I shot Rosanna and Jons wedding about a week ago.  They were really fun and I loved being around their relaxed flow that they created for their ceremony.  They are so well suited for eachother and very much in love! It was fun watching them both get dressed in the same room and at times the groom was getting more assistance than the bride...  We all forgot how to even tie a tie...

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They had their ceremony at Anini Beach and their coordinator Jeannie was great. wonderful authentic Hawaiian musician and wedding officiant.  We got the first rainshower of the fall season right after the ceremony was "Pau" (Pau , pronounced Pow means "done", "finished", "over")  what a blessing and it did not stop us from getting some beautiful shots out on the beach.

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I love feeling a little bit of chill in the air, as we move out of our uncomfortable humidity.  The swells are back, surfs up and it is gorgeous fall weather.  We are leaving on Monday to visit my in-laws in sacramento, can't wait to drink hot tea, carve pumpkins and bundle up in a sweater!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Sunday morning as I lay in bed looking out of the window on a beautiful morning I felt the house shake suddenly, I thought it was my husband either on the roof or the Lanai buit that thought was quickly cancelled out as I heard the low rumble coming from all around, then the earth just did a gentle rocking for about 20 seconds, which could have sent me back into slumber happily if not for tha grand finale of all out rockin and rollin!  I grabbed my daughter and headed for the bathroom doorway, just like they taught you in school in California, then it just stopped.  All that was left after the rumble, in the silence of the early morning, was the sound of dogs barking near and far. 

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My mother, husband, daughter and I gathered in the living room to "talk story" about the experience and eagerly awaited news on the TV.  Not a speck of news came forth til nearly 45 minutes later.  Our tiny, local radio station was the first one to report that we had a 6.6 eathquake, no tsunami was impending and so far no fatalities, YAY! And yay for KKCR radio station right here on the north shore! 

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Our day and everyone elses on Kauai was "business as usual" while adding in occasional calls to the Big Island to check in on friends and family, everyone said that for the most part it was a no panick situation and mostly just inconveniences.

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We heard that the Honolulu power was triggered to shut down in the event of an Earthquake leaving residents without power until they could check the integrity of structures and avoid fires.  We heard the quake did not CAUSE the outage.

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Overall the stories we were hearing from personal friends were pretty benign, although I am sure the people at the honolulu airport would disagree! But my sympathy goes out to those that suffered damage to homes, and everyone who DID suffer a disaster because of the outages and damages.

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But it was strange to see all over the internet that day the sensational headlines like: Disaster declared as quake hits Hawaii!  The headlines really made it look like things were in utter chaos and impending doom was on the horizon.  I can see how these headlines really feed the fear factor on a global level.

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The headlines today were...

Crazy, man: the earthquake T-shirt Wed Oct 18, 10:57 AM ET Crazy Shirts has created a commemorative "Hula Quake" shirt. It hit its retail locations Wednesday.

I guess someone has to make a buck....

Aloha Nui Loa!

 

 

 

  I adore this couple!  Rachel and Emil were so awesome together and their wedding was really relaxed and fun. A beautiful group of friends and family joined them for a heartfelt and powerful ceremony at Anini beach.

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 In the islands there is a word used to describe anything that there is A LOT of,  you say Choke.  So for example if you see a lot of puppies together you would say , wow, that mama dog has choke puppies!

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 So here are some images that can be described simply as Choke Pink!  This day the bouganvilla (sp?) were out and the bride had beautiful pink roses in her floral arrangements which made for a gorgeous display of shades of pink!What a beautiful bride she was, the groom was very handsome too but wasn't wearing enough pink to make it in the "choke pink" category

 

I shot these 2 couples a few weeks ago down at beautiful kee Beach, which is my favorite beach and just so happens to be in my stomping grounds!! Its where I do A LOT of my sessions as you can see why. These four friends were so awesome to be with!  We had a great time and the photos show it and because of their pioneering spirit I think I may ask all my couples to take the plunge...into the waters of Kee Beach, don't worry its warm!  Check out their cool slideshow: http://kauaiphotographer.com/slideshows/perrijen/  and turn the volume up!

Heres a look at a really great local wedding that we shot at the old Saint Raphael Church in Poipu.  The new church is right next to the ruins of the old church, which has no roof anymore and is great for shooting in, beautiful light filters in.  This couple, Tavey and Kealii were such a beautiful pair.  They both had a very regal air about them that I really loved photographing.  With her, I felt like I was photographing Queen Liliuokalani herself! 

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If you are wondering who that is, Liliuokalani was the last native ruler and legitimate constitutional Queen of Hawaii. She was a noted musical composer. She wrote the famous song "Aloha Oe", which is associated with Hawaii even today. She was a quick study and a "woman of virtue" in the Victorian sense; she had a strength of character that many people of the time didn't appreciate in women.  More about her for those interested in hawaiian history:  http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/hawaii/queen+liliuokalani/

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Well we finally started building our new studio space here on our property, its very exciting!  It will have views of the Wainiha river and of Leela's swingset where she spends much time.  I feel so fortunate to be able to reside on this special, beautiful and sacred place on Kauai.  We plan to really make our property a special sanctuary to share with others.

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On another note I thought I would share this picture of us "girls"...my sister, my mother, me and my daughter.  Its so wonderful to be together!

 

 Its nearing the end of Senior season and I have had an awesome group of seniors this year.  Emi here was probably one of my last ones, hopefully I will have a few more before the deadline because they are so much fun.  Emi was so great!  She  was up for anything, even go in the water and getting her pants wet, I loved it!  Thats why I love shooting seniors...so much energy  and enthusiam. 

 

These are from the wedding I did on my birthday.  I was just experiementing with some different effects and actions.  The first one is called acidify, it works with very few images.  Then on the second photo I used the dodge burn tool to bring in lightness around their faces which is pretty obvious, gotta work on that and the last is a kubota tools action, Lord of the rings everyday.  I must admit that however fun these actions are I still prefer the least amount of enhancement, just enough to transcend the ordinary, hyper-reality, matching the feelings of the day.