Hawaii family beach portraits | A memorable day on Oahu

Celebrating a first birthday with a family film

When people reach out for Hawaii family beach portraits to celebrate a first birthday, I always get excited. It’s like being an auntie. I get to experience all the joys and extreme cuteness of a baby with none of the cleanup, work, or sleep deprivation. To make a film for a first birthday? Even better. I mean everything a baby does is adorable – tiny feet and hands in the sand, the way their belly hangs over their diaper, the little giggles … even crying is adorable.

The cuteness level of this baby, of this family, was over the top. Most families are understandably a little unsure of what to do at the start of a session and I help ease them in with a bit of directing. This family, however, was immediately comfortable and so in-sync that I didn’t want to interrupt them.

Slowly into the sea

We met at sleepy Kahana Bay to start a beautiful, sunny day. At first, baby C was deeply unnerved by the unpredictable ocean. If you got too close to water, he would erupt into fat tears. We kept our distance from the wet stuff and dug in the sand, ready books and played his favorite sport – baseball. Check out the video below to watch his serious face as swings at kukui nuts with a bit of driftwood. Precious. By the end of the morning he was fully in and splashing like a champion.

< Click play to watch their family film below >

< And see a sample of their images here >

Shave ice for the win

The were excited for baby C to try his first shave ice so we made a special trip to Kailua for a cold treat at Island Snow. He was definitely a fan and by the way, natural syrups are the best! I recommend lychee or lilikoi for tropical goodness. Check out their shave ice mini film below.

Do you wish you could pause time?

Let me help you plan an easy, sweet morning where you can spend time together against a beautiful backdrop and make memories. I’ll help you hold onto this time with a custom video and Hawaii family beach portraits that you will treasure. Find out more about my film and photography sessions here.