Owner: Dennis Masanda

Prior to ever doing wedding photography, I used to photograph the drag races at our local dragstrip and have always loved photographing cars.  Here's a rare gem that we got to capture during a recent trip to Seattle, WA.  This 1969 Road Runner is still in the careful hands of it's original owner, Dennis Masanda, who purchased this beauty brand new back in 1969 and to top it off, it's numbers matching and practically all original minus the FOOSE rims (he still has the original rims as well).

Huge thank you to these two High school sweethearts, Kelsey and Matt!  It was probably the best morning light we've ever had at this location and bit surprising considering it's usually overcast/raining this time of year.  Stretching a into some new editing territory by trying a very flat, film feel.

Tokyo, Japan

Hotel: Hotel Mets Shibuya

Tokyo being as large as it is, it was hard deciding where to stay.  The basic recommendation is simple, stay at a hotel near a train station (in Tokyo, especially a train station along the Yamanote Loop Line).  We ended up finding Hotel Mets Shibuya which is actually in the New South Wing of Shibuya Station which worked well for our stay.

Shinjuku

Shinjuku Gyoen is a huge park in the middle of Shinjuku and is definitely worth the visit.  Such a beautiful park!  This is a photo of the inside of the giant green house located in the park.

Harajuku

Meiji Jingu Shrine

Entrance to Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku.  Definitely a bucket list photo!

The infamous Takeshita Street.

Ueno

Ever since we saw Pentatonix's music video for their cover of "Rather Be" Ameya Yokocho was on my list of places to visit in Tokyo.  It was awesome!

While we were walking around the area near Ueno Station, we came across this interesting area with an elevated walkway in Chuo Dori.

Shrine in the middle of modern city buildings.  On our way to Senso-Ji Temple from Ueno Station.

Asakusa

Senso-Ji Temple.  Got here just in time for blue hour!

Photo of our next destination, Tokyo Tower.

View from Tokyo Tower!

Fujiyoshida

Bucket list photo: Chureito Pagoda and Mt. Fuji... Check!  For us, it was totally worth the 3 hours worth of train rides to get to Fujiyoshida from Tokyo.

Slight panic attack when we got back to the Fujiyoshida train station.  There was no attendant and it looked closed!  Luckily the train was indeed still running.

Shibuya

Another set of bucket list photos were to get photos of the Shibuya Crossing.  The bird's eye view was courtesy of the 25th floor of a hotel I think we weren't supposed to be in, but I will always be grateful that we got these shots!

Danielle walking through drunkard's alley, not drunk hahaha.

Ginza

Outside of Tsukiji Market.

Osaka

Hotel: Remm Shin-Osaka

Took the bullet train down to Osaka and stayed a few nights at the Remm Shin-Osaka in Shin-Osaka Station.  This is where we stayed last year and loved it.  

A few photos from Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.

Kyoto

Now that I've been to both, if I had to choose between Tokyo and Osaka, I'd fly to Osaka so I could go to Kyoto.

Now this is what we came for! Koyo viewing, especially night illuminations at the temples.  Eikando Temple was AMAZING.

Turns out we got extremely lucky with Kiyomizu-dera.  Apparently they're going to begin renovations on the roof of the building this year, so not only is this the last time this roof will be there, but it will also not be ready for a few years. Night illumination koyo viewing here ended up being one of the most exciting parts of our trip. I'll let the photos explain.

Kyoto Station.  By far our favorite train station thus far, and this time they were getting ready for Christmas!

We were very fortunate to get to be a part of Deedee and Nick's wedding in Kihei and the Island of Maui.  We can't say enough about these two, coordinating their wedding all the way from Washington and having the entire day go off without a hitch.  We were also extra excited because we've seen the photos of the cotton candy sunset skies on Maui, but were never lucky enough to get a chance to capture them, until now!

As wedding photographers, it's very beneficial to be familiar with different kinds of photography, so whenever the opportunity arises, we're always excited to venture out to other areas of photography when we can.  We were fortunate that the owners of the Uliuli House at Volcanoes National Park stubbled upon our wedding work and felt that we might have the eye to create the kinds of real estate photos they had in mind for their BnB.  This BnB is definitely on the top of our list for our next staycation on the Big Island!

We had the privilege of shooting Dez and John's wedding three years ago in 2013, and now they're moving to Texas!  But before they go, Dez wanted to get some family photos of her, John, and her parents before they left.  Luckily her parents have an awesome, orchard-style backyard which provided a perfect location for their photos.

