5 Things to get the Most out of your Photography Session || Client Tips

1. Lighting - Sunrise & Sunset

Here at Pacific Dream Photography our team of photographers know light!  After all photography can be described as "The Art of Capturing Light." This is why we offer sunrise and sunset sessions in order to get the best possible light for your Experience Session.  Both times are what we call "Golden Hour," when the light is soft, the colors are warm, and the sun is still peeking right near the horizon.  This gives a much more flattering appearance as opposed to when the sun is higher in the sky creating harsh shadows beneath a subjects eyes, nose, chin, and so on.  Rest assured that our team understands how to capture you and your loved ones in the best possible light! For more information on lighting, check out our blog that focuses on just that.

2. Tell You Photographer Your Preferences 

Do you prefer close ups?  Full length shots?  Natural light or vibrant skies?  Our photographers will always capture a variety of shots including different styles of photography such as classic portraiture, artistic, fine art, and candid photographs. With different backdrops on the resort property and surrounding beach you can rest assure that you will have a great variety to choose from.  If you know you prefer beach shots let you photographer know!  Speaking openly with your photographer will help them highlight your individual beauty and personality in a way that you will absolutely love and help you feel confidant and comfortable as you are the star of the show!

3. Tropical Weather

From a photography standpoint it's often a good idea to head to the beach when others avoid it due to inclement weather.  Maui weather patterns change dramatically depending on where you are on the island due to a large number of microclimates and the weather can easily change within minutes in the same area.  Often the dramatic clouds will make for some of the most spectacular skies during sunset, with the sun lighting the sky on fire to get rich colors or deep pink and purple clouds.  Alternatively think of clouds like a large soft box over our light source; the soft light is very flattering and gives a dream-like feel to your photos.  Stick to your scheduled session time as many guest are very pleasantly surprised with the results on a day they thought the weather was not "ideal."

4. Props & Wardrobe 

Need wardrobe ideas for your shoot? Check out this link to our What to Wear Guide. The most important thing is to feel comfortable which will allow for more natural photos. Most resorts have mens and women's leis available in the lobby. Grab a couple before you shoot for the perfect Hawaiian accessory. 

5. Relax and have Fun!

This is probably the most important thing to remember and it will always show in your final images.

Written by Sarah S. (Pacific Dream Photography at the Andaz Maui at Wailea)

Mother, Daughter & Instagram

With life as short as the flutter of an eyelash, why would you want to fill your sight with anything but the extraordinary?

Travel Photography || Bring your DSLR Camera

1.     Your camera acts as a visual journal. Your camera gives you the ability to capture beautiful moments while you travel, which is an amazing gift. You will be able relive these moments every time that you flip back through these pictures.

2.     Having your camera with you a great way to meet people. They might not always admit it, but people often love being on camera and having someone around who can capture great moments during a trip is a huge plus. There is a huge industry even based on travel photography. Don’t be surprised when people see your camera and start a conversation with you! One minute you're talking, the next you’re hiking through the maui jungle with your new best friend!  

3.     Make some money along the way. Looking for a cheap meal while globetrotting? Talk to local restaurants and offer them a culinary shoot in trade for a meal. There are a ton of ways to trade services for your photos! Be sure to brush up on your food photography or building interior skills!

4.     Taking photographs can help you be more aware of your surrounding. When you’re on the search for the next perfect shot, your senses will adapt to be more heightened to your surroundings. You’ll notice that you are more capable of scoping out beauty, which will further enhance your travel experience. Beautiful scenic landscape photography is only accomplished when the photographer is on constant high alert for the perfect conditions.

5.     You’ll have high quality photos that are better than cell phone shots. Now that everyone on the planet seems to have a camera with them at all times, you’ll feel confident knowing that you’ve got the power of a real camera behind you. Or if you don't, one of our favorite cameras for travel is the Canon 6D.

