I’m currently at a place that shall remain unnamed because Kimi gets upset at the mention of it:). I will be shooting Vinnie and Krystie’s wedding at the Halekulani Hotel on Sunday. In the meantime, I’m chilling with family and eating entirely too much:). I’ll be back on Tuesday and will be returning emails then!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
I remember when I used to shoot film, I’d stay in the darkroom and perfect a print, dodging and burning, until I get it just right. I’d come home and proudly show my husband the one print I finished in 6 hours! In the darkroom, you can’t see the results until you’re done with the whole developing -running the paper through the developer, the stop bath, the fix, the wash- and drying process…
But I’m an instant gratification kind of girl so the digital darkroom is great for me. It’s getting even better because Lightroom 2.0 (in beta) now allows localized dodging and burning - something that I used to have to do in Photoshop. I’m loving it!
David Ziser at Digital Pro Talk just did a little tutorial on the new retouch tools. If you’re a photographer, and you’re on the fence about Lightroom, check out the video, and see how well the new version works. More tutorials are available at lightroomkillertips.com
If you’re interested in the beta, email me, and I can send you a serial number so you can try it until August 30. Otherwise, you can download the trial for 30 days.
The kids kicked off their first day of summer break by waking up sick and hunched over the toilet bowl. Oy. No fun
We can’t have our first day of summer be gloomy so I’m trying to keep my humor up (people who know me know I can laugh about the same thing over and over again) by remembering a conversation my girls had the other day…
Kealoha: Daddy, I look like you, huh? Except I don’t have a mustache.
Keilah: Well, of course you don’t have a mustache. Females don’t have mustaches!
Kealoha: My imaginary friend does!
LOL!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Michelle’s senior photos came out so beautifully, they were the talk of our church. (She’s our Pastor’s daughter.) The studio her school used did a fabulous job. They sure didn’t look like my hands-under-the- chin senior pictures from years ago. So when she came to me for her graduation pictures, I was a little intimidated. Instead of feeling like I needed to do better, I set out to “do different” and have fun. We had so much fun walking around Balboa Park, we didn’t even know hours had passed, and she almost missed a meeting at church!
Just because I can’t resist doing a flare shot whenever possible. To me, they’re like little rays of blessing. (I know, I know, I’m corny!)
Beautiful light, beautiful girl, how can you go wrong?
Michelle told me that someone said I must have photoshopped this image. Yup, in fact, I did. Converted it to black and white! 
Sorry for neglecting the blog. I’ve been doing lots of busy work, those pesky details that need to get done but never make you feel like you’re accomplishing much. It’s like trying to string beads without tying a knot at the end. You just keep losing your marbles, I mean, beads.
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Here’s a sneak peek of Michele’s graduation photos. I think she looks like a vintage movie star. The light here was so beautiful, I could have shot there all day!
More from this session to come later!
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Further proof my kids are crazy:
Me: Isn’t Daddy awesome?
Keilah: Yup! Daddy is awesome. Just like onions! (ha! I’m sure it’s every guy’s dream to become as awesome as a vegetable. )
Yesterday, I ended up playing pool mom to a bunch of neighborhood kids, ages 4-10. After tiring of the usual sharks and minnows, colors, marco polo, and whatever pool games they like to play, they turned to me. They wanted me to call out things they could act out before they dove into the pool. Charade-like stuff, such as, “a plane landing in water, tinkerbell flying across disneyland, a rock star jumping into the crowd…” These kids have penchant for the dramatic so they did really well. That is, until I said, “Vogue like Madonna!” The pool got really quiet, and they all turned around, and said, “Who’s Madonna?” ha ha!
Do you know Madonna?
There’s a popular song in Hawaii that the radio stations often play on Friday afternoons during pau hana time. It goes, “It’s aloha Friday, no work til Monday…”
Since I’m a wedding photographer, those lyrics don’t often apply to me. But this weekend, they did! I had two days off, facilitated by the fact that my camera gear is being serviced at Canon. Yep, just like knives, lenses have to be calibrated to stay sharp, too!
It was the perfect weekend to have off because the scorching heatwave had us seeking refuge in the pool. Our family had a great time. David got in some surfing, though he lost his car key in process. We got to have friends over for a little barbecue. We sat outside in the evening air just telling stories (and probably bothering our neighbors with my laughter). Played some poker with play money. Good thing, too, as I’m the worst poker player ever! I got an ace, and I was like, “oh, oh, I have a good hand!” lol! Thank goodness our friends love me (I think) or they might have just killed me!
How was your weekend? Did you have an “Aloha Friday?”
Kara got ready at the beautiful Halekulani Hotel. The overnight stay was a surprise from her mom.
Oh how I love shooting in Hawaii. Only there would I hear a conversation like this …
Kanani: Do you have your eyelash glue? I don’t think I brought mine.
Kara: No, I left it at my mom’s. Lisa, do you have some?
Lisa: Let me check…No, I don’t have any.
Pi`i: I might have some in bag. Oh wait, no, sorry. What about you, Rob?
Rob: Uh, no, but got some rice, ah? (when you’re in a pinch, you can mash up some white rice and use it as adhesive. i used to do it for my scrapbooks! lol. just kidding!)
Could Kara be more beautiful?
The actual wedding was on the other side of the Ko`olaus, at Kara’s grandmother’s backyard in Kailua.
A bunch of their friends from the mainland flew in to party with K&K at Formaggio Grill.
I couldn’t not post this. You see, before their engagement session, Kara mentioned that she and Kenny are not that comfortable in front of the camera. Well, the time we spent wandering San Francisco’s financial district paid off. Check out Kenny, he sure can work it now! He can be the poster boy for why you should make time for engagement photos.
Check out their slideshow for more:
You guys were awesome, K&K!
As promised, here are photos from a portrait session I did a few weeks ago with Julie and Claire, and their doggy, Stewart.
How cute is she? (Do I say that about every kid I photograph? Probably. And I mean it, too!)
You can tell just how happy Julie is to be Claire’s Mommy.
Claire had these beautiful red shoes from China that she adores.
Julie and Claire were so lovely to work with. So sweet. I say it often, but I so love my job. I get to meet such wonderful people, and I come home thanking God for this passion He’s put in my heart.