Ashley and Mark along with their families are some of the nicest and kindest people we ever had the privilege to work with on a wedding day and we're so glad that they were blessed with such beautiful weather all day day long including an amazing sunset.  Kahua Ranch proved once again why it's one of our favorite wedding venues on the Island.

Dabbling a bit outside of our usual work, our friend Gigi was looking to get some artwork for his new bar in Hilo, Chapter 27.  His vision was a fashion-styled headshot, white backdrop, clean with a twist of Hawaii.  Believe it or not, we actually set this up in our garage at home!  Backdrop was a 7ft umbrella with diffusion cover and a 500w studio strobe.  Big thank you to Kristina for being such a trooper to get this set done!

Click here to see more information about our professional headshots and commercial work.

We got a chance to meet Lindsay and Ross two years ago at Lindsay's brother's wedding so when Lindsay and Ross contacted us to do their engagement photos, we were ecstatic!  Lindsay let us know that she wanted to somehow capture her and Ross's different "lifestyles" during the shoot, her being more of a city girl, and Ross being a typical island boy that enjoys the ocean.  We ended up with this idea of just doing two different locations for the shoot which then led me to the idea of trying to get a blended photo of the two of them, one in one setting, and one in the other.  It was a required a bit of planning, shot preparation, and tested my shooting and editing ability being that it was the first time I had attempted to do something like this.  Even though it worked out better than I expected, it's probably not something I'm going to attempt to do again anytime soon hahaha..

Hiwa and Kalani were visiting Hilo during the Annual Merrie Monarch Festival with their Hula Halau's from California and figured that it would be a great chance to have their engagement photos done in Hilo.  Both of them looked like they were ready to jump on stage!

Hiwa and Kalani Hiwa and Kalani Hiwa and Kalani Hiwa and Kalani Hiwa and Kalani Hiwa and Kalani Hiwa and Kalani Hiwa and Kalani Hiwa and Kalani Hiwa and Kalani

Super sweet Valentine's Day wedding!  Foregoing the large, day-long wedding, Jamie and Adam opted to keep their wedding short, sweet and intimate with their immediate family in attendance.  Special thanks to Margaret Patterson for being so accommodating!

Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam Jamie + Adam

Hotel: Sheraton Seattle Hotel

The Sheraton Seattle Hotel is conveniently located in the heart of the city on 6th Avenue, making it easy to walk just a few blocks to get to some of the areas we wanted to photograph.

Pike Place Fish Co. Seattle Aquarium Pike Place Market

Given how much we weren't used to the cold being from Hawaii, it was tempting to grab some clothing from Arc'teryx.

Arc'teryx Seattle Macys Seattle

Definitely one of the main goals of the trip was to photograph some autumn colors.  Seattle did not disappoint!

Autumn Colors Seattle

Just a little ways down the road from the well known Kerry Park (which we'll get to in a minute) is the lesser known Marshall Park.  We actually stumbled upon Marshall Park because we were trying to find a place to turn around to get back to Kerry Park.  Sure glad we made our way back here to catch the sunset.

Marshall Park at Sunset Marshall Park at Sunset

As part of the Seattle CityPASS, we made time to try out the Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour.  Not usually one for tours, but this one I would do again.  Definitely fun getting to see the city from a different view and hear the our guide talk about the different areas.  Also glad we decided to go as I was able to catch this cityscape that I otherwise would not have been able to get for obvious reasons.

View of Seattle from the Harbor

Back to Kerry Park.  Definitely one of the most well known locations to photograph the Seattle Space Needle.  Cars line the street during the golden hour before sunset and the tiny park fills with onlookers.  We took these two photos on separate days, and being that this was Seattle in November, we were very fortunate.

Space Needle from Kerry Park Kerry Park at Sunset

Catching some evening time cityscapes was also a goal that we had set for this trip, and once again, Mother Nature played nice for us.  The first photo was shot on the 12th Ave. bridge near Dr. Jose Rizal Park.  Interestingly enough, you have to time your shots around the traffic that drives over the bridge as the bridge shakes enough to render a long exposure useless.  The second photo was another shot we did back at Kerry Park early in the morning before the sunrise.

12th Ave. Bridge Kerry Park Before Sunrise

Lastly, on the last day of our stay, we made our way to the top of the Space Needle in time for the sunset.  Definitely a memorable way to wrap up a successful photo collection trip to Seattle. Space Needle at Sunset

Our goal is always to create an experience for our clients.  Working with Crystal and Sean on their wedding ended up being a wonderful experience for us as well.  From the get go, Crystal and Sean drove from Waimea all the way to Hilo just to meet us in person for their initial meeting!  As always, Kahua Ranch was a perfect venue for this beautiful wedding.

