Overall, what you wear won’t be as important as the connection we create on camera.

I’d recommend leaving the smartwatches behind, I go for timeless and an Apple Watch or similar can date a photo.

If you wear normally wear glasses with transition lenses (eg. sunglasses), I recommend wearing a regular pair (anti-reflective coating is a plus), or just go no glasses at all.

Overall, wear something that you look and feel great in!

Las Vegas

For Calico Basin (Red Rock) or the Jean Dry Lake Bed – I personally gravitate towards whites and blacks, it makes for a great juxtaposition against the backdrop. Rich colors such as maroon and dark green work as well!

For studio sessions, I’d recommend a more formal look, it works really well with my lighting and custom backdrops often seen in Vanity Fair, Vogue, etc.

For the cozy in-home styled shoots, you’ll want some coordination of outfits.

Hawaii (Oahu, Maui, Big Island)

Aloha shirts and dresses are popular and certainly work for shots in Hawaii, but if it were up to me I’d point you towards plain lighter tones and coordinating with your family. White, beige, blues, etc. pair well with the Maui ocean and sky.

But going bright and bold works too! Yellows, reds, etc. can be an excellent juxtaposition to the backdrop.

I prefer whites and light creams as opposed to khaki and darker tans. Both work as far as color, but you’ll see water splashes less on white or cream.

For couples, lei’s are a popular add-on to a shoot and available at most Maui florists, haku lei’s (head crown) are popular with women and ti leaf lei’s are popular with men.

For families, it’s personal preference based on what look you want to achieve, but I’d say they aren’t necessary. Perhaps a haku lei for a special mama or your little girls look really good for solo portraits.

Nope! No deposits are required.

Your date is reserved when I confirm with the date, time and location.

Payment is due at the end of your session.

Nope! I get it, life happens so there are no cancellation fees.

I do ask that if you have to cancel, please so do at least a month in advance as it’s hard to fill-in the spot last minute.

I’ve built my packages to fit 98% of people, but here are a few options that some clients have requested:

• Rush delivery, photos and my selected edits within 24 hours – $30
• Buy the RAW files (for editors) – $50
• Additional Advanced Edits: $10 each or 10 for $50.

Think of the light edits as corrections that I can apply globally throughout a set of photos. In other words, if all the images were slightly under or overexposed, I can easily fix that. If the color is slightly off (via white balance), I can correct that. And generally, I’ll add a little boost to saturation and contrast. The light edits are pretty close to what you would see in-camera.

The advanced retouches are photos that get individual attention, this is where I color grade to get my signature look. This is where I address a lot of popular edit requests, correcting the horizon,  removing people from the background (so it looks like you have the beach to yourself!), and if necessary, brightening up either the subject or background. For the Mini package, I choose 2 of the 5 advanced retouches, and with the Pro, I choose 5 and you can choose 5.

Additional advanced retouches are available for purchase for $25 for 5 more edits.

Special Requests:

The following types of edits are considered non-standard, but are available on request.

Composite Edits – These type of requests include Photoshopping smiles to get the perfect photo (smile swaps, etc., popular for group photos), etc. Basically, any edit that requires another photo to complete. Composite Edits are $25 Per Photo.

Make you thinner and bad sunburns (and other intricate requests) – Add $20 per photo

Light sunburns will generally be smoothed out in the advanced retouches, however, some of the more apparent sunburns will need more Photoshop.

Maui Photo Shoot Beach Locations

I recommend South Maui (Kihei/Wailea), after confirmation, I’ll send the location of the beach I use for the vast majority of my shoots. Easy access, ample parking and a nice blend of beach, palms and lava rock for a nice variety. Gotta be a little discreet online because I don’t want everyone using my same spots 😏

West Maui (Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua) is where most of the tourism is, along with commercial restrictions on the Kaanapali coast, I would recommend sunrise in West Maui as sunsets can be very busy.

Permits:

I do obtain the proper permits for shooting on Maui – the last thing you want is a shoot getting shut down because your photographer isn’t properly permitted… especially when there’s a short window of good light (around sunrise/sunset).

Available upon request, these beaches require additional permitting (+$40) for commercial activity because of how busy they are:

• Makena Cove – Popular for weddings, it’s a small tucked away beach, it can be a good option at sunrise. Personally, I don’t recommend it for sunset anymore as it’s one of, if not the busiest beach per square foot in South Maui.
• Ironwoods – Ironwoods Beach in Kapalua is another popular wedding location with options of lava rock overlooking the ocean. Parking is limited to about a dozen spots.    

