Happy New Year!

The Kids Make It

I am sure that some parents would really love it if they had a babysitter for the resort wedding on Maui but it usually doesn't happen that way. I see lots of weddings where the parents are running around trying to keep the kids clean and out of the cake. As a photographer, I look forward to capturing children...lots of children. They are great for the shoot because they always bring out laughter to group shots and sweet moments with their moms. They are a lot of fun when they are with each other playing pretend or getting into the flower petals. These are the times that I give Paulo the eye & let him know I'm going to go play too. I have had a great time getting cute flower girls to play in petals & handsome little devils (the boys) to pose with their shades. Even the kids that start out shy usually warm up to the camera before the shoot is over. So even though the kids can be a handful, I ask you all to keep bringing them with you to the family events including weddings because they do bring great joy to the gathering. I love showing these moments to you when it is all said and done...



Here is a slideshow..



Aloha,
Desiree

The Other Romantics

I think that between the both of us, Paulo & I are hopeless romantics. It comes out in our work in what we do with the moments between we capture with each couple & all the moments in between those moments. I am always looking for an opportunity to capture simple expressions of love in small details & I notice that Paulo always gets these kinds of shots. He has a great eye for body language & colors to make a very unusual shot a romantic one. He can look at a cuff link or a beautiful bouquet and capture its warmth or mood. It is awesome to be able to offer great moments between newly married couples & get the details that might have been overlooked. Some of my favorites are the way they hold each others hands, how the subtle light will hit the back of the dress, or Paulo's favorites which are feet & shoes. I gathered some of my favorite "other romantic" so you can see what I am talking about.

Here is a slideshow..


Enjoy,
Desiree

The Resort Coverage

As destination photographer specialists, we spend a lot of our time pulling up to some of the most beautiful resorts on the island for wedding shoots. Paulo & I usually brainstorm on our way about the romantics spots around the hotel and what we can do with them this time to make & capture a love story. Paulo never seizes to amaze me with how comfortable he is on these huge properties. Every bride imagines how they want their wedding day to look in their photo album and I am sure it is does not include all of the layers of tourists against huge concrete buildings created by being in the resort. So I think it is pure experience to be able to capture magical moments between two people on a busy day at the Westin or Hyatt. It takes a sharp eye to make a buzzing resort disappear into a quiet beauty of the background as we work with newlyweds in their first moments together as husband & wife. We hear from so many of our brides that they are blown away by how amazing the photos look because what they saw of the hotel & what we captured were two different things. So we want all of you brides to know that no matter how busy the hotel may seem, we will find the spot that works for you. Paulo & I will continue to work our way around these huge resorts & tell more love stories because this is our passion. We hope to be telling your story next...

Here's a look at some of the best secret spots on the resorts in Maui.
Here is a slideshow..

Wow...The Editor's Blog!!!

Paulo & I work pretty hard all year perfecting our work & always trying to create beautiful images. We both were really excited when we recently found out that we made the Editor's Blog for Pacific Rim Wedding Magazine. This is a high-quality destination wedding guide which is respected among the industry & many of the best photographers we know of as well as ourselves, publish their work in here. Paulo was causal with me the other day as he glanced over and said, "yeah...Pacific Rim just published the story on Oahn & Phong wedding we shot last year...check it out". I was so honored to see some of our best shots from the day with this beautiful story about their wedding attached under the "Editor's Blog"...Pretty Cool. So to all of you brides who are just starting your research, check out Pacific Weddings Magazine. It's a great site with a lot of great information about us and destination weddings in Maui.


Aloha,
Desiree

A Unique Blend

So Paulo & I were once again getting ready to head off Maui to Kauai. We were both really excited because the wedding was going to be held at the beautiful Waimea Plantation Cottages. The grounds still resemble old Hawaii with cute little cottages tucked behind huge coconut palms. We knew that Biren & Jane were hanging out when we got there so we tracked them down to meet them & go over last minute details. Now Paulo & I have seen lots of different families come together but this was one to remember. You see Biren's family was traditional Hindu Indian and Jane's family is a tight Filipino bunch. There was a lot of beautiful people from both sides of their families & it was amazing to see them blend together so well. As one time I caught a glimpse of Biren's mother in her stunning sari & jeweled in bindhis, chatting with Jane's dad as he spoke with his thick Filipino accent. It was truly an amazing ceremony and the couple integrated traditions from both sides. The highlight was when Jane entered the reception in her handmade red sari decked out like a beautiful Indian woman. We had such a great time capturing the unique moments. This wedding will be remembered for a long time.



Here is a slideshow..