"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." - Aaron Siskind, one of the greatest American photographers In hosting our granddaughter's 3rd birthday party, I knew that I wanted good pictures for my granddaughter to remember this event years down the road. I didn't know any professional photographers, and my party coordinator, Tessa Gomes of Fred + Kate Events, was tasked with recommending one. It didn't help that the party fell on 8/18/18, which was a popular day for weddings, so many of the photographers were already booked. However, Tessa gave me a photographer who was available to do it: Dave Miyamoto & Co. I couldn't have been happier with this photographer! He took a lot of pictures, and all of them captured the joy in this happy occasion! In fact, I didn't realize he took so many pictures, as I didn't see him taking pictures and apparently just blended in with the guests (he wore an aloha shirt). His approach was relaxed and informal, as he took family portraits and candid shots throughout the party. I loved the many photos with Mickey Mouse that Dave took; my husband was in the Mickey Mouse costume and could see how he looked like as Mickey Mouse afterwards! My daughter, Kristin, remarked that it has always been difficult to take pictures of 3-year-old Kayla, as most mothers can tell you that kids that age are constantly moving around and will not sit for that perfect photo. She also said that Kayla took a liking to Dave Miyamoto, and he was easily able to coax her to take the perfect shots. So, he must have that natural gift or touch as a photographer to get those prime shots, and with kids even! I think it's because of his comfortable, relaxed, approachable and easy-going personality that others taking liking to. And with some 28 years of photography knowledge and experience, he knows what works and what doesn't. He loaded all the photos on a thumb drive and arranged to meet the day after the party to give me the thumb drive. Now, that is what I call lightening speed! He also had the pictures easily accessible via the computer for my daughter on "dropbox." And he gave permission for us to be able to reprint as many pictures as we wanted, which we did at Costco. (For those of you who are like me, remember those days when we had to buy a photography package and be charged for each additional photo, which would take weeks to get?!) Dave Miyamoto specializes in weddings, but that doesn't limit him to do other special occasion events, such as birthday parties like ours. His love for photography spills over to things he likes to do, with many photos of surfing, underwater diving, and yoga. He leads a team of photography specialists in his company: * Michelle Guda- Miyamoto - Dave's wife and is the Marketing, Social Media and Client Services Director for more than 22 years. She ensures that your photography experience will be the best and most memorable time you can have. * Ryan Miyamoto - Dave's son, who has a degree in Television, Film and New Media Production from San Diego State University. He has a keen and natural artistic eye for the art of photography, loves to surf, and has photography experience of more than 9 years. * Claire Miyamoto - Dave's daughter, who is the Graphic Designer and has been photographing for more than 7 years. She has a degree from the University of CA-Santa Cruz in Film and Digital Media. * Erwin Resurrection - Associate Photographer who does freelancing. He's been photographing with Dave for more than 15 years. * Paula Ota - Associate Photographer who loves the beauty in nature. With a love of yoga, she has been photographing with Dave for more than 8 years. With so many years of experience, it is no wonder that Dave Miyamoto & Co. is one of the top photography companies in HNL. While Dave was the sole photographer for our party, I found him to be creative, personable, knowledgeable, professional and quick to move in getting those memorable moments. And he was timely, arriving before the party started and having the photos ready for me the next day. I could tell that Dave was very comfortable in taking the necessary photos. It is not surprising that Dave Miyamoto & Co. has consistently won top Wedding Wire (wedding planning website) awards for its photography. Yes, photos are memories of events and loved ones that live on forever. I'm so glad that Dave Miyamoto was there to capture those memories! Thank you, Dave, for those excellent photos that will last forever! read more

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I'm just going to go straight to the point. Dave is Very genuine and hands down Amazing!! He is so chill, nice, very patient, and he definitely knows what he's doing!! We had Dave for our wedding In November 2019 in Oahu, Hawaii and he also shot our engagement photos 3 days before the wedding. He was SOOO quick with sending our engagement photos. We basically got all of our shots through Dropbox to view with ease in less than and hour and a half! The photos came out so nice!! My husband and I felt at ease with Dave and so relaxed. He has a great sense of humor and was just so sweet!! We highly recommend him! Can't wait to see all of our photos from the big day! read more

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Met Dave on our visit to Hawaii for a photo shoot and he was such a great guy to talk to. He picked the perfect location to get the most beautiful sunset on the beach. The pictures he sent me were stunning, just like we were photoshopped into this beautiful background. He also was able to tell us how to pose and do some natural things which is great if you do not know how to pose in front of the camera. Dave was so quick to edit the photos and easy to talk to. Definitely recommend him to anyone just visiting Hawaii and want to do a photo shoot! I've attached some pictures he took. Check it out, it is gorgeous! read more

