I’d like to start off this Mother’s Day weekend by spotlighting a beautiful friend and mother, who is due (literally) any day now with her second daughter.  I just have this little feeling that this weekend is going to be it!!!

Grace is a transplant all the way from Great Britain.  She met and married a local boy, Justin, from Maui (hey, Justin and I went to the same high school “Imua e na poki`i”) and lovingly followed him to our little island chain.  They’ve made a home from themselves and their 2 year old daughter, Anu, on the windward side.

We were so stoked to meet Grace and Justin.  They’re young and fun, quick-witted and quick to laugh.  Grace is a doting mom and also a talented photographer.  I absolutely love reading her photography blog but you have to read it aloud to yourself with a British accent to get the full effect.  It’s what I do, much to the amusement of others.  Sigh.  What is it that makes accents so enchanting?  I could listen to Grace talk all day. Heck, I would pay her to read the newspaper to me in the morning.  If she ever has any time to set aside from motherhood and her photography, she should consider that as a possible career.

Actually, we were so enthralled to meet Grace and Justin and beyond impressed with their parenting style, that we asked Grace to care for our baby daughter while we were looking for a more permanent daycare.  And every day, my husband’s one request was that Grace sing Mary Poppins songs to our baby girl.  We were hoping she’d pick up the cool British accent too.  She didn’t, but she also doesn’t talk much yet so there’s still hope. 

I’ve never been to Europe but Grace fits in here perfectly with the local culture.  She’s easy-going and just rolls with things.  When she brought up maternity photos, she joked about finding a secret waterfall but she quickly laughed at the notion and said I had full creative direction.    But that little thought germinated and I had a blast coming up with a style and direction geared around a waterfall maternity shoot.   I didn’t give her much information prior, I just told her where to meet me.  And she did without hesitation.   I am so grateful that she trusted me so thoroughly.  When we walked upon the clearing with a babbling stream and waterfalls, I felt like I was watching her unwrap a gift on Christmas morning.  It was awesome!  We had found her a waterfall maternity session, even if it wasn’t a secret waterfall.  We were not alone in the woods and we did make a few friends along the way.

I have to thank the amazing maternity and newborn photographer, Lisa, for suggesting this gorgeous location along the Nuuanu Judd Trail.  I hadn’t been there since I was in college and me and my girlfriends hiked to the little waterhole named Jackass Ginger, so it wouldn’t even have crossed my mind.  Actually, Lisa did suggest it with some hesitation because she is all too aware of my complete lack of agility and finesse.  Fear not, pregnant mamas, I am a great standard on evaluating appropiate locations for maternity shoots.  If I can make it, then pregnant mamas can!!  Alas, I did almost gribble two times on stretches of completely flat and dry walking areas.  I caught myself both times but that didn’t dull the shame of having the very pregnant Grace who was carrying two bags of outfits and an umbrella reaching out a steadying hand and asking me if I needed help.

Grace not only needed no help and handled everything with ease, she also managed an outfit change mid-jungle without skipping a beat.  I loved this pink dress.  Pretty in pink.

Grace, you’re gorgeous!!! Besides the motherhood/photographer/newspaper announcer, I need to tack on “modeling” as another career choice for you to consider.

The following shot was achieved using a method popularized by a New York wedding Photographer, Ryan Brenizer.  It helps to achieve a super low depth of field in a photograph.  I wanted to play around with the technique and I’m thrilled to see that it worked out perfectly.  Love this one!   

Justin, thank you for letting me hang out with your wife for an afternoon doing what we both love, photography.  Grace, thank you for scaling river rocks and offering to get in the ice cold stream water.  It was awesome and I’m already picturing an skydiving/surfing maternity session for the next baby.  I’ll be waiting!  If you’d like to see this album and more, check out their album on my Facebook page.

She’s become one of my faithful supporters, a constant source of encouragement with words of hope and sympathy when my family and I went through rough waters.  She’s become someone I consider to be a good friend and just an awesome person, so it’s amazing to think that we never actually met in person until 3 days before her family photo shoot.    How weird is it to feel like you know someone so well without ever actually meeting?

We met up on a weekday afternoon at Moanalua Gardens.  Developing a relationship online through emails, stories, and pictures is like reading a book before seeing the movie.  I was a little nervous.  We all know that you can’t read a book before the movie, movies are just never as good.   Sonya is that exception.  As soon as she jumped out of her van, her warm smile was instantaneous and her hug sent me over the edge.  She was everything I imagined but multiply kindness and humor by ten.  I fell in love even more.

