Our family photos on the Big Island turned out so well! Amy truly captured the personalities of our…read morechildren and grandchildren! The location was perfect and she captured some of my favorite shots when we weren't posing. Wonderful experience!!

Loved our maternity session with Oceanspired Arts Photography. Not only are these photos incredible…read moreand exactly what we were hoping for, but Amy made us feel so comfortable and relaxed throughout the entire shoot. We laughed so much! We are so grateful we put our trust in her to capture this life changing journey for us. Her artistic eye, professionalism and turn around time are all flawless. We can't wait to get our family portraits done with baby Silas during our next island visit! Mahalo Nui Loa!

Worst experience of my life, this business stole my money. My family went to Hawaii in March with a…read moredream of getting family pictures done. I booked Shelly 2 months prior, signed a contract, and paid in full. The day before pictures, Shelly text me to ask if we could reschedule because her son had a surfing competition. I agreed to move the date to accomadate her. We rebooked for a few days later. She said she would email info on our shoot that day, she never did. I had to text her several times a few days later, and didn't hear back until a few hours before our schedule photoshoot. She told me they had been shooting a wedding since 6am that morning. So she double booked my family session with an all day wedding. I was no longer confident that she or her husband would do an adequate job. She had lost my trust at that point, and she broke the contract, so I asked for a refund. She said she would have to mail it. It's been over a month, and they not only haven't sent me my refund, they will not respond to my text. I am beginning to think this business is a scam.

Absolutely in love with Shelly! My husband and I were…read morevisiting Hawaii back in September 2021 for our anniversary and Shelly was MORE than accommodating for our needs. We were staying in Maui and she flew to us from the Big Island which was so easy for us. She helped us with outfit choices, and even sent multiple locations that she's used before! We love her, and love her personality. For a couple who doesn't know how to pose, she helped us so much! She placed us and made us laugh, and made the hour go by quickly... we ended up with at least 20 perfect pics! A few are printed in our home back in Oklahoma. We told her if she ever comes close to us, or to the main land... we want to see her and want another session! Thank you Shelly!

Rhianna is amazing in every way! I don't even know where to begin…read more I met Rhianna when picking out a wedding photographer 3 years ago. She took my wedding photos (through another vendor.) Rhianna happily met up with my husband and I two weeks before the wedding in Santa Barbara to go over photo options and do a complete walkthrough. On our wedding day Rhianna was early and ready to go. She made us feel so comfortable and at ease. She has such a fun, bubbly energy about her that it made our nerves go away. Her laughter and positivity is contagious! We laughed more with her than anyone else on our wedding day. Our photos from that day are absolutely stunning! Two years after our wedding, I reached out to Rhianna to have her take family photos with our one year old son. We are relocating away from Southern CA and I wanted special beach photos to remember this time in our lives - so these photos had to be perfect! She spent so much quality time with us to get the photos just right. We got our photos on time as expected as well. It was a great experience! Rhianna is extremely talented and great to work with! I would have her take all of my family photos for the rest of my life if possible! She is easy to communicate with, timely, and delivers high quality work. Her pricing is a steal also. Worth every penny! I highly recommend Rhianna for a wedding, family portraits, or any other important event you want to capture. She puts her all into her clients. Rhianna is the best of the best!

Wow!!! Me and my boyfriend wanted some simple photos of us to hang around our place and at work. I…read morecalled Rhianna up and she walked us through the entire process. We met up and discussed outfits, location, and exactly what it was we wanted. She was so easy to talk to and work with. Not only did she have us laughing but she was completely professional. All we had to do was show up and she did the rest. We got our photos back and were blown away with the results. We got results that not only surpassed her super reasonable rates, but the photos were so incredible as well. She lead us through the entire experience with comfort and ease. It was like hanging out with my best friend for that time. I HIGHLY recommend Rhianna's work to anyone who's looking for not only breath taking photos, but also a relaxed environment where you can be yourself and let your beauty and happiness shine!!! Are there any more fancy descriptive words to throw in here to display me squeeling in happiness right now??!?? :)

This review is long overdue - we did a session with Tracey a couple of years ago, and they are some…read moreof my favorite family photos even taken! The weather was not great and we were limited on where we could shoot due to high surf; yet she still made the photos look amazing. Mahalo Tracey, and we hope to see you again when we visit next.

Yes. The answer is yes. Book Tracey!! She is an amazing photographer and you can tell she really…read morecares about work and truly loves what she does. Not only does she take beautiful photos, but she is so fun to work with! She is a beautiful soul inside and out and a wonder to work with! My husband and I are super awkward in front of the camera but she helped us loosen up and have a good time with the shoot. Definitely check out her Instagram @traceylyn for more proof of her amazing work!

I can't rave about Michelle's work enough! She is an absolute artist! She made magic happen with my…read moreprecious little girl! She has a fantastically clean and professional studio set up and goes above and beyond to make her clients comfortable. She is so very good handling babies! She held my sweet newborn with so much love and care. Even washed her hands as soon as we walked in, and I didn't have to even ask! She swaddled her, dressed her, and posed her with the upmost patience. We passed her back and forth for feedings and she gave my family memories to last a lifetime! Another reviewer mentioned she is a baby whisperer....this is SO true!!! If you are looking for a phenomenal photographer on the big island, look no further! She is conveniently located and is very flexible!

It has been a pleasure working with Kiana. Even though we are on different islands, she's made the…read moreprocess of getting professional photography done for my business so seamless. The photos came out amazing. I'm so excited to update my website and feature the photos on my social media. Looking forward to continue working with her with my business and product photos!