Dave Miyamoto & Company - Event Photography Near Me

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Two plus years after our wedding and I'm STILL loving DMC. Last year my husband surprised me with a beautiful wedding album. See, when we first got married, we had just empty our wallets on the wedding and honeymoon. So we ended up making our own album using a company like shutterfly/ ibook/ costco - nothing wrong with that! It was really nice. But my husband wanted to treat me to a "real" wedding album for our one year anniversary. He contacted Michelle and, with Dave's expertise, created a gorgeous album. Seriously, wedding albums have come a long way and the one we have is a thing of beauty. Just recently, we blew up a couple of photographs from our wedding to decorate our very bare house. And everyone knows when you enlarge photos, they can bring out imperfections you hadn't seen. Not with our wedding photographs. DMC gave us super high quality images that look great, even poster sized. LOVE this company and can't recommend them highly enough. You are in excellent hands when you choose DMC for your big day. read more

Dave was very easy to work with and attentive to details. He was affordable and extremely flexible through multiple postponements with COVID. When taking group photos he would point out if someone had to fix a fold in their shirt, hide a mask in view or take down their sunglasses. He knows every wedding photo and stance in the book. His direction and occasionally pulling us aside to get a shot with the setting sun was much appreciated! read more

Dave Miyamoto & Company - Event Photography Near Me

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We are absolute fans of Dave and Michelle Miyamoto!!! They are the most friendly, efficient, warm and talented husband/wife team. I was planning our destination from Los Angeles, and Michelle made the entire process painless. She responded to my emails immediately, and everything was done in the most professional fashion. Did I mention how much we LOVED our photos and slide show? The wedding photos were delivered to us 2 days after the wedding, and we received the wedding slide show a week after we arrived home (and that's because this picky bride wanted to sort through the 1000 photos Dave took of our wedding, otherwise, we would have gotten it faster). In all, we would highly recommend Dave & Michelle Miyamoto, you will not regret it!! Lora & Thomas 6/21/11 read more

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We worked with Dave over this last year to do our engagement session and our wedding day photos and everything about it was just absolutely awesome. Dave is extremely easy to work with but has also been doing this long enough that you can tell he knows exactly how to handle any type of situation. We had some hectic weather during our wedding, not to mention the general feeling of going crazy during your big day and it was nice having Dave there because we knew 100% we could depend on him to tell us what we should be doing and to help direct things along. He even went out of his way to offer a follow up session a couple weeks later after the rain had cleared! As if that wasn't enough of a reason to work with him, his photos are all incredible. He has a great style that isn't over processed and has a beautiful natural look to them. We got all of our shots back extremely fast from our event and couldn't be happier. Thanks so much Dave! Can't wait to work with you again some time!! read more

Absolutely wonderful group of people at Dave Miyamoto & Co. I feel like I made life long friends with Michelle and Dave. We had them photograph our big day and did everything perfectly. There is not one photo that I didn't like. They listen to you and just take things from there. I highly suggest a Rock the Dress session after your wedding too! They've done several family members wedding photo's and they have always been consistently outstanding. And don't limit them to weddings. There is no limit to the Dave & Co's creativity and the moment they can capture. I know this sounds like an advertisement, but I just can't say enough good things about them. I was very blessed at my wedding. ALL of my vendors were outstanding! read more

Really great time with Dave and my Fiancée out in the Wesside doing an underwater photo shoot. We had actually won a session with Dave and he was quick to schedule us in. We had a wonderful time and Dave had our photos to us immediately. Highly recommended! read more

Dave Miyamoto & Company - Underwater photo shoot with my Fiancée! Photo Fred: Dave Miyamoto - Event Photography Near Me