I would like to nominate this family for ‘best-dressed.’  It’s the most common question that every family asks when getting ready for their family photos, “what should we wear?” This family was perfectly dressed.  They had a bright color scheme with blues, whites, and yellows that complemented everyone but also really popped in the photos.       Not only did everyone’s outfits work together  but they were all so thoughtfully styled that they shone in the the individual portraits.  Big sister (and only girl) “S” wore an A-line yellow and white print dress with a green crochet neckline.  It was super cute with a slight 70′s feel.  And she added a touch of her own personality with her favorite footwear, PINK cowboy boots.  Next in line was “C” with his mop of bronze ringlets.  He was ecstatic when he was able to put on his cowboy boots halfway through the shoot.  He showed them off proudly, during the brief 5 seconds he wasn’t chasing birds and climbing trees.  Baby “H” alas, apparently couldn’t find cowboy boots in his size so he embraced his local boy side and enjoyed being barefoot the whole time.  So, he just made up for the lack of footwear by charming us with his long eyelashes and cheeky smile.

Another huge plus of working with another photographer’s family.   No one was a stranger to being in front of the camera. Handsome hubby, Mike, was good-natured and easy-going as we jumped from pose to pose.  And I found out that they were college sweethearts (okay, everyone say it together “aaaah”).  There was no need to bribe the kids with sweets, they ran into place when it was their time for their solo time in front of the camera.

Sonya and Mike, when can we do this again, pretty please?!!

She’s brimming with youth, snippets of hummed melodies, and giggles.  She’s one of those rare college age girls in my Facebook friend circle whose posts are overflowing with positivity and laughter.  Her wall is a collection of hilarious status exchanges with her equally funny parents and impromptu dance videos in random locations starring her and her friends, videos that oddly seem to coincide with the same weeks as those pesky college exams.  I’ve loved working with her family, having photographed her beautiful cousin, Irish (the gene pool is stunning with this family).  So, I was delighted when they asked about taking portraits of Anuhea.  She’s beautiful so the photos couldn’t be anything else but beautiful, and she’s so fun,  I was looking forward to the good times to be had.

Anuhea is in college and had taken senior portraits in high school.  Although they were beautiful, she wanted to do something a little more creative that felt a lot more like her.  I asked her to shoot me ideas and photos and created an inspiration folder for her and then we created the location and style for her shoot.  There was one adjective she threw in the mix in describing what look she really gravitated towards, ‘vintage.’  My photography style is polar opposites from vintage.  I love the look and feel of vintage-style shoots and I greatly admire the work of other photographers who really excel in it, but it is definitely a far reach from the vivid, bright colors I gravitate towards.  Anuhea didn’t seem fazed, she loved my work and insisted she wasn’t completely sold on vintage.  But I took it as a part of a personal challenge to show her what I could do with my own artistic vision, and also experiment with a bit of different processing to still hit her personal taste too.

This is why I adore photography so much.  It is never boring.  To date, this was one of my favorite sessions and produced some of my favorite photos.  We met alongside the road and meandered into a large grass field.  Anuhea brought her best friend, her mom, Pua, and my sidekick, Joy, tagged along with me.  The weather was spotty so I came prepared with four large umbrellas that proved quite useful throughout the shoot.  We had to keep one hidden in the grass by Anuhea as the rain came in sudden and silent bursts.   Joy has hawk-like vision and kept disappearing only to reappear with flowers she had picked from the brush.

Here are some of my favorites from the day:

Thank you, Anuhea!!!  Any time, you want to go wading through a field of wet grass, I’m all in!

The wedding day was a dream.  The mid-day sun was tempered by just the right amount of puffed-up clouds, softening its light to a golden glow.  For a Saturday, the Kualoa Beach Park was surprisingly empty and it lent itself to the intimacy of the day.  All you saw were the smiles of the couple as they mingled with their guests before the ceremony and the only sounds you heard were laughter.

But this dream didn’t come easy.  The moment they met, Michelle knew Doug was the one.  But she had just returned home to Hawaii from Europe and was leaving again for grad school in Boston.  Doug was from New England but he had just moved here to attend graduate school at UH-Manoa.  Just after kindling this new connection, they found themselves separated by 5,000 miles and a six hour time difference.  Determined, this couple kept in touch with phone calls and the times they could see each other when someone was home for a visit.  After a year and half, Michelle moved home and the two have never been apart since.  A commitment to be together that they were now celebrating just a few years later.

