Find the Best Photographers in Kailua

Daphne Hargrove runs a dedicated newborn and family photography business out of Honolulu, with newborn sessions listed as their own category on her site alongside maternity, family, boudoir, and commercial branding work. She has built a large following over the years, with well over 200 combined reviews across Yelp and Google, and clients specifically mention booking her for newborn shoots and being happy with how the photos turned out, on top of a Hawaii television feature about her boudoir photography. Because she is based on the Honolulu side of Oahu, a Kailua booking means a short drive across the Pali or through Kailua town rather than a cross-island trip, which is a lot more manageable than several other names on this list. Her approach favors location flexibility: she shoots in home, in studio, and outdoors depending on what a family wants, and her galleries show a range of props, soft neutral backdrops, and outdoor natural-light setups rather than one fixed style. Beyond newborns, she also runs a well-reviewed boudoir practice and does couples, engagement, and commercial branding photography, giving her a broad enough client base to have built one of the largest review counts of any photographer on this list. For Kailua families who want a genuinely dedicated newborn photographer rather than a family photographer who occasionally takes newborn bookings, her nav menu literally has a newborn category, which is rarer than it should be on this island. 

Chantelle, the photographer behind Simply Blissful Photography, brings 15 years of photography experience to her Oahu newborn sessions, with a dedicated newborn gallery that runs alongside her broader portfolio. Her stated specialty in studio work sets her apart from photographers who exclusively shoot on location — a controlled studio environment means consistent lighting and temperature regardless of what’s happening outside that day, which can matter more than scenery when the subject is a two-week-old baby who needs to stay warm and undisturbed. For Kailua families weighing a beach session against a more traditional posed set, a studio-based newborn photographer offers a genuinely different final product: clean backgrounds, controlled props, and repeatable setups rather than a single outdoor location with its own weather and lighting variables. Fifteen years in the business also generally means a working system already in place for handling the realities of newborn sessions — feeding breaks, soothing techniques, and the patience required to wait out a baby’s own schedule rather than working against it. 

Ohana Baby Photography is built specifically around the newborn window, with the site recommending sessions when a baby is between five and fourteen days old, though photographer Alla notes she can still work with babies up to eight weeks for parents who couldn’t schedule earlier. That kind of specific guidance is a sign of a photographer who has run enough sessions to know how a baby’s alertness, skin tone, and flexibility shift week to week during the earliest stretch of life, rather than treating every newborn booking as identical regardless of age. Alla describes her own approach less in technical terms and more as a photo artist with a musical soul, and her galleries lean toward soft, warm-toned images over sharp studio lighting. The business keeps an active Yelp presence with client reviews, giving Kailua parents an outside source to check beyond the photographer’s own site before booking. Given how tightly the ideal newborn window is timed, having a photographer who’s explicit about the five-to-fourteen-day sweet spot — and flexible enough to still help past it — takes some of the guesswork out of scheduling around an unpredictable due date. 

Pam Phipps Photography brands itself directly as an Oahu Newborn Photographer rather than folding baby sessions into a broader family-portrait menu, and the site’s dedicated newborns gallery bears that out with a portfolio built specifically around infant work rather than borrowed from wedding or family shoots. That kind of focus tends to show up in small technical habits that matter with a newborn specifically — comfortable posing that doesn’t strain a baby’s neck or hips, patience for the inevitable feeding and diaper breaks, and lighting that stays soft enough for skin still adjusting to the world outside the womb. Because the business markets itself island-wide as an Oahu newborn specialist rather than a single-neighborhood studio, Kailua families are a normal part of the client mix rather than an edge case requiring extra travel fees or special arrangement. The site’s separate Experience and Investment pages point to a business structured around clear expectations before booking, which tends to suit parents who’d rather understand pricing and process ahead of a stressful first-newborn-photos decision than negotiate details after reaching out. 

