Aloha
In 1978 I left Connecticut during a nasty blizzard to visit my sister in Kona.  Another Yankee (besides Mark Twain) discovers Paradise!  I recently graduated from the University of Connecticut with an apparently useless degree in Dramatic Arts.  I rewarded my efforts with a hard earned vacation before getting a job.

My first impression of Hawaii during my nocturnal arrival at the airport was the intoxicating fragrance of plumeria.  The next morning I went out with Dive Makai Charters (owned by my sister and brother-in-law back then) and a humpback whale breached entirely out of the water 100 feet away from us!  I was smitten and stayed, and stayed…..  I explored the islands with a camera always in hand, cultivating my newfound love and skills in photography.  I fondly remember those good old days when there was one traffic light and one grocery store in Kona.  Going to Hilo for shopping was a big adventure. I took hula lessons from kumu Ulalia Berman and Uncle George Na'ope.  We used to ride our horses on Hapuna Beach and bring them camping at Pine Trees and Waipio Valley.  Residents never locked their homes or vehicles and left their keys in the ignition.  After work my friends and I  spent hours boogey boarding, canoe paddling and trekking to remote parts of the island.   It was a blissful, carefree, endless summer lifestyle.  I worked as an extra in a few movies.  My 15 seconds of fame is in "Black Widow", where I discovered that work life was much more interesting behind the camera's lens.  I quickly realized that people photography required a different set of skills than landscapes, so I knocked on the door of Jerry Seely's Studio and she took me on as an eager apprentice.  I printed photos in her darkroom, assembled wedding albums, sold her prints at the Billfish tournament and learned about lighting, medium format photography and her special talent for photographing people.  Five years later, Jerry retired and moved to Utah and I struck out on my own as "Picture This Photographics "in 1985.  So my degree in Dramatic Arts wasn't useless after all.  It just transformed to a different theatrical venue!

Some of my exotic photographic adventures include selection as one of 12 photographers sponsored by the Hawaii Visitors Bureau (c1997) and corporate partners in the visitor industry to create a stock photo library of the state for media  use.  I was chosen among peer professionals as the official millennium portrait photographer for Four Seasons Resort, Hualai photographing all of  their guests' family portraits.  I've photographed events featuring Kenny Loggins, Kevin Costner, Beach Boys, Todd Street Productions, weddings for Joe Theisman, Chris Childs.  Also, commercial photography for many local businesses, corporate and local cultural events and many more.  Currently my stock photos are present in Hawaii Romance and Adventure Magazine and will soon be available on a separate website.  Sometimes my arm has been twisted enough to  leave  Kona  for destination weddings in Vermont, Boston, California, Maui, Kauai and Honolulu.  Incidentally,  I'm also the creator of the "Torchlighter" cocktail which rivals the Mai Tai in Polynesian paralyses notoriety.  You may visit one in the Advertising gallery, but cannot drink one until you get here!

In my spare time I spoil our beloved rescued pets "kids with paws and fur"!  I am involved with AdvoCATS and have sponsored their yearly entry with Mauna Lani Charity Trees as a major fundraiser.  I also enjoy travelling, gardening and kanikapila joining in with my guitar and vocal harmonies.  I'm sure I inherited my love of photographing life's poignant moments from my Dad.  He always had a movie camera in hand when our big family was growing up.  I have video of my second birthday party, graduations and my parents' first visit to Kona -- depicting how drastically the island has changed.  Those images  are among my dearest possessions.

In conclusion, photography is my passion and I derive enormous joy from recording those emotional moments when families and friends gather together for celebration.  Yes, that means I go to some fabulous locations and parties, but somebody has to do it!   Through intuitive portraiture, I seek out the inner expressive being in harmony with our dramatic light and landscapes.  I have a growing ohana of those who request my services every time they return to the island and refer me to their family and friends via the coconut wireless.  Rather than speak my own praises, my clients say it best with "love notes" posted throughout the site on the introductions to the slide shows. Those thank you notes are the richest rewards of what I do.

It is an honor for me to grace the lives of others with expressive images that will be cherished for generations.  For your Kona wedding, family portrait, convention or other photography and video needs…..

... We do it right, we do it well and we do it with aloha style!    ------------- Thalia Naidu