Contest: Win a photography portrait session on the Big island of Hawaii

win a photography portrait contest

Rules:

1. Create a pinboard and “be creative” with the title
2. Pin at least 10 images from https://karenloudon.com/ with the hashtag ‪#‎KarenLoudonPhotography‬
3. Post the link on your Facebook wall

Prize: A portrait session of your choice (engagement/family/maternity/boudoir/trash the dress) with Karen Loudon

-Entrants will be judged on the best pinboard, the winner will be announced on August 31!

Matthew and Shaylin, honeymoon photography session at A-bay in Waikoloa

Matthew and Shilynne were married on September 28, 2012,  but decided to hold off on a professional photography session until their belated honeymoon on the Big Island. I had such a fun time walking around A-bay (Anaeho’omalu Bay) in Waikoloa with Matthew & Shilynne!  For not having ever had their photos taken professionally, they were naturals in front of the lens, they both looked so happy and in love! It was such a pleasure to work with you guys and capture some beach side honeymoon memories.

waikoloa honeymoon photographerWaikoloa portraitbig island photographer hawaiiWaikoloa portraitKailua-Kona wedding photographerWaikoloa portraitWaikoloa portraitWaikoloa portraitWaikoloa portraitWaikoloa portrait

Dragonfly Diva jewelry

I met Cara Hollenbeck in 2005, my first year on the Big Island. We were introduced at a friends wedding, she was a bridesmaid and I was the DJ.  We became fast friends. She’s a livewire, energetic, funny, thoughtful, and creative. Yesterday,  I had the absolute pleasure of collaborating with Cara, for a photo shoot to debut her new line of jewelry for Dragonfly Diva, her custom artisan jewelry business.

This was our second photo session showcasing her amazing handmade jewelry, when I saw Cara’s combinations of precious stones with feathers and shells I was blown away. You can view her pieces on her website, Dragonfly Diva and read more about Cara on her blog, Dragonfly Diva Artisan Jewelry. This girl has style!

We spent a delightful afternoon with some wonderful ladies, photographing at Mahai’ula Beach…and we stayed a little too late after a gorgeous sunset. After the bumpy drive over  lava up to the highway from the beach we discovered that the gate was locked….luckily the caretakers came and let us out……eventually (and before we could figure out how to pick it with a bobby pin!).

Many thanks to those who made the shoot possible…

Design Director: Naomi Stefaney
Styling: Cara Hollenbeck

Makeup: Sara Taylor
Models: Angie Metriyakool, Cara Hollenbeck, Jen Liming, Karen Ippoliti, Morgan Taylor and Sara Taylor



 

Summer and Justin, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, Big Island of Hawaii

Summer & Justin live in Northern California, they wanted to do a beach portrait session on their Hawaii vacation and get some images that they could blow up into art pieces for their house.  Summer is a dancer for the San Jose Sabrecats and Justin works at a zoo, plays drums in the punk band the Pounders, and in Street Drum Corps. Young, in love, and talented! These two radiated fun and were so comfortable in front of the lens….. for the first part of our session, while Justin played the drums Summer danced on the beach. They made for a blissful evening on the beach filled with music and dancing…

Kona Graduation Portraits

Graduating from high school is a big deal to me and I am excited to celebrate it with you! I provide cutting-edge high school graduation photography to showcase the real you! 45 min sessions allowing for 2 outfit changes are available now, call 808-989-9167 or e-mail karen@karenloudon.com to book your session today!

“I love everything about my graduation photos! Karen is so super sweet and helpful and so welcoming! I was super nervous before my shoot, but Karen made me feel so comfortable and I had a lot of fun! We were stunned when we got to view our pics—Karen is ammaazzing-. The hardest thing is deciding on pictures because she takes so many good ones!”
Dorinda Manning

The Taylor Ladies, Anaeho’omalu Bay Waikoloa, Big Island of Hawaii

I was so excited when Morgan, my lighting assistant asked me to do a mother daughter photo session with her, her sister Sara and and her mom Cheri! The Taylor ladies are all  beautiful and easy to photograph, very natural in front of the camera. We had the best time that day. It was so great to have a group of girls together with nothing but positive happy energy! After this shoot, I realized how awesome mother daughter photo sessions are. Years from now, when Morgan and Sara have left home or get married, Cheri will look back at these photos and always remember the day she and her daughter got glammed up for a photo shoot at Anaeho’omalu beach.

Thank you, lovely Taylor ladies, for making this shoot so amazing.

Jewelry: Dragonfly Diva by Cara Hollenbeck

Makeup Artist: Grace Artistry by Gracia Malendres

Mike and Deane, Waikoloa, Big Island of Hawaii

Mike and Deane were married on February 15, 5 years ago in Hawaii and they decided to come back for their wedding anniversary…. They are a really fun couple and we all had a great time hanging out and photographing the adventure. Their anniversary photography session took place at Anaeho’omalu Bay beach which fronts the  Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

Senior Portraits, Class of 2011 and 2012

School is out for the summer, and that means Class of 2012 – you are officially a SENIOR! It’s time to set up your portrait session – perfect for girls who love NATURE and the BEACH! I am just minutes away from some of the best spots on the Kohala Coast. Starting at only $100 for a 45min session.

Ailani’s Senior Portraits / Waimea /Big Island of Hawaii

I had the pleasure of shooting some senior portraits in and around Waimea with a great young lady. It was a perfect, Waimea day in the spring. This portrait session was great for a number of reasons:

* beautiful young lady, very stylish, who was comfortable in front of the camera
* she had an awesome wardrobe
* she was looking for original, one of kind photos
* Waimea is full of unique locations
* the weather was perfect, with a slight breeze

I keep talking about how great the weather was, but it was really lucky to have such picture perfect day. You thought the weather was always perfect in Hawaii? Go ahead and laugh, but Waimea gets downright cold in the winter! Well, relatively cold. I’ve seen it drop into the 40′s many times during the months of December through March.

The chilly temperatures are accompanied by frequent wind and rain. Certain trees shed their leaves and some insects disappear until spring. You’ll even see a few people wearing fur-lined parkas, but this is certainly overboard.

 

The first location was historic Church Row Park in Waimea, the site of the Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival, which celebrates the age-old Japanese tradition of hanami, which translates to “cherry blossom viewing party.” After a seasonal winter chill, the trees typically are blooming in February, they bloom and usually fall within a week before the leaves come out. We were a little late to capture the full cherry blossom bloom for this photo session, which took place on March 8 and the trees were barely in bloom anymore. That didn’t stop us from having some fun and taking some really great photos, including a few cherry blossoms which added a nice pink color to the background.

 

Ailani wore this beautiful pink dress, which perfectly matched the rich pink petals of the cherry blossoms.

 

Then we has an idea to go back to this grungy old green barn we has seen on the side of the road on the way into Waimea town. It was sweet! The contrast between the barn and her outfits was awesome!

I definitely hope to do more senior portrait photography in the Waimea area. I look forward to it!