PACIFIC DREAM is truly a DREAM!!! My fiancé surprised me with a trip to Hawaii and when we got to JW Marriott, he took me to Pacific Dream Photography as we had a complimentary photo included as part of the resort fees. And...OMG!!! That was basically my FAVORITE part of the whole stay!!! That said, the beach, the people, the resort, the water and all the activities you can do there are all incredible! But back to Pacific Dream: we cannot commend Claire and Lauren enough on their professionalism, creativity but also incredible ability to connect with their clients which makes for AMAZING photos because they make you feel totally at ease and know how to capture every expression in each photo they take. To give you a bit of background: I have stage fright and I absolutely HATE being in the spotlight and didn't really feel comfortable with the idea of Lauren, our photographer taking pictures of us right before the sunrise when I discovered that there were still people at the beach and some were even doing their own photo shoot. I decided to suck it up for my fiancé's sake and because I thought it would be great to get that beautiful professionally taken picture from Hawaii at the end of the day. During the photo shoot, Lauren made me feel so comfortable and sometimes she would even run off and take photos from a different angle so it felt like it was just me and my fiancé walking around, talking, dancing and laughing on our own! It was so natural and it made me feel like nobody was watching us or that I was forced to pose. We decided that we wanted to do a sunset session because we thought we may change our minds and purchase a few more photos if they came out nice. Fast forward to the day after, when we were going back to Pacific Dream to get our photo, we were completely blown away with the quality and the way Lauren had captured our love and happiness in every single photo! I mean, it looked like a full-on engagement photo selection and we just couldn't take our eyes from the screen while Claire was showing us the photos!!! Words cannot describe the amazing talent and how the emotions captured touched our hearts -the saying "a picture says more than a thousand words" never seemed so clear until that moment... At no point did we feel pressured to get upgrade or get anything more than the complimentary photo... But the way Claire and Lauren connect with you and bring out the beauty of Hawaii and your experience there is truly exceptional.... I cannot thank them enough for allowing us to take a part of our engagement and honeymoon-like experience home with us to Seattle and we 100% want to contract them for our wedding in June 2015! If you only want to get your complimentary photo, they will do a great job and you will be happy that you have taken the time out during your vacation to do so -but if you do have a special occasion or would love a few photos as a couple or a family -you won't regret it!!! It's well worth the time and investment as you will be so happy you were able to take a little piece of Hawaii home with you -and treasure it for years to come! We have been able to share the photos with family and friends far away through a link and online gallery that they created for us!:) Pacific Dream was our Hawaiian dream -MAHALO for being part of our journey! read more

Kahala Hotel is a very nice hotel in general. Will give them 5*. Members of staff are very friendly starting from the bellboys who helped us with our luggages to and from our room;the spa service is very good, my kids enjoyed the dolphins,the pool staff were all sensitive to our needs like towels, etc. Most of all, our room was very clean and well supplied with basic stuff like soap, shampoo, conditioners etc and our bed was very comfortable. I enjoyed the yoga sessions and the photography sessions from PACIFIC DREAM PHOTOGRAPHY with their professional photographer Macie and very accommodating Daniel. You both made our stay memorable with your video and photos..Thankyou both! Buffet food from Plumeria and Hoku were amazing and tasted very good. There were so many very good things about KAHALA HOTEL and I am very pleased with our stay with them. EVERYTHING IS ALMOST PERFECT!!!! Money well spent! The only thing I found a little bit disappointing was our afternoon tea in the Veranda. I personally think, their selection of sandwiches and sweets were too small and limited for the price that they were selling for. I am from England and quite familiar about afternoon tea celebrations, that's why.. From: Mirasol London read more

We took advantage of the free photography session offered at the Kahala Hotel and Resort recently and could not have been more pleased. We had professional photographs taken of the family quite often when the children were younger, but had not had any done in some time. We thought the beach setting with natural afternoon light would be promising - why stand in front of a backdrop at a photography studio when you can have the real thing?! Julia Jump was professional and interacted very well with our teenage daughters. Our oldest daughter is graduating from High School next year, so we had several photographs done of her alone with the hope of using them for her senior pictures. We also had some done of the entire family and of my wife and me together - we celebrated our anniversary during the trip. During our session to review the photographs, Julia presented them via a custom presentation including some of the better photographs and some short video clips, all set to music. My wife cried - twice. We purchased a package including an assortment of the photographs, including a few which will be perfect for our daughter's senior pictures. We would highly recommend Pacific Dream Photography. read more

