Tips to Ensure the Perfect Maui Family Portraits

So you’re past the engagement photos, wedding planning and anniversary shots of just the two of you, and now you’re onto the Maui family portraits. That’s great! Congratulations. But be aware, the family photos can be tricky. When you have multiple people of all different ages in one photo shoot, it can be difficult to get those special shots you dream of hanging on your walls for years to come. Lucky for you, here at Trade Winds Photography you’ll find the best Maui family photographers around. We will make sure you have plenty of great shots to pick from; and you will love them all so much it will be hard to choose your favorites.

Once you’ve booked your shoot with Trade Winds Photography, take a look at the following tips so you’ll be ready for a successful family shoot and a super fun day…

Allow the kids to be kids: Don’t be too concerned with getting the kiddos to behave or pose just so. Sometimes the best shots happen when the kids are just being kids and the photographer is getting silly with them. Embrace the silliness, at least for a portion of the shoot; there will be plenty of time to do more formal, posed shots too if that’s what you have your mind set on.

Keep it light and fun: This one goes hand-in-hand with the above tip, but we think it’s so important that it’s worth breaking up into two tips. It never fails, the best photos always happen when everyone is having fun together and the photographer has the wherewithal to take stealthy, candid shots when you least expect. Don’t you worry, when you’re shooting with us here at Trade Winds you can bet your bottom dollar that we will get those perfect candid shots.

Coordinate outfits: While you don’t want to be too matchy-matchy for your family portraits, a common color scheme goes a long way. We would suggest light, crisp colors such as white, beige and pale blue for the beautiful Maui backdrops. 

It isn’t all about the posing: If you focus too much on “posing” you often get stuck in your head and your photos will end up looking stiff and lifeless. We will always take a few posed shots and suggest some more fluid “posing,” but as stated above, candid shots are usually the winners.

Variety is the spice of life: The most important aspect of a family photo shoot is options. This is mostly our job as the photographer, but it’s important to go into your photo shoot knowing you’re going to be asked to do lots of different things in lots of different places and that the camera is going to be snapping away all the while. So always remember that this will ensure you end up with the perfect family photos. 

Key Aspects of the Perfect Engagement Photos

Looking for a Maui wedding photographer  to take your engagement photos? At Trade Winds Photography we know what it takes to capture the perfect engagement photos every time… By the time a couple enters the engagement phase of their courtship, they have already accumulated quite a few memories of their time together. Naturally, along with those memories come photos. However, engagement photos are different than pictures taken at other points in a relationship. Engagement photos immortalize a new phase in a relationship, tell of a couple’s unique history together and give them the ability to share with others their vision of the future they will soon spend together as man and wife. Yes, engagement photos have all those goals to fulfill. This is why it is so important to take photos that will engage viewers and that will capture precious moments in time.

• ·         Keep it natural:  Try to be yourselves. Are you the kind of couple everyone knows of as being free-wheeling, adventurous and playful? Let those qualities reflect themselves in your pictures. Pick an activity the two of you would normally engage in and have some fun while the camera captures it. This is the best way for people who will view the picture to get a sense of who you are as a couple.
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• ·         Choose the Perfect Location:  Sometimes locations say a great deal about a couple. They are evocative of a particular time and a mood. Having your engagement session at a location that means something to you – a restaurant, a spot in the park, a certain cafe – will not only tell people something about your relationship, it will also make you more relaxed as the subject of the photos. This comfortable mood will reflex itself in the pictures you take. Lucky for you Maui has so many perfect, picturesque locations. 
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• ·         Have fun:  Be willing to be silly, romantic, and whimsical. Don’t stress out over the fact that the camera is there. Take many photos and choose the ones you think will say the most about your relationship.
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• ·         Try different angles:  Try classic simple shots from different angles and different distances to give you a greater variety of pictures and poses. Nothing is more boring than a group of staid pictures taken from the same angle.

 

These are aspects of perfect engagement photos. Trade Winds’

wedding photographers in Maui can help you with knowledge of the perfect lighting, poses and other tips that show themselves in our varied portfolio of couples who have come to us. Some of our couples have very specific ideas when it comes to photos showing this ultimate stage in their relationship; some don’t. We can help both. Let us use our experience to capture these precious moments in your relationship.

Take Holiday Family Portraits in Hawaii

No matter how sunny it is around you, no matter how beautiful the beach is, or how green the palm trees are… you can’t deny that the holidays are here. What better way to stick a flag in the occasionas a marker than to book your holiday family portraits. You can have your own Hawaiian take on what the winter holidays look like with a sunny smiley picture of the whole family.

