meet jade | maui newborn photographer

hi internet. i’m back. i’m hoping to blog more often. many, many changes are happening here in studio and in life. in a couple months, i’ll be changing spaces and setting up permanent shop with an in-home studio. my feelings are mixed as i LOVE the space i’m currently in. i feel like its my getaway. a place for me to chill out, take in a view and relax before a session. but, change is good. and this change will be great. i know it.

enough about me. let’s talk about jade. where do i begin. jade and i met long before our official session. we met back before photography…before preschool teaching…even before adulthood. you see, jade’s momma is one of my sister’s besties. i watched mia age grow along with my sister and a group of idk 15 of them? these gals were incredibly close. i couldn’t relate since my bestie and i were the only 2 gals in our clan. i watched as everyone started their families and had their babies. i watched as mia enjoyed life and i yearned for her freedom (secretly of course). i watched as  she doned a santa costume for the “girls” xmas parties and boomed in on a quad shouting “hohoho”. as she stopped by mid-day to pick up a blow up pool and some extras for so and so’s playdate. mia was always the BEST aunty. she was there when several of the “girls” had their own babies and sat bedside for more than a couple births.

one day mia met clement. they fell in love and together they made a mini mia. her name is jade…but she’s just as feisty as the mia i know and love. so, you see, jade is just a smaller version of the mia i know. and i should know, we’ve spent many hours bonding.:-)

meet jade: 9 days fresh (except in the first image, she’s 22 days fresh.)

maui newborn photographer

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cherry & aaron

to be with someone long enough that you share childhood memories with them. that’s something to celebrate…by saying forever.

cherry and aaron met when they were young enough to still “play” outdoors. before college kept her indoors with her books,and work kept him in uniform. the day they met was a day of introductions, tummy butterflies, and bicycle mishaps. over a decade later, they decided to say their vows at their church in front of all of their closest friends and family members. it was a beautifully warm day and we captured the details with and ease that match that of both the bride and groom.

here are a few of my favorites from the day.

rather than a first look, they opted for a first encounter right in the lobby of the hotel. it was such a sweet moment as aaron stood waiting for his bride to touch his hand…an unspoken, unseen gesture…”i love you, and i’ll see you down the isle.” then she said, “don’t cry!” which clearly did not happen.;-)

prompted by the whole bike incident, cherry and aaron rented bikes for their esession. it was styled by cherry complete with little signs and flowers. and oh so romantic.

meet alani | maui newborn, child & family photographer

a few months back, angelina of aloha portraits contacted me to work with her. generally photographers will work together to second shoot weddings or events, but in this case, she asked me to photograph her brand new baby girl. and i couldn’t have been more honored to do so. we chatted (virtually) for several weeks before we met. we finally decided to book a full session and a mini so that we could capture indoor AND outdoor images…and what we captured were images that made my heart sing with joy!

in studio, we partnered with melissa at opihi love boutique rentals and event design. that amazing seafoam vintage box and sea shell both came from her amazing studio!

we chatted easily about the birth and how alani came out with her hands beside her face as though she were sleeping. i couldn’t resist putting her right back in that position! ang explained her name and how alani rose was named after her great grandmother…and once i put her in the basket and surrounded her with roses, the cutest smiles formed on her little face. oh, did i mention that angelina photographed me photographing alani? i’ll save those for another post!

finally, we met up the next day for a quick mini outdoor session and this little glowing family was surrounded by the most amazing light! if you know me and light, you know that i was just dying with excitement!

angelina and vetea, thank you so much for having me capture this beautiful time for your growing family. i love, love seeing how in love you both are–with each other and with alani rose.

meet alani rose: 6 days fresh

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Lisa Eve - October 25, 2012 - 10:15 am

These photos are amazing! You really captured Alani’s essence! You are very talented Kristy! I’m keeping you in mind for future needs! :) Mahalo!

Malia Akinaka - January 4, 2013 - 8:46 am

Hey Kristy, I had to stop by your blog for a good dose of eye candy this morning. Just stunning. All of them. Loving your collection of vintage props you have got going on! That is quite an accomplishment to collect those types of items. Especially living on Maui. Lovely vision. Beautiful photos. The way you capture such emotion and tender moments really tells a story. Mahalo for sharing. Aloha, Malia

meet kobe | maui newborn, child & family photographer

they entered the room like newlyweds for their photo session. i needed to remind myself that it was a maternity session and not and engagement session. seeing a couple so in love, so into each other while they are expecting their first baby is just amazing.

less than 2 months later, they walked in with kobe. and they were just as in love, although this time it was not only with each other, but with a new human. the person that they created. and all i could think of was this quote:

meet kobe: 10 days fresh.

baby bree with a slice of cuteness! | maui newborn, child & family photographer

it was a beautiful summer day. hot like a mid summer’s day should be. kula botanical garden is my favorite place in the early afternoon…the weather is so predictable and even when the rest of the island is blazing, KBG has a beautiful screen of clouds that start to cover the sun just past noon each day. matched with the beautiful gardens and soft green grass it’s the perfect place for a baby photo shoot.

except on THIS hot sunny day, the ONLY place on maui raining was…yup, you guessed it…kula. as we rushed to find a better spot i found that we were only running into harsh light…my favorite field was blazing with the heat of the sun and baby was NOT having it. so we moved to the studio and it only fell apart from there (well after 10 awesome minutes of course!) as patient as bree’s parents were, bree just was NOT a happy camper. and who could blame her??

so the solution? finish the shoot another day! 20 more minutes was all i needed to capture bree in all her happiness…and getting a few extra family photos never hurt anyone either!

meet bree: 10 months and joyful!