick, you two were made for each other…and your little one? Easily the luckiest!

A big mahalo to these to magic makers <3

A Salty Maui Elopement

Misa + Curtis arranged a quick & super private elopement the hour prior to our session. They wanted their elopement to be intimate, focused, and full of love - so they reserved me for after their session for a romantic Maui couples photoshoot, so we could then, capture all their excitement & of course, her trashing the dress!

Her dress was just immaculate - I was in awe of how beautifully she wore it too. Curtis was looking as dapper as ever, and he was such a good sport, even if he had to keep his sport coat on a little longer than he may have liked ;-)

From land to the ocean, their love will for sure, last a lifetime. And their Maui photos? Well, I’m sure they’ll last much longer….just look at these two!

And because their Google Review was so sweet, I just had to include it below:

“Amanda is hands down one of the most talented photographers out there. She captures emotion and human essence so beautifully in her photos. And her underwater photos are absolutely breathtaking! Amanda made my partner and me feel so comfortable during our shoot that my partner (who generally hates any camera pointed at him) said he actually enjoyed having pictures taken of him and repeatedly kept talking about what a wonderful experience it was. The memories Amanda captured are the most beautiful photos I have ever seen of myself and my husband and we will cherish these for rest of our lives as some of the best moments from our wedding trip to Maui! Thank you so much Amanda!” -Misa + Curtis