KA‘ANAPALI – MAUI’S FUN COAST

Ka‘anapali is fit and trim, manicured from its lu`au lawns to its golf tees. The hotels possess gourmet dining rooms, lagoons with swans and flamingoes, art treasures in improbable places, vast landscapes and waterscapes with mega-pools, cascades and thrill slides. The toys in the once-royal playground are catamarans, outrigger canoes, boogie boards and surfboards, aqua bikes, snorkel and dive gear, rafts, windsurfers and sailboats.

In ancient times, Ka‘anapali was a royal retreat for the rulers of Maui. They liked the perfect three-mile stretch of white sand beach, gentle waves, warm sunny days, and the broad swatch of green land that swept up to the rainbow-haunted West Maui Mountains. Maui’s “royals” surfed, raced their outrigger canoes, feasted at lu`aus that lasted for weeks, and where the Ka‘anapali Golf Courses now blanket the land, they played ulu maika, a form of lawn bowling using heavy lava rock balls.

Ka‘anapali’s two championship golf courses are open to all. One is the creation of the eminent Robert Trent Jones, Sr., the other designed by Arthur Jack Snyder. The way the courses are laid out, both duffers and pros get a good game. The only problem is whales. If they’re jumping offshore in their fantastic gymnastics, nobody seems to make par. The magnificent vistas of sea and mountains are distracting enough to be considered outright hazards on the links.

Ka‘anapali has four “A’s” in its name and three of them stand for “Action. The other “A?” It stands for “A Surprisingly Great Deal” because Ka‘anapali hotels and condominiums offer a wide spectrum of accommodations, packages and rates.

Ka‘anapali was Hawai‘i’s first planned resort and has become a model for resorts around the world. The hotels and holiday condominiums offer a variety of experiences from soaring marble lobbies to beachside bungalows. All are planted in the 1200-acre enclave amid lavish gardens along the beach and golf courses, each so private they appear solitary. In the center is the Whalers Village, an open-air, world-class shopping complex housing a whaling museum. The shops, hotels, restaurants, nightlife, activity centers, golf courses and even Lahaina town and are all connected by free transportation. Alternately, the Lahaina-Ka‘anapali and Pacific Railroad, a restored sugarcane train pulled by a vintage steam locomotive, chugs between the resort and Lahaina through sugar plantation fields.

Ka‘anapali is aware of its history and traditions. Every evening at sundown, cliff divers reenact the feat of Maui’s revered King Kahekili, who bravely dove from the cliff at Pu`u Kekaa, or Black Rock, into the churning sea, at a time when the spot was considered to be the jumping off place for the soul to enter the nether world. The tiki torches are lit along the shore as the ancient pahu drums and triton shell horns call the hula dancers and revelers to the beachside lu`aus.

To preserve the unique culture and way of life of Maui, some Ka‘anapali properties have adopted innovative programs whereby employees share their heritage with guests in small ways such as greeting them with genuine aloha, and large ways such as colorful festivals during Aloha Week, Lei Day and Kamehameha Day honoring Hawai‘i’s greatest king.

Even with all its wondrous amenities, Ka‘anapali has retained the reality of gracious royal Hawaiian hospitality and the pace of the action that made it the choice of kings.

TIPS FOR THE BRIDE AND GROOM

~ Before you leave home ~

What kind of couple are you?

Do you enjoy quiet, romantic moments? Do you love humor or adventure? Are you homebodies or party animals? The best wedding photos will reflect the special essence of your relationship. Keep this in mind:

• Research – Use the web, magazines, your friends’ wedding photos. Clip or copy pictures that you like and send them to us.
• Practice posing – Pose individually and as a couple in front of a mirror. Be critical and creative. If you find one that you like, let your photographer know.

Do either of you have a physical characteristic that you would prefer not to show?

Sometimes it’s the groom’s nose, or the bride’s hips. If there is anything that you’re at all self-conscious about, let us know. Our photographers are great at the art of posing, an art which can maximize or minimize those areas that were not created perfect.

Are there any interpersonal dynamics that we should know about?

A long standing feud between Uncle Remus and Aunt Minnie? An acrimonious divorce? These are things that the photographer needs to know in order to avoid an unexpected uncomfortable situation on the Day.

Do you have specific photographic needs?

For example: A formal portrait of the wedding party to send to extended family abroad. Please think about this seriously and consult parents or any other intimately connected individuals on this point. After the pictures are taken, it will be too late to correct any misunderstandings.

~ On the way to Paradise ~

Carry On Bags

Please make sure that you carry on your wedding gown, shoes, tux, and anything else that you absolutely must have on your wedding day. Airlines do occasionally lose checked bags, so make sure that you keep the essentials with you.

~ In Paradise ~

The Tropical Sun

Please be careful about tan lines and sunburn. It will show in the photos and there’s nothing that we can do about it.

