Angela and Jack are on their Honeymoon!

And what better place to honeymoon than in Maui? In fact, my husband and I originally honeymooned here. As I always warn my newlywed clients: be careful honeymooning here, you just may end up staying!

I had so much fun with Angela and Jack at our shoot on White Rock Beach! They really have a great energy together. I enjoyed hearing about their journey from acquaintances to lovers as well as some small snippets of their wedding (which sounded absolutely beautiful).

We were treated to the most beautiful sunset that night. There were so many dynamic colors in the sky; it truly doesn't get better than watching the sunset on the beach with people who are in love! What a treat for the two of you! 

Angela and Jack: It was a true pleasure meeting the both of you (the world could stand to have a few more Angelas--Jacks too, of course!). Thank you for choosing me to be your Maui photographer!

Aloha and safe travels back to LA!

The J family is on Maui!

This past week I had the pleasure of photographing the J family from Washington State! Tanner and Audrey loved to ham it up for the camera (mostly Audrey--we saw everything from bunny faces to some strange ostrich-like prancing in the surf) and mom Anna and dad Tyler were super laid back and go-with-the-flow!

We got very good at playing "Red Light, Green Light"...and these kids never lost their energy!

 Of course, I had to get a few of mom and dad. Two kids later and still in love...

Ah...love :)

 Thank you Anna, Tyler, Tanner and Audrey for choosing me for your Maui family photographer! And a big mahalo to Shelly for recommending me! Safe travels back to Washington!

A Family that Plays Together...

...stays together! I wasn't blessed with siblings, but if I had some, I imagine they would be like these folks.

 Ok, well, you can't really see them above. But what you CAN tell from that picture how fun this family is!

Alright, I'll turn up the lights so you can see...

This past week I had the pleasure of photographing this vivacious family from Utah. I think that if some day my family abandons me (doubtful, of course), I will call up Kris and his brood and ask for them to formally adopt me. These guys were so.much.fun.

Mom and Dad Cottrell have four offspring and between those four kids there are SIXTEEN grandchildren and a few more great-grandchildren! Wow! Needless to say, there are plenty of reasons that these people are all smiles!

I have to quickly give a nod to George **ahem** I mean DON (sorry, little inside joke there). Don opted to keep his shoes on for the shoot...which was a great idea until the Pacific Ocean had some ideas of her own. Low and behold, Don's feet quickly became soaked. But did you hear any grumbling from this guy? No way! He just rolled with the punches. What a cool dude.

Thank you all so much for choosing me to be your Maui photographer (and an extra thanks to Kris for finding me)! I had so much fun with your beautiful, beautiful family. Enjoy the rest of your trip and safe travels back to Utah!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

...that's what little girls are made of. And let me tell you, this little gal exemplifies all those qualities.

WARNING: these photos may induce a cute-coma. Don't say I didn't warn you.

While I may have missed my usual Tuesday night workout, I probably burnt just as many calories following this little cutie around the beach with Mom and Dad in tow. Sia is curious, confident, and incredibly tenacious. She has her own agenda and everyone else is just going to have to deal with that! Not that we were complaining; it was a mile a minute with this little girl!

I met up with Mom Kim, Dad Adam and little Sia at White Rock Beach in Makena. Sia and Kim were feeling a bit under the weather (but don't tell Sia; I don't think she knew) but I think all they needed was a bit of sand between their toes and some Maui sun therapy to feel better. And let me tell you: it was the most perfect Maui day! Light breeze, warm sun, empty beach, and the signature breathtaking Maui sunset.

 I don't think I've ever been so incredibly sandy from a photo session! But it was so worth it! I had such a great time with this family. Both Kim and Adam were so easy going---and Sia, of course, stole a little piece of my heart. What a doll!

Thank you Kim, Adam, and Sia for choosing me to be your Maui photographer! Safe travels back to Washington!

Oh Don't be Coy...the Coys are in Maui!

...Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. I'm a sucker for word play. But I'll let the photos speak for themselves; there's nothing coy about them...except for, well, the Coys.

Ok. I'll stop. Really.

So a little bit about the Coys: John and Annette met about 22 years ago while they were working together. They soon fell for one another and tied the knot. Now, 21 years later, they have raised four wonderful children; one of whom happens to be my husband. John isn't my husband Anthony's biological father, but he might as well be. The running joke in the family is Anthony is the Coy that isn't a Coy. He's been around since Anthony was nine-years-old and was an integral part of his upbringing.

Annette, my mother-in-law, came out to visit in 2010 right after we moved here, but it has taken until this January to get both John and Annette out here as a pair. On their last night here we visited Big Beach and I was able to snap a few shots of them. Just looking at the photos I can hear Annette laugh...and John is just an absolute riot. He was completely unpredictable; he would pick her up, swing her around, and then before I knew it he was shimmying up a tree...I think he's part monkey. Really.

See that wave in the background? A few seconds after this picture itended up soaking him!

 And I will leave you all with one last photo...My sweet, sweet husband and his darling mother :)

John and Annette: It was a true pleasure to share Maui with you both. I hope you haven't turned to popsicles back in Michigan; you're always welcome back here. Aloha and ahui ho!

Kevin and Mary are in Maui!

You will all have to excuse my absence. Between the holidays, running back and forth between families and then the beginning of a new semester, a quick weekend trip to Oahu to see Wicked, and my family being in town...I have been busy to say the least!

But I'm back and so excited to see what 2013 has to offer!
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Last week I met up with Kevin and Mary at Puamana Beach Park in Lahaina (which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to shoot) for a birthday photo session!

Mary and Kevin are from Washington and had a short seven days to enjoy Maui while they were here. Seven days is not enough time, but the good news is that with no kids in tow, the two of them could finally relax for a bit. And even better, on the day before our shoot it was Mary's birthday!

I loved how relaxed these two were...and willing to climb up on trees, maneuver around rocks, and even sit in the surf (well, that wasn't what I intended, but that rogue wave had another idea)!

It was Kevin's idea to do a shoot for Mary's birthday; how sweet is that?

 Safe travels back to Washington you two! I hope your next trip to Maui is a few days longer

A+C: Trash the Dress!

Ok, not quite trash the dress. As the bride A put it, "Get-the-Dress-a-Little-Dirty." I think that's a more accurate statement because, really, we weren't really trashing her dress, just acquainting it with the ocean and sand!

We met at Big Beach for a morning session. It's amazing how different that beach can feel. It was nearly empty that morning, the sun was peaking over the trees (making for some seriously yummy lighting), and the colors of the ocean were as vibrant as could be!

Wedding dress, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce you to the Pacific Ocean!

Once we got in the surf, it was difficult to stay out of it! What I love about this shot below is that I kept telling them to hold the kiss...and they were totally unaware that a HUGE wave was coming their way! There's a great series of photos that comes after this one (but I'll leave that up to C and A to post)!

Just Maui'd!

Wow, you two! I had so so so much fun shooting your "get-the-dress-a-little-dirty" post-wedding photo session. You two compliment each other so nicely. Hopefully Momma A doesn't get too upset about the dress; maybe seeing the pictures will help!

I hope your trip back to the Mainland went smoothly! Aloha, mahalo and a hui ho!