Feedback from Dress Designer Bernard Foong

Thank You Richard for the beautiful photo series of Aika in your alohaia.com site. They are truly gorgeous! Aika’s rendition of Ava Marie adds much emotion and life to the pictures. I am very blessed to be working with such great artistes and will truly love to get a copy of the photos and video you took of Aika in my dresses – when you have them edited and are ready to reveal to the world.

Aika – My blessings to you! It is our great honor to hear you sing for at our home. What an enchanted evening. Richard did a marvelous photography job of you in my dresses and I know in my heart, when artistes of the right mind/spirit/love come together, BEAUTY creates itself effortlessly. I hope I as a designer can assist in enhancing a beautiful person/singer/spirit such as you to unlimited heights of glory and delight that the world can constantly enjoy. Bringing - Love, Peace & Beauty to the world than the negativity that is being reported daily in the News. Please feel free to contact me as I am always happy to work with you (in all the ways my God given talents has bestowed upon me) to make this world a better place to live in. We look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon.

Blessings of Joy & Delight!!!
Aloha! Bernard
http://www.bernardfoong.com/

Feedback from Maya and Paul

Aloha,

I am still working on processing about 10,000 photographs from recent shoots and just checked my iPhone for client e-mail and found the above e-mail from my recent clients, May and Paul. As a special surprise wedding gift, I did a post wedding sunset shoot several days after their wedding. I liked the results so much that I posted Maya's photo on my landing page.

I look forward to hearing from you and delivering exquisite photos in the spirit of aloha your way!

with warm aloha,

Richard Marks
www.alohaia.com
www.richardmarksphoto.com

Here's one of my favorite photos of Maya:

10,000 plus images!

Aloha,

While in my studio the other day, processing over 10,000 images from the big 8/8/08 wedding week, I heard someone with an absolutely gorgeous voice singing at my studio door. The singing was followed by a very soft and barely audible gentle knock. When I went to my studio door, I discovered three beautiful Japanese woman and one baby boy awaiting me with radiant smiles.

It turns out the singer was Aika, a famous Japanese opera recording artist and sound therapist who was recommended to see me via Suga Kunitomo, the owner of the Japanese Izani Dance Troupe that performed before the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

To make a long story short, Aika said she loves my photography and would like me to do the photography for her next CD. In the last several days we have done 3 shoots. The above photo is one of the photos that we like the most so far. We may be following up our Maui photo shoots with a shoot in Osaka, Japan.

If you want to know more about Aika, the links to her 3 websites are below. They are all in Japanese, but there is some beautiful audio if you want to hear her voice:

http://www.aika.tv/
http://www.kiyora.jp/
http://www.danseg.jp

I look forward to hearing from you and delivering exquisite photos your way!

with warm aloha,

Richard Marks
www.alohaia.com
www.richardmarksphoto.com

Feedback from Maeghan and Mike

Aloha,

The e-mail above is feedback I received today from Maeghan and Mike in San Francisco that I took a screenshot off of my iPhone 3G.

Man o man! I love what we can do with technology these days!

looking forward to connecting with you and making arrangements to deliver exquisite photos your way!

with warm aloha,

Richard

http://www.alohaia.com
http://www.richardmarksphoto.com

Back from San Francisco and Philadelphia Shoots

Aloha,

My apologies for not posting blogs for a while. I have been traveling on the mainland doing shoots in San Francisco and the Philadelphia area.

I am now back in Maui for a long stay and don't any have immediate pressing travel plans except for maybe a trip to Osaka,Japan to photograph models for Getty and Blend Images when the fall foliage starts changing there.

The above photo is of one of my favorite couples, Maeghan and Mike, from San Francisco. They hired me to shoot engagement photos for them in Maui and liked my work so much they extended an invitation for me to come shoot more engagement photos of them in their home base, the San Francisco Bay area, which was my home for 25 years until I moved to Maui in 2001.

If you would like to see more photographs of this lovely couple, you can see a gallery I created of their engagement photos on my alohaia website.

Who knows? Maybe I'll get invited to shoot their wedding in Southern California when they set the date to tie the knot!

with warm aloha,

Richard

ps~ I've just posted a new wedding gallery of Ayumi and Yuichiro...a gorgeous couple from Tokyo who are professional dancers and dance teachers . They had the fantastic opportunity to perform for the Emperor and Empress of Japan a couple years ago.

