waves & smiles

My New Blog

2010-10-05T02:09:00.000-07:00

As much as I liked the easy format of this blog my clients weren't finding it and when they did I had such a great response and feedback so I took the plunge and bought one that matched my site :)
Check it out I have not had a chance to upload new images but I will, once I figure the new system out. http://blog.islandreflectionsphotography.com/

Kurowski Family Portrait

2010-08-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

It was my pleasure to photograph this beautiful family. They were so sweet and so excited for their pictures to be taken....well maybe dad wasn't so excited :)but he took one for the team! I got hugs and kisses (from the kids of course) and smiles beyond belief!! Although, as I look back upon these images the oldest, Mr. Kaden, seemed to not at all enjoy the images where he shared the spotlight...he loved the camera once he was alone :) It was really hard choosing images from this session but here are a few of my favorites! Enjoy...

Visit Keiki Couture for these cute handmade T-shirts and headbands

I love Kalei's expression it's like she is saying "Umm.....excuse me bro...I crawl, YOU WALK!"

Love Kaden's face!

This makes me want to sing..."Pearly Shells"

This might be one of my favorites :)

Too cute! It was fun spending the afternoon with you all!

Cloe

2010-08-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Meet Cloe, who is about to be a big sister!! We actually got the wonderful news the day of this shoot! My daughter came along to play and she was a big help. Cloe is my kids 2nd cousin from NY. There a whole lot of Schmidt's on the east end of Long Island that we call cousins, but Cloe is one that I got the honor to photograph this summer while in NY. Seriously, I could probably make a living just off of Schmidt kids LOL AND YES these are her real eyes folks...she's a beauty...can not wait to meet her little sibling next summer...get ready baby!! Congrats David and Candice on your growing family!

Cloe in Courure

Keiki Couture, Handmade Products made on the Garden Isle of Kauai.

Aloha Cloe...see you when your a big sister!!

Beautiful Girls of July!!

2010-07-28T02:01:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to shoot several sessions while visiting family in Long Island, New York this summer. I feel so lucky to be able to bring my work on vacation after all I love what I do so I don't really feel like I am working when I'm shooting :) Here are a few of my favorites from some of my NY sessions.

I'm in NY every summer so if your planning an event for next summer 2011...let me know :)

Seashells and Summertime....

2010-07-27T04:20:00.000-07:00

Photographing these three busy little angels was super fun! They collected a mound of seashells and rocks...who needs props when you have three beautiful kids finding them for you :)

Wait for me!!

OK I really should make these next two their own posts.....this just screams SUMMER TIME!!

Happy Summer!!

Playdate with Anya

2010-07-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

A photo "playdate" with Anya....showing off her Keiki Couture handmade items for baby made right here on the beautiful island of Kauai!

Thanks for letting your grass grow so long Jami and Brian...makes for better pics :)

Having a child play with one of their favorite toys during a photo session will make them comfortable and it will bring you back to the memories of them playing with that special toy long after it's been tossed aside for your child's newest love.

This might be my favorite...:)

Butterflies were dancing past...between the butterflies and Anya's quick little feet I was stoked to see I got a butterfly in the picture!! :)

Even the prettiest models need a break!

Thank you little Miss Anya for being such a good model!!

Baby Bumps

2010-07-18T01:25:00.001-07:00

Such a beautiful time in one's life...carrying a baby inside one's womb. A time I feel should be captured in a photograph... :)

Especially when your as beautiful as this mommy to be!

Events at the Plantation Gardens, Poipu, Kauai

2010-06-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

Plantation Gardens is the setting of a beautiful orchid and cactus garden. It's a great place to relax and have an intimate affair among thousands of blooming orchids or simply a great place to have dinner. Located in Poipu on Kauai's South Shore.

Jason & Jennifer

2010-06-21T04:20:00.000-07:00

It was such a pleasure to photograph these two super cute, fun loving individuals on the summer solstice this June. They were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary and wanted some photographs of themselves together on Kauai's North Shore. It was a fun and BRIGHT afternoon!! Gotta love the longest day of the year!!

Happy Anniversary Jason & Jennifer, may you have many more....

A grand event.....

