Whether you have traveled to the island of Maui before or will be visiting for the first time sunsets here to island are a dreamy sight to see. There is something special about being on an island in the sea watching the sun dip into the ocean’s horizon. Here in Hawai’i Maui is known as the trade winds island which means every day year round we have gusts of wind that are present ranging from 10MPH-40MPH. Having begun this entry with discussing how beautiful Maui’s sunsets are it is a bit of a pivot to throw out there the news of strong winds being apart of the equation but I find it important to make this information known when it comes to showcasing a sunset photoshoot. Not everyone is keen to have a shoot where hair may be whipping in one’s face BUT if you are comfortable with embracing the elements and going with the flow some truly lovely photos can be captured during this time of day here on Maui.

If you feel like a golden hour into sunset session is what your heart desires then here are some helpful tips to prep you for a shoot during this time of day :

Listen to your photographer on locations

Despite Maui being a little island in the sea each side of the island is so different and unique in it’s own way. This pertains from it’s landscape to weather patterns. Generally when not in a full rainy season if going with an early evening session the South Side ( Kihei/Wailea) or North shore ( Paia ) areas of Maui are the calmest weather wise. Being based in a tropical destination us photographers here on island joke that we serve as part time weathermen on how we monitor the radar for weather - it is important when setting up a session to listen to your photographer’s recommendations for which location(s) work best to give you a fun/calm session when working with the elements.

2. Wear clothes that are wind/bright light friendly

In order to fully utilize lighting and not miss any of the golden hour/sunset goodness our session will begin at a timeframe just before the sun starts to descend. Here in Hawai’i unlike the mainland once the sun starts its journey down it goes very quickly where we have maybe 15 minutes max of sunset photos before it is gone. With that said the lighting at the beginning of our session will be bright. The sun here is very strong and when its shining brightly if you have on an article of clothing that is a little bit see through that sunlight is going to show that. Be sure when choosing an outfit you do something I like to call a “ light test” and hold that item up to a bright light to make sure you are not able to peer through it. To address wind friendly you will want to choose outfits that you are not going to be concerned about blowing up with any strong wind gusts. With ladies if one would like to wear a dress maxi dresses tend to work best to not worry about any Marilyn Monroe moments. ** Going along with clothing for any one with long hair I do advise to go with a hairstyle that you love that will help from keeping hair flying in the face. When photographing I always do my best to have us facing a direction or angle to help keep hair from getting blown into one’s face but it is helpful to have it in a style where it is somewhat pulled back.

3. Enjoy your time on the sand

Do not let any bit of wind control the joy you have of being able to spend your time on a gorgeous Maui beach. Go into the session knowing your photographer is going to make the experience laid back and that you get to be in beautiful place with the people you love.