They had a very beautiful, heart filled and unique wedding ceremony at a sacred Hawaiian site...the same site my wife and I were married at. Please feel free to visit Ayumi and Yuriciro's gallery. I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.alohaia.com
http://www.richardmarksphoto.com

A mini miracle unfolds

Aloha,

I would like to share a little excerpt I wrote this morning in my journal about the wonderful wedding of Maya and Paul that I shot at the Sugarman Estate in Makena South Maui on August 3:

~~~When i entered the house there was a sense of quiet mahem and general chaos everywhere....

the catering staff was cramming all the tables for the 60 guests into a tiny covered porch area....

When I stepped into the room where Maya the bride was getting ready, she was in tears and looking quite sad because it was raining and the skies dark and cloudy with no blue sky to be seen...I began to take pictures of Maya putting on her make up in the mirror but in each photo she looked so sad...and she was applying her make up over and over again which only got streaked by a tiny river of tears falling from each eye.

When the right moment arose, I stopped photographing and asked Maya if I could give her a hug. I gently told her that as soon as I noticed the dark clouds and could smell the rain that day, I began praying all afternoon for a circle of blue sky to open up right above the wedding ceremony and for stars the to be shining above us at night...she softly smiled for the very first time since I arrived but the smile dissolved from her eyes back into a look of doom and gloom and sadness like the dark clouds outside.

Right after I told Maya about my"prayer" I quietly excused myself for a few minutes and ran in the rain as fast as I could to the little pavilion that the wedding was to take place in. I took a deep breath and lifted some prayers and Hawaiian chants to our Creator (whom the Hawaiians call Keakua) to please open up the sky for this beautiful couple who have such beautiful hearts.

"Please Keakua if it is your will then please let this beautiful couple have clear skies for their wedding day...yes... I know that rain is your way of sending a blessing, but please let a circle of blue sky open up to reveal your golden sun and beautiful stars this evening....and as you well know, the bride is really really very upset because of this rain and dark skies, I ask that you please clear the skies for her so she can have a happy wedding day"

After my prayers and chanting, I quickly ran back through the rain to the bride's room to continue photographing the bride...and then ran back and forth between the bride and grrom to photograph the groom his son and his groomsmen... about 15 minutes later after my prayers in the pavillion, much to my joy the rain slowed to a light drizzle and a blue streak of sky opened above Kohoolave!

The wedding was standing room only in a tiny pavillion and was actually quite sweet, but I had to crawl on my knees between people who kindly let me through so I could get the perfect shots.

By the time the wedding ended, ...a huge circle of blue sky opened above us and we had the beautiful gold ball of sun break out through the clouds as it set over Kohoolave.

And the circle of clear sky began to reveal the stars shining overhead so the rather weary staff cheerfully moved all the tables outside, and the dj set up his station and a slick dance floor. A great time was had by all with the wedding dinner under golden lanterns under the open sky followed by the cake cutting and some great celebratory dancing...families of the bride and groom mixing together and dancing from anything fantastic Persian styled music...as the brides family were Persian, to We Are Family disco... I got some great shots of the groom's Mom dancing with the bride's 80 year old grandfather, who was wildly waving a napkin in the air over his head as he danced.

I in no means can take full credit for that mini miracle...I'm sure many of the wedding party were also praying their heads off as well.~~~

Look for a gallery of photographs from Maya and Paul's wedding to be posted in the next few days!

with warm aloha,

Richard

http://www.alohaia.com
http://www.richardmarksphoto.com

Emergency! What precious belongings do we take with us?

Aloha,

I was just checking the news this morning in these challenging times and I came upon this powerful photo of a Chinese couple carrying all their belongings and fleeing their home in China that had just been leveled by an earthquake.

For a moment I tried to imagine if I was in a similar position what would I bring? Photos of my beloved grandmother, my family, a precious book, my most recent journal, my 100 year old Gibson mandolin and Martin 12 string guitar, my laptop and last but not least all my cameras, and a heavy back pack filled with my flashes and lenses, and several hard drives filled with precious images would most likely be what I would would be carrying.

When I looked closely to see what this couple were carrying, I was deeply touched. The man was carrying a picture of what appeared to be the couples framed wedding photo.

Meditating upon this picture once again got me in touch with the great power of a single photo and what importance it can have to the heart and soul of its owner.

If you had 10 minutes or less to move out of your home in an emergency, do you have an idea of what would be the most precious belongings you might quickly gather together?

With warm aloha I wish you the very best of all good things and wish that you never have to suffer through such an emergency ~

Richard Marks

Richard

Thank you so much for taking the time to send me this e mail and for your words of encouragement.

I clicked on a link to see your work and ended up browsing for 40 minutes! Wow! I am speechless….Your work is stunning!
In viewing your work your advanced technical skills are immediately apparent in the beautiful lighting and composition of your images.
But what is so heartwarming to me is to see that elegance, drama, romance, passion, and humor are alive and well and so wonderfully portrayed in your images.

