Maternity: Kacie and the yummy oreos

What: Kacie's Maternity sesion (joined by hubby, Clinton, and little man "L")
When: a Saturday afternoon in June
Where: Kalama Beach Park

So, Kacie's session was actually a few weeks ago so she has been patiently waiting for her pictures. The wait is finally over. I aim to do maternity shoots between the 32nd and the 36th week of a woman's pregnancy. You'll get the nice baby bump but you dont' want to be too close to the end, where you may be a little more uncomfortable or...the baby might make a surprise entrance before we can get those pictures. So we had to squeeze the session into June. She brought her hubby, Clinton, and their little manly "L" to the family maternity session at Kalama Beach Park. It was a location they chose because of it's meaning and special significance, the place where Clinton proposed to Kacie and set in motion the journey their family would take together.

This was also a Joy and Light production, I was joined by another photographer, Joy Pishcura. She literally had returned to Oahu just three days earlier after being with family in Ohio for six months. I had a sprained ankle so I was hopping around the beach and so I wanted that pair of second eyes there. It was a full car because my hubby decided he wanted to go to the beach and he brought along his friend, Jasen. Don't get me wrong, I love company...if I had any complaint...it would be that when I had a shot lined up with Clinton and Kacie in a sandy pathway under trees with the sand and ocean stretching behind them....there rising out of the seas like King Triton was my husband in his bright yellow surf shorts. His only response to my frantic arm waves motioning for him to move out of the frame was "What? You don't own the beach." Oh, that's my Scott.

Little "L" is...hmmm...I think he's two. He had just come from another party and was crashed out. Then he woke up to find himself at the beach with Auntie Keao chasing him around with a camera...he was more interested in playing. So we let him play. He actually found a dollar bill just digging in the sand and then he found a lone, unclaimed boogeyboard on the beach. His dad, clinton, wisely advised him to leave it there so that everybody else would get to use it.

Thanks so much to Kacie for letting us in on their family day at the beach. Kacie is our women's worship leader at our church and we've sung together so many times. She's an absolute sweetheart. Her hubby, Clinton, is also an uber-talented musician. He played the drums with my husband's band at our wedding and he also has a T-shirt design company, No Idols. They, of course by the pictures, have an adorable little boy "L", and will be joined by their very much already-loved daughter at the end of this summer.

Here's some of my faves from the day:




























To view these images and the rest of the session, please visit http://www.keaosphotography.instaproofs.com/.

And by special request (so you know i don't make up these stories), here's a little gem of the stud in the yellow surf shorts.

Don't be jealous, he's mine!!!

Oh, its not church night

I probably say this over and over again in my blogs but I have 5 nieces...all from one sister. The middle child, Lauren, is 2 1/2 years old and so adorable with tons of black silky hair and big, dark eyes. She's become a little out-of-sorts since the arrival of her younger twin sisters having now lost the limelight. So, Scott and I have been making a big effort to take her to church with us every Friday night.

When she was much younger, she hated leaving home. She was such a mommy's girl. She stayed with us for three days while my sister was at the hospital delivering twins and she cried every night. For a few months, whenever she saw me or especially Scott at her house, she assumed we were coming to take her away from mom and she would start crying. Don't believe me? Hah, see Scott's video below.



Can you believe that was a year ago?

Now she wants to be anywhere but home. She's such an explorer. She just wants to be out out out!!! She now gets so excited and when we arrive to pick her up, she's walking around the house with her slippers, hat and backpack on ready to go. She tells everyone "I go church." Granted, church to her is the big nursery filled with toys with playful butterflies on the walls, but boy does she love the idea of going to church. This past Friday, we forgot to bring her backpack, hat and slippers with us when we dropped her off. Yesterday, we had a wedding at Ko Olina so we dropped by to drop off the backpack, hat and slippers.

