A Photo Chick's Journal in Paradise

Isis Dei - Karma

I'm soooo happy! Today I received my "Karma" laptop sleeve from Isis Dei. It is so beautiful and extremely well made!  I love it! 

Namaste...

Counter Bag Dryer

Hi Peeps! 

I just wanted to share with you one of the eco items I like to use in my kitchen. I love Ziplocs however, they can be terrible in our landfills. Fortunately, I found one of these Counter Bag Dryers on the web.  

I simply wash my Zips or Hefties really well and dry them out!  See?  Rewash, resuse!  It's a great way to be

kind to our aina (land) and our world!  It's sooo KANU HAWAI'I!!!

Hau'oli La Hanau, Kauanoe!!!

I just wanted to send a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my darling niece, who I lovingly call Thing #2 (from the Dr. Seuss book).  

 

I celebrate her beauty, brilliance, generosity and helpfulness!

Happy Birthday, Kauanoe!!!

Aki and Miki

Back in June of 2007, I had the great pleasure of photographing Eri and Masanori's wedding in Honolulu.

I met this wonderful couple at Eri's sister's wedding when I photographed Sayuri and Brett in June of 2004.

Eri had referred me to one of her girlfriends, Miki, who's wedding I fortunately photographed this past Monday, June 29, 2009!

OMG! Like Eri and Sayuri's weddings I had so much fun working with Miki and Aki. 

Check out our groom:

Isn't he so cool?  

And here's our sweet bride!

So this was a two hour booking.  We spent the first thirty minutes shooting in their NON-formal attire at Kailua Boat Ramp.

As you know, I'm always talking about LIGHT.  I love the early sunrise morning and late afternoon golden sunset light. I usually shy away from shooting at high noon when it is extremely hot, sunny and bright. However, keep in mind, when you shoot at this time this is when the colors really pop! It is beautiful!  You sacrifice some eyeball burning and sweat for the vivid colors of the ocean and blue skies with puffy white clouds. In Miki and Aki's shoot, it was totally worth it!

Fortunately, it was one of those light tradewind days which helped in keeping us a little cool, giving some modeling hair lift to Miki's hair and more importantly helping to blow the clouds in and out which helped to create some moments of manageable NON-sunglass shots!

Keep in mind, I'm NOT the kind of photographer who would torture you for a shot! I'm extremely sensitive to how my clients are feeling.  I know that Miki was less sensitive to the light than Aki.

So I had Aki keep his glasses on for most of the time during the shoot until there was a break from the intense brightness.

Speaking of which...here comes that sun again!!!

Too cool!!!

 

Aki does have a wonderful smile so I asked him to just give me little peek at his smile...

 And there it is!!! MAHALO, Aki!

Okay, on to their change of clothing! Oh! and of course, their wedding!!!

Here's Miki and her cute sister Mai...

Time to go get married!!

I'd like to mention that both of these beautiful people have ties to Hawai'i.  Miki is a polynesian dancer and Aki is a musician in a Japanese Hawaiian Band in Tokyo. They both met on a cruise ship as performers.  I could tell that they have a love for our islands and our culture. In fact, her hula sisters here call Miki "Tiare."

Although it was busy at Lanikai Beach, there happen to be a an area that worked out perfectly for Miki, Aki and all their guests!

A couple of Aki's band brothers were present to serenade the couple with Hawaiian music. I was thoroughly impressed with their ukulele playing and mastery of the Hawaiian songs! Wow!

Side note...I really liked this balloon!

Hooray for Miki and Aki!!!

What's up, married guy???

Right after the ceremony we did some shots of the newly weds with their families and friends. This just happens to be one of my favorites of Aki and his musician brothers!

Time for some shots of Miki and Aki as husband and wife...

Okay, in the middle of this part of the shoot, Miki wanted to change her haku (keep in mind they were also gifted with so many Maile leis it was crazy cool!).  Oh snap!!! What is this??? A handmade all TIARE Haku made by one of her hula sister's mom!!!  OMG!!! 

In my years of shooting and having the great opportunity of being surrounded by our island leis, hakus and flowers I have never seen a Tiare Haku in person! And check it out! The groom has a Tiare lei made just for him. How sweet is that???

So u'i!!!

Aki taught me the word for "cool" in Japanese but it escapes me at this time so I'll just say, "AWESOME, Aki!!!"

Mahalo nui loa, Miki and Aki for having me present to witness such a beautiful union. I look forward to staying in touch with you especially on Facebook!  (www.facebook.com/hokulii) 

And to my dear clients, Eri and Masa, Sayuri and Brett...I am so grateful that you've entrusted me to document your friends and family.  MAHALO!!!