Alison Bell holds NAPCP (National Association of Professional Child Photographers) Master certifications in both family and child photography, a credential that requires a portfolio review rather than being self-awarded, and it shapes how she approaches newborn work across Oahu. Her sessions are built around two specific windows: a Fresh 48 visit within the first two days after birth, typically at the hospital or birth center, and a more traditional at-home newborn session within the baby’s first ten days, when infants tend to still sleep deeply and curl into the soft, bendable poses many parents picture. Rather than a flat per-package price list with a dozen tiers, her newborn session runs at a stated flat fee, which simplifies budgeting for new parents who are already juggling enough decisions. Because sessions happen at home rather than in a fixed studio, a Kailua family doesn’t need to plan a drive into town with a days-old newborn — she comes to wherever the baby already is. That in-home approach also means the finished images reflect a family’s actual nursery and living space rather than a generic studio backdrop. 

Wonderfully Made’s own service description covers all of Honolulu and surrounding areas, language that reasonably extends to nearby Kailua rather than restricting sessions to the urban core. The studio is run by Christie Camp Petersen, whose photography background spans more than two decades, and the newborn work sits alongside maternity and motherhood sessions rather than standing alone as a single product. The business name and site language draw from Psalm 139:14 (fearfully and wonderfully made), which shapes a gentle, values-informed approach to how new families are photographed rather than a purely commercial studio experience. Sessions are booked directly by phone or email, and the site keeps a running calendar of open dates rather than an automated instant-booking system, suggesting a smaller, more personal client load than a high-volume studio. For Kailua families, that combination of decades of photography experience with an unhurried approach to newborn sessions is a specific alternative to studios built around fast turnaround and templated poses. 

Lokeli’i Photography’s own portfolio includes sessions at Lanikai Beach, which sits inside Kailua town itself, alongside other Oahu locations like Kualoa and Maili Beach — this isn’t a photographer guessing at whether she’ll travel to Kailua, it’s already part of her working rotation. She describes her practice as covering ‘ohana, newborn and maternity photography throughout the islands of Hawai’i,’ a broader service area than photographers who stay within a single Honolulu neighborhood. Client feedback describes her as warm and welcoming from the first moment of a session, which matters with a newborn where a stressed or rushed atmosphere tends to show up in a baby’s expression and a parent’s posture alike. Sessions blend genuine ‘ohana connection with the kind of soft, natural Hawai’i light that beach and garden locations like Lanikai provide, rather than a flash-lit studio look. For Kailua parents specifically, working with a photographer already familiar with Lanikai’s shoreline and light at different times of day removes some of the guesswork around timing a newborn session around tide, sun position, and a baby’s own unpredictable schedule. 

Marissa HB Photography built its newborn business around Oahu’s east side, with dedicated Kailua and Lanikai pages on her site pointing to years of sessions shot along that specific stretch of coastline. Rather than a single fixed studio, she offers two formats for new parents: an in-home lifestyle session that documents the first days at home exactly as they happen, or a beach session once the baby is a few weeks old and can tolerate more time outdoors. The in-home newborn work favors soft, undirected moments, such as a baby mid-yawn on a parent’s chest or morning light through a window, over heavily posed studio setups with wraps and headbands. Her beach portfolio, updated as recently as this year, includes swaddled newborns photographed against Kailua’s ironwood trees and sand rather than a studio backdrop, a look that has become something of a signature for Windward Oahu family photography. Marissa also shoots maternity sessions at the same beaches, so families can work with one photographer across pregnancy, the newborn stage, and beyond rather than switching vendors partway through. For Kailua parents deciding between an in-home and outdoor newborn session, she is one of the few Oahu photographers actively marketing and delivering both formats side by side. 

