Its wonderful to watch ohana’s grow up.
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family photography
Honey, the baby’s coming! Grab the camera.
Baby moons are the new honeymoon and as photographers, we love the idea! These vacations allow us to capture maternity photos in an exquisite location while you create memories before your babys arrival.
You may be wondering why you should have an entire photo session during your baby moon? Well, we can think of too many reasons to count!
When your beautiful baby arrives you will be busy, to say the least, and the idea of dressing up and taking photos will be far from your mind. Don’t worry, having a photo session with Pacific Dream Photography is as easy as enjoying the scenery at The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel.
We take care of everything from scheduling, locations, posing and sometimes we even have props. All you have to do is show up at your designated time and place, dressed and ready to smile! And when it comes to attire, for maternity sessions: long dresses, and tight clothing work best.
*Photographers Tip; If you want your baby bump really show, wear a bright color that contrasts with the other people in the photo.
Your baby moon is the perfect time to step outside of your comfort zone and have some fun with activities. Even though the photo session is to ultimately have great photos in the end, this should be considered a stress free and fun activity. We’ve noticed the more you have fun at the photo session, the more amazing the photographs come out.
If you’re deciding whether or not to take a baby moon, we say go for it. Most importantly don’t forget to allow Pacific Dream Photography to assist in creating beautiful memories. Remember, capturing the sweet moments of your baby in your belly are moments you will not regret capturing.
Still need more convincing? Check out another article on Baby Moons here.
Written by Alesha C. (Pacific Dream Photography at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel)
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)
With Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other Social Media sites, it’s very common to see professional photos go up as new profile pictures. A very popular question that photographers receive almost daily; “Will I get the digitals?”. With Pacific Dream Photography, the answer is “Yes!”. However, there are some things to consider when getting your digital copies.
Our clients love the idea of having these special moments saved on their phones as their new background or sending these photos to loved ones. Luckily, we offer client’s an online gallery to view their photos and order gorgeous, one of a kind products from our trusted professional vendors. Here are some ideas on what you can do with your professional photos:
1.) Metal Prints: These prints are sleek and vibrant. They are thin but durable and create a bright and beautiful presence in a room.
2.) Canvases: Wrap around canvases offer a clean and soft look to your photos. When put on the wall, they are 1.5” from the wall, so the photos really stand out, literally!
3.) Prints: They come in all shapes and sizes and are easy to customize to best fit the location of the photo. You can pick out special frames that best suit the room and your personality! Another option is photo albums! When printing photo sizes such as 4x6 and 5x7 it is simple and fun to create a luxury photo album with the photos you choose. These are a favorite because they tell a story while displaying special moments in your life.
We live in a digital age, and it’s completely normal to want to have digital copies of your images on your phone and computer. But when you hold your photo or look at it every day on the wall, it becomes a whole new experience that will always be there. It also serves as a backup in case your phone breaks or computer crashes. That’s exactly why our team offers print credits with our packages to make it easy for our guests to have access to our professional vendors!
- Written by Savannah S. (Pacific Dream Photography at The Montage Laguna Beach)
When Steve and Jamie first walked by our studio at The Kahala Hotel & Resort on the south shore of Oahu with their precious new baby, it was apparent we had to have a photo session with them. Upon learning about their successful wedding coordinating and event design business, Sinclair & Moore Events, we could tell they would be experienced in front of the camera.
From the beginning of their beach photography session, Steve and Jamie were completely natural and relaxed in front of the lens. Their warmth and friendliness, and the love they had for each other, was easily captured in this candid photo session.
Despite being successful, driven entrepreneurs who clearly have a passion for their business, their real love was for their new baby boy Grayson. Baby Grayson was one of the easiest, happiest and well-traveled babies we have had the pleasure of photographing. A few months earlier he was photographed under the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Now, he was on the beautiful white sandy beaches of Hawaii, getting sun-kissed on another photo session.
The session went flawlessly, as it would be difficult to capture anything but a beautiful photo of this family. Each image was filled with sun, sand and sea. Hawaii memories captured with Aloha.
-written by Julia (Pacific Dream Photography at the Kahala Hotel & Resort)
Documenting A New Chapter with the help of a Family Photographer
In a family, when the kids grow up and are about to move on to college, there is a shifting that takes place. This family chose Hawaii to celebrate graduations and moving on to the new chapter in everyone's life.
Mrs. Ramirez, with her two sons, did not miss a beat! Every morning, afternoon and night, she had something planned for them to all go and do together. Her goal was to create lasting memories while here, so a photo session with Pacific Dream Photography at the Andaz Maui at Wailea made perfect sense.
Earlier that year, her father had passed away, and with her being daddy's girl, it hit her hard. This all made it even more important to capture the memories with her boys while here. After all, tomorrow is not guaranteed. During their family photo experience session, she asked their photographer for a private moment and threw a rock into the ocean in honor of her dad.
