We loved working with her for our family photos! She was so friendly, professional, and easy to…read morecommunicate with. She made the whole experience feel comfortable and enjoyable, and the photos turned out absolutely amazing. We're so grateful for the beautiful memories she captured for our family!

I booked Carena for an engagement and pregnancy announcement photo shoot, and the experience fell…read moreshort of expectations. It really saddens me that my most important life milestones turned into a nightmare of an experience in my quest to memorialize them. My fiancé and I booked a trip to Big Island Hawaii to celebrate the holiday season. We were pregnant with our firstborn, so this was going to be our last vacation alone. We thought it would be nice to have professional photos for our upcoming baby shower also. On the day of the shoot, Carena sent me a pin for where to meet her. The pin led us to the wrong part of the resort and we wound up losing 20 minutes of our shoot time driving in circles. We started the shoot, and planned for 3 outfits in a 2 hour shoot. We already lost half an hour, yet I noticed she was taking her time shooting in our first outfit I had to remind her that we had to change up. In addition, I didn't think we were doing enough poses for the time she was taking. We were left with little time to shoot in the other 2 outfits. I also paid for a floral headpiece as part of the shoot - she left it in her car so we lost another 10 mins of shoot time as she had to run back to grab it. At this point I thought she was disorganized, but I could forgive it. Where I really got upset is with what happened after our photo shoot experience. At the end of our shoot she said we should expect to get 200 photos. And that she would have the photos to us in a couple of weeks. I asked if she could send some sneak peeks in a few days, and she did. She gave us 5 photos to satiate our anxiousness as we awaited our photos. Then came the email... She emailed us along with a handful of her other clients that her hard drive stopped working and that she needed to see if recovery was possible. She would have to send the drive to the manufacturer to see if recovery would even be possible. My heart sank to my stomach. I wondered how a professional photographer would not have a backup or think to save their product into the cloud until they can deliver the final photos to their clients, especially since she's fully paid before even sending out any final photos to clients. The delay took another month, and at this point it was too late to include our pregnancy announcement photos to the baby shower invitations. I communicated early on with Carena to see how recovery was going and if we should look to book another photo shoot before it was too late, especially if she can't guarantee the recovery of photos. Her response was basically telling me that's it's too bad this happened, I'll have to wait and see, and a constant reminder that I'm not the only client affected by this. No apologies, no words offered to console me, no sympathy - at this point I was disappointed and felt regret that we ever booked this photoshoot. With no choice but to wait, we waited anyway. The photos finally came a few days after she emailed about a successful recovery (over a month late). Eager to finally put this behind me I reviewed them as soon as they became available. Disappointment struck once more. There were maybe 60 photos and a lot of them looked alike. There were maybe 8 that I liked. They were not touched up even though she claims to have edited them. Some had people in the background she didn't bother to edit out. I asked her to touch up the handful of photos I liked, which I thought is the least she could do after a horrible experience. The response I received instead was that touch ups would cost extra and she would charge $50 per hour to do this. I could not believe what I was being told after paying $1,000. At this point I accepted the fact that she was not only disorganized but also completely unprofessional. I called my sister who is a graphic designer and got her to touch up the photos for me, for free. I'm grateful I have somebody who could help me, and at the same time felt bad for Carena's other clients who were on the same boat and probably had to pay her more money just to get the photos touched up. I've never received photos after a photo shoot that were not touched up. I really couldn't wrap my head around her pricing and final product. They definitely did not match. I hate writing bad reviews, but I feel others should know what they are signing up for with Carena's photography sessions. The 8 final photos I do have came so late and the whole experience so disappointing that they never made it past my phone. I never shared them on social media, or made them part of my baby shower. When I see them, I am reminded of my horrible experience and unfortunately find no joy in them. What was meant to be a photo session to celebrate my biggest and most cherished memories instead turned into the memorialization of this ghastly experience I won't soon forget.

First off, this review is WAY overdue but since I actually spoke to Ranae on the phone today I…read morefigured I better write my review before I forget about it again! My family is from Oahu and Kauai so Hawaii means so much to me. So we really wanted to get married in Hawaii. My wife and I got married on the Big Island in October of 2018. We got married at the Royal Kona Resort and Ranae was one of the options for our photographer. After looking through her portfolio, I just knew she was the one for us. Although we ended up running a little behind (yes of course leave it to me to be late on my wedding lol) Ranae was a superstar trying to get as many good shots as she could for us! I loved that she was very upfront and direct with what she saw through that magical lens because I am not very comfortable with the camera. She was literally racing the sun to get the perfect sunset and to get as many different backgrounds/poses for us, which we really appreciated! One of the best days of my life. Thank you so much to Ranae for capturing some AMAZING shots! Everyone was so impressed when they saw our wedding photos. My only regret is not extending the time for more photos. Unfortunately, our package only allotted about 2 hours for Ranae and even then she stayed a little over for us. Mahalo!

Ranae did an amazing job capturing our wedding last weekend. The pictures are stunning and I'm so…read moregrateful for her work. She had so many ideas and poses which were fun. We can't begin to thank her enough for our beautiful gallery.