Words cannot express our gratitude to Dave. He must be an angel sent from wedding heaven! Aside from being a great photographer, he is a wonderful person! We found Dave through browsing the vendor albums at the Wedding Café. Once we viewed his albums and saw the packages he offered, we knew he was the wedding photographer for us. In his photos, he captured those unforgettable, joyful moments and emotions. It was as if we were at that wedding as a guest. So you could imagine how ecstatic we were when Dave said he was available on our wedding day! Although it can get stressful during the wedding planning, when you sit down with Dave, you know everything is going to be okay and there's no need to stress. Dave helped us with our wedding day timeline such that our 3-hour coverage package captured our entire wedding--ceremony, reception, and family and couple photo shoots. (Mind you, we were flexible with our reception agenda and chose not to have the pre-ceremony/getting ready shots.) Since our wedding venue was not at the beach or near a "picturesque" backdrop (e.g., mountains in the distance), we wondered if that would affect our portrait-style shots. That was not a concern to Dave. He said as long as he found the right lighting, it wouldn't matter the backdrop. He was right. Our photos were beautiful--from the "candid" photos that showed the sheer joy in our and our family and friends' faces to our portrait-style photos. When we shared our photos with family and friends, many couldn't believe the shots were taken at our wedding venue, a restaurant in the middle of town. We received nothing but wonderful comments of how beautiful the photos turned out. Dave is an amazing photographer and has a great eye for capturing great shots. He captures the pure love and joy that is in everyone's hearts into his photos. Thank you, Dave! read more

My wife and I got married in Honolulu 2 years ago tomorrow. And although, I can't believe how fast two years has flown by, the pictures that Dave and Co. took for our wedding truly captured every emotion and sentiment that I, my wife, and our family and guests felt. Dave and his staff were always at the right place at the right time to capture every important moment, and even the quiet, hidden moments we thought no one was watching. His service was extremely professional and reliable and yet he was always able to make us feel like family. During the wedding ceremony, Dave's crew worked seamlessly around the entire production, never getting in the way but always catching the perfect shot. Two days after our wedding, Dave had prints of every picture taken ready for us to take home and view. Once we got back to California and started working on the album, he was extremely patient with my wife as she combed through every nook and cranny of every picture and page of our album. Our wedding album was perfect in every way! read more

Absolutely beautiful photos!! Dave was a pleasure to work with, both him and Michelle are so friendly, relaxed, and professional, I would work with them again in a heartbeat. I had amazing engagement photos taken in the Bay Area and people were mortified to find out I was having someone else photograph the wedding. Dave's photos instantly caught my attention, I loved his combination of traditional, creative, and candid shots. My first call with Michelle I knew they were going to be a good match to my style. I was overjoyed with our wedding pictures and love that they have a different feel than our engagement session. Dave worked with me to set up a timeline that captured getting ready photos thru all the main events. The day of, he just did his thing. He captured so many moments that I had no idea he was observing. He captured every moment, I feel like nothing was missed. The best part was he was able to capture the emotion of the day without being in your face at all. Everything was beautiful and I had the proofs and video before I was back in California! read more

My wedding pictures turned out spectacular! Dave is a pro! Knows what he is doing and I would highly recommend him. Works with you to get all of the special shots for your special day! What a pleasure it was to work with him. Everyone LOVED all of our pics. He took some really great shots.....we HIGHLY recommend him. Great eye..... read more

Dave Miyamoto really was an amazing asset to our wedding and helped make our dreams come true. First and foremost, his photographs are absolutely beautiful and we will cherish them forever. But more that just that, he was able to conceptualize our visions and make them a reality. He was able to wrangle all of our bridesmaids and groomsmen, family, friends, etc., get them in place at the right time, and looking stunning for our groups shots. And he was kept thinking about great ideas for our solo shots. It was clear that not only is Dave an expert at this, but he loves what he does -- the love really shone out through the images. I don't think he stopped for a second the whole weekend, as it seemed like every few minutes he had a new idea for some beautiful shots. Truthfully, we loved Dave so much we asked him to be one of our witnesses on our marriage license. If I could give Dave more than 5 stars, I would. read more

Dave is incredible to work with because not only is he extremely talented at photography, but his relaxed, "low-key" vibe makes you feel completely at ease. Maybe it's because he's also an avid yoga practitioner and teacher! My husband and I are not used to getting our photos taken and were sort of nervous about looking too "staged" or unnatural in our formal wedding photos. Dave did an amazing job directing us without being too overbearing. We appreciated the guidance he provided and that he also let us do our own thing, and in the end we had a total blast taking our "formal" photos. Dave also was incredibly hardworking during our wedding ceremony and reception, running around to take photos from every angle without being obtrusive at all. Looking back at the photos, one would think we had hired two or three photographers, when really it was just Dave all on his own! We also really appreciated how quickly Dave got our photos back to us - a mere four days after the wedding! Finally, we can't say enough good things about the "trash the dress" underwater photo shoot we did with Dave. My husband and I had so much fun playing around in the ocean, and the photos were magical and romantic. I would (and have) recommended Dave to any couple that is looking for a photographer who makes you feel completely relaxed while shooting and incredibly beautiful in photos. read more

