Top 5 Photo Session Locations on Oahu!
The Island of Oahu holds so many different spots that make for the perfect photo backdrops. From rocky beaches to sandy beaches to mountain tops and jungles. There’s something for everyone.
Below are my personal favorite locations to shoot and why!
*Please note that one of the locations (Makapuu Beach) is no longer legal to shoot at due to Bill 38. This change was made less than a week after this blog was posted.
Pounders Beach
What types of Sessions do I recommend here? Family/Large Family Sessions, Couples/Engagements Sessions, Maternity Sessions, and Senior/Graduation Sessions.
This location is quite the drive but totally worth it in my opinion! The beach itself is HUGE with plenty of space to work around. It’s an east facing beach so it’s a great place for sunrises in the early morning but still a great spot for sunsets because of the way that sun sets over the mountains as well.
One unique feature of Pounders Beach is the cliff wall on the far end of the beach. This makes for a lovely back drop, prop, and a different point of view if you’re feeling a little adventurous and want to go up on top. I typically only recommend the top to couples and families with older children due to the nature of getting up there and just being up there in general.
Kualoa Regional Park
A short 3o minute drive from Pounders Beach is Kualoa Regional Park which is directly across the street from the infamous Kualoa Ranch where many Blockbuster Movies were filmed including Jurassic Park/World, 50 First Dates, Jumanji, and many more!
The best part about Kualoa Regional Park is the one of a kind views that surround the park. Look inland where you have the majestic Kualoa Ridge towering over the park with the highest peak (Kanehoalani) at 1900ft above sea level. Turn and look over the ocean where you have Chinamans Hat (Mokolii) as one backdrop. And then you can head to the east side of the park and have the inlet looking down the Koolau Mountain Range as a backdrop in the distance as well.
The beach portion itself isn’t anything too fancy. It actually may be underwhelming for some. But the backdrops beyond the sand is what make this location so desirable.
Kahana Bay
What types of Sessions do I recommend here? Family Sessions, Couples/Engagements Sessions, Maternity Sessions, and Senior/Graduation Sessions.
Kahana Bay is a quick 20-minute drive from Pounders Beach and an even quicker 10-minute drive from Kualoa Regional Park and makes for a great 2nd location for a 2+ Hour Session or for a primary location for a 1 Hour Session.
There’s two different sides to the bay that make for great photo opportunities and even a covered Ironwood Tree canopy area that makes for something different as well. With the two different sides to shoot on at the Bay, there’s also two different mountain backdrops as well.
I typically prefer this location as an afternoon/sunset location for a couple reasons. One thing to understand is that you will NOT be able to see the sun hit the horizon at sunset. If that is a desire of yours, this is definitely not the location for you. The way the sun sets over the mountains is absolutely beautiful though.
Kawela Bay
What types of Sessions do I recommend here? Family Sessions, Couples/Engagements Sessions, Maternity Sessions, and Senior/Graduation Sessions.
This location is rather unique. It can definitely be a stand alone location depending on what you are looking for but I typically recommend it be paired with one of the additional nearby locations above. The bay itself is pretty but there’s definitely nicer beach options. The best part of this location is what lies within the trees.
It is home to one of the oldest banyan trees on island making it one of the largest as well!
The banyan tree is a unique feature that makes for numerous backdrops that you don’t see often and wouldn’t get much else where.
The banyan tree stretches hundreds of feet long in almost every direction!
Makapu’u Beach Park
What types of Sessions do I recommend here? Family Sessions, Couples/Engagements Sessions, Maternity Sessions, and Senior/Graduation Sessions.
Makapu’u Beach is on the far east side of the island which is quite the drive from the above locations. But that’s OK! Because this location has it all.
It has the beautiful sandy beach, mountain backdrop, it has solid lava rock to walk around on, it has pounding waves, it’s a great location for sunrise and really good for sunset as well depending on the lighting that appears from behind the mountain closer to sunset.
I have had almost every session imaginable at this location and majority of them were amazing.
The only downside to this location is that the wind can be VERY strong at times coming off of the ocean so sometimes it does not do well with clients with longer hair.
Despite that though, it’s still one of my favorite locations because of what the location as a whole offers. Which is A LOT.
Bonus! A bonus spot to the Makapu’u Beach location is the Makapu’u Lookout which over looks the beach down below!
When it comes down to it, there are many beautiful locations to shoot on Oahu and that’s definitely not limited within these 5 locations. But these specifically have been some of my favorite locations to shoot over the years along with some of the favorites chosen by my clients!
Email me today at themattsphotography@gmail.com to learn more about the above locations and the sessions that I offer there!
Mahalo,
