Why Hire a Local Hawaii Photographer for Your Family Session?
the Are you and your family on the hunt for the perfect photographer to document your upcoming tropical vacay to Hawaii? The one you’ve been planning for months and looking forward to for what seems like, well. . . forever? We get it—vacations like these aren’t easy to put together, but when you finally land on that tarmac, step out of that plane with your kiddos, and see those blue skies and palm trees, it makes it all worth it. As a professional team of Hawaii family photographers serving the Big Island, Oahu, and Maui, we wanted to share why we believe it’s so important to hire a local photographer for your Hawaii family session, rather than fly someone in to work with you. Let’s dive right in and get you ready for your time in paradise!
Why Hire A Local Photographer for Your Family Session in Hawaii?
1. We know just how special those family vacations are
Above all else, we want you to know that we understand just how special vacations like these are. I’m a toddler mom myself and am all too familiar with the wild and unpredictable nature of even the most well-planned out, meticulously-structured family vacations—and that’s exactly why I founded Wilde Sparrow in the first place. I wanted to offer families a way to reframe those moments that can often be looked at as frantic, overwhelming, or stressful into ones that actually deserve to be appreciated, noticed, and treasured forever. Because believe it or not, you’ll eventually look back at those times of chaos just as fondly as you will the ones that looked a little more “perfect” from the outside!
As soon as you arrive in paradise, our job is to make sure your worries blow away with the ocean breeze; that your stress melts just as quickly as the shaved ice you enjoy beneath the blazing island sun 😉 We’re all about freezing the best moments of your vacation and turning them into memories you’ll look back on forever—and when you hire local photographers who know firsthand how special any time spent on these beautiful islands is, you can trust that you’ll be in the best of hands. We’ll do our best to help you show up as prepared as possible, but to also remind you that family sessions are best when you can go with the flow, and allow plenty of space for those magical, candid, organic moments to thrive.
Take a peek at this sweet Kaanapali Sunset Session we photographed recently to see how we captured the most adorable family on their Maui vacation!
2. We know all the best beaches for portraits
On a more practical level, hiring local Hawaii photographers means that you’ll get all the best location recommendations in the area. There’s simply nothing that compares to working with a team who knows the ins & outs of every beach on the Big Island, Oahu, and Maui—not just the most popular ones that visiting photographers might be able to suggest. Because we specialize in beach portrait sessions and are actual residents of the island sourselves, we’ve got a massive list of spots that we know through and through, both from personal experience as visitors with our own loved ones and as professional photographers directing sessions. We have breathtaking shoreline locations available all around Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island, all of which are subject to permit availability (which we’ll touch on more in just a minute)!
One of the things we love to brag about most here at Wilde Sparrow is our exclusive Client Lounge—aka an in-depth client portal that you’ll get an invitation to as soon as you book a session with us. You’ll receive immediate access to a super robust location guide filled with all of our favorite spots—all of which you can trust have been vetted in great detail based on available light, crowds, accessibility, and more. We constantly get RAVE reviews from our clients about our Client Lounge, because when we give you all of our expert recommendations, you can focus on the stuff that’s more important: spending quality time with your family and being present in paradise. Whether you want a backdrop of dramatic lava rocks or you’d prefer to stroll along white sandy shorelines, we’ve got you covered.
P.S. We’ll always take your family’s accessibility needs into account, and have a multitude of location recommendations that offer easier beach access!
Worried about avoiding all the tourists? Check out these Family Photos in Honolulu, which were taken bright & early at sunrise so that we could beat the crowds.
3. We know the islands like the back of our hands
We like to think of ourselves as both your expert photography crew and your personal island guide—because we’ll never just leave you hanging once we go our separate ways at the end of our session! Since our entire team lives in Hawaii, we love to provide our clients with all of our favorite recommendations, be it the restaurants we’re drooling over at the moment, the hikes we love to take on the weekends with our own loved ones, or the beaches that look the most beautiful during the current season.
Whether you’re exploring the Big Island, Oahu, or Maui, our team has an abundance of recommendations to make not only your session, but your entire Hawaii experience as magical as can be! Looking for the best spot to grab shaved ice on a hot day? Just ask. Want to find the yummiest poke near where you’re staying? We got you. The best beaches to watch the sunrise? Heck yeah, we’ve got plenty! It’s our goal to provide the best possible service to you from the moment you arrive in Hawaii and kick off your tropical escape, whether you’re looking for things to do, places to eat, spots to shop, session styling, custom tropical flower crowns. . . we’ll be there every moment in a way that non-locals just can’t.
