Jen & Mike {Oahu destination wedding}

posted January 30, 2012 in Weddings

Ohana.

This simple word means so much in Hawaiian: family. Even if you are a friend, you are treated like ohana when you come to Oahu.

Jen & Mike treated me like a friend making for such an enjoyable experience in Oahu, Hawaii for their wedding last Saturday. They both were super easy going and laid back, a joy to be around. I was honored to be a part of such a wonderful celebration of love filled with love & laughter. Not only that, but I got a chance to spend a few extra days with family on the island, recharging my vitamin-D deficient solar battery.

Thank you, Jen & Mike for inviting me to play such an important role on your wedding day!

This is the first wedding I photographed using a PhaseOne medium format digital camera system as my primary tool. I couldn’t be happier with the decision, especially considering the pressure of shooting a Hawaii destination wedding! I share some thoughts on shooting MF digital here. Image quality aside, one of the biggest differences enjoy shooting medium format digital instead of a Nikon D4 or Canon 1D Mark IV is the 4:3 aspect ratio, perfect for easy printing at 16 x 20 without cropping. This is a good thing considering Jen & Mike’s upgraded their album to a massive 16” x 20,” which means when spread open their wedding album will cover the entire coffee table!

A bit of geeing out: While the P1 will accompany me on most shoots, it won’t replace my dual D700s which I still rely on to capture moments during the ceremony and reception. The P1 will come out for creative portraits when time permits, as shooting with it requires a bit more diligence to focus, a good thing when it comes to slowing down and enjoying the wedding day. The detail and clarity is amazing and there is a far greater ability to retain highlight detail and retain shadow detail in one exposure instead of multiple exposures with tedious post processing. Off to the First Look… I do love the richness and details in this image… the trees, the wood, Waikiki background, the moment… she sees her husband just before heading to the ceremony: Love the feeling on this one!The bridal party were great to be around and the guys offered shlep some of my lighting equipment before some photos on Waikiki beach at sunset. Pinch me!Love the simplicity of this image and the story it represents: One of my favorite shots of the guys! Drama, editorial feel thanks to the PhaseOne 645DF with astounding clarity and ability to sync at 1/400 sec, perfect for fill flash on the beach.Making party stars! Kudos to the wonderful team of wedding vendors who did a fabulous job: Ceremony and reception at the Hilton Hawaiian Village near Waikiki beach with wonderful coordination by Jennifer Kahunahana at Savvy Coordination. Stand-up comic Teley Brandon at Showtime Djs kept energy alive. Florals by Spinning Web and Hair / Makeup by Maleana.