Oh, she got so excited when she saw us. But she really lit up when she saw her backpack. She sailed across the living room and grabbed it. She then proceed to put on her backpack...then her slippers....then her hat. We were sitting down chatting with my oldest niece, Ashley and my sister. Lauren climbed into my lap and was all giggly and excited. Halfway through our stay, I looked at my sister and asked "Does she think she's going with us?" Uh-oh. I tried to tell Lauren that we were going to go home, go sleep...and we would come back for her tomorrow to go church. Of course, she's two...her grasp of English seems to be very selective. It didn't really kick in until Scott stood up and wished her good-bye that I think it sunk in. Her face just fell and her body just slumped as she folded her arms and stared at her feet. She started crying as we walked out....oh, it was so heartbreaking. Tomorrow is Friday and church night so hopefully I can atone for it. My, how things have changed.

Portrait: Robert, Amy, and their little "M" and "M"'s

Who: Robert, Amy, Manly "M" and Sweet "M"
Where: Waimanalo Beach Park
When: Monday afternoon in June

This is a "Joy and Light Production" as I was joined by my lovely second shooter Joy Pishcura. The Stanleys contacted me after seeing our mutual and dear friend Bow's maternity session followed by a newborn session with her adorable daughter. The Stanleys have been in our islands for years but are now moving to Nebraska. Wow!!! I couldn't think of two more radically different places. They wanted some family photographs on the beach that would always serve as a reminder of their days living in paradise.

I'll be honest, I was a little nervous because I knew they were a military family. Although I know tons of military families and they are just all sweethearts, I still always have this niggling fear that the dad will be a drill seargant barking out commands to start running in place and do one-arm pushups. As soon as the family tumbled out of their van and greeted us warmly with these ear-to-ear smiles, I knew this was going to be fun. And boy, was it fun. Not only did the dad, Robert, not put us through drills on the sand, he was more of a kid himself as he chased his son through the sand and surf. The kids were so photogenic, I did get a little carried away with them. They both have these striking blue eyes (I'm so jealous, I always wanted blue eyes). Both their names start with "M," as apparently, four or so more cousins do as well. So I'll call them Manly "M" and Sweet "M." Sweet "M" had just recently lost some of her front teeth, oh I remember those days. They both turned out to be avid tree climbers and adventuresome. I think they wanted to do the whole session up in the trees. You could see how much love this family have. They were always hugging each other or laughing at someone's jokes.

This was at the tail-end of my sprained ankle week. But this family were so fun and creative, the adrenaline took over and I was running around the beach...totally forgetting about my ankle. All I felt was excitement. They were such a sweet family, which I shouldn't be surprised at since they're friends with Bow (completely made of sugar and spice). I can't help but be a little sad that they're moving away and Hawaii loses an awesome 'ohana.

(I overheard Sweet "M" asking "Why is she taking pictures of our feet?" I had to giggle)





















To view these images and more from this session, visit www.keaosphotography.instaproofs.com and click on "Robert and Amy."

Sneak Peek: Kacie Maternity Session

So, let's see. Those who have taken it upon themselves to police my "Live with Less" challenge (see previous post)...I'm only trying to meet the three bolded goals.

I'm realistic...those three are a big enough challenge for me. But I appreciate the friendly scoldings I've gotten from like John-John when I try to buy lunch from McDonalds. But (said sweetly) back off, JJ, I want my fries and ice cream!!! =) I try to plan anything I can for the hours of 4 to 6 to fill in those two empty hours without a tv or computer. I sprained my ankle last week and I'm still hobbling around so it definitely puts a damper on any real activities. Scott seems to think we've switched the two hours of tv time for two hours of daily napping. But I really like the challenge so far. Try it with us, people!!! You can come over and we all sit together in my quiet living room. And I've been sticking to the <8 minute showers but I wonder if it counts because I've been averaging two showers a day.

I did sprain my ankle a week ago. Stupid running. That'll teach me to run ever. And this weekend was pretty busy with two family shoots. I usually try to space them out but timing wouldn't allow it. So, what a blessing, that God brought me a second shooter in the form of my super awesome friend, Joy. After visiting family in Ohio for a vacation that extended to SIX MONTHS, she finally returned to us. And she came to help me carry props and get more shots as I hobbled around the beach getting sand stuck to the velcro of my ankle brace. Hey, people really luck out when I can bribe her into tagging along, they get two for the price of one. And she's just a sweetheart who charms people while I'm off the to the side staring at my LCD display and grunting at the controls. It's a a great partnership.