2010-06-19T00:12:00.000-07:00

Craig and Jill were amazing clients from California whom I had the pleasure to meet prior to their wedding day for an engagement session. I don't often get the chance to meet my off island brides so this really made their event at the Grand Hyatt Resort and Spa on Kauai's South Shore truly stand out as one of my memorable events this month, I felt like I knew these guys for years. Craig and Jill, may you have much bounty in your new journey together as man and wife! Thank you for letting me be a part of your beautiful day!

Congrats Craig and Jill!

Weddings Weddings and more Weddings.....

2010-06-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

June was busy, busy, busy with weddings and portraits...I am grateful indeed to be so blessed with a wealth of amazing clients who let me get creative with them and that I can do what I love to do. On top of all this work I had two busy kids home from school on summer break making my days filled with adventures and sleepless nights left to editing :) Thank you so much to all my JUNE clients for your patients on your longer then normal waits for your pictures and may your lives be richer now that you have your most precious memories captured...here is a preview into one of the events I captured this month....

Melissa & Eric got married out on the Kaneohe Sandbar in Oahu...what an adventure and a truly amazing event! Over 1000 images taken so these are just a few...enjoy :)

Isle of Inspiration

2010-05-24T04:09:00.000-07:00

It's amazing to me sometimes that such natural beauty still exists! I feel so lucky in my life to have spent my days in such beautiful places. To have grown up in one of the most competition rich cities full of culture and inspiration, to have been able to travel to some of the most astounding landscapes and now to have my abode in one of the worlds most beautiful islands. In a modern world so polluted with greed, man-made toxins and structures, to me I find peace and inspiration amongst nature, its silence, its colors and its beauty.

My Nephews!!

2010-05-21T02:38:00.000-07:00

These two handsome boys were the first Schmidt grandkids! My how time flies and how they have grown. These guys had me laughing the whole time photographing them, from the funny faces, silly poses and wrestling matches we had a ball till the sun set! They didn't hold anything back!! That's what is fun about photographing family :) Noah, the handsome older one, was out for his modeling debut and having a ball posing for the camera...he liked this so much I think he may have a promising career in modeling...when he becomes a famous tennis player, I better have the honor to photograph him for a magazine :) Christian, was fun loving and silly, with his striking blue eyes he's bound to win the hearts of many. There is nothing like family to make your heart happy and your smile bright! Family inspires me!

Natures Condos

2010-05-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

My daughter and I were hiking out by our property one afternoon when she stopped and stared at the formation of mushrooms along a log. "MOM, LOOK! It's a hotel for fairies!" Her imagination and innocence inspires me daily!

Baby Hendricks

2010-05-20T01:25:00.000-07:00

This little guy came into this world on the day his mom and I had a maternity session scheduled. That's right! Little Hendricks wanted to have the camera all to himself! Welcome to this beautiful world Hendricks!

Richard & Crystal

2010-05-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

What can I say...these two are awesome! I had the honor of working with these two at Kalaheo Elementary School where I taught part time with Crystal and Richard. It was so fun to reunite with these guys after almost a year. We had some laughs and got those pre-wedding picture jitters out of the way. I was so excited when Crystal called me up to tell me the news of her engagement to Richard and when she asked if I could photograph her wedding I was thrilled and honored. Crystal has always been a big supporter of my photography, I have her to thank for always giving me so much support and encouragement. It's an honor to be able to now photograph her wedding :)

Baby Love

2010-05-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Baby Hili! She was such a pleasure to photograph, so happy and smiley and then in an instant out like a light! Gotta love this stage...gotta love all the stages of life! Being able to capture our favorite stages of our growing children in a photograph makes my heart smile. The teacher in me loves giving and learning new things ever day and it makes my day when I can share and capture this beauty for my clients. This might sound cheesy but it is so true...I love that I can give to you a moment captured in time!!

Celebrating Moms!

2010-05-09T04:34:00.000-07:00

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart walking around outside your body. -Elizabeth Stone

This was a hard session to just choose a few pictures from...there were so many different ones! It was a pleasure working with these talented women, all of whom are artists and photographers. It was an honor to photograph them together along with their little one...oh my she was a bubbly little gem! I felt this session truly captured the essance of Mother's Day and how amazing it is to watch your children grow!

