Romantic Honeymoon in Kauai || Capturing Memories That Will Last Forever

The beautiful beaches of Hawaii lay claim as a top destination for honeymooners from around the world. This tropical paradise of palm trees, volcanoes, fruity umbrella drinks and cool salty waters offer plenty of rest and relaxation. This R&R is much needed after the stressful days spent planning and leading up to a wedding. Hawaii is definitely one of the most romantic destinations for honeymooners to enjoy this special time in their lives. 

As a newly married couple, probably the last thing on your mind would be to have more pictures taken. You just spent your entire wedding day being photographed, right? Well, as Hawaii Photographers, we urge you to capture these precious moments on your honeymoon with a beach photography session! These first pictures as a married couple are ones you will cherish for eternity.

We have found that honeymoon couples tend to be much more relaxed, carefree and fun during their photo session. At this point they are basically professional models, knowing which poses work and which ones don't from their wedding photos. So, why not spend 45-minutes of your vacation taking pictures in paradise and creating memories you will treasure for a lifetime?

This couple is a perfect example of seizing this moment. They opted for a sunset session at the world-renowned Grand Hyatt on the island of Kauai. Proudly toting their new Mr. & Mrs. titles, this couple captured many sweet and tender moments at the water’s edge. From the Grand Hyatt and our team at Pacific Dream, we say "Ho'omaika'i 'Ana" (congratulations) and a "Hui Hou Kakou"  (until we meet again).

-written by Julia J.

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)

Married Again || A Beautiful Vow Renewal in Laguna Niguel

The vows pronounced during a wedding are a sacred promise and expression of love. However, over the course of many years, the weight of those initial words can often be lost in the hectic and busy days we call life.

After 10 years of marriage, and two adorable daughters, this happy couple wanted to show their continued devotion to each other by renewing their vows at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. They shared an elegant, yet simple celebration. The family dressed in breezy all-white attire with pink rose and baby’s breath hair wreaths, which were color to contrast the subtle white outfits. To us, it was the a picture-perfect palette to match the warm sunset colors present as they said “I do" for the second time. 

For events such as this, the use of props can be a fun and different way to capture the experience. This family brought a "Married Again" sign to use in their pictures, which was a great compliment to the beach setting photography session. The sunset on the evening of the vow renewal was absolutely beautiful. Our photographer was able to capture stunning family portraits and candid images with shades of orange and pink colors reflecting off the sand and water. 

Our Laguna Beach Photography Team had a wonderful time capturing this lovely vow renewal ceremony. We were honored to be a part of their celebration and give them beautiful images to add to their collection of memories.

-written by Donya (Pacific Dream Photography at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel)

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)

Wedding Re-Creation at the Grand Hyatt Kauai

What would you do if you received your much anticipated wedding photos, while on your honeymoon at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, only to find that they are a complete disaster?! Well, Brian and Morgan immediately sought out Pacific Dream Photography to “re-create” their mainland wedding images. We jumped at the opportunity to capture beautiful moments of the newlyweds on Kauai. 

Morgan, the “bride”, made an appointment to get her hair and makeup done at the Anara Spa and found a perfect beach appropriate white dress. Their photographer Elena, who happens to be our primary wedding photographer here on Kauai, met the couple for their sunset experience photo session and could instantly feel their excitement! With the beautiful grounds of the Grand Hyatt and Shipwrecks Beach as backdrops, and the natural chemistry the couple shared in front of the camera, we knew they would not be disappointed. 

The viewing came the following afternoon and from the first glance, the honeymooners were ecstatic! Every photography session that we have the privilege of shooting here in Kauai is special, but being able to give this couple the wedding pictures of their dreams was really amazing. Congratulations again Brian and Morgan! Thank you for allowing Pacific Dream to “re-create” your wedding day. It was truly an honor! 

If you ever find yourself in a similar position as Brian and Morgan, where you just need a “re-do”, we would love to be the solution. Or if you need an excuse to get dressed up and have your picture taken in the beautiful Hawaiian Islands, we would love to be a part of your vacation or special event!

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

Winter Family Getaway at The Kahala Hotel & Resort

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)

Recreating A Picture || Photo Ideas for Anniversaries

If you cherish those precious moments in life, like we do, you probably have photographs spanning the years. Looking back on all the fond memories, do you have a handful of pictures in which you or a loved one is making that one goofy face or that same pose from year to year?

We recently had the pleasure to photograph Mark and Terrie Marino while they celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary here at the Grand Hyatt, Kauai. The Marinos took advantage of our professional photographers in the island of Kauai to do something very fun.

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For their wedding, they had an intimate ceremony on the beach, very little guests and a photographer. Unfortunately, a lot of the pictures didn’t turn out great back then, but they had one portrait of the two of them that they loved.

This is when we got really excited about this anniversary photo session. Terrie approached us and asked if we could recreate the photo of her and her husband on their wedding day and, of course, we said yes! They chose a sunrise time slot on the beaches of Poipu for their couples photo shoot.

They showed up to the session wearing nearly the same wardrobe, casual attire for Mr. Marino, and a bikini, and sarong for Terrie. The sun slowly crept up over the Shipwrecks cliff. What gorgeous light it created. We walked along the beach, getting to know each other, and trying their wedding pose at different locations.

It was easy to create great pictures with their fabulous chemistry. Mark and Terrie were so pleased they ended up going home with an entire collection of images. They spent the remainder of their visit relaxing in sunny Kauai and lounging by the pool.

-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.

Event and Corporate Photography

We absolutely love capturing the memories of family vacations and beautiful weddings. However, that is not all that we offer for services here at Pacific Dream Photography. Allow us to tell you more about our Corporate Photography.

Very often, we are also part of company's incentive programs or meetings in a beautiful place away from the office. As photographers, it is a pleasure to see hard-working individuals let loose and having fun in a different environment.

For a company, it's an opportunity to recognize your company’s employees and commend them on their hard work and the commitment they bring to the team. Whether it is an elegant awards ceremony or treating them to a fun-filled day of zip-lining, our team of photographers will be there to commemorate the well-deserved celebration of your successes. 

Allow us to capture the emotion of an award being received, your colleagues and their spouses enjoying the beauty of a Hawaiian sunset, or the laughter that comes with a co-worker being pulled on stage by a Hula performer.... "Who knew Bill from Customer Service could shake it like that?"  

You and your team will be utterly thankful for having photographic proof of it.

-written by Samantha (Pacific Dream Photography at Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii)

The Lynch family

The Lynch family came to Montage Kapalua Bay to enjoy a relaxing family vacation. Little did they know, there was a surprise vow renewal engagement about to happy. We loved being able to capture the moment.