This is just a quick sneak peek from a maternity/family shoot we did at Kalama Beach Park. I can't wait to blog about it since it was made even more colorful by my husband and our good friends tagging along so they could play in the surf at the same time. Here's a hint...me crouching in the vines and bushes.... squinting through my camera to get the shot of the couple kissing on a sandy path under the outstretched branches of two framing trees with the sky and ocean behind them...which is right when my husband choosed to rise out of the surf directly behind the couple with water glistening off his studly bare (and hairy) chest and bright yellow surf shorts. Suh-weet!!!

This was at the end of the session after we had dragged them all over the beach and I asked "hey, I know you're pregnant and all...but how would you like to lie down on the sand in a dress?" Thank goodness Kacie rocks...because she said yes and I got my favorite picture. The ocean and sky was so pretty that it almost looks like a painting.

Just me-Taking the challenge

Now I'm not an Oprah watcher...but man, sometimes you jump halfway into one of her episodes while channel flipping and get sucked in. The other night, the theme was a "Live with Less" challenge, she had a challenge for families. Here's the letter she sent to families willing to take on the challenge...

Dear Family,

Thanks for agreeing to live with less for a week. Your challenge starts now!

This week, you will be eating at home every meal. No more eating out, no more takeout. And you have to eat your leftovers. If you throw food in the trash, you've got to 'fess up.

For one week, you're going to give up the bottled water habit. Get a water filter—time to get to know your tap.

No more disposable plates, cups, napkins or paper towels. Try cloth—you might like it!For entertainment, you'll have to rely on each other.

For one week, I'm asking you to give up your iPods and video games, and your computers only get turned on for homework. TV is limited to one hour per night—one TV only.

That thermostat is going way down…to 69 degrees. If you get cold, put on a sweater.

Give your washing machine a break—try to wash only clothes that are TRULY dirty.

When you leave a room, lights out. Ditto for fans. When you're done using an appliance, unplug it. Don't forget your computer and cell phone chargers too.

Showers are going to be shorter—eight minutes max. Use a kitchen timer to help you keep track.

Want to go shopping? Head to your closets. That's your wardrobe for the week. The mall is off-limits.Your final challenge—no buying anything other than food for seven days.
Good luck,Oprah

It was a really cool episode...and basically proved what I probably knew already. That, despite our complaints that we're overburdened and don't have enough time, if you cut out tv and internet distractions then you free up tons of time. I excitedly turned to Scott and said "let's totally do this challenge." And then 23 seconds later I said "well....maybe we could modify it a little." Scott laughed. I'm just being realistic...I'm a tv addict. I love just having the sound in the background while I do things.

So, for the next two weeks (and hopefully, I can keep it going longer).

1. No tv, internet, or phone for two hours (4 to 6 pm). Let's not go crazy, people, that's going to be a huge struggle for me.

2. 8 minute showers. Oh my goodness, I love showers. I don't know how long I usually take...I know I'm finished when there's not a drop of hot water left.

3. Turning lights and fans off when I leave the room.

I tend to run the washer a lot but in, my defense, I have bad allergies and you have to wash things often to kill dust mites. And we just drink tap water that we fill up water bottles so that's one easy. Um, we do use paper napkins, I would hate to use a towel...then you have to worry about ants. I'll start with these three.

So yesterday, I turned the tv off at 4 pm. I think the tv went into shock since that never happens. Scott was taking his customary afternoon nap so I read some chapters out of Crazy Love...then finished another book "Bleachers" by John Grisham. Felt like forever and a day had passed. Looked up...it was 5 pm. Oh, sheesh.

She's back!!!

I was just thinking that it's been a while since I had a session with one of my favorite models, little HB. This cute little girl with blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and heart-shaped smile just shines in photographs. Her mom wanted to update her pics so I met HB and her dad, Mike, at Kalama Beach Park. Scott came along so he and Mike sat together shaded from the afternoon sun and talked...aw, they talk at least once or twice every day. Sheesh. Haley and I roamed the grass and sandy shore. Sixteen month olds will give you a work out. I discovered that she loves loves LOVES the sand. She literally just spread out on her stomach and dug her hands and feet into the sand. It was hilarious.

