Why It's Never Too Late for Engagement Photos in Waikiki & Honolulu

Just because you've been engaged for a while doesn't mean you missed your chance to take beautiful engagement photos. As an Oahu engagement photographer, I work with so many couples visiting Honolulu and Waikiki who decide to capture this season of life, months or even years after saying "yes."

It was one of those "why not" moments where I decided to give a couple a chance to capture something without the usual price tag. I am so glad that I had chosen Dakota and Hector when filtering through my messages.

It was an early morning sunrise session and I had gotten home late the night before from shooting a wedding. I love photographing new couples so I really didn't mind the missed hours of sleep.

My second shooter who is also my good friend Sara had flown in form Colorado to assist me with capturing the Wedding Photos on Oahu. Her flight was scheduled to leave that night and we wanted to squeeze in one more session before she left. I thought it would be fun to do a couples' session together. It would be the same place, same couple but totally different perspectives. Afterall, editing photos is where your individual art style shines through. Although our photos were similar they were far from being the same. All in all it was fun to play around with the different angles and manipulate the light as it peeked through the crevices of the cave and rocky cliffs nearby.

I loved the concept of finding a couple to photograph together. Since it all came together last minute, I posted an advertisement for a free engagement session in Honolulu. Dakota was the first one to respond to my ad and it felt like millions of people responded shortly after. I created a questionnaire and sent it to all the other inquiries. Half of the people who showed interest initially didn't bother filling out my questionnaire and were eliminated as options instantly. I had two days to put this together and although I had a handful of people who did fill out the questions I still felt pulled to respond to Dakota and choose her. It wasn't anything she said, her replies were very short actually, so short that I was nervous she wasn't that interested. I told Sara I had chosen someone and given her a time and place and we would hope for the best. Without a deposit, there wasn't much commitment so all I could do was hope that she was a real person who intended to show up.

On my end, I was the one advertising for a FREE ENGAGEMENT SESSION! Nobody does that and nobody in their right mind would do that the day after shooting a wedding in Oahu. I was feeling overambitious, that's for sure!

"I didn't think it was real." Dakota had screenshotted my Ad and sent it to her fiance'. It was too good to be true, it had to be a spam. She told me all of this half way through our session. I am so glad I was able to ease her mind by showing up and even happier that she felt comfortable with me to have told me this information. It made me laugh but I completely understood her hesitation.

Of all the couples I could've chosen, I'm glad I had chosen Dakota and Hector. It was a strong urge to go with her but I had no reason why I chose her over other couples other then God's intervention.

Dakota and Hector are the kind of couple that doesn't need to try hard. Being near them you can feel their connection and you can see how deeply they care for one another as they speak and look at each other.

What I didn't know at the time was that behind her hesitation wasn't so much doubt in me, it was the weight of her past year. Dakota and Hector had gone through something unimaginable. For most people, an engagement is usually filled with excitement and celebration but for them it didn't feel like the right time to celebrate their good news with the world.

Once I learned this, our engagement photography session was no longer about cheap photos or a quick photo shoot.

It was about giving them space.

Space to breathe.

Space to just be together.

Space to quietly hold onto something good after a really hard season.

I'm really grateful I got to be a small part of something they needed when they needed it most.

This is your reminder that your story can be captured at any stage, newly engaged, been engaged or just because. Who cares about the timeline, as long as the phase in your life is captured eventually.