Watching Crystal assemble her own wedding cake before getting into her dress for the ceremony was definitely a first for us!  But it such an amazing personalized touch to their wedding day.

Being entrusted to shoot a clients wedding is always an honor, to be entrusted by another wedding industry professional for their own wedding is humbling.  Stacy's other half, Kevin, is a part of the Techy3 Design Studios team and is a well respected and very talented photographer and videographer whom we have had the privilege to work with and get to know over the past few years.

Stacy is a librarian, so Kevin handmade the bookshelf arch for the ceremony.  Absolutely beautiful.

Flower arrangements done by the one and only Kui & I Florists.  The flowers were absolutely flawless as always!

If you take a close look, that's actually their cake!  Maria at Short n Sweet did her magic on this one!  By the way, that's a handmade, hand written, frosting flower!

Jase at Eclipse Effect Entertainment MC'd and made sure the tent was lit up beautifully!

Congratulations Stacy and Kevin!

Early morning shoot out on the break wall with Angie, Tom, and Nainoa for their annual family photos.  We're so fortunate when we're able to do photos for the same families year after year.  In this case, we literally get to photograph Nainoa growing up (take a look at the photos we've done for them over the years).  Looking forward to working with them for years to come!

2015 - Break Wall, Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii

2014 - Mana Road, Big Island, Hawaii

2013 - Keokea Point, Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii

2012 - Saddle Road, Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii

Thank you Angie, Tom, and Nainoa!

Out the Window

A shot out the window of our Hawaiian Airlines Airbus as we approached the Kansai Airport.

Flying into Kansai AirportA shot out the window of our Hawaiian Airline Airbus as we approached the Kansai Airport.

Kyoto, Japan

Hotel: Ibis Styles Kyoto Station Hotel

Definitely would recommend this hotel, conveniently across the street from Kyoto Station.  Besides the nice room size and cleanliness, the hotel had a very pleasant smell, not sure what it was, but definitely memorable.

Arashiyama Bamboo Forrest

Definitely no wonder why the Arashiyama Bamboo Forrest is such a heavily visited area when visiting Kyoto. Arashiyama Bamboo Forrest

Okochi-Sanso Villa

When you reach the top of the Arashiyama Bamboo Forrest Trail, taking a visit to the Okochi-Sanso Villa is a breath of fresh air and definitely worth the 1,000 yen to get away from the crowd.  Strolling along the visitor path through the garden is definitely an experience. Okochi-Sanso Villa

While walking through the Okochi-Sanso Villa garden, there are some great examples of traditional Japanese style architecture as well as great scenic viewing points.

Okochi-Sanso Villa Daijokaku Okochi-Sanso Vila Jibutsudo Okochi-Sanso Villa Tea Garden Okochi-Sanso Villa Okochi-Sanso Villa Scenic Point

Getting Lost in Kameoka

Travel Tip: If you're trying to visit the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, it might look like there are two train stations in the area if you Google Map it, but don't try to go to the one that appears closer to the Bamboo Grove that's on the Sagano Scenic Route.  If you try to get to it, you'll end up jumping on the Sagano Romantic Train that doesn't actually stop at the station that looks closer.  Instead, it'll pass the bamboo grove and 30 minutes later you'll end up in this rural area called Kameoka with a bunch of these Tanuki staring at you.  Part of me felt like they were saying, "dude, you jumped on the wrong train, what you doing out here?".  We ended up having to walk 15 minutes to the closest JR station and waiting another 45 minutes for the next train to take us back to Arashiyama.  Yes, we got lost, but what that's all part of the adventure right?

Tanuki in Kameoka

Nishiki Market

No trip to Japan is complete without a stop to a street market.  Nishiki Market is said to have opened in the early 14th century which made walking through here a peak into what urban Japan must have been like in the past with shops here that have been run by the same family for generations.

Nishiki Market - Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Shrine

While in Kyoto, another must-visit attraction is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for it's thousands of torii gates.

Fushimi Inari Shrine Entrance

Travel-tip:  If you want to get a pic of the torii gates without the crowd, there's an aisle people use to walk in and an aisle people use to walk out.  You'll have much better luck taking a picture in the aisle that people use to walk out! Fushimi Inari Shrine Torii Gates Fushimi Inari Shrine Torii Gates

We stayed until the sun went down, and good thing because there was an Obon Festival going on that night! Fushimi Inari Shrine at Night Fushimi Inari Shrine at Night

Kyoto Station

Another fascinating and well known aspect of Japan is the intricate public transportation system of trains and subways.  Kyoto Station was definitely a sight-to-see in its own right.