Congratulations, Johanna and Sherwin!

Sending out my best wishes to Johanna and Sherwin who after eight years of being together tied the knot at Our Lady of Perpetual Help!

I will be posting photos soon! So please stay tuned...

Denis Reggie at the Kahala

Loved seeing celebrity photography and photojournalist Denis Reggie again tonight at the Kahala Resort.  Mahalo to Pictage, Canon and Mike Adrian for bringing him in to educate and inspire us photographers.  

Congratulations, Donielle and Eli!

A big shout out to today's wedding couple Donielle and Eli who tied the knot at beautiful Waimanalo Beach!  Stay tuned for more images of their wedding day!!!

Magical Miyamoto Day!

Two of my close friends did a magical thing today.

They were united in love.

Stay tuned for an extensive post on the Michelle and Dave's wedding day!

Congratulations, Honey Boy and Honey Babe!!!

Hale Macrobiotic

A couple of weeks ago my girlfriends and I decided to try this new organic healthy eatery called Hale Macrobiotic.  I'd never heard of Macrobiotic cooking before and decided to check it out.  

What is macrobiotic diet you ask?  It is defined by Wikipedia as, "A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), from the Greek "macro" (large, long) and "bios" (life), is a dietary regimen that involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as vegetables and beans, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods. Followers of the macrobiotic approach believe that food and food quality powerfully affect health, well-being, and happiness, and that a macrobiotic diet has more beneficial effects than others. The macrobiotic approach suggests choosing food that is less processed."

Google Macrobiotic. It's pretty interesting! I love the way it's not just about the food that's being eaten but the entire process of thought, how it's prepared, HOW it is eaten, etc.  This comes at a great time since I'm on an Ultimate Four Week Detox program (by Michelle Schoffro Cook) right now. So I'm eating mostly veggies and fruits.  No dairy, sugar, wheat, etc.  

Okay, so where was I...oh yes! Hale Macrobiotic which is right behind Sam's Club off of Keeaumoku near Ala Moana Shopping Center.

I was greeted by so many wonderful things and peeps such as:

This parking cone:

To my delight I also found my dear friend Alice Inoue's smiling face as soon as you walk in through the door! Hi, Alice!!!  So appropriate!!!

Right next to Alice is Chef Moco's Macrobiotic certificate:

And then, the next best thing, these two lovely ladies, Mana and Milani, ready to serve you and answer any questions that you may have!

I love the feel of the restaurant. I regret not bringing my Canon 5D to really capture the ambiance of the place. That's okay as this gives me a good reason to return, right Mana?

I saw this and felt like I was home...

Look at this! Fresh Tiare on every table!

And there at the grill is Chef Moco herself, ready to create something magical for us! She is so sweet and friendly!

After I took in my new Macrobiotic environment I proceeded to read the menu:

I LOVE IT!!!

Okay, so here's what we ordered:

Pita and Hummus (I could not eat this as it's not allowed in my detox diet. My gfriends had this delish dish)

Avocado (this, I happily consumed)!

The girls had this yummy risotto soup

And for dinner...voila!

Tempeh Reuben!

Look at the presentation, people! Isn't that beautiful???

Then there was dessert (which I, sadly, could not touch). The Moffle!

Everything was so delish!  

Mahalo to Mana, Milani, Chef Moco and the rest of the Hale Macro crew for making my first visit so enjoyable and tasty.  MAHALO also to my fellow healthy Spartan, Celise, for turning me on to this place! You go girl!

Thanks also to my girls for being sooooo patient with me every time a dish came out. They're so good about NOT touching the food and even styling it for me before I shoot it! You gals are awesome!!!

If you're in the mood for some great organic vegan cooking which is prepared with a lot of good energy then check out Hale Macrobiotic on Makaloa Street. It is awesome!  I will be back there soon, armed with my Canon 5D to capture more yummy foods that's good for my mind, body and SPIRIT!!!

Sweet Love on the North Shore

Natalia and Kai.

Kai and Natalia.

What a cute sweet couple! I documented their love in one of their favorite places on O'ahu - The North Shore.

We started off in the quaint, surf oriented town of Haleiwa.  

I love Haleiwa and it's laid back country like feeling. With all the little stores catering to not only the surf community but visitors from all over the world!

It was pretty obvious that Natalia and Kai fit right in!

I really love that they're so playful with one another...

Their young adventurous spirits  were so open to me dragging them all over Haleiwa Town, always chasing the beautiful light!