The day after their session, she and one of her sons came down for the viewing and they laughed and laughed at all the photos taken during the session creating even more memories. When we got to the photo of her throwing the rock, she had to clear out her eyes from her tears from laughing to see that the shape of the rock that she threw was in the shape of a heart. It touched her so much, she teared up, couldn't believe it, and immediately wanted that photo printed on metal for her wall.
As she left, she kept thanking us for the session as it has given her so much closure in regards to her father as well as GREAT times documented with her two sons just having a goofy time here in Hawaii. On to the new chapter.
-written by Beth (Pacific Dream Photography at the Andaz Maui)
Visit our Facebook page to see even more photos of family sessions!
Family Photos taken at Montage Kapalua Bay in Maui, Hawaii by Pacific Dream Photography
Many parents are apprehensive about how their kids will perform during their family photo shoot in Hawaii. There’s no doubt that as photographers, we see our fair share of tears. However, there are steps that you can take to prevent this from happening. The photos in this post were taken by our Maui photographers at the Montage Kapalua Bay. It serves as a great example of when kids are just not in the mood to participate in a beach photo session.
First, make sure that your child is well rested! Just like going to work after only sleeping a few hours is no fun, same with photo shoots. Traveling to Hawaii from the mainland can be tricky with the time difference, but a few naps throughout the day helps curb the change. For this reason, it’s also a good idea to not schedule your Hawaii family photo session the very first day of your vacation.
If you have any fun props or toys that your child loves, feel free to bring them! It’s great when you bring a child’s favorite toy on the shoot, as the photographer can use it to grab the child’s attention whenever necessary.
Finally, if your child does start to cry, don’t panic. Our photographers have all dealt with this before and are very patient with children. We completely understand that some children are camera shy and we will do whatever it takes to get some nice photos of your baby.
-written by James (Pacific Dream Photography at Montage Kapalua Bay)
Family Photos taken at Montage Kapalua Bay in Maui, Hawaii by Pacific Dream Photography
One of the most common concerns we hear from our parents upon booking their family session with us is whether or not the kids will cooperate being in front of a camera. With all that expendable energy that children have (especially from the excitement of being on vacation!) our experts here at Pacific Dream Photography have some tips and pointers to best prepare your kids for a successful fun photo shoot.
1. Consider Time Difference
Jet lag can be a real drag, especially if you’re traveling from the other side of the world to enjoy paradise. Your kids are probably feeling it too! Whether they show signs of exhaustion or not, make sure they are well rested and get a good night’s sleep before a shoot. This will help avoid any yawns and sleepy faces in the photos!
If you have your child on a nap routine, make sure you aren’t scheduling your session around the same time!
2. Avoid Sunburn
Just a friendly reminder: always wear sunscreen! The Hawaiian sun is harsh and although it’s difficult to avoid while attending your fun outdoor activities, make sure you’re protecting yourself and little ones as much as possible. Sunburns are painful and they easily show up in a photo!
3. Wear Comfortable Clothing
Ensure your child’s comfort by dressing them in something they can move around in while not getting too over heated. Shorts and short-sleeved shirts are recommended!
4. Bring A Snack
Often times during the afternoon sessions, families will make dinner reservations for after the photo shoot. Bring something to munch on just in case the kids can’t fight the hunger until dinnertime.
5. Have FUN!
Our photographers encourage kids to be themselves and have a blast during our photo shoots. Capturing their personalities is our goal for creating memories you will cherish forever, and allowing them to play during your session will do just that. After all, they’re on vacation too!
written by Samantha (Pacific Dream Photography at The Fairmont Orchid)
Here in Hawaii, we celebrate 'Ohana everyday. The word itself not only translates from Hawaiian into the English term to family, but 'Ohana embodies a concept, as well. In the Hawaiian culture, it is the sacred everlasting bond you share with your loved ones- a bond you must always remember and never forget.
For this family, their trip to the Big Island of Hawaii this past summer was the perfect escape to reconnect with each other and celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of their loving grandparents. What better way to commemorate this milestone than to reunite with your kids and grandchildren in paradise?
We were given the wonderful opportunity to capture this beautiful family’s time here and provide them with memories they could take home and remember forever. The individual families traveled from all over the country to meet here on the Kona-Kohala Coast for a week of sun-filled activities and much-needed relaxation.
The family chose the popular sunset time for their photo session. All 15 members arrived at our studio, spreading a contagious energy of laughter and excitement throughout room. With the grandkids ages ranging from 6-19, their photo shoot was filled with play, singing and even some choreographed dancing!
Going through the final photos of their session, we're overwhelmed with how much love this Ohana has for one another as it showed effortlessly through their collection of memories.
written by Samantha (Pacific Dream Photography at The Fairmont Orchid)
To see even more photos like Pacific Dream Photography on Facebook!
The Lockhart family came in for a sunset session at our Fairmont Orchid location on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was a lovely shoot as the family strolled the beach, even spotting some awesome sea turtles along the way. Check out our favorite pics from the shoot.