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We recently did a family trip to Hawaii and wanted to do engagement, family and maternity portraits. Luckily it worked out with Dave and he was able to customize a package for us since we were there for only a short time. He was very easy to coordinate with and was very responsive. The day of our session, it was extremely windy but Dave somehow was able to work with the wind and our photos turned out great! We absolutely LOVE them! We highly recommend Dave as he is very patient, understanding and talented. If we ever do portraits again in Hawaii, we will definitely be seeing Dave...possibly for an underwater session! read more

Dave was amazing and went above and beyond to capture these incredible SURPRISED PROPOSAL photos. Our pictures came out perfectly and he helped make our day so magical! He knows the island so well and made sure we were perfectly placed in the frame! Thank you Dave! read more

Dave was our wedding photographer, and he did an excellent job. We had a small beach side ceremony--Dave helped us with the selection of the beach--and the pictures were simply amazing! Throughout the photo shoot he helped us relax and feel comfortable. This was our first time doing a professional photoshoot so that was really helpful. Dave is very professional and reliable. It was easy to communicate with him and plan the shoot (we live in NYC) even though we weren't based in HI. He responded quickly and was patient. read more

My husband and I got married in Oahu about a year ago and someone referred us to DMC. We flew out and met Dave and Michelle as part of our wedding planning and he did our engagement pictures on that trip. I was so happy when I met Dave - he was laid back, very funny and incredibly helpful. Michelle is great to work with too - always prompt emailing us back since that was our main form of communication. Our engagement pictures were good, but our wedding photography was amazing! He captured everything we wanted and more than I thought possible. He was there, but not overbearing at all. His work is impeccable and he had our images to us within days. We have so many photos from that day that picking out images for the album was too hard for me. I left it in Dave's hands and he did a fabulous job with the layout. I just ordered the album today, so I'll write back to tell you how it went - but I have so much trust and confidence in Dave, that I'm not worried on bit. He is a fantastic photographer and real pleasure to work with. read more

Dave Miyamoto did a spectacular job on our engagement photo shoot in Hawaii. My husband and I did a lot of research prior to selecting Dave Miyamoto as our photographer for our engagement photos. And we are so happy we picked him!! As soon as we got to Hawaii, we met Dave within hours and discussed ideas and locations for our photos. He was extremely helpful and very easy to talk to. We decided on five themes: beach, underwater, urban, forest/mountain, and sunset. During the shoot, Dave was extremely professional and very patient, especially with the underwater photos. If you've never done an underwater shot, it can be challenging as it was for us, but Dave will guide you through it and the end results are fantastic! We are very happy with our photos taken by Dave! He captured beautiful moments and the locations he selected were perfect! Thank you Dave, for a great experience! We appreciate you and will cherish our photos forever! You are the Best!! To all, Pick him as your photographer on your big events and you won't regret!! read more

The company I work for hired Dave as a photographer for our company Christmas party, and he did a fantastic job! I had no idea that he took so many great shots during our event, since I did not see him much while he did his thing. We provided Dave a program listing in advance, along with some direction on the day of the party, and Dave was on it like a true professional from start to finish, capturing many planned and candid photos to make our event all the more memorable. Dave provided a DVD with the photos he took upon receiving payment, and I am amazed at how detailed the images are. Our smartphone pictures pale in comparison to the ultra-high resolution shots he took! Awesome job Dave, you rock! read more

Dave and his wonderful assistant Paula shot our outdoor wedding in September at Ocean Gardens Ko'olina. My husband Ruy and I were both extremely pleased with the way our photos turned out. Dave met with us before the big day to get to know us, what was important to us in photos, and who/what we really wanted photos of so he wouldn't miss anything special to us. We instantly knew we would enjoy working with him and his team, he was professional but also very personable and just like a local family friend. Ruy and I decided to do a first look and not take photos between the ceremony and reception to save time. But he did ask us if we wanted to be pulled away for 30 minutes to do sunset photos and we are so glad we did. The sunset photos were some of my favorite pictures. At my wedding, we didn't have a professional planner or day of coordinator, and Dave's experience with weddings saved us, both with organizing our night around photos we didn't want to miss out on, and also with the overall flow of the evening. What makes them extra special? Dave also did a "trash the dress" shoot with us that was incredible. Dave captures some of the most beautiful photos of my hubby and I in the water that I will cherish forever. I can't wait to put that on a wall in our first hours! He also created a photo album for us which was to die for! Bottom line, Dave and company clearly have years of experience shooting weddings (especially outdoor which was super important to me.) He and his assistant Paula were more than a pleasure to work with and I will definitely look to work with them again in the future for other big life events!! Five stars from us! read more

