COUPLES PHOTOGRAPHY, WEDDINGS, ENGAGEMENTS
LIGHT, SHADOW, ACTION
When I arrived at the location I saw bright sunlight filtering through the trees and interesting-looking boulders to scramble up on. I was at the fern grotto, mid-morning to photograph a Kauai elopement wedding. I don't shoot many Kauai weddings, by choice, but intimate weddings in gorgeous locations, well, my cuppa tea. Okay, so these two were regal. They posed without me saying anything. I'm not always seeking the ultra-posed look. I find that a gritty snarl can be just as striking as a tender smile. A punch in the arm and a yowl works for me, as does flying out of the surf in a cloud of sea spray. But sometimes it's good to go with the flow. I know by feel when I have the goodies and I know by feel when I have the photoset in the bag, er, memory card. The next step of my process is editing the photos. You have a choice to make here. You can choose standard portraiture or Creative portraiture. Yay!
Mahalo. David Marsh, Kauai photographer specializing in Creative portraiture.
Just engaged at Hanalei Bay, of course they're giddy with joy, tossing up droplets of ocean water into the air as if it were pixie dust. No special effects. A natural visual, gracefully done. Yes, aesthetics are super important to me as a Kauai family photographer. In another recent session, I had a couple holding up two large umbrellas. Well, it was raining. But the angle in which they held the umbrellas wasn't perfect for me, so I had them lower and tilt them to create an interesting symmetry. Bingo! Just something else to make this couples photography session unique and wow-like. Mood. Drama. Dramatic. Passion. Fun. Silly - things on my mind as I shoot. Trash-the-dress photos are not required. Sure I love them. Who doesn't! Okay, here's some more info on what happens after the photo session. I edit your photos right away, sometimes starting within hours. My motto has always been shoot and edit immediately; that's what I do. I aim to deliver the finished photos for a one-hour session within two to three days. If you choose Creative Portraiture (photo beautification) it takes me roughly double the amount of creative time in my edit suite. If you want to know more about the differences between standard and creative portraiture, see the two posts on my blog on this website Creative Portraiture vs Standard Portraiture / Jan 26, 2023 and Photo editing vs photo processing / April 2, 2022 or email/text me.
Nuff said, for now. David
Photography Options
FAMILY/ COUPLES PHOTOGRAPHY
SURPRISE ENAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
SURPRISE ENAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
Kauai’s misty mountains with lush foliage make for stunning photo ops, only it wouldn’t be so verdant without the rain. Still, not everyone wants to have their photo session in a downpour, which is why as a family photographer Kauai, I try to be as flexible as possible in regards to switching times, even the shoot date for portraits photography if possible, at no extra charge.
SURPRISE ENAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
SURPRISE ENAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
SURPRISE ENAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
Hidden, ready, waiting for the predetermined signal, and then in a flash I'm out of anonymity, my camera aimed and taking photos (or video). Surprise engagements take extra planning but so worth it! After the engagement, after you've seen and loved your engagement photos (or video) I'm so ready to be your wedding photographer, ready for sunsets at the beach.
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
SURPRISE ENAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Destination elopements are the staple of Hawaii's photography business. As a Kauai wedding photographer, during the photojournalism portion of the session I love seeking out interesting angles, which adds to the dimension and blends seamlessly as we move to portraits photography.
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT PHOTOGRAPH
Dynamic qualities in photographs
"Sunset hour on a beach, please."
I cannot tell you how many times this request appears in emails and texts to me. Well, it is the name of my website. Duh!
"Yes," I tell the client, " Kauai surprise proposal photography sunset. Awesome!" Kauai has so many stunning beaches, vast stretches of sand, glimmering sunset ocean, and then I start thinking (too much thinking, me thinketh) and in my mind I see a gazillion swimmers and surfers and sunbathers. Everybody loves sunsets. Where to do the session? There are beaches in Kauai that are remote, hardly ever trafficked. Thing is, the ones I know of are not that easy to get to and not very big. So why do I need a big beach? Of course I already know the answer. Candidly, it's not much of a conundrum. A beach with dynamic qualities.
