You might experience the invisible bunny that’s known to sit atop my head—it has saved the day many times…because yes, sometimes the young ones are not interested in taking pictures. I’m truly blessed to know how to engage the kids in the group.
Some families are concerned with issues, like “We’re awkward in photos…” “We don’t know how to pose!” All completely normal—and you don’t need to worry about any of it.
Here’s what you can expect from me. A natural, relaxed family session that’s going to feel more like a fun vacation outing than a photoshoot. I’m not into stiff poses any more than you are, or forced smiles. You won’t hear from me, “Say cheese!” And if one of you say it, I’m likely to ask American? Cheddar?
For sure you’ll get direction. I pride myself on esthetic staging, creative compositions, beautiful lighting, all in pursuit of photos that aren’t just families standing side by side, but family togetherness on a gorgeous Kauai beach or in one of our forests, having fun and yet shining brightly as if on stage.
I strive to make every Kauai family photography session fresh and original. While I’m a professional photographer, I work like an actor—on stage never doing the lines the same way. And why would I? No day is the same. No beach is the same—they are forever changing, new sand berms rise along the shoreline that weren’t there a day ago, fresh vegetation forms after the rains. My eye is always on the hunt for natural frames—just one of the things I’m doing to make your photoshoot special.
Hopefully you won’t choose your Kauai photograpger based on a rate. I’m a high-end photographer, not a hobbyist or part-time photographer. I use professional cameras, the best lenses for my craft, and when you hire me, I’m yours. I don’t look at the clock because I need to rush off to do another session like volume photography services do. Here’s the bottom line: I’ll create beautiful portraits for you that you’ll want to frame and display in your home. And I can’t stress enough how much fun you’ll have. So many of my clients have told me that the photo session was the highlight of their vacation.
Outfits and color schemes: Wear what you want to wear as long as it’s presentable. Bear in mind, toward the end of the session, I might ask you to place your ankles in the surf, which very often means even your romper is gonna get wet, too—all for a great photo.
Your hair: It gets windy on the beaches. One’s hair can easily wash over your face, not once, not twice, but consistently. So a headband, hair clips, scrunchy, anything to keep your hair out of your face might be the difference between a beautiful photo, and a photo sort of ruined by your hair partially or even mostly covering your face.
Your eyes: the eyes are the soul of the portrait. I know the sun is bright and squinty eyes come with that territory, especially if your eyes are sunlight sensitive. But even when the sun is not in a face, all too often while I’m editing I find eyes that are consistently closed or just barely open. I’m where I’m taking photos, I can’t always tell; So here’s the tip: Pay attention to your eyelids. If you sense they are cast downward, it means I’m getting eyes that are not open. Keeping your eyelids open might mean that you need to look above the camera lens, especially when I’m taking long angle shots. For me to be responsible for your eyes, we’d need to work this as a model’s session, where a single frame shot can take all day. For your session, not realistic.
Perspiration: A hot day on the beach. We might be walking around quite a bit to get nice photo ops. The tip: Bring along a hand towel, or wipes, at least a handkerchief, especially if you know you’re likely to perspire.
Dress straps and bra straps: Often I see too many straps. If you want to wear a bra under a dress that has straps, try to conceal (tape) the bra straps.
Expectations: For most of my photo shoots I move my clients around quite a lot, getting different scenic backgrounds, different poses and set-ups. If you’re looking for a very specific kind of photo, it’s up to you to let me know. Then I’ll spend more time working to get the specific photo and less on variation, to get the one that you’ll have as your Christmas card, say. By all means ask to see a few full client galleries to get an idea of what you can expect—my style, framing etc. The purpose of my 20-hour and 45-photo package is for you to find a few gems shots that you’ll want to print. While I try my hardest to make every photo a gem, some of your photos maybe be similar to others—that’s the way it is in photo sessions—and it’s not realistic to imagine that you’ll love every photo in your gallery. If you find a few gems, the session is a success.
Perfect weather: Perfect weather for a beach day and perfect weather for photography are not always synonymous. Clouds and intermittent rain are not uncommon in Kauai. So unless it’s a deluge I always shoot through the conditions.
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