Wailea Maui Wedding Photographer - Maria & Kevin are Hitched (with pictures)!

Maria and Kevin have tied the knot!

When Maria and Kevin got married in at Baby Beach in Lahaina recently, they had someone take photos with a little camera that wasn't quite up for the task with the challenging lighting. About that time I was looking for a couple who were willing to be models during a lighting training session for another photographer and heard about Maria and Kevin from one of my favorite ministers, Pia Aluli. I called Maria and offered to retake their wedding photos so they would have something more fun and romantic to remember their special day.

I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful couple of models for a sunset session in Makena. We tried to go to Paipu Beach and it was really windy, so we stayed at the north end of Chang's beach which is right next door and a bit more tucked from the wind. We were able to get some terrific shots of the couple in a short period of time as the sun set behind them.

The evening light provided a great opportunity for us to work with the couple using off camera lights and various angles to capture the couple as they begin their journey together as husband and wife.

So cheers to Maria and Kevin! All the best to both of you for a wonderful life together!

A hui hou,

Aubrey

http://www.aubreyhord.com/

A Wedding at Molokini Lookout

When Patrick asked Millie to marry him, he decided to make sure their wedding was first class and that he didn't miss a beat. First of all, they decided to get married up at Maui's premier wedding site, Molokini Lookout, above Gannon's Restaurant in Wailea. The view is spectacular from the private venue overlooking the islands of Molokini and Kaho'olawe. Secondly, they hired Laurie Terry from Makena Weddings to be their wedding planner, making it easy for them to relax and enjoy their day. Thirdly, they bought out the newest restaurant run by renowned chef, Bev Gannon, aptly named Gannon's, down in Wailea (it used to be known as the Seawatch) so they could enjoy the evening with their guests overlooking the sunset and Pacific Ocean. Finally, they decided to fly in musician Alika Nako'oka and his band from Seattle (originally from Maui) for an evening of incredible music. They decided to stay at the Grand Wailea with all of their guests who came from all over the world. The beautiful property is located right on the beach and has grounds that are a tropical paradise with an amazing spa. Perfect for a bridal party!The groomsmen went tropical, wearing pink Hawaiian print board shorts with the bridesmaids wearing coordinating pink dresses. Great color combination for photos with the blue ocean background! The bride and groom were showered with flowers on their way back down the aisle to rousing applause from their guests!

Our team of included lighting assistant, Nicole Angel, veteran celebrity photographer, Frank DiMarco, who flew in from Portland to shoot the wedding with me and Maui's rising star, 16 yr old photographer, Zach Pezzillo, who captured amazing detail and beauty in every shot. Thanks Team!

I look forward to my next wedding up at Molokini Lookout. Wow! What a view!

Congratulations and best wishes to a first class couple - Millie and Patrick!

A hui hou,

Aubrey

http://www.aubreyhord.com/

Congratulations Millie and Patrick!

I was honored to have been selected by Millie and Patrick to capture their Maui wedding last weekend. They had a beautiful ceremony the following day overlooking the islands of Molokini and Kaho'olawe and a perfect sunset to boot! We took them to the beach for a photo session the night before their ceremony and Millie wanted to wear her wedding gown - woo hoo!! So she walked down the beach in shorts and a t shirt with her wedding gown on a hanger and she changed into her gown in a little cove. With a picture-perfect background and the sun setting into the ocean, Millie and Patrick spent some quiet time together enjoying the scenery while we captured it. Amazingly enough, we had a baby whale breaching in the background just offshore which made for a terrific photo shoot!

Millie and Patrick are off on their honeymoon, enjoying the beauty of Hawaii.

Best wishes to an amazing couple!

A hui hou,
Aubrey
http://www.aubreyhord.com/

Creativity Rocks!

Happy New Year everyone!
One of my recent portraits shoots involved a wonderful family who has visited Maui for years but has never been truly happy with their photo sessions.

They felt their photos had been too posed and wanted to change it up. They really wanted something fun and creative for their images. That is where I came in.

We went down to a beautiful beach on the south side of Maui and got things rolling right off the bat with some fun poses to loosen everyone up.

Laughter abounded in a short period of time and we were off and running. The kids had fun goofing around in their sunglasses and the parents and grandparents jumped at the chance to have some fun with the kids.

I love these types of photo sessions because it allows me to be creative and my subjects to have fun. The beach was a perfect spot to allow the kids to run around and explore while the parents had a chance to get some romantic shots in. In the end, everyone was laughing and we had a great time looking back through the photos.

As we were leaving the beach, the client told me it was the best experience he has had with a photographer in 10 years. Music to my ears!

They chose the image below for their Christmas card because they thought it was so "cool." I love my job and my clients!

A hui hou,
Aubrey

http://www.aubreyhord.com/

Maui Engagement Photographer - Surprise proposal Chris & Emily!

My congratulations go out to Emily and Chris who got engaged on Maui in a surprise from the groom. I received a call from a woman a few weeks ago asking for my help with a special beach proposal that had to be perfect. She was the cousin of the bride the be and working with the groom to be to plan the perfect proposal on Maui.

Chris, the groom-to-be, chose a beautiful south side beach where he would have some privacy and a spectacular view of the sunset, and we were off and running.

Chris had planned to propose but they had talked about an engagement in about a year. Emily had no idea Chris was planning and plotting all along to arrange for everything to be perfect for his engagement.

I got the job of paparazzi for the evening which is an extremely challenging job on a beach.

The big challenge for me was that Chris wanted to have photos of the proposal but not have Emily know anyone was taking photos of them. So, I invited one of my amazing interns to pose as a "model" for me while I shot the entire photo session proposal over her shoulder.

I found out later that Emily works with movie stars on a regular basis and she was SURE that I was paparazzi.
Chris vehemently denied anyone was taking photos of them walking down the beach and just laughed it off.

Chris finally chose a spot on the beach an gave me the signal that he was about to propose. Emily said YES!! Magic was in the air for the rest of the evening.

We captured some wonderful images of a very special night for the couple and I am thrilled for Emily and Chris! Congratulations you two!

Best wishes and all the best in 2010!

Aubrey

http://www.aubreyhord.com/

Makena Sunsets

I drove through Wailea to Makena on the south Maui coast to see how big the south swell was this week and I ended up with some great images of the high surf hitting the beaches at sunset.
I ended up at Secret Beach or Makena Cove for the shots you see here. It is an idyllic beach for weddings and vow renewals. This night it was a little washed out from the high surf but still stunning!
You can see the island crater of Molokini on the left side of the image above. It is a very popular snorkeling and diving site a few miles off the Maui coast.
Below you can see the island of Kaho'olawe in the distance and the small cliff side off the left where I set up my camera to capture the waves.
It was great to be out with my camera again catching life on Maui!

A hui hou,

Aubrey