Michelle and Doug are living in California right now so Michelle had to plan everything from across the Pacific Ocean.  Not exactly an easy task, but one Michelle excelled in, putting her vision and attention to details to good use.  I actually didn’t get a chance to meet the beautiful couple until the morning of their wedding.  Up until then, we relied on phone calls and emails to tidy up the details and everything came together seamlessly.  They chose to wed at Kualoa Beach Park and as with any beach weddings, my suggestion was to choose an open shaded area.  Michelle called me the day before.  She found it!  A beautiful stretch of field softly shaded by a group of trees sitting on the gentle rise of a hill.  It was perfect.  Michelle’s flower girls walked down the aisle first, carrying baskets designed out of brightly colored beach pails hand-decorated by Michelle.  They wore matching floral dresses from Cinnamon Girl, dresses they had picked themselves months apart without ever seeing what the other had chosen!   Michelle followed in a strapless gown, her hair swept back with a cluster of white flowers.  Michelle’s father performed the ceremony, his eyes sparkling as he spoke with such kindness and adoration for  his daughter and new son-in-law.  As for Doug, he never took his eyes off his bride.   Well, just look at the pictures, you’ll see why.

Flowers and leis:  Cindy’s Lei Shoppe

Flower girl dresses:  Cinnamon Girl

Bridal gown: Nordstrom

I love January 1st!  I’m a checklist kind of girl and I’m great at making resolutions.  I’m not always successful at maintaining them but I give it a valiant effort every time.  Remember when I resolved to cut my showers to six minutes every day?  That was hard.  And short-lived.  Thank goodness January 1st means a clean slate, a second…a third…yes, even a thirty-third chance to try again.  So here we go, I’m ready to set some goals for this bright and shiny new year.

Professional Goals:

-Do more by doing less

I balance a full-time job at the University, family life, and my passion (photography) by setting a limited number of session slots per month.  I admit, I tend to book more than my monthly goal.  It’s so hard to pass up an opportunity to do something I love.  But I’m excited to devote more time and energy to planning each shoot thoughtfully and intentionally.  Scouting new locations, searching for new ideas, bringing in those little touches that push it to another level.   If you’re thinking of doing something different for 2012, don’t dally too long.  Let’s go for it!!

-Attend workshops

I’m a lifelong student at heart.  In 2011, I had the pleasure of attending several local workshops, including a lighting workshop by Firebird Photography.  It gave me the kick I needed to start utilizing lighting techniques more in my sessions and expand what I can offer.   I’m constantly looking for new workshops and courses.  This May, I hope to travel to Chicago to attend an amazing workshop held by one of my heroes in the children’s photography business.  I’m so excited!

-Hold workshops

Two years ago, I held a introductory workshop on composition and the basics of exposure.  It was a test run and I had a bunch of ideas waiting in the wings.  The workshop turned out to be such a blast, not just for the participants but for me.  I literally just ran out of time to plan another one but I’m moving this higher on my priority list for 2012. I love sharing what I know with others and it’s such a bonus to meet other photography enthusiasts.  I know so many people who have awesome digital cameras but just are just not using them to their potential.  As a mom with a camera, I want to help other proud moms to take better pictures of their adorable babies.  I would love to do workshops this year!

Personal Goals:

-Use those reusable Foodland bags

I take hot showers until the hot water runs out and I can’t fall asleep without the TV on, but we are trying to change our habits one by one and love on the earth.  We had composting worms which we loved until they mysteriously died off.  We also had an egg-laying chicken until she also mysteriously died right before Christmas.  Hmm, I’m sensing a pattern.  My husband started an aquaponics system and built a garden table with broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, and all sorts of leafy deliciousness.  But one thing that I see everyday is our closet filled with plastic bags from the grocery store.  I HAVE the green reusable grocery bags.  I love them.  I use them everyday…to take my lunch to work or as a beach bag.  But I forget them without fail every time I make a trip to the grocery store.  And my overwhelming pile of plastic bags keeps growing.  I would really like to make a conscious effort to bring my groceries home in my reusable cloth bags.

-Try a two new recipes a month

I’m not the world’s best cook.  I have five go-to recipes and I tend to cycle through them, more often than not, choosing to have a comforting bowl of saimin for dinner.  I just haven’t had the best of luck when trying new recipes.  I found some appealing recipes on the food network website and I want to aspire to just trying one every other week.  That’s a small goal and doesn’t look too daunting.  Keep your fingers crossed that our tummies survive.

-Take care of the little things

There are those little tasks that make my to-do list but keep getting pushed aside by the bigger priority tasks.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if I could just sweep the little, pesky tasks off my list permanently?   They range from the sensible to the insane sounding.  ex.  cleaning the top of our washing machine and dryer.  They sit outside and they are dirty.  It bothers me everytime I do laundry but I’m usually rushing to get through the three loads of laundry.  Or finding a lampshade for the living room lamp.  I threw the shade away because it looked so old and dingy. Maybe I should have waited until I had a replacement.  Now we have this poor naked lamp in the corner.