We returned to Hawaii for our yearly trip and decided to try out the Kahala Resort. As we prepared for our visit, we researched the hotel and was pleased to see they offered a complimentary photo shoot with your stay. Being a family with two young girls (one who is not fond of photo taking) we figured this would be the perfect place to hopefully get some tear free pictures. After a few days enjoying the pool, and the beautiful beach, we booked our sunrise photo shoot with Loryn as she was highly reccomended. Our photo shoot experience was more than I ever expected. Loryn was so patient with us and eager to get us a variety of photos. She made our 2 year old feel so special that she danced and laughed which resulted in the most beautiful pictures. The following day we met up for our viewing and were shocked to see a video that included photos as well as video clips Loryn had taken throughout the shoot. Quickly after reviewing our photos Loryn sent us an email of our photo gallery. I was truly shocked at how quick and easy it was to receive the pictures. Needless to say we loved our experience with Loryn and Pacific Dream Photography. Thank you for providing us with lasting memories of our trip. read more

We stayed at the Kahala Resort a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed our vacation there. Our visit there was further enhanced by the complimentary photo shoot they included with Pacific Dream Photography. I booked our photo session a week before our stay and spoke with Loryn who was very friendly and informative on the phone. We lucked out by also having her as our photographer the day of the shoot. As for the shoot, it was a very positive experience. Loryn made the session fun for our 3 kids, as evidenced by the smiley and natural looking pictures we took. She was very patient and knowledgeable as to where to take our beach photos. After our session, she was nice enough to accommodate our younger daughter who wanted to take some pictures in the ocean. We didn't have a chance to thoroughly review our pictures at our viewing session so Loryn was helpful in sending us our photo gallery through email so we could review them at home and she even customized a nice package for us to purchase. We had such a wonderful experience with the Kahala and are so happy we took advantage of our complimentary photo session with Pacific Dream Photography. read more

This summer (July 2018) was our second photo session with the Pacific Dream Photography. Our session last year was our first family photo session during the sunset, and we had so much fun (thanks to our wonderful photographer). This year, we decided to do it in the morning at the last minute, and they were more than accomodating with our needs. Our session was scheduled at 9am, which meant that the sun was already rather high and pretty bright outside. Our photographer, Macy, knew exactly where to go to take beautiful pictures with the Kahala Hotel beach as the background. She also made us very comfortable, which just makes the session so much fun. My dad, who is not exactly excited about these kind of things, was totally into it. The photos are wonderful way to commemorate our vacation, but the session itself was also a fun family bonding experience!! Lastly, Daniel, who went over the photos with us the following day, was extremely generous and helpful as well! We definitely spent more than we expected, but it was totally worth it. Thank you, Pacific Dream Photography! We will be back next year for sure!! read more

My family and I travelled to Hawaii to celebrate my sister in law's 50th birthday. I thought it would be a wonderful memory for her to have family photos taken. I discovered Pacific Dream Photography and was drawn by their complimentary session and their accommodating nature. The entire experience was wonderful and the shots were great. Our photographer was sweet and very easygoing, she let us do whatever came naturally and our pictures really reflect our family's true nature and love for one another--laughing and joking during the entire photo shoot. We forgot she was there, ensuring our photos were top notch. We were slotted for a 45 minute session, but we took well over an hour and not once did she mention the time line, simply asking if there was anything more we'd like to try and not to feel rushed. When we were advised the shots were available to review online, imagine my surprise at receiving a short video on our photo shoot as well! It was a highlight without a doubt. I would definitely book another photo shoot with this company again. What a wonderful way to remember a wonderful vacation. read more