Are there any good private beaches for surprise proposals at sunset?

I get this question a lot. All beaches are public, and of course beaches tend to be busy around sunset. But I do know a good spot. It’s a long stretch and usually doesn’t have more than 20-30 people on the beach.

I’ve tried other “non-beach park” beaches that aren’t frequented by visitors, but there’s a number of drawbacks. No parking, beach isn’t maintained as much as thus isn’t quite as nice, sand isn’t as nice, etc.

I’ll show you photos throughout the session and for some reason if you don’t like what you see – you won’t have to pay me… no questions asked!

Though just due to the digital nature of files, you’d have to tell me during the session.

Nonetheless, I’m proud to say I’ve had zero takers on this offer as I’m always striving to deliver great photos!

Thankfully, rain isn’t a huge issue on the island of Maui. And where I’m located in south Maui (Kihei), we receive less than 10 inches of rain per year. The west side of Maui, including Ka’anapali, Lahaina and Kapalua, does rain a tad bit more – but it’s usually brief, and just a light sprinkle.

And don’t be afraid of the clouds – it’s actually great for photos (think soft light!) and can lead to awesome sunsets.

Of course! Most visitors come for outdoor photos on the beach, but I do have a studio available – or we can rent one too!

My studio is located in Kihei, Maui. I had a full studio on the mainland, but I’ve decided to cut down on overhead and pass on the savings to my clients. I now have a complete home studio setup with a separate bathroom/dressing area. A large photo studio is also available to rent in Kahului for $75 per hour. I also have an office with a conference room suitable for headshots.

I love shooting in-studio, where I have control over the light. This allows us to figure out which lighting style works best for you. Natural light from the windows? Or is it the soft, flattering look of a ring light? Maybe the dramatic, contrasty look of a soft box or beauty dish with a grid? Let’s find out.

I love shooting outdoors too, and “golden hour” is the perfect time to shoot (ie. the hour before sunset) in Maui. And surprisingly, overcast weather is great too. While it might seem drab, clouds are the best light diffuser, leading to soft light and photos with a little more drama to them.

There are plenty of Maui photographers, so thank you for considering me!

Portrait Photography services include, but are not limited to:

• High School Senior Photos – I love working with high school seniors and capturing exactly what they have visioned!
• Family Photographer – Families of all sizes welcome!
• Newborn Portraits – Let’s chat about what you would like out of a newborn photo session!
• Engagement and Elopement Sessions
• and more!

I shoot all types of portraits, if for some reason I can’t help you with your project, I’d be more than happy to refer you to another photographer!

General Information:

Family Photos – Everyone wants a good family picture, and Maui is the perfect place to capture family memories with your loved ones… and hey everyone loves a good beach photo!

Let’s make sure the awkward family photo is a thing of the past. Keys to a good family portrait:

• Outfits: An aloha shirt or dress is fine, and of course a popular option in Hawaii, I personally prefer a little simpler, a consistent color scheme for your family portrait session. In any case, don’t stress too much over what to wear, at the end of the day, it’s the connection you make with the camera that’s the most important.
• Every family member, the little ones in particular (sometimes even dad!), should be well rested. It makes it a lot easier to create those special moments that you’ll want in a photo album, print on your wall, or just to share to Facebook!

Couples Photos – I love photographing couples. Whether it’s an engagement session, an elopement, or a surprise proposal, I would love to capture your special moment.

Couples photography is more than just a few cute couple poses, our photoshoot will focus on creating moments that are raw and real. Think of it as date night, I want you to have fun, and I’m just there to tell your love story. No pressure. We’ll take hundreds of photos, we’ll throw in a pose here and there but I really want to capture the candids. If you have any ideas for a cute couple pose, feel free to bookmark them on your phone and we can use them for inspiration for your couple photoshoot.

Maui is a beautiful place to plan your engagement photos, honeymoon, heck even just to capture some memories out here. Contact me and we’ll set up your couples photography session tailored towards you! And hey, ya never know, maybe you’ll like it out here so much that I’ll be your wedding photographer!

Elopement Photography – I’d love to capture your wedding day, and there’s nothing better than an intimate wedding on the island of Maui in Hawaii.

An elopement or small wedding in Maui can save you a lot of money. If you need help with elopement planning, including marriage license info, wedding performers (ie. minister), etc., just let me know.

I’d love to be your elopement photographer, contact me, I know the perfect spot! 🙂

Yes! For full-time residents of Hawaii (with ID), please inquire for kama’aina rates.