R.I.P. Steve Jobs

I was saddened to hear of the passing of one of the greatest individuals of our time.  Steve Jobs inspired millions to "think different" and in doing so literally changed the world with his unique vision and his approach to computers and technology. He was the Leonardo Da Vinci of our generation.

In this commencement speech from a few years ago he shares a few stories about his life, but what I find most inspiring is what he says towards the end.

" Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.  Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking.  Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.  Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary"

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Melissa & Sean

 Melissa & Sean were wed on the beach at Kapalua Bay on January 22, 2011. 

Before the bride arrived by limo, I was told that she would be arriving unescorted. Her father was not able to be there to walk her down the aisle.

When Melissa finally arrived, I had the chance to take some detail shots of her flowers before we all headed down to the beach. I noticed that she carried a photo of her father with her and also wore a bracelet with the inscription "Always with you, Dad".

I had a feeling that this would be a special wedding to shoot and my hunch was proven correct as we all walked down to the beach for the ceremony.  From out of nowhere, a butterfly came down and landed on Melissa's bouquet right next to her father's picture. 

 It started drizzling a little but luckily the weather held up as the ceremony got underway.

Just before we left the beach to go to the reception, we got an amazing sunset.

The reception was held at the Mai Tai Lounge in Lahaina. This was one of the first times I've attempted to photograph a wedding using 2 flashes.  I used my 580EX on camera, and an SB-26 on a lightstand triggered with a Pocket Wizard.

This setup came in very handy when I photographed the cake.  I bounced the 580EX into the overhanging roof and used the SB26 as a rim light.

To represent the traditional father-daughter dance, the bride danced with her cousin.  I was suddenly compelled to think of a special shot for this, so I got her bouquet with her father's picture and tried shooting it from different vantage points around the reception area.  I finally found this one that worked best.  The 580 EX is again bounced from the overhanging roof and the SB26 on the lightstand is directly behind the bride and her cousin.

Congratulations Melissa & Sean!

Ayako & Shinsuke

Ayako and Shinsuke had their ceremony at Makawao Union Church on January 17, 2011.

Shot this with the Canoon 85mm f1.2 L lens.  Really like what it does to backgrounds.

This was a planned surprise by the bride.  This was the first time she had ever kissed her father in her life and his reaction was perfect!

The reception was at Pacifico restaurant in Lahaina, so we had the chance to take some shots on the beach.

The bride had just glanced over at her husband when I saw how the water sparkled behind her. "Don't move! Don't move!" I shouted as I ran across the beach to get into position to make the shot below.  She must have though I was crazy. LOL

Congratulations Ayako & Shinsuke!　いつまでもおしあわせに！

Hannah & Micah - My first wedding couple of 2011

 What a great way to start off the new year! Hannah and Micah were my first couple of 2011 and they were truly a joy to work with.  The ceremony was held at Makena Cove about a week after I got back from Japan last month.

I really enjoy photographing brides who are adventurous enough to let me attempt shots like this one where the Hannah is reclining on some very jagged lava rocks.  Not the most comfortable position in the world, but when you shoot it with a 85mm 1.2 lens, it looks sweet!

They also had a butterfly release right after the ceremony which was cool. I really like shooting these because you never know what to expect.

Sometimes if you're lucky, a couple of them might decide to hang around for a while...

I've been experimenting more and more with trying to shoot everything with natural light as I really like the look of it.

Congratulations Hannah and Micah! Thank you for helping me get the new year off to a great start!

Starting a new blog for our wedding/event coverage

Aloha and welcome to the official blog for Island Production Group.  This site will be devoted to sharing some of the special images we create with our wedding clients as well as behind the scenes tips and tricks used to create them.  If you have questions regarding how a particular image was done, please feel free to ask.