{Grateful on Sunday} Our First Week in Maui

Hello my friends :DHappy Sunday! Miggy and I have been in Hawaii for nearly 1 week. We've been house hunting, car hunting, Costco shopping, and road trip exploring! This weekend I am grateful for beautiful flowers growing on trees everywhere I look,



turquoise ocean on the north shore,

discovering Julia's banana bread hut ($6 / loaf) in the most idilic tropical mountain village I've ever seen,

sitting on this porch in the cool breeze,

finding a giant avocado in the middle of the street!

reading a book that inspires me,

eating refreshing yogurt & berries for breakfast (and dessert) out on the porch where I get to look at these pretty plants,

the way the waves slide up onto the shore and how the sunset shines like a golden ball of fire at the end of the street,


Costco + armfuls of fresh tropical fruit given to us by an elderly Hawaiian woman from the trees in her garden,



pulling over to the side of the road to eat a mango + the rental car that makes it possible for us to explore,

 whatever is happening in this photo :)

Have a wonderful week and enjoy finding little things to be thankful for!

thePhotoChicks [podcast] :: KICKSTART with Cindy Yetman Part 2

It's Saturday and you know what that means?!?! It's PhotoChicks time! This weekend, Cheryl and I are chit-chatting with our friend Cindy Yetman in Part 2 of "KICKSTART" — our podcast series that's following Cindy as she starts her photography business from scratch!

Check out KICKSTART Part 1

In this episode you're going to learn:
1) What a Photo Safari is and why it’s important for your company brand.2) The secrets of Equipment Envy.
3) Why the word SIMPLIFY is the most important word you can use every day.

So hop over to thePhotoChicks website or ...  listen right here!

In honour of gorgeous Cindy, I thought I'd (re)publish a few photos that I snapped of her at the beginning of this year when she came to my studio for the first time for a mock bachelorette party! She came with 5 other girls and I paired Cindy with her friend Sasha. After all this time I finally put together a cute collage of these pretty ladies (Cindy has the red hair). Why didn't I think of doing this sooner? haha I'd love to make mixed collages like this for mother-daughter & best-friends!

What do you think about this podcast episode?

thePhotoChicks LOVE feedback. Please email us & leave comments below. 

Did you know you can listen to us on iTunes too? 

Just search for "thePhotoChicks"

Gracias amigos!

My Tropical Sabbatical — Melting Away the Stress

Something about this island makes me want to write again. It makes me want to wake up early, try to meditate, read books all afternoon. And surprisingly, there are so many pretty things to photograph but I don't have any urge to pick up my camera — with the exception of Instagram, of course ;) haha

Just one week ago I was in Seattle and I felt this crazy urgency to update my website, get new clients, improve my marketing and redesign my studio. I was in this constant state of stress with too much to do; always jealous of photographers who appeared to be more successful than me. All my work was computer-based but I desperately wanted to spend less time in front of a screen and more time in the garden. 

I felt this ugly tension between what I was doing (workaholic photographer running the rat-race towards online fame & fancy fortune), what I thought I should do (keep trying, dress more glamorously, create an glamourous brand + somehow find a happy work-life balance), and what I wanted to do (run a yoga retreat, barefoot, unplugged, simplicity, taking pretty photos for fun & writing books). 

Here in Hawaii, the warm breeze seems to be blowing away that sense of urgency, the stress, the jealousy. For example, normally I avoid creativeLIVE like the plague because seeing that community of people that I used to be involved in stirs up my yucky envious feelings (because I'm no longer included in that fast-paced high-achieving limelight world) but today... a creativeLIVE post popped up on my Facebook feed and I noticed that I've started to care less. I actually watched a bit of a cL workshop while walking down the beach this morning. Now, instead of feeling like I'm missing out, I feel like I'm on a completely different path — now it's apples to mangos — no point comparing the two. I'm doing my own thing. I'm on my own exciting adventure. I'm on a beach in Maui — somewhere I'd much rather be right now than in the cL warehouse in downtown Seattle (no offense cL homies).

Top 20 Reasons Maui is My Favorite Place on the Planet — [Guest Blog Post by Cheryl Ford]

Miggy and I arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon and all this week we are busy bees running around the island looking for cars, houses, delicious local food & opportunities to practice taking pictures in the crazy bright Hawaiian sunlight. While we're off on this first week of our tropical adventure, my beautiful friend Cheryl Ford has stepped in to write today's blog post. Take it away Cheryl.....

Woohoo! I get to do a Guest Blog Post on Chamonix's blog. And in honor of she and her husband, Miggy, moving to Maui this week, I am writing my blog post about Maui and giving you the top 20 reasons Maui is my favorite place on the planet.

