A friend had her portraits done by Monica and I just loved them. I felt it was time to do something for me. I was hesitant and nervous the day of the photoshoot because I'm not one to do something so bold but Monica put me at ease. Crystal did my hair and makeup and I wish I could copy what she did again. She did an amazing job. I received my portrait box a couple days ago and we are going to install shelves that the box will go on. Thank you Monica! read more

Monica Lau Photography - Session Photography Near Me

I am so thankful for the amazing experience I had during the photo shoot. Monica, the photographer, is incredibly talented and made me feel comfortable and beautiful. Faith did such a wonderful job with my make-up and hair that I didn't see a 51 year old, but the age I feel: young 40's! I highly recommend this service to anyone looking to capture their beauty at any age. Monica is such a kind and encouraging woman. She made me feel so comfortable and I trusted her throughout the process. Monica is beautiful inside and out and I highly recommend this experience. read more

Monica Lau Photography - Session Photography Near Me

Simply the best photo I have ever had taken of me in my life. Also, it was an extremely enjoyable experience. Highly, highly recommended!

Right from initial contact w/Monica I knew what was required & expected. Both she & the makeup artist I had were engaging, compassionate & oh so talented. My visit was related to Monica's 40 Women over 40, 2024. Can't wait to see the finished artwork. read more

Monica Lau is truly an expert in her field. When I approached her with my fitness re-branding photo shoot, she was all aboard! From start to finish, Monica really makes you (the client) feel like you are a part of her family. Collaboration is always a team effort and she truly has a gift to take your vision and elevate your idea in ways that you can't even fathom. THAT is Monica's super power. read more

Monica is a masterful photographer. She invited me into her studio, and I was immediately struck by how personal her art is. She took the time to understand what made me tick and then infused her creativity and spirit to transform it into a series of genuine, personality-infused photographs. Monica's expertise in utilizing light, angles, and emotions added authentic joy and warmth to the outputs. It is important to note that I had *zero* previous experience with being in front of a camera (and was demonstrably nervous upon arriving to the actual shoot), and she made it a downright splendid and confidence-building experience for me. I wholeheartedly recommend Monica for a soulful, kind, professional, and uniquely imaginative photography experience. read more

I went in feeling very nervous, but Monica is friendly, kind, and upbeat. I was so delighted with how beautiful and professional my headshot came out. Monica is so talented. I will be recommending her to my colleagues for professional headshots as well. read more

We participated in a fundraiser benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters that Monica Lau Photography put on. We walked into a beautiful magical set up. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Monica's contagious smile put my family at ease. I didn't know how my 6 & 9 year old boys would do but there was a activity station set up for them to keep them busy while we waited. Once we were up she made us all feel comfortable and the boys fell into place almost effortlessly. I would highly recommend Monica Lau Photography! Sabrina Najarian read more

I first met Monica at a Kailua Chamber of Commerce event earlier this year. She was promoting a special mother-daughter photo shoot day she was planning, with proceeds to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters. I signed up and brought my family, and it was a lovely event! Very well planned out, with all the details covered - hair and makeup touchups, refreshments, plenty of assistants on hand, all on site at a beautiful estate. A few weeks later I went to Monica's house for the big reveal. I fell in love with two of the images - one of me and my daughter and one of her alone - and even though I told myself I would limit my purchasing to one image, I decided to splurge and purchase them both. These are actually the first professional photos I've had taken of my little one, who just turned two. They are now hanging on my wall in the living room and they are beautiful portraits. Note that per her business model Monica does not sell the negatives alone, so you do need to be ready to purchased the finished, framed piece of art for anything you want. If you want to invest in high-quality family portraits, then go to Monica! She is very personable and fun to work with, and her work is timeless. read more

Monica Lau Photography - First Mother's Day photo shoot image - Session Photography Near Me

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I had worked with Monica before to get a headshot done for my business cards and remembered having such a good time with her that when I got ready to do my engagement portraits she was the first one I called. We had a consultation to discuss the look we were going for and booked a day. The weather was not cooperating that day so I rescheduled. As the time passed we decided to just elope and get marriage photos done at the same time as our engagement photos. Monica was flexible, patient and encouraging. It was the best day and I could not be happier with the entire experience and our pictures. It was an amazing day and Monica helped make it one we will remember the rest of our lives. read more

