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.

People, Places, Things: I Photograph Them All

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When you hear Maui photographer I’m sure the first thing you think about is weddings. If you think Maui wedding photographers must be a dime a dozen you’re not entirely correct. Photography on Maui is just like anywhere else, there are a lot of people throwing their hat in the ring but you still have to do the research to find the best photographer for your photoshoot needs. While I would be thrilled to shoot your wedding, family portraits, engagement shots or senior portraits, I am much more than just a one trick pony. 

Looking for a landscape photographer in Maui? I’m your guy. Need a professional to shoot your Hawaiian real estate? I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’m definitely the photographer for the job! I love shooting people. There’s nothing like capturing a beautiful love story or the pure joy of a fun family vacation on camera. But taking inanimate objects and creating a beautiful scene to intrigue and entice buyers presents a fun challenge that I thoroughly enjoy taking on. 

If you take a look around the real estate photo examples on my website you’ll see that I have a pretty good handle on how to photograph spaces for ultimate curb appeal. Photography for real estate listings is tricky. It took a lot of trial and error before I was comfortable offering this service. I fully understand that when it comes to real estate, a picture can seriously make or break a potential sale. What buyer wants to go look at a home that seems cramped or run-down in the photos? I understand the importance of presenting a home in the best possible light and I have the experience to deliver top notch photos that buyers and sellers alike will love. 

 

When it comes to real estate photography there are a few standard guidelines to follow but only an experienced professional will know how to apply these basic guidelines in a dynamic and creative manner to create the best possible shots for your listing. Lighting is a key factor in any shoot but it is especially important to a real estate photoshoot. There is no guarantee that the natural lighting will be right whether you’re shooting the exterior or the interior of a home, so having different lighting options ready to go is important. The staging of the home is a very important factor and I have done this enough times to make simple yet effective staging suggestions on the day of the shoot. You’d be surprised at how much rearranging a table setting can do for a kitchen photo. I could go on, but you get the picture; I have years of experience as a real estate photographer and I would love to share my expertise with you.

So whether you’re looking to get Maui family portraits taken or you’re trying to attract the attention of as many potential home buyers as possible, I can help. Give me a call today to discuss all your photography needs.