Awww...how perfect that this truck was parked right next to Surf n Sea!

Quick headshot of our beautiful July bride as she waits for Kai to change out of his surf shorts...

Back to business!

Mahalo, Haleiwa Town!  

Next stop is a very special one for Natalia and Kai.  This is where Kai proposed to her and is one of their favorite beach hangouts - Laniakea Beach!

Time for our sweet sunset on the North Shore. 

There is NOTHING like the sunsets on the North Shore. It always, ALWAYS gives me chicken skin (Goose Bumps)!!!

MAHALO Natalia and Kai for a fun evening on the North Shore! I promise, Cholos it is!!!

Can't wait to see you in July!!!

A Hui Hou Anela...

My dear sweet friend, Manang Anela, lost her battle with cancer this morning.

I will miss her radiant smile, inquisitive nature and loving hugs...  

I am so honored to have been loved by such a great person!

Mr. and Mrs. 'Oiwi!

On May 8, 2009, my happy feet in their purple Cinco de Mayo Crocs attended and photographed my dear friend, David Kim's wedding in Kailua.

Please keep in mind, that I don't normally wear Crocs to a wedding however, this was a special one since it was taking place at Dave's childhood home located on Kailua Beach.

I met with Dede, his fiance, for the first time at a rental home located down the street from the ceremony site. I immediately fell in love with this girl and her 'ohana!!!

Dede is so sweet, kind and beautiful...inside and out!

After photographing Dede and her 'ohana, my Cinco de Mayo Crocs and I walked over to the Kim residence to get ready for the ceremony.

Here's my friend and happy groom, David Kim, Mr. 'Oiwi himself!!!

I LOVED seeing Dave so happy!!!  

As soon as I I met Kahu Kapono'ai Molitau I was taken by his beautiful energy...

It was definitely going to be a very special ceremony...

I treasure moments like these...

I loved that during the exchange of vows, as Dede cried with joy,

her father, who stood right next to her, wiped her tears away.

I'm sure in his eyes, Dede will always be his little girl...

I loved that the parents were involved with the ceremony by wrapping the Kapa around Dave and Dede, joining them as one.

It was such an awesome ceremony!!!

We did a few formals right after with family and friends.  

Check out how windy it was! You can see the wind glider thing right behind the Wedding Party!

Look at how happy Dede is!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Here's the 'Oiwi crew!!!

Quick shots on the beach with Mr. and Mrs. 'Oiwi...

Despite the overcast and windy afternoon at Kailua Beach everything was perfect  for Dave and Dede's wedding!

Mahalo nui loa, Dave and Dede, for the wonderful and sweet time at your wedding!   Thank you for letting me be a part of your special milestone.  I wish you both much joy, harmony and love!!!

Green Goddess Drink

This afternoon, I returned to the world of juicing!  With my trusty Jack Lalanne Juicer and Vitamix I created the Green Goddess Drink:

Here are the ingredients:

• Cucumber
• Celery 
• Kale 
• Apple 
• Pear 
• Carrots 
• Ginger 
• Lemon 
• Advocado 
• Flax 
• Choco Protein 
• Ice   

I make sure to wash all the fruits and veggies with Biokleen's Produce Wash which helps to remove chemical sprays, waxes and soil.  

All of the fruits and veggies are juiced except for the advocado, choco protein, flax and ice.

It's a delicious and healthy meal!  My body thanks me every time she has this delightful and nourishing drink!

Congratulations, Josh!

Sending out a big congratulations out to Josh, one of the young men who recently graduated from Damien High School in Honolulu!!!

A big congratulations also to the Asuncion 'Ohana who has done tremendous job raising this young man!

Congrats to the Class of 2009!!!

I love this deodorant!

I just wanted to share with all of you that this is one of my fave deodorants.  It really bummed me out that Coty stopped making it! Fortunately, I just discovered I had an extra one while trying to find my whitening trays for my teeth.  

With that being said, I found a lot of 3 of these sticks on eBAY!!!!  It cost me about $9 each. Hey! A girl's gotta do what a girls gotta do!!!

MAHALO, eBay!!!

A Warrior Princess with Lip Gloss

Today is a very special day!

First of all, what makes us different from men?  Well, one of the most significant things would have to be our uterus!   

May 21st of every year is extremely special because one of my most bestest friends ever, soul sister and fellow artist, Debbie Friedrich, celebrates her hysterectomy which took place over 10 years ago!

Today, I celebrate you, my dear sweet friend, who with just A partial ovary, was able to conceive, bear and have two beautiful daughters!

