Another mid-deployment OpLove session. So excited to send the album to her husband serving overseas!

Every so often, I get to have a shoot that is ALL about having fun. We didn’t go out with an agenda or certain poses we needed to capture. We didn’t even have a set plan on where we were going to end up. Ohmygoodness!!! We just let the 17 month old take charge and have fun. Sometimes, these are simply the best sessions, because the relaxed atmosphere comes through in the photos. If I had to describe them in just a few words, I’d say simple, fun, and play. So happy I got to capture these for another photographer here on Oahu.:)

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Every mommy needs some photos like this of her and her little lovebug(s) to treasure forever.

Thanks for letting me capture these wonderful memories for you and your family!

Jen Buchanan
Sunshine Soul Photography
Oahu Hawaii Family and Child Photographer

Posted in Family,Kids,OpLove

Oh, how I love to have sessions with newlyweds. They are so very much in love and I enjoy just watching them lose moments as they stare into each others eyes. It seems as they are caught in their own world. There are moments when it feels like yesterday that I met my husband. When we actually get a moment to have a date day away from the hustle and bustle of kids and life, it is so much fun to fall in love all over again.

A very big congratulations to this lovely young couple and thanks for letting me capture these moments for you!

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Jen Buchanan
Sunshine Soul Photography
Oahu Hawaii Family and Child Photographer

Posted in Love

Another senior portrait shoot that was just amazing. I am always so excited when working with seniors. It is an amazing time along one’s life journey and I am always so excited for all that lay ahead for these young gals and guys.

But, it is not always easy at that age (or any age, for that matter!). This girl came to me before the shoot and was troubled because she feels horribly shy in front of a camera and unbelievably self-conscious. They warned me that all of her photos generally end up looking like she wants to throw up. Ugh. Scary way to start a session for everyone involved! We talked about how it would go in our pre-shoot consult when we met up at Starbucks.

It is always great to meet everyone before the shoot — gets the hi’s and how are you’s out of the way and helps to get to know each other and avoid some awkwardness. It generally takes a few minutes to warm up during the session anyway, but having met beforehand eliminates quite a bit of angst for all parties.

Anyway, long story short, when we met the day of the session it was like greeting a friend that I hadn’t seen in a couple of weeks. Her photos came out lovely and will be a treasure as well as a fabulous reminder of this precious time in her life…

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Thanks for allowing me to capture these amazing memories for you!
Oahu Hawaii Senior Portrait Photographer, Jennifer Buchanan

Posted in Kids,Seniors

I do A LOT of free shoots each year. Some of my favorites are the OpLove shoots. Most people know about free homecoming sessions, but not a lot of people are aware that families are entitled to TWO free shoots per deployment. These sessions are either done with the entire family, including the serviceperson, before a deployment, OR are done mid-deployment of just the family.

The gift I give these families in addition to the free session is a 4×6 album that I send directly to the person who is serving our country overseas of my favorite photos from the session. What a morale boost! I love hearing how a deployed Marine or soldier is so grateful to carry their family with them everywhere they go, even on patrol in remote parts of the world.

This is just one small thing I can do to say thank you to these very brave men and women.

Here are just a few shots from a recent shoot that I sent to the daddy as a surprise. Love it!

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With Aloha,

Jennifer Buchanan
Sunshine Soul Photography

Posted in Family,Kids,OpLove

Such a fun and inspiring shoot with B of La Brisa Photography this weekend. I was able to participate in her workshop and absolutely loved being a part of the energy created by the event. SO much fun! Here is a sample of what I got for a fun couples session. I loved playing around with the editing of this session and went for a more dreamy look. LOVE the black and white images on these.

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Posted in Love