Engagement in the Clouds

Days before Kalia and Patrick’s island wedding by the sea, we drove a winding mountain road into the clouds to photograph a few last moments before becoming husband and wife. Surrounded by mist and trees they were able to spend some time soaking in all the warmth of those fluttering pre-wedding butterflies (and of course, practice their epic dance-dip for the big day- I think they nailed it)!

Anniversary Glow

One year down, forever to go. What a fun way to celebrate a year of marriage— getting all dolled up in luxury bridal-wear from Elly’s Formalwear and standing together on the same ground vows were made exactly one year ago. Cheers to many more sweet and thoughtful anniversaries, Greg and Sirena!

Not only did Greg do an amazing job (with help from Darren Keala and Elly’s Formalwear) at creating the perfect anniversary celebration for Sirena and himself, he also gave her the most exquisite emerald and diamond ring as a token of his love. Now THAT is how you celebrate one year of marriage!

Sirena’s hands were adorned with all sorts of gorgeous bling (which I am a complete sucker for), but this pear-shaped emerald stone surrounded by tiny diamonds definitely stole the jewelry show.

It’s so magical how people weave into our lives, even just for an hour, and have the power to change our perspectives or paths. We all influence each other, big or small, over the course of a lifetime or simply for a moment. You can show up to a photoshoot, for example, with the simple intention of taking photos you hope the people will love and cherish, and you can leave with a greater understanding of people and places you may not have fully known about before.

After photographing these two at the temple where they were married, Sirena told me that growing up in Thailand she had always dreamed of wearing a beautiful wedding dress and being photographed, and just like that, I was a part of something bigger than I realized. I love that about life, every day and every moment can hold so much more magic and meaning than you expect or imagine.

Home is Where the Goats, Sheep, Dogs, and Kittens Are…

Serena + Charles // Home Life Photoshoot

My friend and soul-sister, Serena, has always inherently known how to utilize nature, space, and random odds and ends in just the right way to breathe creativity and beauty into any thing or place.

A poetic soul, an animal-lovers heart, and a gardener’s patience and passion, she has always turned her surroundings into art. 

When Serena and her family bought a property in upcountry Maui, Hawai’i, I could not wait to see what she nurtured the property into. I knew that as soon as her gypsy soul started to take root she would start accumulating animals as well. She is a born mother and has always welcomed creatures of all shapes and sizes into her open arms. It has only been about two years, but she has already scattered the property with various forms of furry love; three goats, two sheep, four kittens, and of course her dogs as well.

Alongside her musically-minded, sweet-hearted soulmate, she has been cultivating the land into a home and her new furry residents into family.

Every time I step onto their property, new trees have taken root, new flowers have bloomed, and new fruits and vegetables are ready to be harvested for our dinner. Recently she adopted a baby goat, and she helped me to fulfill my longtime goal of bottle feeding the silly and sweet little kid.

Whenever I arrive, we always stroll through her organized wilderness of a garden to pick the main ingredients for our meal as we chat about life and love. The sheep and goats baa and bleat in the background as her dogs and mine follow us from bed to bed.

We cook in their kitchen-shed using their propane burners near their teeny tiny hand-made house built with recycled windows and doors and flooring found on the free section of craigslist. It is not exactly what you think of when you think of a ‘house,’ but it is most certainly a home.

It is an ever-growing and changing place. It is constantly being molded and nurtured by their passion for living off the land, and love for the beautifully simple and sweet lifestyle and knowledge of ‘less is more.’ Less stuff, more love… a concept we can all benefit from remembering.