Today, I celebrate, not what was taken from you but what you were left with which is your tenacious, fighting, compassionate and loving spirit!

I celebrate the beautiful woman who has handled the many adversities in her life with such strength and grace.  Becoming one of the most inspiring, respected and passionate women who I know and love...

Kanu Hawai'i at Ala Moana!!!

So remember back in February of this year I did this shoot with Rae Huo?

http://tinyurl.com/q7z5hf

Okay, so here's the result of that shoot:

I was sooooo delightfully surprised to see this humangous Duratrans at Ala Moana!  Ad2 Honolulu and Rae Huo did such an awesome job.  The Kanu Hawai'i Campaign is in full force and I'm looking forward to seeing all of you sign up and become members!

I'd like to send a big MAHALO NUI LOA out to Kanu Hawai'i and A2 Honolulu for allowing me to be a part of this special project.  

And I'd also like to thank my sistah, Michelle (aka Honey Babe) for being with me to see this ad for the first time in real life!  So glad she was there to catch me from being over startled.  It's not easy seeing a life size image of yourself! Yikes!

Safeway's Waterfront Bistro

Once again, another post to remind you of my cooking skills. Yep, the "I Can Only Cook Rice" Chef makes another discovery!

So tonight was one of those nights where I couldn't figure out what to make for dinner. As I walked through the frozen seafood section at Safeway I noticed this sign:

Vacuum packed PRE-SEASONED frozen seafoods from Waterfront Bistro!  They had a variety of fishes from Cod to Tilapia to Salmon.  And I think I even saw shrimp and scallops.   "Hmmmm...this looks interesting?" I thought to myself.

I was in the mood for salmon (which is one of the most HEALTHIEST fishes to eat) and they did have a salmon entree I could try...

So I decided, "why not?"

Here's what I selected:

There are two vacuum sealed and seasoned fillets in each package:

It's pretty easy to cook!  Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees, place the fishes on the pan covered with foil (skin faced down).  Oh yeah! I thought you'd like to see about how big the pieces are:

And about 20 - 25 minutes later you've got your meal!

I had it with a some low glycemic brown Basmati rice and steamed spinach.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was and how quick it was to "prepare."

I'm excited to try the other selections they have!

Max's First Sunrise at Lanikai

Wow!  What a beautiful Thursday morning to shoot at Lanikai!

I was meeting the Ferrer 'Ohana for a sunrise shoot.  Along with them came their good friends, Melanie and Casey.

Nicole had discovered my work through Facebook.  Yes, I'm a Facebook fan and you can find me under Geralyn Camarillo!  

Okay, so Nicole, Sean and their eight month old son, Max, wanted to do a photo shoot while they were back on island for vacation. Might I add that I'm proud to say that Nicole is a Spartan Alumni (hollah!).  

Max was born in Washington State so this was his first time to Lanikai Beach!  

It was a perfect sunrise morning:

We were all so grateful that it wasn't voggy!!

During family shoots I like to take time to do all sort of other shots. For instance, let's not forget where this all began...

There's beautiful mommy (in fact, this is a great time for Facebook Profile photos, people!)...

and handsome Daddy...

And then of course, Mommy AND Daddy!!!

And if an auntie or uncle are there to assist and enjoy the morning, we'll get them involved as well! In true Hokuli'i style, NO ONE gets left behind!!

I love this shot of Nicole and Melanie. They're BFFs from Seattle University. Goooo Bellarmine Hall Girlz!

When I'm shooting with babies and toddlers I know that our window of Happy Time is extremely brief. 

We just roll with whatever way they're feeling!

At this age, EVERYTHING is magical to them! It's a good reminder for all of us that it's still a great way to look at our world. With awe and wonderment...

Speaking of awe and wonderment...may I just share with you that even my friend's dog, Koa, who just happen to be on the beach that morning, is always curious about everything!

Check out this routine he has on the beach. He likes to dig up the crab holes until he gets deep enough to scare a crab out of hiding!

Isn't that just crazy??? Look at that crab holding his own! You go crabby!!!

Okay, where was I...oh, yes! Awe and wonderment...

So here's Max feeling so much better without his cumbersome shirt and shorts. See that? A true local boy!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!

This is a sign to take a dip in the ocean with mommy and daddy!

Warmer than Seattle's frigid waters but still a little too cold this morning!

That's okay, peeps. Max is still a happy boy!!!

MAHALO NUI LOA, Max, Nicole, Sean, Melanie and Casey for a wonderful sunrise shoot at Lanikai Beach! It was super hanging with you and I can't wait to see you again the next time you visit!

Max's Sunrise at Lanikai