In a time when most of the skilled “old time” photographers have been pushed aside and overlooked in favor of inexperienced newcomers with limited talent and skills, it is refreshing to see that the island is recognizing and supporting someone with true talent. You are the whole package…your sensitivity, warmth, sincerity and humor coupled with undeniable skill and talent is a rare combination that any bride would be lucky to experience.

Your photography truly is EXQUSITE!


digital image of original watercolor "Mango Magnificent" by Kathryn Regier

Alohaʻia moves into a new studio!

Aloha!

We are proud to announce that we have just completed our move into a new more spacious studio. The move has slightly slowed down our production in the interim, but we are now back up to speed and processing several thousand images from two recent weddings shot last week.

Look for new images that will soon be posted in our galleries!

We invite you to visit our websites:
http://www.alohaia.com
http://www.richardmarksphoto.com

Alohaʻia goes global!

Aloha!
We are proud to announce that alohaʻia has now has now initiated a global advertising campaign that is offering our high end wedding photography services to those living in some of the major cities of the world: Paris, London, Tokyo, Osaka, Sydney, Montreal, Quebec, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, LA, Seattle, and last but not least our old home base, San Francisco!

It is wonderful and quite exciting to be booking and serving clients from all corners of the world!

In the next few days look for a new gallery of images from a recent wedding with Ayumi and Yuichiro, a couple who are professional classically trained dancers from Tokyo who have performed for the Emperor and Empress of Japan. You will find a few of the photos from their wedding below.

We invite you to visit our websites:
http://www.alohaia.com
http://www.richardmarksphoto.com

Happy Spring!

Aloha and Happy Spring!

I hope your spring is blossoming beautifully on all levels.

I have been quite busy with shooting quite a few weddings as of late. Last week I shot a 2 day wedding in West Maui on the first day and on Mt Haleakala on the 2nd day.

The sweet couple, Ayumi and Yuichiro are from Japan and they are professional dancers and dance teachers. They are quite proud to have performed with their Isinai Dance Troupe for the Emperor and Empress of Japan!

The first day of their wedding was on a sacred Hawaiian site in the West Maui Mountains. The second day of their wedding celebration was with about 50 close friends and fellow dancers on the top of Mt. Haleakala at sunset. It is usually freezing cold at that time but we were blessed with warm temperatures and a beautiful sunset!

I will be adding a gallery of Ayumi and Yuichiroʻs wedding in the next several days as well as 3 other galleries from recent weddings. Please feel free to stop back to see them.

In the spirit of aloha, I am putting together a special surprise bonus for all my clients who book their weddings from March until April 20 my birthday. Please feel free to contact me for details about my special spring gift bonus.

With warm aloha,

Richard Marks

Maui Wedding Photographer

We invite you to visit our websites:
http://www.alohaia.com
http://www.richardmarksphoto.com

welcome to the blog site of alohaʻia

Maya and Paul ~ Maui ~ February 20,2008

photo ~ Richard Marks

Aloha and welcome to alohaʻia the new website and blog of Richard Marks!

The alohaʻia website launch was officially on February 1, 2008, and I am very pleased that it is already receiving rave reviews. It seems like the one common word that I am receiving in my ongoing feedback to describe alohaia.com is: "exquisite!".

I have already had a number of clients book with me and receive the 20% web launch celebration discount which I am offering to all new clients who book packages during the month of February.

I am quite excited to now have a blog along with my new website. My blog will provide the opportunity for me to share information with you about my upcoming photo shoots and weddings, feature a few images from my most recent photo shoots and "talk story" about items of interest concerning alohaʻia.

I would like to send my congratulations to my new clients Maya and Paul for their upcoming wedding in Maui that I will be photographing on August 3, 2008.

As a special wedding gift for Maya and Paul, I was quite happy to break free time from spending 12 -18 hours a day for the past month at my 2 computers designing my new website. It was wonderful to break open some time to extend the gift to Maya and Paul of a complimentary engagement photo shoot. They came to Maui last week to visit from their home in the San Francisco Bay Area to fine tune the details for their August Maui wedding.

I have just created a gallery of their photos in my gallery section of alohaʻia from their engagement photo session which was on February 20, if you would like to see images of my most recent shoot. Maya and Paul have already posted some of their engagement photos on their new wedding website they have just begun designing: www.romanticwaves.com

Iʻd also like to extend my congratulations to Jessica and Brendon whose wedding I will be shooting on 6/7/08. They have also created a wonderful wedding website that features their upcoming wedding : www.jessicabrendon.com

If you have any questions at all about my photography services please feel free to contact me at :

richard@richardmarksphoto.com

or call me on my business mobile:

808-298-4297

Iʻd be happy to call you right back and absorb the main cost of the call.

I look forward to the possibility of connecting with you and making arrangements to deliver exquisite photos your way!

In closing, as I shared on my website, I feel that it is a deep honor for me each time I receive the request to photograph a wedding, a family or an individual. I do everything in my means to deliver my clients exquisite photos, photographed with the deepest spirit of aloha (which often includes surprise gifts!) and with the highest technical and artistic standards possible.

With warm aloha to you and your alohaʻia,

Richard Marks

ps~ I will be adding new galleries to my website in the next few weeks, and will be creating a special surprise offer for my clients each month, so feel free to stop back and visit my website and blog as often as your heart finds delight in it !

We invite you to visit our websites:
http://www.alohaia.com
http://www.richardmarksphoto.com