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Lanikai Beach Family Photo Session | From Makai to Mauka

family watching sunrise over the mokes from Lanikai beach

A change of plans

One of the great perks of being a professor is the option to take a sabbatical. You can take a year off to work at a different university or on a special project or just travel. Why don’t they allow that for more professions because it sounds amazing? This family hit a snag in their plans – COVID. Their trip coincided with the start of hte pandemic and ultimately rerouted them from Italy to Hawaii – Lanikai Beach specifically. Less romantic, but not a bad place to spend a year.

Sunrise to Sunset, makai to mauka

They asked me to document their days in photos and video to remember their time in Hawaii. We simply strolled down the street from their house and met at the beach for sunrise. After much running, hugging and general silliness on the beach, it was time to jump in.

We launched a paddleboard and the kids took turns steering and jumping off, but the clouds were stubborn that day and the water was a bit chilly. We didn’t last long under the winter clouds. No worries, we would meet again that afternoon for part II of our adventure – a hike above their Lanikai home.

< click play to watch their family below >

< and see a sample of their images here >

mom and daughter hug
closeup of a toddler boy with freckles
mom and daughter hug with the mokulua islets behind at sunrise
Lanikai Beach Family Photo Session
closeup of siblings laughing
family playing at lanikai beach
kids loving on mom in hawaii
girl spinning at the beach
kids loving on dad during a family photo session at lanikai beach
dad and son playing at the beach
portrait of mom and son smiling
parents watching kids play in the water at lanikai beach
dad and daughter portrait oahu hawaii
mom kissing daughter on the forehead
boy paddleboarding at lanikai
mom and son play in the water at lanikai beach
family playing at lanikai beach
family on paddleboards at lanikai beach
underwater portrait of a boy swimming at lanikai beach oahu

Oahu Memories, Part II: Lanikai Pillbox Hike

We met again that evening at the Lanikai pillbox trail. It was a hike they make regularly and they sped up the mountainside, skipping and hopping happily along. The howling winds encouraged us to keep moving. We got a little carried away by the pretty pastel sky and muted landscape and walked too far. Soon night was setting and we had to rush back. It was a long day and a great memory from the place they once called home.

lanikai pillbox trail
boy on the lanikai pillbox trail oahu
boy examining the view from the top of the lanikai pillbox hike oahu
mom and daughter on a windy day
night blooming cerus on the lanikai pillbox trail
girl resting on a windy ridgeline lanikai pillbox hike
family hikes along the lanikai pillbox trail at sunset
siblings taking a hike break to share a laugh
racing home at sunset from the lanikai pillbox trail

Do you have plans to visit Oahu?

Let’s plan a fun morning do something you will actually enjoy so you can make family memories and take home beautiful images. Find out more about my family photo + video sessions here.

heather@hilittlebird.com

tel : 808.783.3602

Serving Oahu + all Hawaiian islands

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