We were fully immersed in the Okinawan culture, and it was wonderful!  We met Alli and the rest of the members of the Teishin Kai Hawaii Shibu at the Hawaii Okinawa Cultural Center. The shoot itself was held in the business/information center, and we were surrounded by cultural artifacts and books pertaining to the Okinawan culture. The members greeted us graciously as they patiently awaited their turn in front of our backdrop. We busily went to work taking photos of each member for their upcoming “Tii Atu:  Reminiscing About the Past While Looking Toward the Future” performance program. The performance will feature 40 performers from Hawaii and 13 performers from Okinawa. The mission of the Teishin Kai Hawaii Shibu  group (which was founded in 2002) is to perpetuate and promote Okinawan culture, especially through music and dance. The performance will take place on October 5, 2013 at the Leeward Community College Theatre from 2:00-5:30 p.m. If you would like to attend the Teishin Kai Hawaii Shibu 10th anniversary performance, call 286-2220 for more information.

Here are just a few headshots…I wish I could have posted a photo of everyone in this post. You all looked fantastic!  Thank you for being so patient and flexible with your schedules 🙂  We are also extremely honored to be the official photographers for the performance…stay tuned for more photos from the upcoming 10th anniversary performance!

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Little Emily arrived to our photo shoot bright eyed and happy. We thought we were in for a challenging (but fun) shoot because Emily is our oldest newborn shoot to date (we like to see our newborns within the first 2 weeks of life), but I told mom that we would plan for a newborn shoot, and if it didn’t work out, we would do a family photo shoot.  Big sis, Maggie, knew how to pose for family and sibling shots (she’s a pro, click HERE for her previous shoot with us). After our family shots, baby Emily nursed and fell right to sleep…and didn’t wake up for the rest of her shoot.  Amazing! She ended up being one of our easiest shoots (in terms of keeping baby asleep).  Mom and Dad, thank you for driving out and introducing us to Emily, and it was great to see Maggie again!  Here’s your sneak peek:

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Her smile lit up the room! It was great to see Kendall…we couldn’t believe how much she had grown since her newborn shoot with us (click HERE to see Kendall’s newborn shoot). Kendall gave us so many smiles, it took me forever to narrow down the photos for this post. So many cute and different smiles…too many to choose from. Her big sister Kaitlyn (5 years old) was so calm, and was such a good sport! Kaitlyn was a pro at our shoots (click HERE to see Kendall’s previous shoot with us, along with links to earlier shoots with us).  Mom was worried that bringing both girls would be difficult, but our shoot was a breeze  🙂  Kaitlyn had mom’s calm demeanor, and little Kendall hammed it up for our camera…we couldn’t have asked for a better set of models!  Thanks for making the drive out, Mom…here’s your sneak peek:

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He was the sweetest little man, we loved little Mikey’s polo shirts and jeans! Click HERE to see his previous shoot with us. Michael’s temperament was even and calm, yet he showed intense interest in how things worked (car wheels, trunk lids, etc.) SO inquisitive. I could almost see the gears turning in his head.  His gentle smile made all of us smile back, and he has the best Mom and Dad…ever. Thank you for coming out to see us, we’re so glad that Mikey was over his cold 🙂  Here’s your sneak peek:

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Oahu is such a small island! Mom said she found us via the internet. She later realized that she knew Edson because they worked together previously. At the time of the shoot, I also found out that I worked with Mom’s aunt.  Maybe this shoot was destined to take place!  We couldn’t have asked for a better model  🙂  Hayden was a doll…she was sweet, demure, and had a ton of personality. I LOVED her smile…it spanned from ear to ear, and literally lit up her face (which of course made us all smile). Thank you for coming out to see us, Mom and Dad! Here’s your sneak peek:

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Dear Edson,

By now, you have clicked on the blog and are probably somewhat surprised and a little mortified to see a post dedicated to you. My poor husband…I know you absolutely HATE attention and would rather fade into the background than to ever have anyone call any attention to you. Your wardrobe most likely consisted of black, grey, navy and an assortment of browns since the day you were born. You probably never volunteered for “Show and Tell” a day in your life (unlike your wife, who was told to “let other people have a chance” during her preschool’s “Share Time”).  Yet, how could I let your special day go by without acknowledging how much you mean to me…how much you mean to Bradley…how much you mean to our photography business.  You patiently tolerate me and my numerous “demands”…yes, anyone that has been to a shoot knows that he carries our 500 pound camera bag and all of our supplies. He also doubles as many cartoon characters (recently, Yo Gabba Gabba!) to get our little ones to smile for the camera. I know it initially pained you to dance around and act silly in front of others, but somehow you seem to forget your self-consciousness in front of children. You were meant to be a dad  🙂  Thank you, thank you, thank you for being the best husband and partner, EVER! I love you. Happy Birthday 🙂

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Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!  Thank you to those in the past that fought for our freedom, as well as the men and women that currently strive to keep us independent and free.  Free to live…free to express ourselves…free to dream 🙂  Happy Independence Day!

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It has only been a couple of months, but David seemed like such a big boy this time around! Click HERE to see his previous shoot with us. Mom said that he even had two haircuts since our last shoot. David sported an impressive shock of soft, dark brown hair…don’t you just want to reach out and touch it?!  In a few short months, he added sitting up unassisted, clapping, and smiling on cue to his repertoire. He particularly enjoyed the “name song” that mommy sang (I had that song running through my head the entire night…now I can spell his name without even thinking!) Mom also brought a particularly meaningful set of props to David’s shoot. Prior to his birth, she spent several years in the military. She was stationed in various countries, including Iraq, and wanted to commemorate her years of service by including her cap and boots in some shots with David.

Thank you Mom and Dad for driving over, it was wonderful to see all of you again! Hugs to our smiley little guy 🙂  Here’s your sneak peek:

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I can’t believe it’s been over 6 months since we’ve seen little Maverick in our studio! Click HERE to see Maverick’s newborn shoot. He had the same gentle soul, with big brown eyes that could melt any heart. He also lasted through a number of wardrobe changes (just like his big sis, Maile, when she was his age!). Patience runs in your family, Maverick!  Lots of baseball-themed shots for you, Dad 🙂  Thanks, Mom, for driving out to see us.  Here’s your sneak peek:

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Even though she was over a month old, little Ella was still so tiny and precious…and she slept incredibly well for us! We usually try to schedule our newborn shoots within the first two weeks of birth for optimal newborn photos, but because of recent events and Mother’s Day, we had to photograph Ella at 5 weeks. Mom and Dad were so patient and easy to work with, thank you! A huge thank you also goes out to Zoey’s mom for the referral…we love it when our clients send us referrals (at least that means that you were happy enough with your photos to refer someone else to us, LOL!). Ella, you were amazing!  Mom and Dad, thanks for being so patient with your sneak peek:

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