You might ask, what are dynamic qualities? Well, I could also call them beaches with tons of photo op elements. If I'm on a mini-shoot, a remote hardly-ever trafficked beach like Larsons Beach is perfect. But when I'm going for 30, 40 or 50 fabulous images I need to be somewhere where there's more just sparkling ocean and sweeping drifts of sand. Here's some of the things I call dynamic: tide pools, lava rocks, an outrigger canoe lazing in the sand, misty mountains, an iconic pier to sit on sideways, palm trees, jungle, and beach galore! This is why I do most of my photoshoots at Hanalei Bay or Shipwreck Beach or Tunnels Beach. There are other beaches with dynamic qualities but I also have to think of factors such as ease of getting there, parking, safety, bathrooms, etc.
As a Kauai photographer I love it when my clients see their photoset for the first time and they text me, "These are amazing!" 'I love them all!" "They're stunning!" Well, having magnificent dynamic qualities all at a stone's throw is the first stage of making awesome photographs. But the second stage is the big part, the part where my magic really comes into play, the craft of Creative Portraiture!
Once again. 'nuff said, for now
—David
Sunset photography Kauai at the beach
I’m in a forest for a sunset shoot. I place my subject with the sun behind her. It's a blinding sun producing amazing backlighting in her hair, but it's also creating flares in my camera lens and blinding me. Thing is, because I'm in a forest I know I can place her and myself in such a way where tree foliage blocks the harshest rays while still providing enough sun flare for a magnificent shot.
On a beach photographing a family during a sunset, when the sun is setting into the ocean) is slightly trickier. My photo choices are: 1) live with the sun flares in my lens, which can be creative and interesting only the resulting photographs will mostly be in silhouette; 2) To use an enormous volume of photo flash to counter the sun so that I'll be able to capture skin tones—and the resulting photos will likely have a hazy, sultry look, very creative too. Or 3) Wait until the sun is very low in the sky, just minutes from setting, when the light might be magical, especially if the sky is washed in vibrant color. In this tiny window of opportunity, the resulting photos are likely to be my favorites. As a Kauai family photographer I don’t think there’s a bad time of the day for a photoshoot.
Tidbit if trivia. Do you know the three categories of twilight?
- Civil twilight.
- Nautical twilight.
- Astronomical twilight.
MY FAVORITE...uh?
Tidbits about David Marsh Kauai photographer
Tangelos are absolutely delicious. Winter time is citrus time in Kauai and you'll find me at the farmers' market buying tangelos by the crate load. I’m a Kauai photographer who loves sunsets more than sunrises, digs broccoli, cayenne pepper in smoothies, peanut butter but never onto jelly, and guess what? I don't have favorite things, no favorite movie, favorite book, favorite food, favorite color, or favorite most things, and I’ve read thousands of books, seen thousands of movies, tasted more foods than I can name and so on.
I talk to strangers I pass in the street, like, "hi, good morning, nice sneakers."I do the same at the supermarket, in the parking lot at the beach after I’ve finished a photo session. Growing up I was a shy one. Who knew I’d be such a chatter box?
Don’t be surprised to see me walking around with three cameras slung over me during a photo shoot. If I’m your Kauai wedding photographer and we’re doing a session at the beach, I’d sooner have the three cameras on me, each with a different lens rather than a single camera and a backpack of lenses. On the beach, swapping out lenses is not my thing.
I speak one language but at three different speeds, all with an accent that says I was born where…Australia? Nope. South Africa? Nope. Yup, you guessed it, the other place.
Surprise proposals seem to come in waves for me. I won’t shoot a surprise engagement for months, and then all of a sudden, it’s six in row over two weeks.
A minute ago I wrote I don't have any favorite things. Uh, maybe not entirely accurate. Kauai might be my favorite place to live and I love being a Kauai photographer, my favorite profession.
Before I sign off this section with "'nuff said," I want to mention that I write, not just this kind of stuff for my website, but, well, books! I would love a wee bit 'a help here. I mean HERE!
Okay, nuff said, for now.
