All of the above. In general, we never charge for travel between our home bases in any of those locations. After 10+ years working with the LL Bean photography production we have deep roots in Maine, but have always spent winters in San Francisco/Mill Valley, CA and Kailua, Hawaii supporting clients there. We are truly available year round in all areas. San Francisco is our primary year round studio though we are in heavy demand on the coast of Maine in the summer and in Hawaii in the winter. We are passionate about photography and travel, and we are lucky enough to have clients in many parts of the world!

We were already established photojournalists and art directors (link:WEDGE Creative) when we had our own wedding on Malia’s hometown beach in Hawaii. We hired a very talented photographer who actually turned out to be a little pushy and obtrusive. The photographer’s images were good, but their energy took away from our day.

It really was then that we thought that there had to be a better way to photograph a wedding; more like the way we would document a scene in Tibet or India: with respect, perspective and without becoming part of the moment. And now, we’re truly hooked! We love the beauty, the emotion and the hope that weddings represent.

As for photographing families: it’s that same ethic. No need to script the beauty of childhood, and as our wedding couples began to have families of their own, there was no one else that they would trust to capture the energy of being a kid. It all just took off from there.

Well we do have a photojournalism background, so it is important for us capture the story of the people we’re photographing, but we usually describe ourselves as “creative documentarians” when it comes to wedding photography. Meaning, we let your day happen naturally without any interference BUT we do everything we can in advance to set you up for success so that your photos just “happen” to look amazing. No objective journalism here: we are 100% on your team and though we are unobtrusive like a photojournalist, we deploy all our experience and our vast supply of photographic tools to make our clients look incredible and our images as creative as possible. We’re obsessed with art and design, so we always play with those elements and spend hours in advance preparing so we capture really creative images and portraits. Then, while we are actually shooting, people barely know we’re there and it all looks effortless.

Most folks hire us before they actually arrange a meeting in person, both because they want to protect a date in our busy schedule and also because they lead full and busy lives. We can always connect via phone/email/skype at any time. We work with clients in Asia and Europe routinely, and we’ve found that video conferencing is so easy and awesome for check-ins and virtual meetings. We always make time for our clients regardless of the methods used!

We book all our own airfare/hotel/ground transportation, after you approve the price and the cost is just added to your final balance. Easy!

Absolutely. We travel the world for our clients and we also maintain a regional photo session list, so if we’re going to be in your area anyway, we let our clients know and that can save or even sometimes eliminate the cost of travel. Contact us to let us know you’re interested and we can provide you with specific information.

Yes. Those are important elements to any wedding collection but our focus is on the creative portraits, the emotion and candid moments of the day. We cover all the elements you would expect from a wedding photographer, but try to go above and beyond expectations every time.

I’m don’t really like having my photo taken either! (This is Brian here, Malia is a total ham… so I will take this question!) In all seriousness, I’m not a big fan of being photographed. I don’t know what to do and I’m never crazy about how they turn out. Don’t worry. First, within a few minutes of meeting us you’ll realize that we aren’t pushy and most people would say we’re a heck of a lot of fun. We put people at ease in front of cameras for a living! Additionally, just remember that none of the people in the photos on this website are models and many felt the same way you do. The people in our images look the way that they do because they’re really having fun! We guide you through the entire process and you just get to relax. Very quickly most people forget we’re even there, but if you’re really concerned you can always schedule an engagement session with us first, and that always takes away any lingering nerves.

It is always a good idea to have a weather plan, but we are quite used to shooting in all conditions and we really look at rain and snow as another opportunity to be creative. The most important element is that the people in front of the camera are having fun and are madly in love. If you can deal with inclement weather with a sense of humor (and maybe some colorful boots and umbrellas), everything will be fine. All this being said, people often schedule a “day after their wedding” session with us for this very reason. It can be really nice to have an alternative day at the ready just in case the weather is bad.

You don’t need to give us a list of photos you want made. You can look through the 100+ complete weddings or family shoots we have on our website/blog and see that we are very thorough when is comes to photographing weddings and families. That being said, we will be asking for specific details about your wedding day as well as a list of the people you want in your family group photos. More than anything, our clients really want us to do the things we do so well, and give us the freedom to accomplish that.

We are your photographers and we will be there. We care too much about you and our photographs to outsource it to anyone else. That being said, Brian is the lead photographer and Malia is there when available/arranged in advance. If she is not available as a second shooter, we have a very short list of trusted professionals that we work with all the time. But Brian will always be involved from start to finish.

Usually, photos are edited and posted online within ten business days. The photographs we make will be cherished for generations. We take that seriously, and always do what is best for the images.

Use our contact page to tell us a bit about your wedding plans and we can go from there. Once we’ve had a chance to check our availability and connect with you about products and pricing, the actual hiring process is takes about 5 minutes online. Easy!