Guide
What to wear on a Wailea beach, specifically.
The general rules still apply. This is what the south side adds: bright sand, early light, and the wind at Keawakapu.
Start here
Wear what your family wears. Then read the rest.
If your family already has a color it wears for photographs, wear it. This is your session, not mine. Everything below is for the people who ask what works, which is close to everyone. White and light earth tones are what most people end up choosing, and on this coast there is a good reason for it.
The general advice lives on the main wardrobe page. This one is about what a Wailea or Makena beach changes. What to wear for Maui photos
On the south side
Four things this coast changes.
- 01
Bright sand wants light clothes
White and light earth tones hold their detail in bright light and sit beautifully against sand and water. On a beach this bright, that is most of the decision made for you.
- 02
The early light is already warm
Most sessions on this coast run at sunrise, when the light is soft and low. White and warm neutrals take it well, and they read as warm rather than washed out in my grade.
- 03
Keawakapu is the windy one
The afternoon trades hit Keawakapu hard, which is why I shoot it in the morning. Even then, plan for some breeze. Fabric that moves is an asset; anything you would have to hold down the whole time is not.
- 04
You will be in the water
Barefoot, in the shallows, possibly sitting on the sand. Shoes come off at the car, so do not plan an outfit around them. Anything you would be upset to get wet or sandy is the wrong choice, not because of me but because you will hold back.
- 05
Coordinate loosely
Pick a palette and let everyone land somewhere inside it. Six people in identical outfits reads as a uniform; six people in five shades of sand reads as a family.
Pattern and color
Bold and simple is fine. Small and busy is the one to watch.
Tight patterns compete with the background and pull the eye off faces. A whole family in one strong color holds together well, and coordinated blue across an extended family is a completely valid alternative to white. One palette, loosely held.
If you are unsure, send me a photo of what you are thinking. I would rather answer that a week out than on the beach.
Dress for the hour
Sunrise and sunset ask for slightly different things.
At sunrise the light is soft and the trades have not filled in, so long fabric moves rather than flies. That is the hour I push for on this coast, and the one most of this advice assumes.
At sunset you are working against the afternoon wind. If that is the slot you have, favor fabric with a little weight to it, and a hairstyle you will not mind being moved. Sunrise or sunset
Frequently asked
Wardrobe questions
White and light earth tones, coordinated loosely rather than matched. They hold detail in bright light and sit well against sand and water. If your family has a color it always wears, wear that instead.
Something with a bit of flow, and nothing you would have to hold down. Keawakapu gets the wind, which is why I shoot it in the morning, and a little breeze in a dress is a good thing.
Not necessarily. Coordinate loosely inside a palette rather than matching exactly. Six people in five shades of sand reads as a family; six in identical outfits reads as a uniform.
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.