Dave Miyamoto and Co (including wonderful Michelle), absolutely ROCK. My husband and I got married on Oahu, but planned our wedding from California. From the moment we met Dave and Michelle, we were happy. They were laid back, honest and committed in understanding what we wanted from a photographer. We got married at the Halekulani, and although the backdrop was amazing, Dave and John seemed to capture everything (even the small tears down my face). Their turn around time with the photos and their touch-up capability far exceeded anything expected. They sent a beautiful album and all of our family and friends constantly make comments about their wonderful photos. The photos, their commitment to their clients, and their overall personalities are incredible. We highly recommend their services! Thanks Dave and Michelle for capturing our moment, which we will cherish forever! Mahalo, Barry and Mari read more

Dave and John are the two coolest most awesome photographers you could ever want!!! You need to book him! I am only just going through the photos and he captured everything we missed! Singing, dancing, the awesome food and true emotion of our day! Dave and Michelle answered every crazy phone call and question I had. I planned my wedding from the UK, and he let me call at whatever time I was available even thought it was an 11 hour time difference! He also booked me in and changed my appointment with an hours notice for my pre shoot! (Which ladies you should totally have!) He knows the best locations and times of day for shoots, and truly never ever gets a bad photograph! And John is so much fun too! My friends think they are two of the most fun people you could have attend your wedding, let alone work one! In April I went out to try and find vendors, and Cake Lava suggested for a fun and real look to my wedding that I should use Dave. I am sooo appreciative. I have some of the beautiful shots of our wedding because of Dave! He truly is the best! Thanks guys! read more

A big thank you to Dave. He took amazing pictures for us. Thank you for capturing our special aloha special day.

David is amazing! He is responsive, answers emails and calls so quickly! He was helpful to us in planning our 40th anniversary family photo shoot in the KoOlina area - he knew the perfect place - and was so flexible with the family - there were 13 of us with several children and the photos are perfect! He was able to make sure that all of us are looking at the camera, smiling and happy! He was able to use his skills to make us look like movie stars! We could not be happier and have had a great experience! read more

Dave was our elopement photographer and he was excellent. Great guy, great photographer! I highly recommend him.

How have I not written this review sooner?! Dave is so amazing! He and his wife Michelle are so nice and worked with me to find a package that would fit what I did and didn't want within my budget. Our wedding and engagement photos are absolutely beautiful and perfect. He got really great candid shots and really great posed shots. He helped to make our wedding day absolutely perfect. He got all these wonderful candids but I hardly even remember seeing him, which is very nice when you just want to enjoy your special day. I highly recommend Dave Miyamoto and Co.!!! read more

My wife and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon in November 2017 and wanted to do a "trash the dress" photo shoot. We hired Dave to be our photographer and I must say, it was the best decision period! Dave completely made our trip, this photo shoot was the highlight of the week. The amount of patience and professionalism that Dave has in uncanny. He has such an artistic eye and held our hand through the entire process. If you are looking for a photographer, hiring Dave is the easiest and best decision you will make. read more

I can't express how disappointed i was to receive my wedding pictures. I don't have a single beautiful shot to show my family and friends. It's pretty ironic, considering Hawaii is one of the most photogenic places in the world. I can't bring back that day or change my pictures and you won't either! Please don't waste your money! read more

Dave is a wonderful photographer. His laid back approach kept me relaxed throughout the day. He was also kind enough to stay over the allotted time in order to capture the last few highlights of our wedding. The pictures are beautiful. Dave captures the aloha spirit in everything he does, and his pictures speak the same. read more

Dave Miyamoto Photography Company is without a doubt the best in the islands. He was able to capture every aspect of our recent wedding with class and professionalism, catching everyone and every joyful event so unobtrusively, which is quite an accomplishment with a large family and friends flown in for the happy occasion. Amazingly, despite the last minute cancellation of venue due to impending dual hurricanes, he arranged to accomodate us a day early with just a few hours notice, effectively de-stressing everyone, and was flawless in execution! We could not have expected or asked for anything better. He even stretched out his day to cover a memorable family-audience hula participation at the reception. The difficult problem is in selecting the final photos as they are all "keepers". For anyone planning a Hawaiian destination event needing the services of a very talented and professional photography service, we highly recommend that you contact Dave first. A great big MAHALO to Dave and Michelle to capture the memories of a fantastic wedding day. read more