Miss Hawaii's Outstanding Teen Program

I was fortunate to be asked to participate in the Miss Hawaii's Outstanding Teen program.  It's strictly a pro bono gig but I'm retired so it keeps me busy.

I talked them into having photos which were more consistent this year so ended up taking them in the lobby of a real estate office.  Talk about challenges.

Here are the contestants for this year's pageant which will be held on May 7 at the Convention Center's Liliu Theatre

Graduation finally came!

This post is really late (like a whole year late) but I figured I should post something anyway.  Well, the kid finally graduated from Hockaday.

Murphy's law seems to rise whenever there's something important.  It started at the house when I was checking my equipment.  I had forgotten my memory cards at home in Hawaii.  Because I use Compact Flash cards, not too many places carry it.  A quick check of Fry's about 10 minutes away indicated that they had it so I left early and made a quick trip to pick up a couple of high capacity ones since that's all they carried.  Then when I got to the school campus, I discovered I left my 2nd camera body on the kitchen table.  I was not a happy camper but what could I do?

My sister had someone looking out for her when she got the seats for the ceremonies.  It's done by lottery and luck being with her, she got front row seats!

Being my niece, she mentioned that she wanted to take photos of some of her friends.  I asked how many?  She says "most of them."  I ended up photographing all of her classmates - all 125ish of them.    The benefits of having a pair of high capacity memory cards.

This is the entry processional.  Younger sisters of the seniors serve as the "color guards".

The graduating class.

Hockaday having a distinguished alumni allows them to get some high powered commencement speakers.  This year they had Robin Roberts from Good Morning America.

This kid after she received her diploma.

With parents after graduation

Of course with me.  I was not going to wear a suit in the Dallas heat.









At this time, she's winding up her Freshman year at the University of Texas in Austin.

The "kid" is growing up.

Where has the time gone?  I remember my one and only spoiled only child niece jumping on me as I slept in order to wake me up and carry her down the stairs.  Now it's like pulling teeth to be seen with me.  ...

She recently participated in the National Charity League's Senior Presentation in Dallas.  It's like a Debutante Ball.

 

The requirement was that each girl had to wear a WHITE wedding dress.  Not off white, not ivory, not cream, but WHITE.  Since I have connections in the wedding industry here, I figured I'd ask if she wanted to find a dress here.  Since she was flying in (on my nickel) for her Senior Portraits, I asked my friends at Casablanca Bridal and Formals if they could help her out.  After trying several dresses, this is the one she liked and liked a lot.  Of course she has expensive tastes.  

 It was the priciest of the lot.  We put it on hold so she could talk to her Mom about it and since my sister was flying in the next month to visit Mom, the salon agreed to help.  They also gave me a price (discounted a significant amount).  Mom came in, said she'll talk to my niece and decided to get it.  Of course guess who fronted the cost of the dress?  Yup, yours truly...  but then she's my one and only niece and I guess I'm allowed to spoil her.  She said she'll pay me back.  I figured I had a right to be there since I funded the dress.  That's how I got the images of her and her parents and the festivities.

Bee, her Mom and Dad

After gathering for the group photo, I managed get a shot or two in.  

I won't say what I really feel about the photographer who set this up but suffice to say that there's some things I would have done differently but since I wasn't the hired photographer, it wasn't for me to say.

Here's a shot with Bee and her school friends.  I had to dress up in a monkey suit only because the Dad may have been out of town on family business.  The tux I own and is almost 30 years old but still in good condition.  As luck would have it, it doesn't fit so I went to my friends at Black Tie Affair in Kaimuki and they hooked me up.  

Bee and her Dad spotlighted on stage.  Each girl had their own video show and voice over, got to prance on stage, met their Mom on the dance floor and took a photo or two.  Twenty girls.

Bee & her moment of fame...

 Bee with Mom after giving her a flower.

Dancing with Dad shot from across the ballroom.

Of course she had to sit with her friends.

Would I have missed this?  Not if I could help it.  Even had a six hour layover in Houston on my way to Dallas that I had to deal with.

I'll be up in Dallas next month to attend her High School Graduation.  Oh where has the time gone?

Anatomy of a Family Portrait Session

I enjoy photographing families.  Because the families make the effort to get together I try to take as many combos of groupings as time and little kids patience allows.

 I normally start with a portrait of the Matriarch and Patriarch of the family (AKA Grandma/Grandpa).  Besides doing a couple's portrait of them, I also will do individual portraits of them.

 If everyone is ready, then the next shots would be the Grandparents with the Grandkids.  I try to follow a sequence so I don't miss any possible groupings.

 Then would be the portrait of the Grandparents with their kids.

 Then Grandma/Grandpa with any of their Brothers/Sisters if they are present for the session.

  At this point, I'll get the whole family together and do at least one good family portrait.  I may do more than one grouping if they location and the temperament of the young ones allows it.

At this point I'll do the individual family units which includes the parents, their family and their children.  What I photograph is also dictated by special requests of the family.

Then, any special groupings such as the siblings or just the grandkids are taken.

Once the session is over, preview images will be available for viewing on line in a password protected gallery within 24 hours.

Yes... I've been lax about updating my blog

One day I'll get to it. In the meantime, you can access my Facebook Business Page (Paul Hayashi Photography) for more recent postings. I kind of try and keep that up more than my personal blog.

Sorry for the inconvenience. There is a link on my homepage to my Facebook business page.

Mahalo...

Monku, monku, monku... Frustrated

I recently photographed the winners of a Scholarship pageant that is a preliminary to the Miss Hawaii Scholarship Pageant. I had advised the winners and also advised their director of the specific outfits I wanted them to bring. Why? Because I had a vision of what I was planning to do for them and I needed a variety of outfits.

I needed an evening gown, their opening number outfit, a business suit type outfit, a pair of jeans with a WHITE blouse or top and their competition bathing suit or something similar. Both girls "forgot" the bathing suit, one didn't bring their opening number outfit (black dress) and brought a black top instead of a white top.

They forget that I'm doing this practically pro bono (fortunately the director gives me a small stipend so it's not a total loss) but this kind of attitude (because they're the contest winners) gets me irritated.

They don't realize that by conveniently "forgetting" things throws a wrench in my plans of what I was going to create for them that I'm not going to bother especially if they won't respect my wishes.

Studio portraits

I currently have a studio space available to me in the McCully area and am offering studio portraits for a limited time.






Full family group









We offer portraits of the full family group as well as the individual families, grandkids, Grandparents, Moms and dads and kids.




Just the kids


















Parents























Single Family
















Next family








We offer the high key (white) background for the large groups and your choice of several backgrounds for the smaller groups.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 808.622.2346 or 808.927.5666 or e-mail paul@hayashiphoto.net.

We look forward to seeing you soon.