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Monica is AH-MA-ZING! She is super talented, professional and just an all-around awesome person. Truly a joy to be around. My son Maxim Speed had a soccer-themed photo shoot with her last fall. I can't tell you how happy these gorgeous photos made me and my husband... they are treasures we will keep forever to document a pivotal time in his life. If you're on the fence, just book the session! You will be soooo happy you did!!! You can read my blog post about his session here: https://casaspeed.com/maxs-photoshoot-with-monica-lau-photography/ read more

It was an absolute pleasure working with Monica Lau Photography. From the initial appointment to the actual day of the photo shoot, Monica's professionalism and expertise was above and beyond from the other photographers I've worked with in the past. Monica made me feel comfortable during the shoot and her enthusiasm was contagious! My photos for my business portfolio were gorgeous. I will definitely refer Monica Lau Photography to my business peers and friends. read more

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Monica Lau is an artist. In these days of selfies and Instagram shots, everyone thinks s/he can take a picture ... but Monica creates images that reflect her clients' inner values and outward beauty .. images that will will serve as treasured heirlooms in years to come. Monica's process is warm, kind, and meticulous. She spends way more time on every shoot than her very reasonable fees might suggest. She makes the process easy and fun. (She knows a relaxed subject makes for a great picture.) Monica curates every image, partners with her clients to choose the right ones, and then - with clients' input - goes back to the drawing board and makes those images perfect. My family and I could not be happier with her work, and we will return to Monica to capture all of our important stages in the future. I must add: I read the one less-than-stellar review on this site, and my first thought was: If you want "cheap," Melissa S., by all means stick to the Sears Studio of Photography, where you and your fiance can awkwardly face each other in front of a tacky tropical background. The rest of us will invest in Monica's exquisite taste and professionalism. read more

Monica Lau is Amazing !! My 12 year old Son and I just did a portrait session a couple of weeks ago and our experience was great from the Moment we walked in the door of her studio. She is professional , Creative and a wonderful Photographer ! I went in today for our reveal session and I loved the photos , there were so many I loved it was hard to choose . These pictures will be art that we can have in our family home and portraits we will treasure for a lifetime . Monica makes the photo shoot fun and effortless , she spends time on every shot to make sure the lighting , makeup and poses are perfect . I will definitely have to have her do my headshots for Business . Thank you Monica for our Beautiful Portraits and for capturing my Son, Seeing these pictures melted my Heart . I highly recommend Monica if you are looking for high quality pictures that you will cherish. read more

Very organized and professional. I felt that I was able to communicate my ideas and the end result was beyond my expectations. I did not feel pressured to go beyond my means financially but it was difficult not to fall in love with all of her work. read more

There's having your picture taken... And then there's having a moment beautifully immortalized in one of the most breath-taking settings on this planet by an artist with the eye, talent & skills to bring it all together! Monica Lau is beyond amazing. There's no doubt, she's gifted behind the lens. But what really blows me away beyond the perfect portraits she created for me & family are the moments she captured in between poses. She produces images you can ~feel~, and that's why she'll always be our first choice for local photography. Mahalo again, Monica! ~da Speeds read more

I just want to thank Monica she not only made sure I had a fantastic photo to use as the face of my professional work but she let me bring my personality and really made the session my own! She took so much time to make sure I had a memorable experience. I appreciate the quick turn around time and how she was able to accommodate me every step of the way! I also would like to thank Moana she understood that I don't wear make up and have me a nice flawless natural look! Thanks again! read more

Monica has done two portrait sessions for our family and she has also done product shots for my business. Since she has portable professional lighting, we were able to get some wonderful portraits on the beach in Lanikai. She is a pleasure to work with and does an incredible job with kids. The finished photos were stunning. She had clearly put a lot of work into perfecting each picture. HIGHLY recommend! read more

I am an Oahu realtor and Monica has done my business photo and most of my listings. She is professional, punctual, creative, easy to work with. I recommend her to ALL my fellow realtors and those needing a new business photo! In fact, I need to call Monica to update my photo! You will not regret working with her. read more

Monica did a fantastic job photographing my parents and their four grandchildren. My parents used one of the group shots as their Christmas card photo and had beautiful books made (by Monica) with all the other gorgeous shots. I was lucky to be the recipient of one of the photos books, and will treasure it for many years to come. Our photos were casual shots taken on Lanikai beach, but I have seen her corporate work, which is excellent as well. read more