Since 2012, Heather of Little Bird Photography + Films has been photographing newborns from a home base in Kailua, giving Windward Oahu families a documentary photographer who already knows the neighborhood’s light and layout. Her style leans candid over posed: babies sleeping in their own bassinet, siblings peeking in mid-diaper-change, natural window light rather than studio strobes. A dedicated feature on a Kailua newborn session shows the approach in practice, with quiet black-and-white frames taken inside the family’s own house within the first couple of weeks home from the hospital, alongside a companion session shot along Lanikai’s shoreline once the baby was a bit older. Beyond stills, the studio also works in short-form film, so some sessions come with a brief video alongside photos, a format not every Oahu newborn photographer offers. Little Bird has stayed active for well over a decade, posting fresh sessions from across the islands as recently as 2024, evidence that the business remains a working, referral-driven practice rather than a dormant listing. For a Kailua family weighing studio versus lifestyle newborn photography, the appeal here is simplicity: no travel, no props to assemble, just a photographer working quietly around the baby’s schedule in the rooms the family already lives in. 

Husband-and-wife team Lucie and Sam Silveira have been photographing Windward Oahu families since 2003, and their home studio in Kaneohe sits just minutes from Kailua for new parents who don’t want a long drive with a days-old baby. Newborn sessions take place indoors, where the pair controls every variable, including window light, room temperature, and a wardrobe of wraps, headbands, and wooden name props that read distinctly Hawaii rather than mainland-generic. Families often book the full arc with LucieXYZ: a maternity sitting, the newborn session itself, a follow-up around three months, and a first birthday cake smash, all bound into one custom-designed album at year’s end rather than scattered digital files. Recognized as Honolulu Magazine’s Best Family Photographer in 2025, the studio has built a loyal following that shows in its client reviews. Sam typically handles lighting and set logistics while Lucie works directly with the baby, a division of labor that keeps sessions moving efficiently even when a newborn needs a mid-shoot feeding or diaper change. For Kailua parents, the appeal is the short commute paired with two decades of hands-on experience posing and soothing infants safely. Sessions are scheduled within the first two weeks after birth, when babies sleep deepest and settle most naturally into classic poses. 

Cody Ketchum markets himself less as a formal studio and more as, in his own words, “a friend capturing your wedding day who happens to be a professional photographer” — a laid-back, playful approach that shows up consistently in his 8 WeddingWire reviews, all part of a perfect 5.0 average. With roughly five years in the business, he’s newer to the Oahu wedding scene than some of the more established names on this list, but reviewers describe him as spectacular, punctual, and respectful, with a knack for directing poses without making the process feel stiff or overly produced. His services cover day-of wedding coverage, engagement sessions, and trash-the-dress shoots, and clients specifically call out how quickly he turns around edited galleries — a detail that matters for couples eager to share photos on social media or with family soon after the wedding. His portfolio leans into Oahu’s natural color palette, and reviewers note that his edits capture the island’s tones accurately rather than over-processing them. For couples in Kailua looking for a more relaxed, less traditional wedding-day experience — someone who feels like part of the wedding party rather than a hired vendor working the room — Ketchum’s easygoing style and quick turnaround are the two qualities his clients mention most often. 

Kristen Hook has quietly built a Kailua-based studio with testimonials stretching back more than a decade, and one detail comes up again and again in client feedback: speed. Where other Oahu photographers can take months to deliver a finished wedding gallery, reviewers describe getting theirs back from Hook in a couple of weeks — a turnaround fast enough that one couple specifically compared it to a previous, much slower vendor. That pace doesn’t come at the expense of volume either; one review notes she took nearly 2,000 photos over a single wedding day, giving couples an unusually deep set of moments to choose from rather than a thin, curated handful. Her boutique studio has shot hundreds of weddings and engagement sessions across the Hawaiian Islands, and for engagement shoots specifically, reviewers credit her with recommending locations they wouldn’t have found on their own. Clients describe her as easygoing and friendly rather than formal, which reviewers say helped nervous couples relax in front of the camera. With 9 reviews and a perfect 5.0 average on WeddingWire, her review count is smaller than some studios on this list, but the specificity and consistency of the feedback — fast delivery, high shot volume, genuine warmth — paints a clear picture of what a Kailua couple can expect from booking her. 

