Hawaii Portrait Photography - Kyley’s High School Senior Potraits!

Congratulations to Kyley for all of his accomplishments and graduation from High School. We had a great time shooting his Senior Portraits!

Oahu Wedding Association (OWA) - March Meeting at Masako Formals

Wendy and I spend a lot of time hiding behind cameras at weddings. It sorta goes with the job. This last Oahu Wedding Association meeting we got a chance to walk a mile (or a few runway lengths… I tend to over exaggerate) in the shoes of our Brides & Grooms. We got to play bride and groom, again, and get all made up to model some of Masako Formal’s wedding attire.

Not only did we get to rock a wicked tux and wedding dress, we had a chance to work with some of our fellow OWA members in a much more up close and personal role than we normally get. Wendy and I were both sized and dressed by the lovely staff at Masako Formals. This turned out to be a repeat for Wendy, since she actually bought her wedding dress from them a couple months back.

I was fitted for a silver Italian tux. It turns out that it is a very popular look for many of the Japanese weddings here. It further turns out - I don’t fit the normal Japanese sizes. No snag there though - they brought the tux to the back and was quickly back out with the tux adjusted to my size. Go go gadget tuxedo!

Not only did Wendy get to wear another beautiful wedding dress, she was pampered with makeup by Wendy Robin of Studio W of Honolulu. Now this part gets confusing - I have to describe Wendy Robin’s (the make up artist) work on Wendy Leslie (the wife). Wendy R. is an INCREDIBLY talented makeup artist and a wonderful person. She was trained in Hollywood, worked in paris for print photographers, and then came back to LA to do makeup for the stars. The list of people that she has worked with reads like the who’s who list of Hollywood - Matt Damon, Carmen Electra, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, James Earl Jones, Bernie Mac, Jack Black, and Jaime Pressly the just name a few. She has skills. Numbchuck skills, bowstaff skills… She has plenty of skills. Wendy R. did an airbrushing job for Wendy’s makeup. I lucked out and only got a quick powder. Ahhh the joys of being a man.

After all the prep, we had a BLAST walking down the runway in front of all of our peers in the industry. It was so much fun and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world to get to escort the most beautiful woman in the world down the catwalk. We were both lucky to have some of our wonderful photographer friends there to capture the whole shabang.

All in all it was a GREAT evening. It is always such a treat to hang out with so many amazing people. We are really blessed to work in this industry with these people. Millions of thank yous go out to OWA for the opportunity to dress up and party like its 1999… I mean 2009.

-E

Check out Geralyn’s cutting (it slices, it dices) hair-do, and Mona’s convertible Kimono -

Special thanks to Grant Gomes for snapping the below collage pics for us!

And to Eugene Kam for the below (yes ladies and gentlemen - that is my wifey! I’m a lucky guy!) -

Hawaii Portrait Photographer - Kaylee and Family

Eric and I were really excited to work with Kaylee when she contacted us about doing portraits of her and her boyfriend, her 4 siblings, and their significant others! We were so excited to work with so many different groups all at once.  We met up with all 10 of them met up with us at Kakaako park in Honolulu and were all dressed amazingly coordinated in white and blue and lots of Lacoste.  I dug it! (Is that OK for me to say nowadays, or is that too 70’s-ish of a word?)

We always try to suggest a few poses or ideas to get everyone’s creative juices flowing in order to get the most “true” photos we can.  Kaylee and her family were really fun to work with and really took off with ideas for pictures. We especially liked their “Shoalin Monk inspired poses.” They are too funny.  We have this theory that if people act like themselves, as much as they can, in front of the camera, the photos will be most natural looking (unlike those horribly stiff posed prom photos we have all seem. I have quite a few of my own.  Someday I will share them with you as an example of the kind of look we are NOT going for!)

Thanks to Kaylee and everyone for a great time!

