KELLEY & ROB : DESTINATION ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY, OAHU HAWAII

Photographing Kelley and Robs engagement was so much fun.  I knew how much they love the water, and they let me be creative with it.   I asked them to tell you their story to go along with their amazing pictures.

When Robbie and I met, we were fourteen; we actually met the summer before we both made the awkward transition into high school.  Although we both had slight crushes on each other in the beginning, this quickly faded as immature high school relationships typically do.  We were strictly friends throughout high school and when Robbie moved our senior year, we heard about each other often as our family friends and social groups continued to unite our worlds.

When Robbie served his mission in Detroit, I sent him one letter.  Undoubtedly it was his favorite letter received.  Not because it said anything important but because it was written on the back of a page ripped out of Surfer Magazine.  I guess I knew how hard it must have been for him to be so far away from the ocean that had practically raised us both.

As soon as I returned from my mission in Russia this last October, Robbie flew home from BYU-Hawaii for Thanksgiving break.  He made the drive up to Santa Barbara to surf Rincon and casually come pay me a visit.  That trip up the coast changed everything for us.

Since our engagement day, Robbie and I have been excitedly waiting to take our engagement pictures with Mark.  Mark is so fun to work with mostly because of his great epiphanies he envisions with clients.  He’s very good at improvising and building upon what is coming at him through the lens.

One of the most unique features of Mark’s photography is his ability to be in the water with his clients.  For both Robbie and I the water is everything.  His underwater portraits are what made us fall in love with his work.  It is something so unusual that nobody else does and something that we had to have to remember our “young and in love” stage of life.



ALAIA SURF BOARD VIDEO : LAIE HAWAII

I have shaped about 20 surfboards over the years but this is my first alaia.  As I was working on it I tried to involve my two kids as much as possible.  They both did a lot of sanding and we even went to the Bishop Museum to research the design. I took the board to surf club today, this clip is of two of the boys from Halau Nalu riding it, I think they did an amazing job for their first time.

Alia Surf Board Hawaii from Mark Lee on Vimeo.

ALL GIRLS SURF SHOOT : MALAEKAHANA BEACH PARK OAHU HAWAII

So most of you that check my blog regularly know that I am much better at photography than writing.  So I decided to ask Katie Speed one of the girls below to be a guest blogger and talk about our shoot at Melaekahana Beach Park.  Make sure to check out her etsy site, she is an amazing artist and full of style.  Enjoy.

First a bit about myself, my name is Katie Speed, I was born and raised in Las Vegas but now live in Hawaii.  I have my own little family consisting a husband and a baby girl.  I graduated from BYU with a BFA in fine arts where i did lots of oil painting.
I’m the one in the pictures with the brown top with flowers by the neck.  I’ve been spending a lot of time working on my Etsy shop lately.  It’s called Pretty Swell (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrettySwell) where i sell fabric flower garlands and other fabric flower items.

A few years ago  the 5 girls in these pictures all met in Hawaii and became friends quickly.  True friendships are a rare thing… how about 5 TRUE  friendships at once!    We do lots of things together and one of them is surfing.  Life got going and before we new it we were all pregnant and one of our dear friends was moving away.  We all regreted not taking the time to get some pictures of us all surfing together.  Earlier this week, as a birthday present, our dear friend Shira returned to Hawaii to visit us!  Having always wanted pictures of us surfing together we decided to book a water session with Mark to try and capture what it’s like to surf with 5 of your closest friends (a really good time!)  The shoot was a good time we set up some of the shots but mostly we were just goofing off and having a great surf session.  It was a great way to sort of document this time of our lives and our strong friendships.

Malaekahana Beach Park Hawaii Surf Photography from Mark Lee on Vimeo.

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RELL SUNN MENEHUNE CONTEST : MAKAHA HAWAII SURF PHOTOGRAPHY

This last weekend I took the family to the Rell Sunn Menehune contest at Makaha on the west side of Oahu.  We had an incredible time and saw some amazing surfers.  The contest was for kids from 4 to 12, it was crazy to see these kids charge waves that were at lest twice their height.  I really love being a surf/ water photographer,  during the contest  I was able to be in the water with the kids and shoot them up close, I also got a few shots from the beach with my telephoto lens.  A big congratulations to Jordan, she got 5th place in her age division, that is a huge accomplishment for how big the waves were that she  had to surf.  She is in the seventh picture down.

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KINGA & JANUSZ: HAWAII SUNRISE WEDDING

I think this was the earliest wedding I have ever photographed,  It was 5am when I meet Kinga and Janusz at Turtle Bay for a 5:30 sunrise.  We drove up the North shore to a secluded beach, it rained all the way there and as soon as we got to the beach it stopped.  After the ceremony and a few shots at Keiki beach, we headed over to Waimea bay to photograph them underwater.  Kinga did a great job, it is a lot harder then it looks to swim with a wedding dress on.  Thank you for a fun morning, I really enjoyed being part of your Hawaii sunrise wedding.

HALAU NALU : LAIE HAWAII CHILDRENS SURF PHOTOGRAPHY

Another school year starts and so does Halau Nalu, and the kids were all awesome.   Especially this blondie, and yes I am allowed to say that because he is only 3, and he rips and he is my boy.  I love doing surf photography for Halau Nalu, the kids are so energetic, talented and fun to shoot.

BECKY & DOUG : HAWAII ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Congratulations Doug and Becky!  I had a great time photographing this gorgeous couple, and I think these pictures really represent who they are.  We did the shoot in Doug’s backyard, what an amazing place to live in Hawaii.  Doug and I both have hobie cats on this beach and for some of these shoots I was on one catamaran while they were on the other.  It was harder to shoot from a moving boat than I thought.  I love shooting engagement and wedding photographs on, around or in the water.  Thanks Doug and Becky for making my job so fun.

LEAH & GEOFF : HAWAII UNDERWATER PORTRAITS

I really love shooting underwater portraits, whether it is for weddings, engagements, families or a couple who wants some cool pictures.  I was excited and honored when friend and fellow photographer, Leah Wright, told me she was coming for a Hawaii vacation and wanted some underwater pictures of her and her husband.  I was even more excited when she agreed to trade for family pictues.  She is an amazing photographer. I love the feel and style of her photography, you can check her out here .

 

PHOTOGRAPHER TURNED CONSTRUCTION WORKER

About two months ago we bought a house here in Hawaii.- a total fixer upper.  I decided to take a month off blogging and not do as many photo shoots so that I would have time to fix it up myself.  That month has come and gone and I am still working on the house, while balancing photography work and family life.  I have been going crazy because I have a lot of shoots to post but just haven’t had the time.  Here are a few shots from one of the recent weddings on the North Shore  and a water shoot with a fun couple.

I will aslo be posting some before and after pictures of our house,  I have been documenting the whole experence.