Richard Wainscoat and his wife run AinaKai Photography as a true husband-and-wife team out of their home base in Kailua, with her serving as second photographer on every wedding rather than an occasional hired assistant — a distinction couples notice in the coverage they receive of both getting-ready rooms simultaneously. The pair has lived on Oahu for two decades, and reviewers consistently mention that this translates into genuinely useful location and vendor recommendations, not just photography skill — couples say the Wainscoats helped them narrow down a venue and pointed them toward other vendors worth hiring. Their specialty leans toward destination weddings and elopements, including trash-the-dress sessions for couples who want a second, more adventurous shoot after the wedding itself, and their approach favors boutique, unhurried coverage over high-volume studio production. With 11 reviews and a perfect 5.0 average on WeddingWire, AinaKai has a smaller but consistently positive track record, the kind that builds through referrals in a tight-knit community rather than heavy advertising. For couples planning a Kailua elopement or an intimate destination wedding who want a team that treats every booking as a genuine, unhurried collaboration rather than one of several jobs that weekend, the Wainscoats’ two decades of island knowledge and consistent five-star feedback make them a strong, locally rooted choice. 

L’Amour Photography & Video has operated on Oahu since 2008, long enough that the studio has gone through a rebrand — it started as Leslie Mansperger Photography before becoming the husband-and-wife operation it is today, run by Eric and Wendy Mansperger. Eighteen years in the same market gives them a level of local knowledge that’s hard to replicate, and it shows in unusual, specific stories in their portfolio archive: they’re the studio behind a photo of actor Jason Momoa that went viral after he crashed a Hawaii wedding they were shooting, a moment their blog still references. Reviewers describe their editing as “second to none” and their manner on wedding day as nice, friendly, and genuinely funny — not just professional in a formal sense, but easy to be around during a long day of shooting. Clients also flag their pricing as notably fair relative to the quality of the final product, a combination that’s helped the studio accumulate 21 reviews on WeddingWire. As a two-person team, they’re able to offer both photography and videography under one booking, which simplifies vendor coordination for couples who want both formats covered without hiring separate crews. For a Kailua wedding, their near two-decade tenure on Oahu means they’ve likely already worked at or near your venue. 

A decade in, Joseph Esser has built trusted-vendor relationships with some of Oahu’s most exclusive wedding venues — Four Seasons Ko Olina, the Halekulani, Kualoa Ranch, The Royal Hawaiian, and the Ritz-Carlton Oahu among them — the kind of access that typically comes only after years of being invited back. Based right in Kailua, he shoots in a candid, photojournalistic style built around what he describes as fun and vibrant landscape work, and his 38 WeddingWire reviews carry a perfect 5.0 average. Beyond still photography, his studio also offers videography and photo booth add-ons, giving couples a way to bundle multiple wedding-day services with one vendor rather than coordinating separately with three. His portfolio spans the full range of Oahu wedding styles, from formal luxury celebrations at resort venues to more adventurous elopements on beaches and cliffside lookouts, which reviewers point to as evidence he can adapt his eye to very different settings rather than shooting every wedding the same way. For a Kailua couple weighing a resort wedding against a more low-key ceremony, that range — paired with a decade of experience and an unblemished review record — is a meaningful advantage. Esser markets himself specifically as an Oahu wedding photographer rather than a generalist who occasionally shoots weddings, and his venue relationships reflect that focus. 

For some Oahu couples, Roy Nuesca isn’t a vendor they compare against others — he’s the first booking they make, sometimes before they’ve even settled on a venue or hired a planner. That’s a pattern that shows up repeatedly in his 61 WeddingWire reviews, which average a full 5.0 stars. His portfolio, built around venues like La Pietra as well as engagement locations stretching from the North Shore to Waianae, leans heavily on natural settings and available light rather than heavy staging, and reviewers describe his eye for nature and landscape as central to his signature look. What separates Nuesca in client feedback isn’t just the images themselves but his demeanor on the day: multiple reviews mention that he put visibly nervous couples at ease, which matters most during the ceremony and formal-portrait window when there’s no time for a second take. He’s also been flexible with couples navigating date changes, a quality reviewers still bring up years later. While based in Honolulu, his engagement and wedding work regularly extends to Kailua and the rest of Windward Oahu. For couples who want a photographer whose portfolio reads as consistently excellent rather than just occasionally excellent, the volume and uniformity of his 5-star reviews is one of the strongest track records among photographers covering the Kailua market. 

