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THE JOURNAL

Beach + Tree Swing + Maui = Dreamy Childhood Portrait Photography

Do you remember the wonderful children’s story, The Giving Tree?  Well, here in Hawaii, I discovered one of the tree’s cousins, specifically in Kihei on Maui. One day I was driving down the road and I saw an unusually long tree swing hanging from an extremely tall tree next to the beach. That swing, inviting children young and old, hung in such a way that you had to imagine the tree itself was smiling and proud. A picture came to my mind, an idea for a photo shoot. And so began the process for the cat ears, cheetah rainboots, and an overall whimsical childhood portrait experience. I collaborated with the cheetah-loving little girl’s mom on overall look, painted the cat ears to coordinate with the boots, and all was going well.  Until… well until somebody chopped down hacked the tree swing! Really. With utter sadness, two feet of the ropes were just hanging there on the once proud branch, cruel evidence of the grandeur now gone, and the tree seemed lost, no longer smiling, even forlorn. Saying my goodbyes, I searched for a new location, cheetah-girl’s dad built a new tree swing base, my husband hung the swing, I photographed the shoot, we took down the swing, and in this process made this tree very happy and proud for the afternoon.  But it wasn’t really about a tree.  We watched a little girl feel incredibly special, truly enjoy the beach, the tree, the swing, and the sun– and all while paying tribute to her favorite animal!  This was so much fun, such a delight to do in every way.  And I’m so excited that mom and dad will have a beautiful Boutique Book and wall art for now and for generations to come to remember this speacial day, this mark of a beautiful childhood, and maybe even one day dream of it, and smile everytime they remember and see the memory– and see all the personality and beauty of their little girl.

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Thanks so much for looking!  I’d love to know what you think…

comments +

  1. Nancy Culver says:

    These photos capture the life of one little girl who is so full of joy and love. Kaiana soars above…reaching for her place in the sun! Thank you for letting us see her in this perfect setting and for sharing the story of the swing.

  2. Barbara Lynn Schwulst says:

    Beautiful Kaiana!! I thought the shots on the swing were the perfect ones, until I saw the set of her on the beach with the waves… One in particular made me suddenly weepy- I can SEE the woman she will be in it.

  3. Breanna says:

    Hi! 🙂 Where exactly is this swing located in Kihei! I’d love to go. Thanks in advance!

    • admin says:

      We just set it up for the shoot, so it isn’t there now. But sometimes they pop up from time to time elsewhere.

  4. Anna says:

    This is beautiful! What beach was this at? I’d love to set up a swing and take some photos!

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