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)

Couple’s Session || Daniel & Courtney

You can almost see it, the pristine beach, the warm sand between your toes, and the sunny blue skies as you hold your lover’s hand among the shoreline. Just the name Hawaii sounds romantic. For many, Hawaii is a dream destination and if you are lucky enough to pay Hawaii a visit, you are in for a real treat. 

We recently had the pleasure of photographing Daniel and Courtney at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa. If you want to see Hawaii on a grand scale, stay at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa. Nothing can top this place for a romantic getaway. The tropical grounds smell of sweet scented plumeria and you can’t forget the stunning ocean views. 

This very much in love couple opted for a sunset session to celebrate their seven-year anniversary. There is no doubt that Hawaii is for lovers. We have the joy of capturing lovers every day and we couldn’t be happier. 

Whether you are celebrating your anniversary, honeymoon, or a romantic getaway for two, you won’t go wrong booking a session with Pacific Dream Photography.  Between all the romantic places and fun activities, remember to leave some time to capture these breathtaking moments. Tell us your story and together we will create something beautiful. Don’t be afraid to show us your genuine, quirky, fun love that you share together. This will allow our team to capture the story behind your true love. 

As you can see, Daniel and Courtney’s love radiates through the camera lens. After seven years of marriage, this young couple is still as giddy as when they met. What better way to spend sunset than strolling along Shipwrecks Beach, while capturing the moment? 

Daniel and Courtney spent their days on Kauai exploring countless waterfalls, Waimea Canyon, and enjoying the natural paradise. Not to mention the scenic drives and glorious beaches. No wonder why Kauai screams romantic getaway! To end the night, the happy couple shared an intimate candlelight dinner at Tide Pools restaurant. What an amazing night in tropical paradise.

From everyone at Pacific Dream Photography, Happy Anniversary! Daniel and Courtney, thank you for celebrating with us.

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

5 Tips to Better Capture What You See || For Photographers

At Pacific Dream Photography, it is our job is to share the world around us. We see things from an artistic perspective. Of course, the beautiful backdrops of Hawaii give our photographs an extra advantage. Here are five simple tips that will take your upcoming photo shoot to another level and give your photos an extra advantage.

1. Be Ready

Remember the time you nearly missed the most important moment of the wedding, the kiss? Maybe your camera was turned off or your settings were wrong. These types of moments come and go very quickly. It is more than important to constantly adjust the settings on your camera, frequently checking the exposure. Nothing is worst than missing the most important moments. After all, those are the most cherished ones.

2. Holding the Camera Properly

This tip is crucial to better capturing what you see. Here at Pacific Dream Photography, we take note on everything that is going on around us. We are always prepared to capture life’s special moments. Holding the camera properly makes a huge difference while shooting. Of course, each photographer has his or her own unique shooting style. By holding the camera upright at shoulder level, it prepares the photographer to get the shot. By holding the camera upright, you are bound to get the perfect candid photos.

3.  Creativity

Don’t be afraid to use your creativity. This will set your photos apart from others, and make them unique.  Keep an eye on the colors, quality of light, and composition of the photo. Creative photographers come up with fresh new perspectives and ideas.

4. Use Your Eye

The human eye has a better dynamic range than the camera. Portraying your inner vision through the camera is more challenging than it looks. It is important to properly expose an image. By properly exposing the most important portion of the image, the photo will be more appear more accurate to what your physical eye observed.

5. Be Present

Being present will allow you to capture natural images.  After all, isn’t this the goal? Make eye contact and engage with your subjects. The more comfortable you are the more comfortable they are. Have fun, laugh, and get to know your subjects.

As professional photographers in Hawaii, we take heart in capturing memories that will last forever.  Ultimately, it is our goal to make sure our subjects have an amazing time!