Want to get a sneak peek at some of our best recommendations before you book with us and get access to our Client Lounge? Check out a few of our most loved blog posts below!
🌺 5 Kid Friendly Oahu Activities
🌺 Our Top 10 Big Island Activities
🌺 5 Best Waikoloa Dinner Spots
🌺 Best Outdoor Restaurants on the Big Island, Hawaii
Browse through even more Hawaii tips & recommendations here!
4. We work legally and obtain all proper permits
Permits have become a bit of a controversial topic in Hawaii in recent years, primarily between Hawaii locals/residents and visitors. The very first thing you need to know right off the bat is that your photographer will need to get a permit in order to use any state or county beaches! But don’t worry for a second: we’ll take care of this for you. Even though we handle it all on our end, we do believe it’s important for both photographers and clients to be educated going into any type of photography session in Hawaii, so that we can all pass along the correct information and inform as many people as possible.
The most important thing we need you to know about the state of Hawaii’s permitting regulations is that unfortunately, not every beach is available for commercial work 🙁 Meaning we can’t just pop over to a little beach you saw while you were driving around the island. I know, I’m sorry! We have to do our due diligence to make sure we work at permitted locations and follow the rules, which is why we provide our clients with a location guide featuring very specific beaches. We know exactly which ones we’re allowed to take you to, so it won’t fall on you to do your research and find a beach. However, it doesn’t hurt to reach out to us if you do see a spot that’s not on our list, and we can confirm whether or not we can get a commercial permit there.
Now if our list of locations feels a little overwhelming, that’s totally okay—we’ll provide you with our very own recommendation based on the time of day, lighting, weather, and vibe of your session!
Permits are one of the BIGGEST reasons we wholeheartedly believe that working with someone local is absolutely the way to go when it comes to photography sessions in Hawaii. When you work with someone who has gone through the process many times and understands how to do it properly, you can be confident going into your session that you’re following the rules, and playing an important role in protecting these stunning lands that we get to enjoy (and that many of us call home!).
If you’d like to learn more about the process of getting Hawaii photography permits, we encourage you to read through our entire breakdown here.
5. We know how to deal with unpredictable weather
One thing is for certain when it comes to planning a Hawaii family session: you never know what kind of weather you’re going to get!
Often we’ll have parents coming to us saying that the weather app says it’s going to rain the day of their session, and here’s what we always say: put that dang app away! Island weather is as unpredictable as it is beautiful, so it’s nearly impossible to plan for exactly what you’ll get. It might be pouring rain one minute and the next, those misty clouds are disappearing to make way for the most gorgeous sunset you’ve ever seen.
Depending on the island you visit and which part of the island your session will be taking place, certain seasons see quite a bit more rain, wind, and storms than others—and this is something we’ll always take into account when helping you choose the time and date of your session. We live here, so we know exactly how to deal with the wild weather that Mother Nature may decide to throw at us, as well as how to go with the flow (rain pun intended!) no matter the scenario.
If the weather really is not cooperating on the day of your session, we’ll work hard to find a time to reschedule the session before your trip ends. Best-case scenario? We find a new location nearby where it’s not raining—because like we said, different parts of the island can see completely different weather conditions at the exact same time! We’ll also keep a backup rain date and time reserved for you just in case; this may be a different time of day, or with a different photographer on our team. But rest assured, we’ll always make every attempt to bring your dream session to life, rain or shine. Adaptability is key, friends!
6. We know the importance of supporting local, too!
Finally, we don’t just talk the talk: we walk the walk. We understand just how important it is to support local, too, which is why our entire team is made up of photographers who live in Hawaii themselves. It’s one thing to call Hawaii your favorite annual vacation destination; it’s a whole separate thing to call Hawaii home. We pride ourselves on supporting the local community we know and love as much as possible (even offering a lifetime 10% discount to kama’aina!), which is why we wrote this entire blog post encouraging you to do the same.
Learn more about our incredible, Hawaii-based photography team here!
Hawaii Family Photography Team
So, what do you say? Are you ready to have your time in paradise captured by the most amazing, local Hawaii photography team? We may be slightly biased, but we’d say we’re pretty dang good at what we do—and so would all of our raving clients. When you book your session with us, you’ll receive the following in your exclusive Client Lounge:
- Custom outfit styling tool
- In-depth What to Wear guide
- Session location guide
- Island visitor guide
- What to expect during your session
And so much more! Learn more about our family, maternity, and couples sessions, and then inquire with us when you’re ready to plan your once-in-a-lifetime photo experience. We can’t wait to make all of your Hawaii vacation dreams come true!
