Romantic Underwater Couples Session | Kaanapali, Maui

WHO: MARCUS + KATIE | WHY: 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY | WHERE: MAUI, HAWAII

Ahhh love. Isn’t it so beautiful?

But wouldn’t it be that much more beautiful IN the water with a romantic Maui couples photo session?

Marcus, an extremely talented photographer hailing from North Carolina (check him out HERE) and his beautiful wife Katie, decided to go big for their 1 year wedding anniversary…so they scheduled one of my Land + Ocean Maui Couples portraits sessions and geared up for a bright + early sunrise session and lots of water play...

For their land portion, Katie wore the most gorgeous pink dress, accented with a small flower clip in her hair and minimal jewelry. While Marcus kept it simple, minimal, and classy - letting Katie, be his bling.

For their water portion, Katie followed the tips provided in my “Wardrobe Guide” and kept her underwater outfit simple, light in color, and most importantly, light in weight! She also added a nice touch of fabric around her waist to create some more drama underwater - and I’m SO glad she did! Trust me ladies…you do not want to tread water with a heavy dress on, so shop accordingly ;-)

Over + under we all went, moving with the currents, swimming up, down and all around, and making the most of the clear conditions. Needless to say, these two were definitely fish in their past lives & spent almost over an hour in the water - and believe me, it was totally worth it.

Solo Maternity Pictures | Wailea, HI

WHO: McKenna | WHY: Maternity Land & Water Session | WHERE: Makena, Hawaii

For starters, McKenna is a goddess. Not just in her essence, her beauty and her personality…but in her strength. She’s a picture of perseverance and all…with a radiating smile. So this Maui maternity photo session on Land & Water came naturally to her.

Cut to our session - her family joined us and let’s just saaaaay….it was HILARIOUS. Don’t get me wrong, her photos remained majestic, but if there was someone capturing a behind-the-scenes of our session, it would have earned an award.

From land to the ocean, without much sun and even some sprinkles, with tons of positivity, I encourage you to oooo and ahhhh over Miss McKenna (and baby Cassius who just made his earth-side debut!)

A Lush Hawaiian Maternity Photoshoot | Honolua, Maui

Who: April & Adam | Why: Maternity Session | Where: Maui, Hawaii

Within the first moments of reading her their answers to my Client Questionnaire, I just knew they were clients that were meant to be in my life…

With their sense of adventure, requests like “we want to incorporate water into our session, even if we’re just standing in the middle of a river” not only made me giggle, but got my creative beans jumping. So we scheduled a lush Maui maternity photo session in the jungle in West Maui…and it was STUNNING.

The rain stopped just in time, and the mosquitoes definitely got their fill on us, and the chickens & roosters joined in on the fun. And man oh man, was it all worth it!

And yes, I made them stand in the middle of a river xo.

A Vintage Maui Anniversary Celebration | Makena, HI

Who: Stephanie & Chad | Why: For Love | Where: Maui, Hawaii

What do you get when you have a couple who share the same birthday, two teenage children, and share over 14 years together? Oh…and a vintage Porsche from Maui Roadsters?

Stephanie & Chad.

From Land to Water, we kept their Romantic Maui Couples Photos classic, cool, and naturally, wet. Their love was easy to photograph, because these two are nuts about each other. Everything else surrounding them? It just fell into place…

A Maui Newborn and Maternity Session to Remember | Wailea, HI

Who: Valorie + Will | Why: Maternity + Newborn | Where: Maui, Hawaii

It began with Land & Ocean Maui Maternity photos, and just a few months later, started all over again with a Lifestyle Maui Newborn photography session at their home in Kihei, Maui.

From wardrobe & location chats, then a TON of pregnancy emails back and forth comparing stories, advice, questions and excitement (yay for us (previous) mom’s to be!), to two of the most beautiful sessions of 2020, Val and Will met my expectations and well beyond.

The colors, the conditions, and most of all, their sweet little Roman. I’m so honored to have been a part of their pregnancy journey and now, parenthood. Cheers you two!

Offbeat Home Feature: How Underwater Maternity Photos Helped Megan Enjoy Her Pregnant Body

If there’s anyone who feels awkward about being pregnant, it’s my recent client Megan. She swore up and down that she’d never have children…then…it happened. STOP THE PRESS! HOLD THE PHONE!

With her body changing, her mind opening and her body changing even more, she was super reluctant but at the same time, ridiculously excited about our Maui maternity photography session. So I told her - just hold your breath, point your toes, and let the water do the rest.

And she did! She literally unleashed her inner mermaid and the results are just….(insert fairy dust here).

Read more from her awesome blog post on Offbeat Home titled: “How underwater Maui maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body”. It’s one for the books for sure. And Meggy? She too, is one for the books!

Sending you & Mike virtual high-fives like no other! <3

(And in case you’re wondering…YES, that’s her and Mike whipping their wet hair like the fabulous parents-to-be that they are!)

SEE THE FULL FEATURE

Carefree Family Photos | Wailea, HI

WHO: THE HILMES OHANA | WHERE: MAUI, HAWAII | WHY: FOR FAMILY

If you’ve worked with me, you’ll know that I don’t show up to any of my sessions with a plan - especially Maui family photography sessions! Ultimately, I let the kids run the sessions - seriously. Mom & Dad are key parts of the equation, as is some discipline (and bribery), but ultimately, I want your family to show me who they are and not hold hold back in the slightest. Why?

Because it’s what makes for great photos & memories.

I’m a lifestyle Maui family photographer - that means I capture things as they happen, in a moment, not posed, not planned, but maybe strategically placed & coerced if need be ;-) Posed & stiff photographs aren’t in my portfolio, and for good reason - they don’t show any feelings or joy (or craziness). Sure, I’ll grab a couple for the grandparents, but we’ll move away from those immediately, because even I, get uncomfortable when clients start to stand there and smile at the camera. My job is to take you out of your “comfort” zone of the types of photos you’ve grown to adhere to; and make you forget I’m there and just focus on each other. It’s my job and I’m darn good at it.

Do we get sandy? Yes. Wet? You bet. Messy? I hope so. Can hair and clothing sometimes get messy? Isn’t that what childhood is about??? We’ll obviously do our best to keep it to a minimum, but in the end, when you let it (and them) be…you’ll get THIS:

And that is precisely, why I’m here ;-)

Family Photo Magic with Littles | Wailea, HI

When a fellow (and amazingly talented) photographer reaches out to you to capture her & her family on their first trip to Maui, you jump up; raise your hand; and say YES!

Immediately upon meeting Claire & her family (did I mention they’re all gorgeous?), I knew this sunset session was going to be SO much fun! With open hearts, beautiful flower crowns, flowing dresses and the perfect sunset & backdrop, we jumped right in and made the most of the high tide & lava rock surroundings…

Not only were their outfits coordinated to perfection; the fabric was comfortable with plenty of beautiful textures, and their small accents like leis and crowns were just magic!!!!!

Need help coordinating your wardrobe for your upcoming family session? Be sure to check out my recent “Planning Your Wardrobe: Hawaii Family Photography Session” Blog!

As for Claire, if you’re in the area of Phoenix, Arizona and looking for an amazing newborn photographer, be sure to visit her website HERE <3

Much love to you & your family Claire…and of course, thank you for choosing me x