Monica Lau is an amazing artist! She easily captures the beauty and personality of whoever she photographs. Both my husband and I have hired Monica for business-related photos, but recently we asked Monica to create portraits for our high school senior. The results were incredible! Monica's portraits truly showcase our daughter's best features and character. All our friends and relatives who have seen these images have been so impressed at Monica's ability to capture our daughter's inner strength and spirit. We recommend Monica Lau very highly! read more

Monica was the photographer at an event my fiancé and I attended. We took portraits but didn't hear anything back until a month later. We had taken pictures in a few different poses, and I was eager to see them to pick which ones we wanted. To my dismay, Monica selected the pictures for us, rather than let us choose. Unfortunately, the pose selected (back to front) looked extremely awkward, and my fiancé and I wanted pictures of us facing each other. There was also a shadow over my fiancé's ear that looked very bizarre. I contacted Monica and she showed me the other poses, which looked much, much better. I purchased another package, which Monica sent to my house. The pictures were never printed, so the pictures I was promised by Christmas, did not arrive until the end of the month. Due to the confusion with the printing, Monica threw in an extra 5x7, and an extra digital image, which was very generous. However, I didn't like that we were unable to view our pictures before they were printed, especially when there were additional poses. The second set of pictures we received are very lovely, but I didn't appreciate having to pay again, when the first set was something neither of us liked. read more

Monica is a FANTASTIC photographer (the BEST) & genuinely the kindest person you will ever have the pleasure of meeting! She has blessed my family with countless beautiful photos - works of art - that will be treasured FOREVER. Thank you Monica for capturing the BEST time of our lives (with our precious baby girl & twins in belly) in paradise :) No need to look further - Monica is the BEST photographer in the industry. She has the expertise and wonderful personality to make your photo session an enjoyable one with FABULOUS results! Warmest Aloha, Alana S & Family read more

My family and I had a GREAT experience with Monica and her team. My normally super shy 4-year old came out of his shell quickly with help from Monica's quick jokes and warm smiles. She also had my 7-year old smiling from the start. Even my husband enjoyed himself during our shoot! Our photos turned out beautifully and it was a pleasure working with Monica all the way through the process. I'm so grateful to her for the beautiful heirloom-quality portraits we have to share for many, many years to come. Couldn't recommend her more highly! read more

Monica is exactly what I would want in a professional photographer. Admittedly, I was a little anxious about being in front of the camera due to little experience of knowing how to pose and adding my one year old daughter in on the shoot. After a luxurious hair and makeup session that was a fabulous addition to my photoshoot, Monica was able to put me at ease and get some really great shots once I was camera ready. She gave simple to follow direction behind the camera that made for many options to chose from when I came time to review the images. I will cherish the photos she captured of my daughter and me forever. read more

We traveled to Hawaii on vacation and hadn't taken family photos since my boys were babies, so we thought it would be a great way to remember our trip. A co-worker of mine had used Monica on their vacation as well, so I booked her without hesitation. She made the process so easy, coming right to the hotel and shooting on their grounds. She was so friendly and fun to work with and our pictures are FANTASTIC! She also assisted me with a wonderful canvas of one of our photos that now hangs in our family room. I would absolutely recommend Monica!! read more

I wish I could post our photos and then you would see for yourself. Monica has done photos of my children - many formal and informal through the years. Special ones hang on our "Photo Wall" and when I walk by them, I still smile to myself over the moment captured. She has an amazing eye to capture "that" moment. For my headshot, Monica worked with me until we got it right. I appreciated her patience and suggestions. It really came out great - I got many compliments. Monica is a master of her trade!! read more

I was fortunate to meet Monica on a business project and later asked her to help me with some headshots. Monica is not only very talented, professional and efficient, but she also has a way of making you feel completely comfortable and calm. I don't know why I was so anxious to have my photos taken, but I was! Monica could see that and was so great at coaching and making the whole experience fun. I don't really give out recommendations lightly, however, I would recommend Monica without any hesitation. read more

Monica is a photography genius! She recently took our Christmas photo and it far surpassed the families expectation. It took at most a half an hour, and came back looking as if we spent hours laboring over poses and angles. Monica has a great affinity for space and is amazing at placement. The best part of Monica Lau Photography, is that Monica is the most chill, unassuming, wonderfully delightful woman. Thanks M!! read more