Tara, the photographer behind Sky and Reef, works out of a Keolu Drive studio right in Kailua — making her one of the few wedding photographers on this list who is actually headquartered in the city rather than commuting in from Honolulu. That local footing shows in her portfolio’s heavy use of Kailua and Windward Oahu locations, including Kualoa and nearby beach parks, and in the drone photography she offers as an add-on for aerial coverage of coastline ceremonies. Sky and Reef has earned recognition as a Best of Weddings pick from The Knot and carries 72 reviews on Yelp, a substantial review base for a single-photographer studio. Clients describe Tara as kind, hospitable, and flexible, with a shooting style that mixes candid, unposed moments with more directed portrait work rather than leaning entirely on one approach. Sessions start at $625 an hour, a rate structure the studio is upfront about rather than requiring an inquiry to learn. Beyond weddings, Sky and Reef also shoots engagements, proposals, maternity, and family sessions, which means many of her wedding clients first found her through one of those other services — a pattern reviewers mention when describing repeat bookings. For couples planning a Kailua beach or backyard wedding, her local knowledge of tide times, light, and permit-friendly spots is a genuine advantage over photographers flying in from town. 

Keoni Kitagawa built Kpix Photography around a simple premise: a wedding gallery should feel like photojournalism first, with a bit of editorial polish layered on top rather than the other way around. That approach shows in reviews that repeatedly single out his use of natural light and his knack for guiding camera-shy couples into poses that don’t look posed. Kpix explicitly lists Kailua among the Oahu communities it serves alongside Honolulu, the North Shore, and the neighbor islands, and packages start at $1,499 with a 10% discount for early bookings — pricing details the studio publishes directly rather than requiring a quote request. With 76 reviews and a 5.0 average on WeddingWire, Kpix has accumulated one of the larger, cleaner review records among photographers covering the Windward side, and clients frequently mention how quickly their galleries arrive after the wedding, a detail that matters when other vendors are waiting on final images. The studio’s portfolio spans everything from formal estate-venue weddings to more relaxed beach ceremonies, and reviewers describe the vibe on wedding day as fun without losing the professionalism needed to keep a timeline moving. For a Kailua couple comparing quotes, Kpix stands out for combining transparent pricing with a consistently high review volume. 

With 190 five-star reviews on WeddingWire — one of the highest review counts of any wedding photographer serving Oahu — Shannon Sasaki has built a reputation that couples heading to Kailua’s beaches and windward-side venues can lean on with confidence. Her editing style leans bold and saturated, favoring rich color and high energy over muted, editorial minimalism, which is part of why couples repeatedly describe her galleries as “full of life.” Sasaki, who is based in Honolulu and travels to Kailua and the rest of Oahu at no extra charge, typically works alongside a second shooter, a detail reviewers mention often because it means more candid coverage of both partners getting ready simultaneously and no missed moments during a fast-moving reception. Clients consistently highlight two things beyond the photos themselves: her communication (responsive by email, text, and wedding-planning apps in the run-up to the big day) and her ability to keep a wedding-day timeline on track without making anyone feel rushed. That combination — technical polish paired with genuine warmth in front of the camera — is a big part of why she holds a 4.9-star average across nearly 200 reviews, a volume most photographers on this list are still building toward. For a Kailua wedding at a beachfront ceremony site or a backyard windward reception, her portfolio shows deep familiarity with Oahu’s light and landscape. 

Capture the beauty of your maternity journey with Sky and Reef Photography in Kailua, Hawaii.