Just in case you need a little more convincing as to why you need to book your holiday themed Maui family portraitsMaui family portraits ASAP, here are some top reasons:

1.  If you have children, you know that they are growing and changing every single day. You know that these changes are even bigger each and every holiday season, which means that is a no brainer, really. As your children grow up right before your eyes it is important to create great memories of important times in your lives, and although you may have a million photos of everyday stuff on your phone, Instagram, and Facebook, nothing replaces a beautiful professional photo of the entire family during a special time of year.
2.  Getting dressed up… You and your family have a chance to dress up. You can go formal or absolutely corny in ugly Christmas sweaters. You can make all of your children match just a bit, or if your dogs are going to be a part of the photo, why not put some antlers on them? If you have teenage boys, it’s probably extra special to have them dressed up in something other than board shorts or jeans and a tee shirt.
3.  The entire family all in one shot! Because seriously, how often is one parent left out of the picture because they are playing the photographer? Even if you have tons of pictures of your children, pictures of your spouse with the children, or pictures with you and the kids… how often are you all together?  Most families will admit that it is rather rare to get a photo of the entire family, so this is really your chance.
4.  You’re going to end up with a great photo, especially if you book your Trade Winds Photography. Having a professionally trained Maui photographer makes all the difference. When you’re the one having to take pictures of your children at some point you’re probably going to hear “Awwww, I don’t want to…” or “I don’t want to smile!” It’s easier to let a professional deal with these situation and smooth things over. 

Trade Winds Halloween Edition: Haunted Hawaii

Maui is a gorgeous Hawaiian island known for its natural beauty, endless adventures and relaxing atmosphere. But there is another side to the island that you may not be familiar with—a spookier side that is not for the faint of heart. As is the case with most places around the world, Maui has its share of ghost stories and haunting legends. So in honor of the quickly approaching holiday that’s filled with tricks and treats, we’ve decided to do a little something different with this month’s blog…

Trade Winds Photography Presents: Haunted Hot Spots Around Maui

The Iao Theater: This theater, located at Makawow, is rumored to be haunted by spirits who seem to live in the dressing rooms. Visitors report feelings of being watched, doors slamming all by themselves, voices coming through the walls and items moving around on their own. This is by far the most spine-tingling haunting on the island.

Old Maui High School of Hamakuapoko: The whole area that was formerly the town of Hamakuapoko is said to be haunted by spirits from its historic missionary and plantation days. But the old abandoned high school in the area is the creepiest haunt of all. Before the school shut down, numerous students reported mysterious occurrences, such as being accosted by a “chocking ghost.” Today, the remains of the high school still stand and some say you can hear the ghost of a girl crying drifting out from them.  

Iao Valley’s Kepaniwai Heritage Park: This tourist-heavy park isn’t the most haunted location on our list, but there are rumors that float around among the locals. Some say that when the sun goes down and the tourists have all gone home you can hear the eerie whispers of spirits all around you. 

Giggle Hill: This is the sweetest haunting in the world!  Those who visit the top of this aptly named hill report hearing the giggles of young women floating through the air. 

Wailea Coastline: This one sends shivers up our spines… Legend has it that there is a lone female spirit who drifts around the coastline and when she sees anyone who can see her presence, she apparently stops dead in her tracks and stares that person down until they leave the area altogether.

While some of you may not be interested in hauntings of any kind, others may already be making plans to visit each of these sites. If you and your family are urban legend lovers or Halloween fanatics, you might even consider taking Maui family portraits at one of these locations. Perhaps you and your fiancé are thrill seekers; if so, these could be prime engagement photo locations. But whether you like to play it safe or scare yourself silly on the regular, one thing is for sure: When you call Trade Winds Photography, you’ll be calling the best Maui photographer around.

Maui: A Beautiful Choice for a Destination Wedding

It has been called the most important day in a woman’s life - her wedding day. Most women go over every detail of this special day a million times in their minds. First, they imagine what kind of man they will marry. Then they think about the gown they will wear, the song(s) that will be played and many other details large and small. However, there are few elements that are thought about more than where the nuptials will be held. That’s because at the heart of it all the experience itself is more important than any tangible item that will be kept. The special event should take place in a location that is as memorable and as beautiful as the wedding itself. For many people that special place is Maui.

Maui is one of the top wedding destinations because it offers so much to the future bride and groom; the weather is temperate all year round and there are many activities to add to the joy of the special occasion such as snorkeling, exploring tropical rain forests, horseback riding or just lazing on the beach. There are sites such as Ho’okipa Beach Park, Iao Valley State Park, The Ohe’o Gulch Pools (also known as the 7 Sacred Pools) and the Ali’I Kula Lavender Farm all of whose beauty must be seen to be believed. The 7 Sacred Pools are connected by waterfalls & are hidden in the dense bamboo forest that many people choose to explore. All these sites and activities give wedding couples a visual feast that they will want to savor forever. It’s no wonder that Maui is ranked among the most popular destinations for couples getting married.

