Planning Your Oahu Hawaii Photo Session

50th Wedding Anniversary Family Portrait - Secret Beach, KoOlina, Oahu Hawaii

Planning is the key to a successful on-location Photo Shoot!!!

See: Photography Gallery - Photo Rates - Popular Photo Session Locations - Clothing Tips - Maps & Directions

Aloha! Welcome to the planning your session section of my website.

My name is Anthony, and I am an Oahu Portrait Photographer. I created this page to help plan out the perfect Oahu photo session.

An on-location photo session is much different than a studio session.

On-location we are in the elements. Hawaii can be super windy, so choosing the proper clothing and preparing hair are super important.

If you are visiting Hawaii and will be on the island for a few days before our photo session, It is essential to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water and protecting your skin with sunscreen.

Review the link directions that were sent to you in our email correspondence. Many clients miss this step and go to the wrong location. Please don't rely on GPS, which could take you to the wrong place.

Arrival: Never Arrive Late. Arrive 10 minutes early. Never arrive more than 20 minutes early.

Once you arrive, we will take a minute to go over the photo session. We would take off our shoes, empty our pockets, surrender our cellphones and focus on the session. 

For large groups, I recommend making a list of must-have photos.

We would start with traditional portraits and then do some candid photos.

Grace Period: Photo sessions run on time, and there is not a grace period.

Clothing: Solid-colored clothing photographs are much better than stripes, plaids, and patterns. Please take a moment to revisit my portfolio and review the photos and see what might work best for you. For overcast days, I recommend a splash of pastel colors. It is always a good idea to bring a change of clothes to the photo session just in case you get wet or dirty. I don't recommend clothing that blends with the sky. It is not recommended to wear your clothes for the photo session while driving to the photo session location. The seatbelt will easily wrinkle your clothes. 

For Sunset photo sessions, wear white at the beginning of the session, then change to dark colors during the golden hour. 

White will reflect light, while black will absorb light.

see clothing ideas

Choosing Matching Hawaiian Attire: I would like to recommend caution when deciding to match Hawaiian attire for a family portrait. At times, some fabric patterns can look busy and take away from the feeling of the photograph. I would recommend choosing possibly one or two matching pieces and then taking solid colors from the pattern for the other family members.

Hair: Have options for hair in case it's windy the day of the photo session. It's always a good idea to bring a brush, comb, hair spray, or jell.

I always say "bad hair, bad picture"!

Makeup: Have touch-up makeup on hand in case of shine.

This I can't overemphasize. It's hard to fix shine in Post-production.

Jewelry: I don't recommend wearing watches or expensive jewelry on location.

What to Bring: Drinking water, a snack, sunscreen, towel, sunglasses, a change of clothing if you wish to get wet during the session.

Security Note: Do not bring expensive items to the photo session. Make good use of your hotel's safe and leave costly items at the hotel. Never leave essential possessions in your unattended parked vehicle.