Wedding Cafe Honolulu - Workshop with Leading Oahu Florists

If you live in Oahu and have not been by the Wedding Cafe yet, you absolutely must! This dual purpose cafe combines yummy drinks and treats with a plethora of wedding planning resources. You can browse through tons of Bridal Magazines, local wedding photographer’s albums, venue information and more. Let me tell you, if I had been able to come to the Wedding Cafe early on in our wedding planning, it would have saved me tons of hours of searching for good magazines, books, and contacts.

Not only do they offer all of these resources, but they also offer weekly workshops on every aspect of wedding planning: Budget and time lines, hair and makeup, florists, photographers, etc. Eric and I rushed over from shooting the Special Olympics Punt Pass and Kick with the NFL Pro Bowl Players (including Eli & Peyton Manning!) to attend the workshop on Tabletop and Decor. The room was absolutely packed with soon-to-be brides and some soon-to-be hubbys too!

The professional panel gave advice on what to consider when picking out floral arrangements and decor. One of my favorite tips was to ask for organically grown flowers to accent the cake to prevent any pesticides from making their way onto your wedding cake!  Eric and I are always looking for “green wedding” tips and loved Debbie Hemingway’s suggestion to use live plants as centerpieces that can be planted after the wedding instead of just thrown out like other flowers.

So, in closing, as I pass out from a busy busy week…. Check out the Wedding Cafe at Ward Center and learn all about weddings and local resources. GI Joe put it best: “And knowing is half the battle!”

Here are some photographs of the lovely floral and decor displays by the following companies:

Designs by Hemingway (photo directly below)

Floral Inspirations
My Florist
Passion Roots
Spinning WEB
Su-V Expressions

(photo collage of these displays directly below)

Special Olympics Punt, Pass & Kick with NFL Pro Bowl Athletes 2009

Volunteering with the Special Olympics is always an honor for us. These athletes have the most amazing attitudes, most welcoming personalities and the biggest hearts. It was an exceptional treat to see these athletes joined by some of the most talented and famous football stars in the world, the Pro Bowl Athletes of 2009.

Eli and Peyton Manning, joined by Stephen Gostkowski and Jordan Gross, volunteered their time to coach 30 of Hawaii’s Special Olympic athletes at this years Punt, Pass and Kick event. In addition to the excitement of meeting and playing with these awesome football players, mascots from the Bears, Ravens, Buccaneers, and Texans provided extra entertainment, high fives, and hugs.

(check this article for updates on info and pictures!)

Congratulations to the Special Olympics Hawaii for another amazing Holiday Classic

Eric and I were privileged enough to be able to volunteer our time to photograph for the Special Olympics. Hundreds of Special Olympics athletes, coaches, family and friends from all Hawaiian islands gathered for the Holiday Classic held the weekend of December 5th through 7th on Oahu.  The Holiday Classic was hosted by the local military bases: Kaneohe Marine Corps, Hickam Air Force Base, and Pearl Harbor where the athletes competed in Basketball, Bowling, and Bocce Ball.   The athletes truly looked excited to have their medals presented by local military and police officers.   Eric and I had so much fun capturing the excitement of the games and ceremonies. I got so into the basketball games that I just had to try to sneak in some applause between taking pictures. Read the rest of this entry »

Oahu Wedding Photographer - Venues - Westin Moana Surfrider Hotel

The Westin Moana Surfrider Hotel, located on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii is one of our VERY favorite places to photograph a wedding.

Take a look at our most recent wedding at the Surfrider here!!! The Moana Surfrider dates back to 1901 and has been beautifully restored, keeping its classic elegance while getting a modern makeover.  Ranging from beach front to ballroom, the Moana Surfrider has a great variety of options for your big day.

Read the rest of this entry »

Oahu Wedding Photographer - Venues - Turtle Bay Resort

Located on the North Shore of Oahu, Turtle Bay Resort is a luxurious getaway only 45 miles from Honolulu.  Featuring nearly 5 miles of beach front, golf courses, pools, horseback riding, and a surfing school, this resort is the perfect place for your entire wedding party to stay and play for your destination wedding. Read the rest of this entry »