The highest compliment I can pay James and Bev is our house is like a gallery for his artwork. We…read morehave hired JRP on two separate visits to the Big Island-- I mean, you've seen his shots on the Internet, they're amazing. And, each time, we get an amazing moment (or three, or fifty) in time of our family in our happy place. Bev is super-responsive in setting up the shoot and James lets us know the best place to head to to get the shot. In this day of smartphones, it has become harder to sift through the professionals who have an eye and the people who just have a camera that takes pictures. James is certainly the former, and we can't wait to keep returning to JRP to keep getting those great moments captured as our family grows older. Thanks, James. If you head to the Big Island (or anywhere in Hawaii) and you need to hire someone who knows how to handle a lens, call James. Use someone else? I certainly... SHUTTER at the thought. ;)

Frustrating & disappointing!…read more First of all I hate doing this as a small business owner myself but when you're 32 weeks and only get this opportunity once in a life & you want to capture the most beautiful way humanly possible. It makes me think twice about using this company for my wedding day I reached out to James Rubio photography via email after coming across their IG page a little over a week before I booked my flight and hotel to the big island. I was headed to the big island for my baby moon & wanted to get tropical pregnancy pictures done. In the beginning everything seemed to be going smooth, responding to email in a timely manner & asking all right questions as if it was going to happen. The last was question was asked sunrise or sunset? I replied then NOTHING! I even tried emailing them several times after their last response & 2 times while I was there and still NOTHING! As a bride would you really want this unprofessional & unreliable team for your wedding day..... probably not!

Demian Barrios did an exceptional job photographing my wedding and since then I've enjoyed watching…read morehis success grow as a lava chaser. DB was on the front line during the 2018 Leilani eruption! I have heard since he even opened his own photography gallery at 112 Ponahawai Street.

Ridiculousness and Disappointment: How I Had to Chase the "Lava Chaser," Demian Barrios, to Get My…read moreMoney Back. I am posting this as a 2-star review because I think a lot of 1-star reviews are dismissed as being vengeful or not credible; I want people to read this and actually consider my experience before potentially doing business with Demian Barrios/Primary Focus Photography. This is not a malicious post; I'm not going to disparage Mr. Barrios, or give him any other reason to have this review deleted for libel or false facts. I will stick to the facts of my dealings with him, and how I had to recoup the money I paid him when he had not delivered the agreed-upon product after four months. I am itemizing my largely one-sided communications with him beginning in May 2018, until I was forced to finally seek third-party assistance to recover my money in late August. Here is the timeline of how the whole mess unfolded: * I initiated a conversation with Mr. Barrios via Instagram (@dbphotogallery) on May 9, 2018, asking to have a print made of one of his photographs which my girlfriend loved, but which was not offered on his website (primaryfocushawaii.com). * He did not respond until May 17 - that should have been red flag #1. * I reached out and asked him if he was interested in continuing on June 27. 40 days to respond -- red flag #2. * He responded on June 28, and I asked him if we could communicate via text or phone to make it easier and more expeditious. He did not respond. Red flag #3. * He got back in touch on July 11 to say he had been busy and was trying to locate the photograph. * We agreed to print size and price on July 18. * I paid him via PayPal on July 19, per an invoice he sent from Primary Focus Hawaii. * I sent a status request on July 30, and he answered August 1 that he was checking on the order. * I sent another status request August 3. * A local third party also intervened on my behalf on August 3, urging him to respond to my inquiries. He sent me a long series of messages via Instagram the next day, apologizing and explaining that there had been a delay at the printer but he had been unaware because he does not check his email, messages, etc. He cited the volcano eruption as having been a preoccupation, but those events were largely over during this time; however, he HAD been busy promoting himself and his media to news agencies (I was also told that this is how he normally conducts his affairs, picking and choosing when to communicate with people because he has a bit of an ego). * I answered him the next day (ironically, he actually hit me with a second message and asked me to answer him), acknowledging and thanking him for his response. I told him I was interested in continuing, IF he would make the resolution of our deal a priority. He did not respond. His message the morning, August 4, asking for a response was the last communication I ever received from him. * I called (got his # from Facebook) and left a courteous but firm voicemail on August 16, asking him to call me immediately; it was never returned. * I called and left a second, less-cordial voicemail on August 17, demanding an immediate call back; it was never returned. * I sent a text message on August 20, asking for a status update and a response to my numerous inquiries; it was never answered. * I posted a comment on his August 21 Instagram post the next day, hoping to spur some sort of response; it went unaddressed and is still on the post as of the writing of this review. * I sent him an email via PayPal in error, intending to report the problem but unintentionally ending a direct message; although it detailed all of my bad experience to date, it still went unanswered. Realizing just how ridiculous it was that I was trying to make someone answer me who was not going to, I initiated the refund request process with PayPal on August 24, 2018; thankfully, Mr. Barrios stuck with his usual pattern and didn't respond, and I was refunded my money by default on September 1. It had been three months and three weeks since I contacted him - six weeks since I had paid him and four weeks since my girlfriend's birthday had come and gone. Now of course I do recognize, in hindsight, how many red flags there were in trying to communicate with Mr. Barrios, and how ridiculous the situation was even before I paid him; I bear some blame for this mess. It was obvious from the start that I was not dealing with a professional, but I still tried to make things work. I should have done a little more research before contacting him (had I simply Googled his name and the word, "scam," those results alone would have kept me from ever reaching out to him. By his own admission, Mr. Barrios isn't the best at communication; he told me (see Instagram conversation screenshots) that he doesn't check his email very much. Every text message and voicemail I ever sent him went unanswered.