Written by James H. (Pacific Dream Photography at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel)

5 Reasons to book a Maternity Session || Family Photography

What better way to celebrate the newest member of your family, than a beach photo shoot under neith the palm trees of the tropical haven of Hawaii? We often are honored with the opportunity to photograph soon to be parents, as they welcome baby number one. Who knew pregnancy could look so glamorous? These sweet couples ahre so much love for each other. We are so happy that we got the chance to document this special time in their lives. Here are the top five reasons why you should book a Hawaii maternity session.

1.     Every pregnancy is different. Therefore, it is important to document this precious time in your life and capture the moment.  It doesn’t matter if this is your first child or sixth, take this opportunity to allow your hawaii photographer to capture that gorgeous pregnancy glow. 

2.     Use this day to spoil yourself! This is a special day and it is important to feel your best. Get your hair and makeup done or go buy that new outfit you’ve had your eye on. After all, you will have these photos to remember for years to come.  Not only will a little pampering help you feel extra special, your pregnancy glow will shine through the camera.

3.     What a great opportunity to share these precious moments with your child, as they grow older. That bump is beautiful and there’s no better way to show it off. Photos trigger emotions and help you remember memories more vividly. This is the chance to create once in a lifetime memories. When the child is older, they will be amazed to see the lovely photos of their mom, while they were growing inside of you.

4.     A maternity session is a great way to bond with your partner, as it allows you to stop and appreciate them. Sometimes it’s not as natural for the daddy to bond with the unborn baby, since the baby is moving and growing inside of you. Getting dad involved can help him bond with the baby and create extra special memories. If you have children already, bring them along. This allows the siblings to bond and appreciate this exciting time. They might even look forward to their new brother or sister more so than ever.

5.     The possibilities are endless! This is your chance to get creative. Here at Pacific Dream Photography, we will go above and beyond to capture these beautiful Hawaii maternity sessions. Whether your looking for a stylized shoot or a simple beach photography session, we are happy to suit your needs.

Check out some more examples of Maternity Photography on our blog here.

Written by Julia P. (Pacific Dream Photography at the Grand Hyatt Kauai)

Client Photography Tips || Better iPhone Selfies

We know we aren't always around to take fabulous photos of you and your loved ones, but we can offer our clients some tips to take more flattering photos of themselves on vacation. 

1.     Shoot from a high angle: Avoid double chins! Make sure to shoot from slightly above eye-level for the best shots.

2.     Get that good lighting! The “Golden Hour” is the time period 30 minutes before sunset until the sun sets that offers the best lighting for photography. Get out there and find that setting sun!

3.     Don’t overthink it: You’re beautiful just the way you are! Just act natural and take a picture; it’s as simple as that!

4.     Get a selfie stick: Alright, I said it…getting a selfie stick might not be the worst thing in the world. They’re actually really helpful for getting some cool shots and they definitely help with getting a high angle! A few years ago, they were a quick way to getting laughed at, but selfie sticks are now popular worldwide. Some even have cool features like Bluetooth wireless capability!

5.     Attach a lens: That’s right, iPhone’s now have detachable lenses that you can buy! WHAT?! They can help you add a cool fisheye effect to your selfies. What could be better than that?

Written by James Hoot (Pacific Dream Photography at the Montage Laguna Beach)

#1 Best Hotel in Hawaii || The Montage Kapalua Bay

Montage Kapalua Bay was recently honored with the title of #1 Best Hotel in Hawaii from Travel and Leisure. The 54-acre Montage Kapalua Bay is surrounded by sea and mountains on Maui’s northwestern coast. The Property includes one to four bedroom residences, all with full kitchens. The staff is top notch, and guests fell right at home with the Aloha spirit.

The Hotel is the perfect place to bring your family. The Kapalua Beach, which sits on property, is one of the high rated beaches in all of Maui. The in-house Restaurant, Cane and Canoe, is world renown. The resort boasts of amenities such as their luxurious spa, a full schedule of fitness classes to suit your taste, and a relaxing salon so that you can feel and look your best while on vacation.

What we love about the Montage Kapalua Bay is the stunning background for the vacation and wedding photos that Pacific Dream Photography takes daily. Because we have an office on-site, we are able to capture the magnificent surrounds for the families and couples that come for their photography sessions. With a backdrop like the Montage, photos turn out nothing less than stunning. 

