About Me & Photography

Aloha! I'm Jenna and have loved photography since my teen years. I was the high schooler with a little point and shoot (or sometimes a disposable) camera, who ordered doubles of my 24-picture rolls at the local drugstore to pass on extras to my friends. We all wanted to hang onto memories of those days, and well, that's what pictures do. They maintain connection between us and our friends, our family, our moments, our past, often spurring us into the future and even offering a glimpse of hope.

During my grad school years at University of Arizona, while dating my now husband, I bought my first SLR camera - a Nikon F80. A real camera with a detachable lens! Beyond learning to use this new piece of gear, I thought I should probably know both the technical side and the artistic possibilities that existed behind the lens.

In those days, my correspondence classes consisted of snail-mailing printed pictures to the New York Institute of Photography, after having listened to corresponding lectures on cassette tape. The instructors then evaluated our work orally on cassette tapes, and by handwritten reports, and mailed these highly-anticipated items back. Through this course, I really began to learn and love photography in a more serious way. Photography is an amazing lifelong hobby, epitomizing a skill where art-meets-technical, affording us the ability to record God's beautiful Creation and the uniqueness of each human being. That was in 2000. The rest is history.

I have watched our beautiful six children grow and learn for the last 23 years. Our two daughters and four sons, as well as my sweet and active husband, have given me myriad opportunities to practice candid shots while hiking, cooking, playing, schooling, exploring; and portraits while semi-patiently slumping in chairs or on stools while mom tries out yet another new lighting method. Our many military moves, and the related travel, keep my curiosity of and reverence for the outdoors piqued, causing a continuous evaluation of the best way to capture sky, light, the created world.

I have worked professionally in family photography, childhood portraits, military ceremonies, and event photography. Food photography became my jam during Covid, and while it was interesting and helped me understand studio lighting, I learned that - at the end of the day - I love people and nature more than I love photogenic brownies or tantalizing chicken chili.

I truly looking forward to working with you. With an immense love of photography, years of photographic experience, and a true love of people, I would be honored to capture your memories on Oahu, or wherever else we may meet. And I promise we'll have fun! God bless you with joy & peace.