Getting Started in Wedding Photography Many people may not consider wedding photography as one of many categories to explore when getting into the field of photography. Shooting weddings should not be considered to be anything less than a serious form. In fact it is one of the most demanding disciplines of professional photography. If you are an aspiring wedding photographer, then there are certain areas you will have to develop to be successful. One of the key areas is strategy. Before you can think about mastering the camera, the lighting and the background, you need to work on a strategy. The word, strategy, is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. As a wedding photographer you will have to not only look at the technical side but, also take a look into the business side. In this article I will focus on getting you pointed into the right direction. Then in future articles, I will discuss the business side. The first place to start is working on your technical skills. When I first began photography, I started with a basic manual 35mm camera, a Pentax K2000 and a few fixed lenses, a 28mm, 50mm and 135mm. I took pictures everyday and practically ran my parents bank account dry developing all the film. In this digital age, you can see the results right after taking a photo and you can easily delete bad results. What your going to need as far as basic equipment is a decent Digital 35mm SLR and a few good lenses. I would recommend a 28-105mm, but 70-200 mm might be a good range to start with. You will also need a good computer and editing software. Most photographers use Mac based computers. However, a good PC will work just fine. As far as computer software, if you are just starting off and on a limited budget, I might suggest beginning with Adobe Lightroom as an editing software. It’s fairly affordable and easy to learn. Presently, I begin the editing process in Lightroom and then finalize in Adobe Photoshop. The photography profession is not a cheap investment. The tools of the trade are very expensive, so my advice is to purchase a decent camera body and invest in great lenses. I recall one of my first internships was with an Orange County Newspaper and I had the privilege of working with the paper’s lead photographer at the time. One of the things he taught me is that it’s not the camera but, it’s the lens you need to invest in. You can have an inexpensive camera body to begin with and then later upgrade. Now days, you can purchase a decent 35mm Digital Slr for about $600. and then your lens are going to be about double that depending on the size lens you purchase. I buy most of my equipment on–line through B&H Photo located in New York and various other pieces from my local camera shop on Maui. To get started I would recommend you start shooting to work on your technical side. I would begin shooting friends, family, candids of people on the street and use natural lighting. The time to shoot is early morning hours just after sun rise and then just before sunsets. A photo editor from the Orange County Register once told me when I was beginning to shoot everyday for at least two hours. His advice to me was to shoot ten rolls of film a week. So, my advice to you is to fill a 4 gig card a week and spend at least six hours a week practicing your editing techniques. Once you begin to get a collection of good images, the next step is to work on your portfolio. Building your photography portfolio. As a photographer there is no greater joy than being recognized for what you love doing. One way to ensure you get that recognition is to create a photography portfolio, which is second to none. Step 1) Choosing your theme You may already have the pictures to create a themed portfolio or you may be planning on capturing them over a period of time. Either way, your portfolio, like a well written book, should have some unifying themes. This theme can be conceptual or it can be technical. For example, your theme could be about courage, love, urban life, fear or something else you create. Alternatively you can create a theme based on photographic technicalities. For example, you could create a portfolio showcasing all of your best wide angle work or one which displays your best black and white work. The themes for creating a portfolio are only limited by your own imagination. So take your time and create a themed portfolio which means something to you. Step 2) Choosing the photos Choosing the right photographs to put in your portfolio will be a time consuming process. By the nature of the portfolio itself, only your best pieces should be placed within the portfolio. If you don’t’ have too many top picks spend some more time photographing until you get those desired results. Your portfolio is something you should be proud of and not something thrown together out of impatience and haste. Your portfolio should be manageable for the viewer to get through. Too often photographers fill pages and pages with photographs that the viewer will skim through to get to the end. The key is not to take it personally when someone reviews it. Everyone’s eye is different and the key to a good portfolio is choosing your best work, which includes classic as well as avant-garde work. The one thing I recall when working with the photo editors in my past is they would say the picture must tell the story without words. When your images can say something or tell a story, without your having to share a story about it, you’ve done something right. Narrow your portfolio down to 20-50 photographs. There is no hard set number you need to follow, but this seems to be the range that most audiences would prefer. Step 3) Showing your work Now that you have put together your portfolio, it’s time to show it off. Begin by sharing it with your friends and family. Next, display your work on-line, there is many on-line photo sharing sites, where other photographers can share their comments with you about your work. Take your time putting it together, but make sure you complete your project. Too many photographers shoot all day long and fail to present their work properly. If you have one of your friends that is getting married, ask if they mind if you take some photos for them. Once your feeling comfortable with your work, the next step is to get out there and work under a professional photographer. If you are going to school, ask your school counselor about internship programs. If they don’t have any presently maybe it’s time they did. Most schools are happy to give you school credit for internships and will even let you out of school early to do it. Contact local photographers in your area and ask them if they are open to internships. You’ll be surprised at what can happen and what you will learn just by asking. I will discuss internships more in a later article. However; I have to tell you persistence also goes along long way. If I had not bugged a photo editor at a major Orange County Newspaper when I was in college, I never would have gotten to work as an intern there. Because of my persistence, I was chosen first over 2,300 other people wanting an internship, due to my continuous calls and showing up with rolls of film to be critiqued.