Yes, Maui is the perfect wedding destination for many couples. The only thing that can improve this perfect wedding destination is it being captured forever by a wonderful Maui photographer.  That’s why it is important to find the right Maui wedding photographer. Here at Trade Winds Photography, we are professionals who are skilled in capturing those fun, exciting, personal moments that will be cherished long after that saved piece of wedding cake goes stale. We stand out among wedding photographers in Maui at memorializing those special moments. Not only do we have the expertise in capturing these moments, but we also have the top-of-the-line photographic equipment to do so. 

Yes the day, the time and the place of any person’s wedding is special and should be preserved—must be preserved. So why not hire someone who has had decades of experience doing so?

It’s More Than Just the Gear

Digital photography technology has made gigantic leaps in the past few decades. For most of the history of photography, taking pictures involved planning. You needed to pack for a camera and remember the film. Now it’s an afterthought. These days, the phone in your pocket can take pictures with higher resolutions than the most expensive digital cameras just twenty years ago.  If you’ve seen Apple’s new “shot on iPhone 6” ads, you’ll know that your phone can create some truly stunning images. And it’s not just phone cameras. High quality consumer DSLR cameras are more affordable than ever, allowing the average person to take beautiful, high-quality pictures.

So with all of these resources available, you might wonder if there’s even a point of professional photography anymore. What can we do that you can’t? The answer does have something to do with equipment. As good as “prosumer” cameras have gotten, more expensive professional cameras can still capture a deeper, more dynamic range; in other words, they can pick up darker darks and lighter lights in the same frame. Additionally, some of the most beautiful photography is taken in very low light situations, and this requires super fast and (unfortunately) super sensitive lenses.

But most of our value as professional photographers has nothing to do with our gear. These are just our tools. What really makes the difference is our skills and knowledge that we’ve gained over years

of experience. The kinds of things that technology can never “cheat.” First, there’s composition. The way things are composed in the frame can create a sense of balance or tension or excitement. What angle should the camera be? How much should I include? What can I leave out? Which lens? These decisions affect the way we perceive the image, often in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.

Then there’s the lighting. It’s all an image really is: reflections of light off of surfaces. There are many different types of light and types of surfaces, and they all interact with each other in unique ways. It can be textured and beautiful, or it can be flat and ugly. A good photographer doesn’t fight what the sun gives him; he works with it and shapes it into what he needs.

At the end of the process, you have more than just a recording of reality. You have an impression—a subjective, emotional statement that tells a story. At Trade Winds Photography, I bring my passion for visual storytelling to every assignment. Whether you’re looking for Maui family portraits , wedding photographers in Maui, landscape art or any other photography job, I’m honored to bring my experience to help express the story you need to tell.

Maui Portraits: A Family Tradition

I have been dying to go back to Hawaii after my first trip…over fifteen years ago. Okay, I was 12 and it was, come to think of it the last, family vacation we took before my parents split up. My oldest sister had just graduated high school and we took off to Maui with one of her friend’s family for 10 glorious days on a tropical island. Before the days of Air BnB or VRBO, my dad, the penny pincher that he is, decided to rent an apartment on the island for the weeks we would be there instead of booking a hotel.

It was a great plan! We got to experience living on the island more authentically, staying away from many of the tourist attractions – a true vacation. I remember a lot of snorkeling, home cooked meals with fresh produce from the local market, a lot of fruity drinks and a LOT of weddings. It seemed everywhere we went, the beach, a luau, a restaurant, there was a gorgeous island bride with the landscape art of Maui behind her. And behind every Maui bride, there was a Maui wedding photographer right there. It always truly looked like a tropical fairytale.

Since Maui is so beautiful and our family was all together, my mom decided what better place to take a family portrait! My mom, as ballsy as she is, just walked right up to a photographer (pre-Wedding Crashers days) at a wedding and asked for their business card. The next day, we were taking our Maui family portraits. Those portraits are still on display at both of my parents’ respectful homes.

Now it was time for me to plan my return to Hawaii with my own family and I definitely wanted to take our own Maui family portraits while there. I know there are so many Maui family photographers all over the island today, but I’ve decided to book with Trade Winds Photography, and boy am I glad that I did. After taking a look through the portfolio on the website, I fell in love with the way that the photographer captures the Maui sunset so colorfully. I just knew Trade Winds Photography would do a beautiful job taking our family portraits in Maui and I was correct! Our portraits ended up being so beautiful that this year we are foregoing Christmas themed photos and using our Maui portraits on our holiday cards.