Fresh Produce!

2010-05-07T04:40:00.000-07:00

I'm all about shopping locally as often as possible, what ever I don't grow myself I try to buy it from my local farmers....farmers markets on Kauai are my favorite! You get to meet the people growing your food, talk story and support local agriculture. We are lucky here on the Garden Isle to have a SUNSHINE FARMERS MARKET each day of the week in various locations around the island. Here are a few images from my yard and the market that brought me inspiration one sun shining day :)

Boys Day Flags

2010-05-05T04:14:00.000-07:00

Boys Day is a tradition in Hawaii, passed down from Japanese ancestors. One tradition is to hang one carp flag outside your home for each child in the family. Here we created our own carp flags for boys day with paint and hand prints for scales. It was a fun activity that the children loved!

MAY DAY!!

2010-05-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

This May Day was busy indeed and it was celebrated by a morning wedding on the north shore, a family portrait, a KORE event, making leis at the Kauai Museum and an afternoon of finding shells along the beach! Lucky we live Hawaii!!

Sewing Seeds...

2010-04-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and we are planting our dry season summer garden. Here we were picking wildflowers out of the garden patches and my daughter decided to spread the seeds...since we LOVE wildflowers...

Fresh Fish!

2010-04-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

Catching fish with dad is a favorite pass time for both my daughter and son. Dinner is served, from the ocean to the table....doesn''t get fresher then this!

Earth Day EVERYDAY!

2010-04-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Every Earth Day, we celebrate our home with a hike and a beach clean up. As my family and I stroll thru this north shore valley on our hike we were blown away by all the Nene Geese hanging by all the taro fields. They didn't seem at all phased by us, actually it seemed as though they were checking US out!

Good fun, great hike, with lots of birds and plants to explore....of course my little scientists had their field guides and told us exactly what everything was!

Smile & Wave

2010-04-16T21:37:00.001-07:00

Stoked beyond words!!!

Doesn't get much better then this! Kauai Ocean Recreation Experiance (K.O.R.E) is an amazing non-profit here on Kauai getting Kauai's disabled back in the water. This was by far one of the most heartfelt moments of my life, filled with the most genuine smiles and laughter!

To see more images of event go to www.kauaiphotostudio.com click on client proofs link and find KORE album or visit http://www.korekauai.com/ for more information about how to get involved in this amazing community event. Da real kine beauty and inspiration!

Creative Minds are seldom tidy....

2010-04-13T02:45:00.000-07:00

After a fun art project on color theory inspired by artist, Wassily Kandinsky, I was equally impressed by the "mess" one of my students created. The colors and the spirals of pencil shavings reflected the lesson just as much as the finished project. It also reminded me of a plaque my mom has hanging in her kitchen..."Creative Minds are Seldom Tidy"

Birdie Friend

2010-04-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Since my daughter was a wee-one barely holding herself up in her kiddie pool, birds would come to the edge of her little pool as she played and sit on the pools edge. As she began talking she'd call them "birdie friends". Mynah birds and thrushes would watch her as she played. This image was captured one summer day in eastern Long Island, NY at one of my kids favorite parks. Of all the things to do in NY this is by far my kids favorite place. I enjoy the fact that my kids find energy and comfort in nature!

Gifts....

2010-04-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

I simply love my job! My love for photography has taken me to some of the most beautiful places (some of which I still need to explore) and has introduced me to some of the most inspiring individuals. Being able to capture moments in one's life to me is one of the most amazing gifts I can bring to people.

Whether it be capturing a moment in the celebration of one's engagement or wedding, the anticipation of a new baby or birth of a new child, cherishing family or children, catching the action of surf or sport, the simplicity of a shell or flower, photography is my passion and creating beautiful images is my gift to you!

From Feet to Smiles...

2010-04-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

Here we begin my photo journal.

As my son dances across a beat-up old surfboard on a cloudy north shore day, I watch his little toes glide across it's surface and think...they grow way too quick! This is my way of freezing time & documenting my journey as a photographer thru everyday life images in which I encounter inspiration in some of the most unsuspecting places.