Excellent 5-stars ! So grateful to have such a talented photographer for my wedding pictures! Took…read moremy vision and made it come true! Super understanding and respectful!

Renee made to trip to Montana to capture our wedding and it couldn't have been more perfect. Renee…read moreworked with us in the planning stages prior to the event and we had total trust in her expertise as the event came up, even though we never met her in person until days before. We talked over the phone, emailed and everything was prompt and professional. She's the kind of photographer that will capture every moment without you knowing she's even there. We had a distinct style in mind and she nailed it. We'd recommend Renee and her services for anyone looking to have their special event captured. The best part was being able to share our photos within weeks of the event. Five star experience.

We hired Tara (aka Sky & Reef Photography) to take new family photos. Getting one decent photo of…read morea family of six, including a hungry newborn and a wild toddler, is a challenge. Tara captured 30+ frameable, Insta-ready photos in an hours time! I don't know how she did it - maybe magic. We're very happy with her work. So much so, a week after seeing the photos, my husband hired her to take some photos for a work project. We'll definitely use her again in the future and can't recommend her enough.

Tara is amazing!! She goes over and beyond when shooting your photos. We had her do our engagement…read morephotos and wedding. We couldn't be happier. Working with Tara means having a photographer that isn't afraid to get dirty to get the perfect shot. She is so easy to work with and does what it takes to make her clients happy. We are so in love with all of our photos. When working with Tara you will have the best experience and gain a friend. I can't say more wonderful things about her. Thank you so much for everything you did and for capturing such amazing photos!!! We are so happy we got to work with you!! Highly recommended and will go back to her for future photos.

Thank you Big Island Focus for the fabulously fun video you did at our renewal of vows post…read moreeloping! It was very important for our family to see "The Dress" as you named our YouTube video! Lovely caption of a special and cherished time that we will never forget now that we have video. Thank you! Christy & James -professional -unobtrusive -easing -quality -cherished memory -quick!

Rick at Big Island focus did a wonderful job with our family photos! This was actually our third…read moretime Rick has taken our family photos and each time has been great! Scheduling a time was easy and Rick worked with our schedule. The pictures each session has come out great. We have made several images into large canvas's that are hung up in our home. Thank you again Rick, we definitely will see you again in the future!

Robin is a professional. Her photos are captivating and amazing. Well worth your moneyread more

We used Robin this summer for family photos on our vacation to Mauna Lani on the Big Island. Robin…read morewas wonderful and patient with our family of 6. She worked around my elderly parents needs and the results were incredible. We were very pleased to get a dvd and thumb drive with our pictures so we could order prints and photo gifts. Her prices were very reasonable and we highly recommend her!

Highly recommend this extremely talented duo! We came across @alohazoephotography work on Instagram…read moreand knew we had to book them. Their aesthetic and vibe was exactly what we were looking for and they seemed like genuine people we wanted to adventure with! Planning our wedding on the Big Island from SoCal in less than 6 months was easy breezy with the help of Ryan and Corrine. They were wonderful to work with from start to finish- getting to know us and getting a feel for our dynamic, and hearing us out on our vision. I feel like we bounced ideas off each other and it was a great creative space! Their project management is efficient and their communication is so on the ball. They have it very much together. Our big day and adventure session was captured so beautifully by them. We think a big part of their talent comes from their ability to truly connect with their subjects. Their warmth and excitement for us made us feel so grounded and light and it radiated in the pictures! My family and I are obsessed with our phenomenal photos and the team behind the cameras. Such lovely people. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for getting to work with Ryan and Corrine!

Since getting married + having kids, we have had our share of professional photography done. I…read morehave loved all our experiences throughout the years and (dare I admit) have become accustom to some pretty high standards. Needless to say, Corinne + Ryan blew it out of the water! From the very moment I contacted Corinne + Ryan, they were very responsive and flexible given our limited time on the island. Typically they specialize in weddings and intimate adventures with couples, however they were excited to take on my request for family photos. We shared/brainstormed ideas regarding location, logistics with kiddos, and capturing my overall "vision." On the day of our shoot, they went as far as scoping out the location an hour beforehand just to make sure everything was good to go. Due to some challenges we faced, they provided other location options to ensure a better outcome. I'm so glad they did!!! Upon meeting them in person they were just as amazing as I thought they'd be. They were great at directing us, made my kids smile, and created the perfect experience for my family and I. Even after the shoot, they continued to communicate timelines and shared some incredible sneak peeks. The images they captured were absolutely stunning!!!! These are photos I will truely cherish forever. The overall experience and finished product were the best!!!! Thank you Corinne + Ryan....you are such special people with amazing talent and I'm forever grateful for your service!!!

We had a great experience with Blinnk at the Westin Hapuna Beach. Ryan met us early in the morning…read moreso we could get family photos on the beach before the kids could complain that it was too hot. He worked with varying levels of enthusiasm from the kids and got everyone posing and smiling at the same time. We have an amazing set of photos now that everyone is happy with (an almost impossible task in itself!). Thank you, Ryan!

Pictures were as is, with no edits or touch ups, which is not what we expected. We've hired other…read moreprofessional photographers that have always included photoshop edits in the price. April was great and very professional. She made the photo shoot enjoyable.