Written by Jenna Johnson (Pacific Dream Photography at the Montage Kapalua Bay)

6 Tips for Great Family Photos | Photographer Tips

The Hawaiian Island of Kauai is one of the top destinations in the world. From its vibrant underwater world, to tropical landscapes, the islands of Hawaii are simply captivating. With so many family friendly activities Kauai is a dream vacation for families. What better way to treasure your Hawaiian vacation than with timeless family photos? Photos are a way to help keep your family memories alive. Here at Pacific Dream Photography, we have lots of tricks up our sleeve. After all, nothing beats reminiscing about some of the best memories as the years go by. Here are 6 tips for taking great family portraits.

Bend It The number one obstacle we face while photographing families or people in general is stiffness. As soon as the camera comes out, so does the stiffness. It is our job as a photographer to make sure our subjects are as relaxed as possible. This creates natural photos. Ask your subject to shift their weight on to one foot, away from the camera. This creates a natural look, as well as a flattening angle. Ask you’re subject to place one hand in their pocket. This creates a relaxed look.  The best way to show someone how to pose, is to face your subject and do the pose yourself.

Let the Kids Be Themselves It is very common for parents to tell their kids to put on a big smile and be on their best behavior. While this can be a good, our goal to capture natural photos. The best way to capture natural photos is to let the kids enjoy themselves and have fun. When kids are having a good time, their personality comes out. That’s what we like to see. Let the kids be kids, and be ready to capture the moments.  

Lighting Matters Lighting can make or break any family photo. At Pacific Dream Photography, we book our sessions at sunrise or sunset photo sessions to ensure the best lighting. It is important to make sure that there isn’t too little or too much light on your subject’s faces.  You may have the perfect family or an incredible backdrop, but without the right lighting, you can still be left with a dull photo. The right quality of light will bring your photo to life. 

Wardrobe It is important to inform your family on what to wear. The right clothing can change the whole look of a session.  By choosing simple, classic clothing, your images will give a timeless feel. After all, your family will look at these photos for years to come. Inform your family on coordinating colors, but not matching completely. Clothing that fit into the right color scheme are much more exciting than white shirts and blue jeans.  Tell your subjects to limit patterns and logos, as this may aid in distraction. 

Get Close Even though they are a happy family, they probably aren’t getting close enough. Closing gaps between heads and shoulders completes the overall composition of the photo. Laugh, joke, and have fun with this. Get the siblings together. Better yet, tell the family to give each other a big group hug.  

Have Fun Keep the energy up! Create some fun shots near the end. Families love to laugh and have a great time. Tell your family to jump in the air, make funny faces, or squish together. Ask the siblings to get on each other’s backs and race down the beach. This creates candid photos and lightens up the overall mood of the shoot.

As Hawaii photographers, it is our job to create timeless family photos. Use these tips at your next photo session and your clients will be in for a treat! For even more tips, check out our older blog post on posing here.

Michael W. (Pacific Dream Photography at the Grand Hyatt Kauai)

Keys to a Successful Photo Session || Lighting

Wow, It’s already summer break! The kids are out of school, time for relaxation and quality time with family and friends on a tropical beach somewhere. After all, what better way is there to spend your summer vacation than on a beach in Hawaii? Even more importantly, what better way to remember your summer vacation than a Hawaii family photo session? Here at Pacific Dream Photography, it is our pleasure to be able to capture your families’ long awaited vacation. 

To ensure beautiful lighting during your beach photography session, we recommend scheduling in the early morning or late afternoon. Your lighting plays a bigger role than how bright or dark a photo is, but rather it is the key to color, mood, and the overall feeling of your collection. Take a peek at these shoots from our St. Regis location in Princeville. Although all of the shoots are in the same location, they all look completely different due to being captured at different times of the day.

