The session that almost wasn’t! With two reschedules and 3 location changes, the Frankes were hours from their flights back home when we finally found a dry patch of beach in Kailua for…

Even while being drizzled on for most of the session. The best part of all the rain though, was the beautiful rainbow we had for a few moments. A perfect…

I met the Owens family and all their lovely kids and grandkids at Makua Beach last night! Most of them had only arrived two days prior from Seattle, but everyone already seemed…

It was such a pleasure to photograph Emilee and Elliott’s ceremony aboard the USS Missouri here in Pearl Harbor (the day after the 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks, no less!). There were Dad jokes, near…

There was tons of laughter, fun, and a little sweating! Then at the very end, little Zoe just zonked out on Dad’s shoulder. We managed a fun little…

From “photo-bombing” their parents to “I want to be upside down for one!”, they were such a joy to photograph. The whole family was even down for laying in the wet sand for a quick drone shot at the end of their session. Just further proof…

A week on Oahu is not complete without a stop at Lanikai Beach! With it’s gorgeous sunrise and Mokulua islands off the coast, its a…

Alright, I’m going to let me freak flag fly a bit here. Color matters to me A. LOT. Like so much so that I will make my kids change clothes to go into the backyard if I know I’m going to be taking photos. I will choose…

Since we read left to right (at least in most languages) our eyes follow the same pattern when “reading” a photo. To make an image that is most interesting to read, place your subject…

Unless you’re a professional or serious hobbyist, your camera or iPhone are set to adjust your white balance automatically. To avoid a warm or cool cast to your photos, there’s an easy fix…

This week’s photo tip is a really simple photo fix that is often overlooked. It can really make the difference between a photo that is polished and one that looks like a quick snapshot. The tip is this…

The day we met at Bellows was super windy (we decided to leave Gianna’s birthday balloons in the car!), but we still managed some great images - albeit with windswept hair! Gianna (with her big sister’s help) devoured her cake smash cake, even…

It's the go-to: "Say Cheese for Mommy!" But this week I'm here to tell you that in my experience this yields unnatural, eye-squinting, fake smiles. Here are some much more effective ways I've found to get TRUE smiles from your kids in photos…

This time around there was a little 18th member of the family and everyone’s smiles seemed to come easier. Warm Hawaiian breezes have that effect on me too…

The Pitts drove nearly and hour to meet me here and were up for anything! But I have to say, the greatest honor was when their teenage son, Dillon actually…

What an amazing family to kick off my sessions in Hawai’i!! The Hanaikes are my incredible neighbors and such a loving family. Connie and Makoa have 6 children together and…

As a seasoned (I won’t say old…) military spouse, I’ve learned that every time we move, things are unpredictable. Our December move from Virginia to Oahu was no exception…

The Bahlers were my very last outdoor session here in NOVA! And what a great session to end on. Little Emma was super smiley, the light at Green Spring Garden’s was breathtaking, and this family…