20. Palm trees. I know you can get these lots of places, but I love a palm tree and they are bountiful on Maui.

19. Penguins. The Hyatt Kaanapali has tons of penguins right in the hotel. I learned from going to Maui that actually on a small number of penguin species live in cold climates and the rest live in warm climates. The penguins at the Hyatt hang out in the hotel lobby or in their little penguin houses. They're so cute and I have to go see them every time I'm there.

18. Glow Putt. Lahaina has a indoor miniature golf place called Glow Putt. They have neon paintings of animals and trees like a jungle on the wall and have black lights throughout so everything glows - including the golf balls. They play tunes and it's just a fun place to take your family.

17. Lahaina. It's just fun to go down into Lahaina and wander around. I don't even go into the stores or buy things. I just like to mosey through the streets and soak up the atmosphere. Walk down to the Banyan Tree and then back.

16. Mountains. The mountains of Maui are incredible. Beautiful greens and browns, lush and lovely. Even if you want to save a little money and stay someplace with a "mountain view" versus an "ocean view", the mountains are still gorgeous!

15. Rainbows. You get to see a rainbow almost every day. They make me so happy.

14. Hard Rock Cafe. I know it sounds cheesy, but I really enjoy the Hard Rock and the one on Maui has the most beautiful location right in downtown Lahaina on the water. You can watch the sunset while you enjoy my favorite drink called the Pickled Tink and then get their Twisted Macaroni and a brownie sundae. Mmmmmmmm. We have a Hard Rock here in Seattle but it's not special to go to one in your own town.

13. Sunsets. Every night there is a beautiful sunset on Maui and they are often just spectacular. I have a theory that you cannot fully capture the beauty of a sunset with a camera. Sometimes I still try but you just have to be there.

12. Music. I'll admit it . . . I thoroughly enjoy a cover band or just a guy sitting at a hotel bar playing Jimmy Buffet and Bob Marley covers. They're everywhere on Maui and I love them every time. It's such a pleasant way to spend an evening.

11. Breezes. I'm actually a person who can't stand it when it's windy. Especially in the Northwest where it's cold and windy a good part of the year. The wind hurts my ears and makes me cranky. But the breezes on Maui are soft and warm and cool you off just enough when it's hot out. 

10. Chamonix is there! Now when I go to Hawaii, I'll get to see a wonderful friend. Extra bonus.

9. Spas. Maui has some amazing spas. My favorite is the Spa Grande at the Grand Wailea in Wailea. It is beautiful and all of the treatments are amazing.

8. ABC Stores. I love a convenience store, mini mart, snack shack as a general rule. But the ABC stores in Hawaii are so much more than just a snack shack. They have everything you could possibly want. Towels, sunscreen, snacks, drinks, back scratchers, souvenirs, jewelry, t-shirts. And they're everywhere. They're like the Starbucks in Seattle.

7. The Weather. Did you know that the average temperatures on Maui only fluctuate about 15 degrees from when it's the "coldest" to when it's the "warmest"? No matter when you go, you're bound to have great weather.

6. Kaanapali. The most beautiful beach and hotel area. I love the path that runs the length of the beach from the Sheraton all the way down to the Hyatt. It's a beautiful walk and you have everything you need right there. PLUS, there is a STARBUCKS now at the Marriott! BONUS!

5. Umalu. This is a pool bar/restaurant at the Hyatt in Kaanapali. It's my favorite place to eat in all of Maui - and they have THE best chicken nachos in the world.

4. Lahaina Lemonades. Sure I can make this drink anytime I want at home, but it's a special Maui drink. Basically it's lemonade with vodka and Chambord (raspberry liquor) in it. Hot day, hanging by the pool, reading magazines, sipping a Lahaina Lemonade . . . nothing is better. Nothing!

3. Pool time. I'm not a huge beach girl. I like looking at beaches. They're beautiful. But you get sand everywhere and it can get a little annoying. I love pools though and anytime we book a vacation anywhere, the hotel has to have a nice pool. We can sit out there all day long, the kids jumping in the water, swimming around, and we're lounging, reading, or not reading, chatting, or not chatting, but mostly just enjoying some down time. Also - see #3 above for additional pool time benefits.

2. The air. If you've never been there, you don't know that the air actually feels and smells different on Maui. It's clean, fresh, warm (but not too warm), floral. It has a gentleness to it that you don't get anywhere else.

1. Island time. That no rush, relax, easy living feeling of being on the island. Just chill out, don't worry or stress. A lot of people go on vacation and go and do and see and explore. One of the best parts of Maui for me is that I don't have to do any of that. It's a relaxing place, a place where you can really have a vacation away from all the going, going going.

As I'm writing this post, I leave for Maui in 5 days and this is making me so excited to do and see all of these things!!!! Chicken Nachos and Lahaina Lemonades, here I come.

Cheryl Ford