Maui Family Photographer + Filmmaker | The Morning Ritual

An Unexpected Maui Family Photographer

Rain squalls loomed large and angry on the radar of my weather app. I sighed and shoved the phone in my pocket. Stubbornly, I started my car and began the long, winding drive up the windward coast in darkness. As sunrise neared, the sky lightened enough to see the thick, angry clouds rolling in from the east. I continued on, hoping for the best. As I neared Laie, thunder rumbled across the mountains and buckets of rain dumped from the skies. I pulled over and had to admit defeat.

Shawn and Adam are an amazing husband and wife photography team on Maui. I have followed their work for a long time, but haven’t had the opportunity to meet them. They scheduled a trip to Oahu to photograph a wedding and decided to bring the whole family for a mini vacation at Turtle Bay. Since their families live far from Hawaii, they wanted to capture and share some images of three of them. Their visit was super short, so we only had one and only one day to make it work. It was not to be.

Plan B: I would hop on a plane and become a Maui family photographer.

The Morning Ritual

Switching to their home turf was ideal because it turns out they have the most wonderful morning ritual. Every morning at sunrise, the family packs up their breakfast and makes the short drive to Maluaka Beach. They sip coffee and read books with their toes in the sand and watch the shadows change shape over west Maui. Before packing up, they make a refreshing dive into the ocean. Dripping and happy, they make their way home to start their day. I can’t think of a better morning ritual. Now, the family has plans to move to Australia and they must leave this little tradition behind. I’m happy to send them off with some beautiful memories of a life well-lived in Hawaii.

Bonus, my trip to Maui allowed me to capture film and photos for another photographer and dear friend.

Do you have a favorite place on the island or a favorite family ritual?

Let’s spend the day doing something your family loves so you can keep beautiful memories of this time in your life. Little Bird Photography is based on Oahu but available for travel to Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai. Find out more about my fun family photography sessions here.