Little Bird Blog

Celebrating a first birthday with a family film When people reach out for Hawaii family beach portraits to celebrate a first birthday, I always get excited. It’s like being an auntie. I get to experience all the joys and extreme cuteness of a baby with none of the cleanup, work, or sleep deprivation. To make […]

The Incident I was on the edge of a cold bleacher seat watching a fast-paced futsal game when the panicked text came in. It was a hair emergency. A home hair cut gone wrong with a slip of the clippers and now a little boy was bald. Fortunately, Chevas and here family live on Oahu […]

A Big Move During a Pandemic As much as my kids have struggled in response to the pandemic, my heart breaks for those who moved to Hawaii just as the world was shutting down. A new home and a new school can be daunting enough but then to be isolated and unable to make new […]

There’s Something About Hawaii It’s such a delight to photograph families on vacation. Everyone is relaxed, happy and ready for a bit of adventure. I get to show them some of my favorite places and seeing their joy makes me fall in love with Hawaii all over again. One thing that surprised me when I […]

Going for the Record My 3-year-old niece screamed in protest. A look of pure terror washed over her face before she dissolved in a puddle of hysterical sobs. All this because my sister walked too close to the water. I looked out at the seemingly benign expanse of blue ocean as it lapped gently at […]

A Final Photo Session It would be my last family photo session, although I didn’t know it at the time. It was early March and news of the coronavirus was escalating quickly. Campaigns on handwashing and “shakas not handshakes” had just begun to circulate and visions of our own upcoming travels still danced in our […]

Awkward When we chatted before her session Marianne told me she was awkward in front of the camera and preferred a more candid approach to family photos. “Me too”, I replied. In all honesty, I hate having my photo taken and scheduling photo sessions for my own family is a painful experience. But the resulting […]

Dangerous Marine Life Spotted My go-to spot for photo sessions in the Ko olina area is Paradise Cove. However, on this particular morning, the public parking lot was roped off with a curious sign that read “Dangerous marine life spotted in this area.” Dangerous marine life? My mind reeled. What on earth could it be? […]

The Trials + Tribulations of Family Photography My images showcase happy families playing, exploring and loving one another. And yet, I don’t want to give you the impression that all family photography sessions are butterflies and rainbows. The little people in our lives are fickle creatures, especially when traveling and in a new environment. These […]