Kyoto StationStairs to the 15th floor restaurants and Observation Deck Kyoto StationView from the top of the stairs, 15th floor. Kyoto Station at Night

Nagoya, Japan

Hotel: Royal Park Hotel Nagoya

Very nice hotel only a few blocks away from Nagoya Station.  Nice size rooms, traditional family style bath to relax in after walking all day, and clean.  Family Mart conveniently located on the street level in the same building.

We took some time to venture off in Nagoya where we were lucky enough to be able to snap a few photos of the Nagoya Basho in the Aichi Prefectural Gym.

Kobe, Japan

Shin-Kobe Ropeway & Nunobiki Herb Garden

Looking for more areas to get some landscape photos captured, we ventured off to Kobe.  We heard that the views from the surrounding mountains made for great landscapes, and they did not disappoint!

Shin-Kobe Ropeway

At the top of the Shin-Kobe Ropeway is the Nunobiki Herb Garden.  This was one of the scenic views of Kobe from the garden!

Nunobiki Herb Garden View

Mt. Rokko

After making our way back down the Shin-Kobe Ropeway, we caught a bus over to the Mt. Rokko Cable Car Station to visit the Mt. Rokko Garden Terrace.  We made it here just in time for sunset!

Mt. Rokko Garden Terrace View of Kobe from the Mt. Rokko Garden Terrace Mt. Rokko Garden Terrace View of Kobe from the Mt. Rokko Garden Terrace right after sunset

Osaka, Japan

Hotel: REMM Shin-Osaka

REMM was the perfect hotel for us.  Being located directly on top of Shin-Osaka Station made it the most convenient hotel of all.  Room was a little bit on the smaller side of the hotels we had stayed at during this trip, but you couldn't beat the convenience of being able to take the elevator down from your room, and immediately being in the train station.

Umeda Station

Our fascination with photographing train stations continued on with Umeda Station in Osaka.

Umeda Station Street right outside Umeda Station Outside Umeda Station

Tenjin Matsuri Festival

One of the main reasons for coming to Japan in July was to experience and photograph the Tenjin Matsuri Festival which is one of the largest and longest running festivals in Japan which started in the 10th century during the Nara and Heian periods.

These are some of the 100 boat that are part of the river procession during the night.

Tenjin Matsuri Festival

Watching the sunset as we wait for the nighttime festivities and fireworks to begin.  We spent the entire afternoon scouting and trying to find this viewing area to photograph the fireworks.

Tenjin Matsuri Festival at Sunset

The afternoon scouting the area completely paid off after getting pretty much the best viewing spot for the fireworks with the Sakuranomiya Bridge in the background.  With an estimated 1.3 million people showing up for the festival, and this being the best viewing area for the general public, we had to wiggle our way to the waters edge to capture these photos.

Tenjin Matsuri Festival Fireworks Tenjin Matsuri Festival Fireworks

Umeda Sky Building

The Umeda Sky Building, home of the "Floating Garden Observatory".  Those bridges in the middle of the doughnut are actually escalators to get to the upper level of the observatory!

Umeda Sky Building

View from the top of the Floating Garden Observatory.  Once again, we made it just in time for sunset!

Umeda Sky Building - Floating Garden Observatory Umeda Sky Building - Floating Garden ObservatoryTilt-Shift effect

Kuromon Ichiba was one of the most fascinating street markets we got to visit.  It was a blast getting to try all of the different foods as this market seemed to be mostly about fresh produce.

Kuromon Ichiba Street Market

Tenjinbashi Suji Shopping Street's iconic entrance.  Make sure you get some comfortable walking shoes for this one, this large street market stretches for 2.6km!  However, if you forget, you can probably just find a pair at one of the shops here!

Tenjinbashi Suji Shopping Street

Dontonbori was just an all around must-visit.  Great shopping and restaurants throughout this area with Ebisubashi Suji and Shinsaibashi Suji all pretty much intersecting in this area.

Dontonbori at Night Dontonbori at Night

One of our last stops of our trip was to Osaka Castle.  So much history to see inside the castle, and for us, definitely worth waiting till the sun went down to catch this last shot to wrap up this amazing photo collection trip to Japan.