Kihei · South Maui
A Kihei photographer who actually lives in Kihei.
Not flown in for the season and not driving over from the other side of the island. I am based here, which is why last-minute sessions on this coast usually work out.
Why local matters here
I know what this coast does at two in the afternoon.
Twenty-five years living on Maui and ten working on the water means I can tell you how an average day will behave on this stretch — which beach the trades will blow out, which one stays workable, and where the crowd will be. A photographer who arrived last season cannot do that, and it shows up in the photographs.
Being ten minutes away also makes me the realistic option when your trip does not go to plan. Four or five last-minute enquiries came in over one recent stretch and every one of them got booked.
Where you would actually shoot
The south-side shortlist, from Kihei down to Makena.
Keawakapu is effectively at the Kihei–Wailea line; Polo and Maluaka are a short drive further south.
- 01
Polo Beach
Wailea · Sunrise
A long, open stretch with two or three beaches effectively joined together. If one end fills up I move to the other, and my permit covers both.
- 02
Maluaka Beach
Makena · Sunrise or sunset
Far enough south to be clear of the hotels. A long, wide beach that never feels crowded early in the morning or near sunset.
- 03
Keawakapu Beach
Kihei / Wailea · Sunrise
One of the prettiest stretches on the south side — but the afternoon wind hits it hard, so I shoot it in the morning almost exclusively.
Who books here
Families staying in the Kihei condos, mostly.
South Kihei is condo country, which means a lot of multi-generation groups and reunions rather than couples on a resort honeymoon. That suits me — I’ve photographed groups of thirty-five with eleven kids in them and made it work.
If you have young children, book the 45-minute session rather than the 30. It is the single most useful piece of advice on this site. Why
From Kihei and South Maui sessions
Warm mornings, empty sand.
Next step
Tell me where you are staying.
I will come back with a beach, a time and the reason for both — usually inside the hour.