Yes, the obvious resolutions should be assumed. Eat better. Exercise more.  SPEND MORE TIME WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!  But those are resolutions that I should be making anew every week.  Thank you for patiently listening to my earnest goal-setting.  Feel free to tell me yours, I’d love to hear them.  And because pictures make everything better, here’s just a little storyboard of silliness that makes me smile.  This from a Christmas shoot with a fun little girl who certainly doesn’t mind the camera=)  Coming up soon is the beautiful wedding of Michelle Doug on the windward side of Oahu.

Don and Vita were married along the water’s edge, the mid-day sun enveloping the small ceremony in golden light.  Now, as I’m curled up in my sweats to ward off the chill of Hawaiian winter, I’m enviously remembering the warmth of that day.  They were married by Don’s good friend, with just a few friends as their witnesses.  Don kept us all laughing as he unleashed all his moves for the camera.  Vita, tall and gorgeous, just shyly smiled at her new husband’s antics, tenderly fixing his tie when it became askewed.  Vita’s beautiful daughter was their flower girl and the entire wedding party.   During the ceremony, she found a fast friend in a kitten lounging in the grass nearby.  The formal portraits were just a dream to photograph.  The grounds at Pardise Bay Resort on the windward side provided the lush, tropical backgrounds and the camera just loved this newly married family.

The bride wore a beautiful dress from Cache at Ala Moana and did her own flawless hair and make-up.  The flower girl dress was from Sears.  And can you believe that the gorgeous rose bouquet was from Safeway?  I was floored to learn that, I didn’t even know they did bouquets!  It was rich and elegant. I will most certainly be recommending them to my future brides.

Congratulations, Don and Vita!!!

No bridesmaids. No groomsmen.  At first, Raylene didn’t even want to walk down the aisle.  She bashfully laughed and waved that thought off. Thankfully, someone managed to change her mind because she was radiant as she walked across the grass field towards her groom.  The sinking sun was just starting to fall behind Justin but he didn’t see anything but his bride.  Their three children also walked down the aisle.  Their youngest flower girl took a little break and her big brother patiently helped her back on her feet and filled her flower basket again with the soft rose petals.  The guests stayed late into the night under an open sky splattered with twinkling stars.  Live music played while everyone enjoyed amazing food under hanging lights.  Justin and Raylene went from table to table welcoming each guest while the kids were thrilled to be playing with all their friends.  We were at the beautiful Officer’s Club on Hickam Air Force Base but it somehow felt we were at an intimate backyard party and we felt right at home.

Congratulations to the newly married couple, Justin and Raylene!!!

I have so much to be thankful for.  My daughter who turned one and who has learned to walk (which, by the way, has changed the game).  The outside of our fridge has been stripped clean from the 2.5 foot mark down.   A new job working at the University of Hawaii-Manoa which I am just loving.  Of course, my hubby, Scott, whom I just adore even though UH-Manoa football games do steal him away from me for those pesky home games every other Saturday.  And I’m so thankful for my wonderful clients who have kept me so busy.  I’ve been falling behind with my blogging, but I’ve been too much fun behind the camera on the weekends.  I’ve had cute baby sessions, beautiful weddings, and my daughter’s first birthday party which is going to make you ooh at the overflowing cuteness.

I’ll start the ball rolling with this baby photography session with 7 month old Jude.  You will recognize this chubba-licious face as he has graced the cover of my blog before.  We had quite the party rolling through Kailua early on a Sunday morning.  I was accompanied by fellow photographer, Malia Salmon, and Jude brought along his entourage; mom, dad, and big sister.  Jude definitely worked the camera but it was dad who probably got the biggest workout of all as Jude hadn’t quite perfected sitting just yet.  So, daddy Tony was the propper-upper, runner, and catcher.  The rest of us were working it trying to get Jude to flash his beaming smiles but it was his protective big sis who got him giggling every time.  He just absolutely adores her.

They’re such a sweet family that I’ve loved getting to know through these photos.  And this past fall, when Scott and I needed to correct some electrical work in our house, I remembered Tony and Kelley and their family-run business, All G Electric.  They were awesome!!! In just one day, they fixed our problems and we were able to even add some “luxuries” like a light switch on our porch so I no longer have to fumble for my shoes in the dark.  It’s amazing how little touches like that can make life just a bit easier.

I can’t wait to see everyone again for Jude’s 1 year session which is coming up quickly!