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

Anniversary || Year One

Is there anywhere more beautiful to celebrate life and love than here on Kauai?! From the moment you step of the plane in Lihue you will be hit by a wave of humidity. Get prepared to slow down, relax, and enjoy a well-deserved break from life. As the oldest of all the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai’s ancient lush beauty is hard to overlook.

Celebrating their first anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Kelley knew they chose wisely by coming to Kauai, and staying at the Grand Hyatt. Enamored by the island, they spent their days here resting near the 5-acre pool, and also doing a fair share of exploring too.

With so much to offer, from the spa amenities to a salt-water lagoon you can actually kayak in, it’s easy to stay close to the resort; but, don’t miss out on what Kauai has to offer. Kauai is very unique compared to the rest of the Hawaiian island chain.

The Kelley’s discovered this and set out to explore the Waimea Canyon, which is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Imagine the Grand Canyon carpeted with a vibrant green jungle landscape, littered with trails and gorgeous scenic overlooks.

Head east and discover the largest navigable river in all of Hawaii, the Wailua River. Kayak or take a boat tour to top and find the river’s fresh water pouring down from Mt. Wai’ale’ale, one of the wettest spots on the planet. It lands at the Fern Grotto, and along the river at the sacred capital of ancient Kauai and the birthplace of the island’s Ali’i, or royalty.

Whether you are visiting Kauai for the first time or the tenth, there is always something to do or somewhere new to explore.  The most difficult part of vacationing here with us at the Grand Hyatt, Kauai, is deciding what you want to do first. 

Written by Micheal W. (Pacific Dream Photography at The Grand Hyatt Kauai) 

Cherish Your Memories || Family Photo Session in Oahu

We had the pleasure of shooting a beautiful family photo session the other day at the Kahala Resort. With photographing kids, it gets a little difficult to capture that "perfect" picture family photo. However, we'd like to tell you why the perfect picture isn't always so "perfect." 

Since they had never had family photos taken, the family was fine with going with the flow and having us capture the kids in their natural element. Their Hawaiian family session turned out to be so much fun for all! The kids played and laughed while their personalities shone bright through our lens. We loved all the silly expressions that Roman made for the camera and although Riley was camera shy, she loved looking at the pictures after their session. 

Often times we welcome returning families back to the islands as a place for escape from the busy schedules of every day life.  And if we've learned anything, these precious moments as kids fly by. As professional photographers in Hawaii, we take heart in knowing that these are the pictures that you will look back at to remember who your kids were at this beautiful time.

-written by Julia J. (Pacific Dream Photography at The Kahala Resort)

8 Tips You Should Know About Photography Posing

These tips are by no means official rules, but are intended to be guidelines or a “general rule of thumb” that photographers use and clients should be aware of. Not all of them will fit everyone’s style and some may or may not be used depending on the type of photo shoot you are focusing on. 

1.  Do not shoot people straight on from the front. Sometimes hips or shoulders can be the widest areas of our bodies and shooting dead on will only accentuate these parts. If you angle your body, by turning it slightly to the side at a ¾ angle, it will be much more flattering. 

2.  Shooting from below is a “no-no”. Shooting from below shows off the things we generally do not like: nostrils, chins, hips, etc. Instead when you are shot from above (or eye level), all those unflattering angles appear slimmer, smaller. Who can complain about that?! 

3.  Speaking of noses and nostrils, No “nose-up”. I am sure you do not need pictures where you can see up your nostrils, so it’s helpful and much more flattering to tilt your head down slightly and not up. This small movement can make a huge difference in your images. 

4.  “If it bends, bend it”. Standing stiff and straight will only show that you are uncomfortable and not relaxed. If you bend your arms and shift your weight to the back so your front knee is slightly bent, or tilt your head into your partner the photos will look more natural.  If you feel uncomfortable, your photos will show this. 

5.  Do not always stare deeply into the camera. Look past the camera or down over your shoulder to provide a different emotion and variety to your images. 