I think this is a challenging age to photograph toddlers because they're mobile and their attention span is 1.8 seconds long. I'd run, sprawl out on the grass, hold the camera up...bam, too late, she's up and moved away 7 feet already. A lot of it was predicting what direction she might go in next and running to get there ahead of her. Patience. Patience will always pay off. It's advantageous that I love kids and have babysat HB before so she's comfortable with me. I sometimes consider children's sessions half-babysitting. I spend half the time just playing with toys and games with them and when I catch a moment, I take a picture. I wonder if I should just advertise that...babysitting-with-some-photography-involved sessions.


















I'm sitting here with my ankle propped up. I hadn't worked out much in May so I was trying to get back on the right track. I go to a boot-camp style workout at our church with my husband...and I totally rolled my ankle while we were running in the parking lot. I'm a klutz, I've sprained my ankles tons of time. Yesterday, I could only get around by crutches or by crawling (I'm now thinking I really want to sweep and mop our house floors), but it's already tons better. Now I can put more weight on it. It's really nice to have Scott be such an attentive nurse. He took a day off from work yesterday to be my nurse and take care of our dog, Charlie, who just had surgery. Scott is so unbelievable helpful although his enthusiasm has waned a little. Hee hee.

Wedding of Trevor and Sarah

What: Wedding of Trevor and Sarah
Where: Hale Koa Hotel, Luau Gardens
When: A late Sunday afternoon with May, with the heat of summer creeping in
Details for bridal party:
Hair styled by Elizabeth Worden of The Cutting Zone
Makeup by Lexi Chadwick
Flowers by Elsie Kobayashi

I love June. I've been looking forward to June and I can't believe it's here already. I prepared myself for the craziness of May, three weddings, a big birthday luau for my twin nieces, camp, a women's worship night, out-of-town family staying at our house...May certainly lived up to the hype.

And it all began with the wedding of Trevor and Sarah. Trevor works at the church with my husband and leads worship at our weekend services. He sang the communion song at my wedding. It was the greatest gift, and I am still thankful to this day. Sarah and her family are near and dear to our hearts. They are my husband's tailgating warriors every fall during UH football season. We have spent some very fun Saint Patrick's nights at their house accompanied by raucous karaoke singing. You may see Sarah's niece often on this blog, probably my most popular model (see the header pictures above). I said a lot of prayers before and during the wedding that things, because this one would mean more than photographing any other wedding before...because it was my first wedding with friends.

When I arrived, the girls were packed in a hotel room getting ready and I'll always remember that Sarah got ready last. She spent all her time helping her bridesmaids get ready. Her expertise is fashion, and she went over her bridesmaids attire meticulously, personally tying the sash on each bridesmaid dress. Her artistic eye showed itself in the colors she chose for the bridesmaids bouquets. They reminded me of the sunset. With ten minutes to go, her bridesmaids swarmed around her like mother bees as she stepped into her gorgeous dress. As we made our way to the ceremony site, her bridesmaids even threw themselves in front of her to shield her from the view of late-arriving wedding guests.

Every wedding is beautiful. We always say that you can never screw up a wedding. So it is the little things that linger in your memory. Like the little flower girls with their angel wings. We knew that the family was anxiously waiting to see if little Haley would be walking by wedding day. Alas, she almost made it but saved her first steps for later. She and the other cutesy flowergirl, Emma, were escorted down the aisle. Or the secret handshake that Sarah exchanged with her father after their walk down the aisle right before he gave away. Then during the ceremony, Trevor and Sarah took communion in their first act together as a married couple while Stephen Augustin ( of Our Distance) sang.

The reception was outside with dance floor set up on the lawn. And everyone teared up (even me with a camera pressed to my face) during the father-daugher dance with Sarah and her father, Rob. Against the night sky, they had a slideshow set up with pictures of their younger years and I remember listening to the words of one of the background songs "Tiny Dancer by Elton John" and thinking how perfectly it fit the couple. The joining of two lives, a fashion designer and her music man.

Blue Jean baby
L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile
You'll marry a music man

Congratulations, Sarah and Trevor!!! You two are just beautiful, inside and out. Sorry, there's a lot of pics...too many faves, I love em all.












































To view these images and more, you can view the online album at www.keaosphotography.instaproofs.com and also enjoy the video below.