SmugMug is coming to Maui and I am honored to have been given the opportunity to lead the Maui SmugMug group, along with the help of the lovely Genevieve De Rago. We will be meeting once a month, with our first meeting starting in July. The meetings are open to anyone who enjoys taking pictures, and will change every month. We’ll be having shoot-outs, photo critiques and guest speakers (I’m stoked to have 3 phenomenal speakers already lined up!), and much more. We’re of course open to ideas or suggestions as we build a this new photo community here on the island.

And in other news, I’m super excited to be chosen as a finalist for shooting a Southern Weddings magazine cover! Over 200 photographers applied with a creative brief and they picked 20. I’m collaborating with an amazing team to make this shoot a big success. If it is not chosen as the cover, it will be featured in print or online. It’s really an honor to be on this list with some of the top photographers in the industry. You can read more about it HERE. I couldn’t be happier with the big changes that are happening!

Yaralena & Chris flew in from Kansas to have their Maui wedding. They were married at Po’olenalena Beach on May 24th, 2010. It was just the two of them ~ such a simple & elegant beach wedding.

Congratulations Yaralena & Chris! Thank you for letting me be a part of your big day!

Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Jim Garner’s GoBoda workshop in Seattle. What initially lured me to this workshop was the focus on lighting. Being a wedding photographer on Maui, there is plenty of the most gorgeous natural light available, but it’s equally important to sharpen one’s skills with off-camera lighting as well. I couldn’t think of a better person to learn from than Jim. The photography bootcamp was three and half days of intensive learning, but it was balanced with a lot of fun, and we had a great group of photographers (two traveled all the way from Guatemala!). Enjoy the photos from the Pacific Northwest!

Back in May I visited Minnesota for a mini-family reunion. Through the power of Facebook, I was able to reconnect with Jennifer — a childhood friend from grade school. Jennifer, Rana and I were the three musketeers in elementary school — always joined at the hip. I must admit, I’ve always been envious of Jennifer’s pretty red hair.

We started in Loring Park and then walked over the bridge to the Walker Art Center. Here are just a few of my favorites…

Amber & Josh are quite the romantic duo. I instantly felt a connection with them. They are both silly & fun-loving, and I could have talked with them all night had we not had to worry about the sun setting for the photo session. I was also really impressed with Amber’s determination. When she sets her mind on something, she does it. She was living in Florida and was hoping to move elsewhere. She flew to Los Angeles to “check out the city” but I really think it was to “check out Josh.” They hit it off right away. A few weeks later she returned to Florida, having decided to move to LA. Josh flew to Florida with his dog and helped Amber pack her belongings into her car to drive across the country for the move. The rest is history. I am secretly (okay, not secretly — I’ve voiced it quite a number of times) hoping that they follow suit and move to Maui. The more West the better, right?

This honeymoon photo session was a sweet wedding present from Sarah Cowperthwaite. Sarah has known Josh for over 14 years and was thrilled when he met the love of his life, Amber.

Congratulations Amber & Josh! I’m looking forward to having you as neighbors. I found the perfect house in my neighborhood–and yes, it has 3 bedrooms because Sarah needs an office, right?

Gita is such an elegant & classy girl, and I really wanted to get some photos that showcased these qualities. What better place than the Four Seasons Maui? (Elan and I love this hotel more than any other on the island, the service is absolutely impeccable!)

Nova & Kevin welcomed Squeaky into the world on January 23rd, 2010. This little girl is a real doll with a sweet disposition. These pictures were taken on a whim; our first official baby Squeaky shoot is coming up, so stay tuned. Here are some candid photographs of one of my favorite babies on Maui!

This was taken the first day home from the hospital. Baby Squeaky was noticing her fingers are long. And check out her immediate reaction. Classic!

Jen & Chris came to Maui to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Yes, these two have been married for a decade and you would hardly know it since they both look incredibly young. Jen & Chris are hilarious! They make me laugh. Hard. I could feel the love between them through their glances at each other, silly banter and even one threat of throwing him into the ocean. Even though it was my first time meeting them, I feel like I’ve known them for years. I actually connected with Jen through Facebook. She’s the younger sister of Bunn Salarzon, a talented Portland-based photographer who is flying to Chicago with me to shoot a wedding in the Fall.

Jen & Chris — Congratulations on your anniversary! And thank you for all the laughs–my cheeks were sore! Portland is on the top of my list of cities to visit next….and that’s not only because of promises of good Thai food.

The concept of visualizing a scene in my head before photographing it (”pre-viz”) has been dancing in my head for the past few weeks, thanks to Fred Egan and also Lara Casey. Of course I love the spontaneity and candidness in family portraits and weddings, but I’m now also fascinated by the idea of creating a particular scene with a style of clothing, accessories, activities and locations. Ms. Gita ~ part I was going for a vintage look with a birdcage veil, high heels and a cafe setting. For part II I wanted a sandy beach, cowboy hat, pickup truck and converses. Of course, not all of those details in a single shot.

My dear friend Gita is a fun loving girl. She’s spontaneous and outgoing, to say the least. I’ll never forget the time she volunteered to go on stage in Vegas in a packed room for a hypnotist’s show. She was the entertainment for the night & stole the show. Don’t worry Gita, I promise that those pictures will never make it onto the Internet. And thank you, Gita, for being an active and willing participant in this creative process.

Side Note: Lara Casey- Editor of Southern Weddings Magazine is having a workshop on April 29th on the Big Island called Making Things Happen. I had the opportunity to hear her speak at WPPI, and this business savvy woman has invaluable wisdom to share ~ in a cute Southern accent to boot!

Ann, Aron & Thi are great friends of ours on the island. They live in Haiku, on a spacious two acres where they grow a variety of vegetables, fruit, ginger, galanga, fresh herbs and coffee beans. Every time Elan and I go over there we walk out with a big bag full of fresh produce. Who needs Whole Foods when you have friends like them, eh?

I had the pleasure of taking some family portraits for them. Thi is one of the most intelligent little girls that I know. She’s always asking questions, even sometimes stumping me. She’s also one of the happiest girls in Haiku. And how could she not be, Ann & Aron shower her with so much love.