So what is the best time of day? Sunrise or Sunset? Sunset shoots are most popular, however, what some people don’t realize is that sunrise sessions result in beautiful dreamy images as well! But wait, it’s summer and summer is for sleeping in late. Isn’t that what summer is all about? Not exactly, waking up to the golden sun rising among the gentle blue ocean is one of the best ways to start your day and why not capture it on camera. During your 45-minute Hawaii photo session, we are able to take stunning images of your family among a variety of rich colors melting together.

As professional photographers, we refer to the best lighting of the day as the “golden hour ." The “golden hour” is a critical key element to the perfect photo session. During this time the sun produces a soft light, which is much more flattering than the harsh mid-day sun. This is one of our “secret ingredients” to capturing beautiful photographs.

Taking advantage of this lighting at the beginning of the day comes with many added benefits. To name one, there are generally fewer people outside at sunrise. This results in a peaceful, intimate portrait session. If you are having trouble convincing your significant others to wake up early, just take a look at some of our previous sunrise sessions. From there, it shouldn’t take much more convincing. Of course, whatever time you decide will result in captivating photos to cherish forever, but if you’re up for that morning glow you won’t regret it.

Written By Julia P. (Pacific Dream Photography at the Grand Hyatt Kauai)

Candid Beach Photos? | A Kauai Surprise Proposal

We at Pacific Dream Photography were blown away by this well planned proposal on the Island of Kauai. What began as a simple girls day out photo session ended as the sweetest surprise proposal. When Lindsey booked a girls photo session at the Grand Hyatt Kauai with Pacific Dream Photography, she had no idea what surprises were in store. Little did she know, her soon to be husband reached out to us in advance with his sneaky proposal plan.

After a laugher filled girls beach photo session, we took Lindsey and her friends to the Mahalapu Heritage Trail. Jeremy anxiously awaited his bride to be, as he stood in a secret disguise. When Lindsey least expected it, we gave Jeremy the signal to surprise her. Finally Lindsey laid eyes on Jeremy, she couldn’t grasp that he was here in Hawaii. Not only did he fly all the way here to surprise her, he was down on one knee and popping the question. Of course Lindsey said yes! It was a truly magical moment.

When Lindsey looked up, the soon to be married couple’s family appeared as well to celebrate the engagement. It seemed as if the surprises never ended! Jeremy pointed out everyone who had been a part of his secret master proposal plan. They shared many laughs, happy tears, and excitement. We could feel the love and joy between everyone.

To commemorate the day, Jeremy brought along some fun props for the now, engagement session. Their enthusiasm and fun lightheartedness mirrored each other and highlighted exactly why they were simply meant to be.  It’s such an privilege for us to document these special moments when two lives change forever.

What better way to capture an engagement photography session, than overlooking the Hawaiian sunset?  Lucky for this couple, they get to cherish the memories forever with gorgeous photos on one of Hawaii's most beautiful landscapes.

After the surprise proposal, we headed down to Shipwrecks Beach for even more candid photography. The couple ended their photo shoot with a jump in the foaming Hawaiian waves, as they shared a true love’s kiss.

If a standard proposal just won’t do for your sweat heart, contact us at Pacific Dream Photography. We will help you come up with something amazing and capture your dream proposal. We can help you come up with a plan to sweep your partner off of their feet.

Written by Julia P. (Pacific Dream Photography at the Grand Hyatt Kauai)

Honeymooning in Maui || Couples photography

The romantic and serene ambiance of the Andaz at Wailea Resort is simply the perfect location for couples celebrating their honeymoon in Maui.

Nathalie and Jon came to us all the way from Australia to enjoy this special time together just days after their wedding in Sydney. Being used to posing for photographers by this point (after enduring both engagement and wedding photography) the couple was able to relax on the beach and surrounding property during their Experience Photography Session.

Both agreed that the islands breathtaking natural beauty along with the modern elegance of the resort were excellent choices and exceeded their expectations. With the many dramatic backdrops, it is clear why the Andaz Wailea is a top sought out location for Maui couples photography. You can see more examples of beautiful portraits taken at the Andaz here.

We look forward to seeing them return to Maui's beautiful beaches for future anniversaries and to capture more special memories of their love.

Written By Sarah S. (Pacific Dream Photography at the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort)