I became a wedding photographer in Hawaii because I wanted to document and preserve memories for newly formed families. What better gift but to leave the legacy of a wedding album for your children and grandchildren to cherish? When was the last time you had a family photo taken? When was the last time you had all your brothers and sisters together? Here in Hawaii, many siblings move off island and distance becomes more prevalent than ever. One day you’re finally getting married and everyone is traveling back from the corners of the earth to Hawaii for it! Your wedding may be one of the only times that you’ll have the chance to have those images taken.

As I left NYC a few years ago to pursue a more chill and relaxed lifestyle here in Hawaii and started to become more real to me as I was separated from my own family and friends. Creating memories for my clients is one of the most important part of their day, I don’t take my part lightly in documenting the day for you. That’s why I’m always continuing to expand and hone my skills to do what I love better.

I just had that experience, I traveled to Melbourne Australia to take a 5 day intensive class with one of the top wedding photographers (and my all time favorite) in the world, Jerry Ghioins. Jerry is an inspiration to me not only as an artist but as a person.

Over the week, we started with critique  of our work which was nerve racking to say the least. Then we went through Jerry’s theories on posing, lighting, locations even emotion and expressions. It was overwhelming, inspirational, and fabulous friendships were forged over the week with my fellow photographers.

Here Jerry shows posing groomsmen…Sooooooo When I ask the guys how to stand, you now know where my inspiration comes from.

The following images were taken during the course of the workshop and I’m excited to be putting what I learned into practice, bringing a higher level of photography my clients!

If you’re an aspiring photographer, I love The Ice Society and I highly recommend you check it out. It’s the best place to see Jerry at work. New chapters are delivered monthly and broken down into segments that are easy to follow. May you be inspired too! Mahalo Nui Loa Jerry + Melissa!!!

Destination Hawaii wedding photographer traveled to Melbourne, Australia for wedding photography workshop with Jerry + Melissa Ghionis