This is our second family photo shoot with Pacific Dream Photograph at the Kahala Resort and we had another wonderful experience. Our photographer, Macy, was so sweet and fun to work with. We really enjoyed our time with her and best of all, she captured some absolutely gorgeous shots of my family! It is so easy to schedule the complementary session with PDP at the Kahala and there was no pressure to buy any of the photos. The challenge was restraining myself from buying them all! That being said, the team really has a great approach to narrowing down your favorite shots. I worked with Yuki and she effectively guided me through the viewing process. Yuki was patient and let me look through the photos and pick my favorites then she gave me her opinion when I asked for it so that i could narrow my selections further. The photos from our first shoot grace the walls in our home and I can't wait for the prints to arrive from our second shoot. This was such a great memory for us and I can't thank Macy and Yuki enough! We will certainly be doing it again on our next trip out! read more

We have stayed at the Kahala Resort several times over the past fifteen years. During our most recent visit, we noticed the complimentary photo shoot for guests, through Pacific Dream Photography. We hesitated a few days because we didn't want anything too touristy or "cheesy." After meeting with Loryn, the Creative Director at Kahala, we felt at ease. She was responsive to all questions and assured us of a fun and easy shoot, with no obligation to buy anything. Loryn was flexible when it began to rain just before our scheduled time. Once we began the session, she was quick with the poses and venues that work well. Loryn captured my children at their best -- tastefully and artfully. She has a gift for photography. We ended up buying a customized package because we liked the photos so much. Every frame was a masterpiece. Some looked better with a touch of editing, which Loryn took care of easily. We are delighted with the final images and most highly recommend Pacific Dream! read more

My family of 14 planned May 2018 Hawaii trip to make a very memorable one. So we decided to take family picture with Pacific Dream Photography at Kahala Resort. We ordered family t-shirt saying "we are family" in front and "son #1, daughter #1, Mon. etc." I exchanged emails with Loryn, Creative Director of Pacific Dream Photography to arrange free 30 minutes photo session at Kahala Resort. Loryn was very kind and professional support for our family need. Celebrating Mom's 75th birthday, my family of 14 was excited to take family pictures. Macy, the photographer with various ideas for photo taking guided us to have many creative moments. I appreciate her patience and cheering spirit. Pictures turned out spectacular, much better than I thought. All family members are so happy to see pictures. We definitely will be back to Hawaii for more photo session with Pacific Dream Photography. Thank you so much for creating unforgettable memories for our family. God bless! read more

We had a wonderful experience doing our family and maternity photoshoot with Pacific Dream Photography in Dec 2021 while we were staying at the Kahala Resort in Oahu. I found Pacific Dream Photography as a complementary service available at the Kahala Resort. I booked my session via an email. Pacific Dream Photography was very responsive and flexible throughout the entire experience. They did not make us feel rushed which I appreciate a lot as we were on vacation. It was an immense pleasure to work with our photographer, Diamond. She was very good at making our 5 year old pose and made us feel at ease throughout the entire session. Our 45 minute session was so much fun and we felt so good that we did it. All our pictures were so good that we had a hard time narrowing down our selection and we ended up buying all our digital images. They did an excellent job! I would book them again without giving a second thought. I highly recommend them! read more

While staying at the Kahala Resort I saw the promotion for a "free" photo session. Spoke with Loryn and scheduled an appointment for the following day. While the weather wasn't really cooperative for sunset, we ended up with dozens of awesome photos. Macy was fun and creative in staging our photos, even with the wind blowing our hair everywhere! Ended up with about a 45 minute session and over 100 photos to choose from. The video they made will be something we will look at and remember our great time at the Kahala. Loryn was efficient and easy when it came to selecting our best photos. And honestly, they don't "sell", they show you their quality product and you choose from a dozen shots to all of them. Now that I'm home, I've spent the morning figuring out which ones will be printed. Not an easy task as they are all good photos. Highly recommend you spend this time for a professional photo shoot! read more