6.  Do something with your hands. Leaving your arms pressed against your sides is just not pretty. (This is not the case for everyone.) This can be avoided by slightly bending them at the elbow and puling them away from your body:  putting them on your hips, holding an object, or placing them in front or back pockets. 

7.  Too much smiling may mean your face will get stiff. If you feel this happening take a deep breath and breathe out through your mouth. Still feeling stiff? Do the “pufferfish”, where you blow up their cheeks and then let it all out. This helps your face to relax and your pictures will look more natural.

8.  Be open, try new things.  Most likely your photographer will try to get a lot of fun, candid shots, but will also help pose you in ways that may be new and different to you. Relax and go with it! 

Enjoy your session and ultimately have fun!!  

-written by Alyssa (Pacific Dream Photography at the St. Regis Princeville)

Exposure Explained || One Easy Tip From a Professional Photographer

Have you ever wondered just what it takes to get a “good” sunset picture? Cameras have become so readily available to us now with the digital age and camera phones, which seem to take decent pictures, but there’s much more to it than just pushing a button, right? Well, of course there is!

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Photography is a wonderful art form, but it can be complicated. One of the most important components of photography is exposure. This is the balance between shutter speed, ISO, and aperture. Although, most cameras these days have an “auto mode”, this simple setting does not capture the best image. 

When it comes to exposure, there is no right or wrong. Photography is art and every artist has a different vision. Most of us are not attempting to communicate deep or even simple messages with our images, we are purely trying to capture the moment. In this case, there is a trick!

Unlike film, digital photography is limited and can only capture so many levels of light in a single click. The trick, especially when photographing a sunset experience session, is to avoid over exposing an image and losing detail in the sky. If you are composing a sunset with a foreground, typically the foreground is much darker, which confuse a camera’s exposure meter. The camera might try to balance the exposure, preserving detail in the dark foreground, while losing detail in the sky.

The trick is to underexpose the picture slightly, exposing for the bright sky. This will let the foreground go dark. It is much easier to recover detail in the shadow portion of a digital image when editing than it is to recover the highlights and brighter areas. Lost detail in the highlights are nearly unrecoverable. 

One recommendation would be to set the +/- (exposure compensation) to -1/3 so the camera will automatically underexpose. This technique is actually called “push processing” and will make your pictures have more vibrant and saturated colors, with greater contrast. 

A rule of thumb to keep in mind: underexpose slightly to preserve highlights and edit to bring back shadow detail. Happy shooting!

-written by Michael (Pacific Dream Photography at Grand Hyatt, Kauai)

Photo Session for Solo Travelers || Vacation Photography

Once in a while, we have only one person show up for the beach photo session at our Hawaii locations. Some people just can't miss the amenity of the photo shoot we offer for the guests of the luxury hotels we partner with. 

The photos you are seeing here were from a Andaz Maui at Wailea solo female traveler. Solo travels are becoming increasingly popular, and we are glad to be able to provide them with beautiful memories of their vacation. 

When her photographer in Maui met up with her, she had 2 changes of clothes and a bathing suit. For a short photo session with more people, it's not entirely necessary to bring wardrobe changes, but for single subjects, there's definitely time to play around with outfits and props.

She shared with us that of all the places to go alone, Hawaii was the possibly the best destination as it's gorgeous, relaxing and most importantly, safe. She also wanted to get photos to show her fiancé (who had to pull the plug on the trip for work reasons) what he was missing.

During her viewing, she shared that she wore all the dresses and bathing suit that he had bought her specifically for this trip. She explained how she was nervous at first being alone for a photo shoot, but that her photographer made her feel comfortable as the session went along. 

The lesson? If you go to Hawaii by yourself (or any other beautiful destination), book a vacation photographer and get professional pictures for your loved one who missed out on the fun. Also, who wouldn't need stunning new profile photos for social media? 

In the case of this guest, she was able to gift her significant other 40 beautiful photos of her enjoying the beautiful resort and beach in Wailea, Maui.