Trevor is the worship pastor for Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay.  Although he’s one of the youngest pastors on staff, he’s a talented song-writer and musician with a clear vision to change the culture of worship.  If you feel the Ko`olau mountains shaking on the weekends, chances are it’s the people of Hope Chapel rocking it out.    You can download their latest worship CD, “Collision,” on amazon or download it from itunes.  Sarah works for Tori Richards and also shows off her design talents with a unique, handmade jewelry line, Ezer Kenegdo, she and two other friends run.   They were just featured recently in Midweek!  But Trevor and Sarah relish their greatest roles, the ones that earned them the title of “mom” and “dad.”  Levi is a happy and deeply loved little boy.  And, yes, I’m a permanent member of the Levi Fan Club.

Hand-knit hats provided by Jennarations Yarns of Kaneohe, HI

Please contact me if you want to schedule a “Sitting Pretty/Handsome Session” with your baby or become a Facebook fan!!

We chatted and I again questioned why I always end up meeting people at Starbucks since I don’t drink coffee.  Apparently neither did she as she nursed a fruit punch that she had brought with her.  I had a pocket full of Starbucks gift cards that I was hoping I could finally use but she politely waved off my offers to treat her.  So we just sat and got to know each other.

Like most coffee shops, it was crowded and loud but the background noise faded away as she settled in and told her me her story, one hand resting atop her round belly.  From our email exchanges, I knew a little and thought I had prepared myself, but I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up.  I heard a story that sounded so similiar to mine but still so different, I couldn’t imagine what it felt like.  Years of trying to start a family gave way to hope, followed by utter heartbreak, only to find one’s way back to hope again. 

 She and her husband had found out they were expecting triplets. The excitement mixed with anxiety of realizing they were going to welcome three babies into their home.  And then tragedy.  They lost their identical twin girls within a few days of each other in the second trimester.  She spoke then of the gut-wrenching doctor visits and her voice was twinged with sorrow but all I could hear was strength.  Her message is one of hope and faith because after surviving two painful losses, they stand in wait of one very sweet miracle.  Their little girls have a brother.   They had been hesitant at first to plan anything for the future.  They were reluctant to buy baby furniture and had yet to prepare the nursery.   They had put aside the idea of taking maternity photos.  But they have suddenly found themselves well into the third trimester.  And something that seemed so hard for them to believe would ever happen…is really happening.    Leinell and Jeff are just weeks away from meeting their son.

From the first email she sent inquiring about maternity photos, I’ve felt that I should be the photographer for these very special photos.  I felt like I was on a first date as I nervously rehearsed all the points I was going to use to convince her to hire me.  I was so ecstatic when she cut to the quick and pulled out her planner and asked “so, when do you have openings?”  I wonder if she could tell I was hopping in my seat.

Leinell must have been a teacher’s dream.  She took out a notepad during our consult and wrote down my suggestions for outfits.  She declined my proposal that she talk to her husband before we confirmed a date for her session.  She confidently told me “Oh, Jeff will be there. I’ll make sure he’s there.”  On the day of our shoot at Ko Olina, she carried a backpack as we trekked along the shore.  In the backpack, she had everything I had suggested might be useful or creative to use in our session.  We stayed late to get beautiful sunset photos and the minute the light disappeared, she pulled a compact flashlight out of her bag and was guiding our party out of the darkening lagoon. 

I was curious to meet Jefferson after Leinell’s description of him as a tall man with red hair.  Oh, his hair does not disappoint. It’s awesome!  He’s a proud dad and proud husband.  I warned him that I would be working solely with Leinell for most of the day.  He’s completely chill and took a swim and laid out in the sun.  But he jumped up and rushed over to hold Leinell’s hand whenever she had to walk to a different location. 

 I had asked Leinell and Jefferson to bring something special that was of significance to them and their babies.  For the girls, they had a beautiful hand-blown glass ball the same color as the deepest ocean waters.  And Jefferson was carrying a large book with a drawing of the earth on the cover for their son.  When I asked him the significance, he explained that he and Leinell often wrote in that book during their travels together.  And then he said “he’s my son. I want to give him the world.”

Many thanks to Leinell and Jefferson for choosing me to be a part of their journey.  Many many thanks to my dear friend Nalani visiting from the Big Island.  She modeled for my practice shoot, and then acted as assistant and creative director for the big day.  We had quite a fun group outing to Ko Olina.  We were even accompanied by her dad who tagged along to enjoy a sunset on the beach.   More gratitude, again, to Leinell and Jefferson didn’t bat an eye at the surprise enterouge trickling into the parking lot.

Behind the scenes: Nalani keeping our mama nice and cool (left). Draping artfully (right).