My husband Jeff and I stayed at the Kahala Resort this past week. I begged my husband to take advantage of photography session. Jeff wanted no part of it because he hates having his pictures taken. Fortunately, I was able to twist his arm and we scheduled a 45 min session with Julia - our session was scheduled on the last day of our stay at the Kahala Resort. Our photographer's name was Liz and not only was she pleasant and personable and professional, she was extremely passionate about photography and wanted our session to be absolutely perfect and it was! My husband and I enjoyed our session and the service that both Julia and Liz provided. The pictures were perfect! It was so hard to choose the ones we wanted but Julia was very patient with us and helped us make our selections. I would recommend that anyone staying g at the resort to schedule a session, you will be very happy you did! read more

While at the Kahala we arranged for the Pacific Dream photography session and oh, what a dream it was! From start to finish, our experience was exceptional. We were able to easily schedule a time that worked best for us. Our photographer was professional, pleasant, and very willing to make every effort to capture beautiful memories for us. She knew just where to take our photos and just how to capture us in various poses with the majestic back drop of the ocean and island greenery. You should trust your photographer fully as they know precisely how to capture you in the most flattering of ways. Our review session was fun and helped us to select a package that included all the pictures we could have ever wanted. We were extremely pleased with our whole experience and know that we will cherish our photo collection for many years to come. This is a "must do" on your itinerary. read more

We love the photos Claire Merle took for us at the JW Marriott Ihliani Resort in Ko Olina, Oahu after our wedding. Claire made us feel comfortable and welcomed suggestions for poses and locations around the property, while guiding us and positioning herself to best capture the pure beauty of each location. The composition of each photo displayed the experience and "eye" of a truly professional photographer. During the review of the photos, she was patient and pointed out some of the nicer points of the photos and identified some minor areas that could be "cleaned up" to make the image perfect. The price for the photography isn't inexpensive, but is representative of the quality and value of having a professional photographer capture your once in a lifetime event. We have no hesitation in endorsing Claire and Pacific Dream Photography. read more

Vacations come and go too fast, but we discovered a great way to keep the feeling of that experience alive. After checking in to The Kahala Hotel in Honolulu, we were offered a professional photography session that was reasonably priced especially for that type of service. We took advantage of this and were even able to choose the settings ourselves. We had shots taken on the beach, in the hotel, and the Kahala Hotel grounds. Loryn from Pacific Dream Photography did an amazing job capturing photos of us that really conveyed the Spirit of Aloha that we were feeling. The prints we purchased turned out to be our most treasured memento from our Hawaii vacation. There is nothing like the professional & personal touch that Loryn provided to keep the Aloha Spirit alive long after our vacation was over. read more

This photography studio works out of the Grand Hyatt on Kauai. We were able to make an appointment well before our arrival at the hotel and that eased scheduling of other activities. Our family of eight had a sunset appointment. The photographer was punctual and had several very good outdoor locations picked out for us. I was initially skeptical of the on the beach idea, but that turned out some great family pictures. (Beware incoming waves if you are wearing good shoes!) We reviewed the digital photos the next day; the person who did the review was very organized and a big help in selecting the photos we settled on. There was no high pressure salesmanship and the review process was actually fun. I recommend this studio to anyone looking for memories of a very special place. read more

We just had a great photo session with Loryn who took an already incredible landscape and combined it with a fantastic sunset and really creative poses in multiple settings. What was truly impressive is that we have a two year old who wasn't that cooperative for the shoot. I wasn't sure how that would translate until we went to the photo review appointment and had a decent amount of trouble chiseling down the photos because so many were incredible and keepers. We went with the 20 photo package and can't wait to have these memories on our walls at home and shared with our friends and family. Since the photo session was complimentary and appointment to review the photos was very comfortable with no sales pressure, the entire experience was enjoyable with no downside. read more

Since we had all the family together we decided to hire a professional photographer to take a series of pictures for Christmas cards and portraits. We decided to give Pacific Dream Photography (PDP) a try. They, PDP, were so easy to work with and accommodating. We decided to go for a sunset photo shoot to include group family pictures and various venues and poses. The photographer, Lorane, was great to work with and we ended up with over 300 proofs to review. By time we were done we came away with 33 professional digital images in which we will make various prints. All and all it was a great experience and the final products, images, were great and well worth the price. Thanks to all at PDP for making our professional portraits a reality. The Brady Family! read more