Novalee Photo

When I started planning out our wedding, there was a lot of thought put in to our wedding photographs. We wanted a photographer that would be able to capture that special moment. I searched online looking through countless portfolio's and asking around, but nothing really stood out. I finally came across Novalee Photo's portfolio, and "WOW" was basically all I could say. I showed my fiancee' and he felt the same way, so we went ahead and filled out our information, crossed our fingers and hoped that someone got back to us. I was surprised to find a repsonse in my email the next day from Kaoru, he made it very easy to communicate with him over email, which made it so stress-free since having a baby to tend to as well. We set up an appointment shortly after and Kaoru even made sure that it would be close enough since I'd be bringing my little one along! He came very prepared and worked with our ideas and concerns. We felt very comfortable and confident with Kaoru so we of course booked him as our photographer! As the wedding got closer he stayed in contact with us making sure we didn't have any other ideas/concerns along the way. Even with my last minute planning of our rehersal, Kaoru made sure he could be there so he knew what our wedding ceremony would look/be like on the big day. The next day was the wedding (did I mention it was on Thanksgiving?!), Kaoru arrived at our home with his gear and a smile! He made us feel comfortable and we let him do his own thing, taking pictures of everyone around the house getting ready. It didn't feel like we were forced with taking pictures, but instead everything just flowed like it should. He left a little before the bridal party so he could arrive just in time to get pictures of everyone before I arrived. As the wedding took place, we didn't even noticed he was there, he didn't take away from anything in the wedding. After the wedding he made sure that he got the pictures of everyone, since that was one of the things we wanted because we had a small wedding and most of the guests were from other countries. When it was time for my husband and I to take our couple pictures, it again didn't feel forced. We knew he would get great shots since he had scoped out some awesome spots prior to the wedding. We forgot an envolope we asked Kaoru to hold during the picture taking and he actually drove all the way back to our house to make sure we got it! It was the little things like that, that we are so happy we chose Novalee Photos! We even got to preview a few of our photos on Facebook that day! Which was awesome since most of our families couldn't make it. From one bride to another, I hope that this review helps you stop wasting time looking for a great photographer, because Novalee Photos is the best!!!

Words cannot describe how happy my husband and I are with Kaoru and Novalee Photo. We were married on September 19, 2011 at the Outrigger Reef in Waikiki. We were extremely nervous when it came to picking a photographer because this was the most important aspect of our wedding, but we live in Southern California...flying out to meet photographers wasn't exactly an option. After searching the internet and contacting numerous photographers, Kaoru was one of the first people to get back to us. Through looking at the photographs he had on his website, and communicating with him via e-mail, we decided that he would be perfect for our wedding, and boy were we right!! He was prompt, creative, funny, and professional. My friends and family are still commenting on how our photographer was amazing, and that they wished he had photographed their weddings! I think the best part of it all is within 3 weeks of our wedding, he had our photographs edited and on a DVD. I have friends that were married before us and are still waiting for their wedding photos. Kaoru and Novalee photo has our highest recommendation and we are so thankful that we chose him!!

My husband Allen & i are newly weds as of August 28, 2011. We've been together for over 5 years and we finally decided it was the right time to "Sign our life away" to each other. Hehe. Anyway, Out of all the stress & planning, to the big & to the little things, having the PERFECT photographer was one major thing that was a 'Must Have'. Luckily, i have contacted Kaoru prior to my wedding and right off the back, i KNEW he was the one! Kaoru is such an amazing, wonderful, astonishing, astounding, excellent photographer. But his personality is even better. My husband is not that photogenic type and he hates pictures. But thankfully, Kaoru made it so fun and enjoyable for the both of us, my husband wanted to take more and more pictures. :) Every time i see any of his photos, i literally fall in love & i feel as if i was there to feel everyones emotions on their special day. Its such a divine feeling knowing that he was the one to capture the memories of my wedding and i'll always cherish that. Novalee Photo will always be the one and only photography business i will always hire for any future events i might have!

Since you hire a photographer for the images they are able to create, we chose Kaoru. His style was in the vein of journalistic, his work seemed to capture spontaneous moments, sweet smiles and the love that flows (unposed or staged) at all great weddings. We met him once before our event and immediately knew that he was perfect. People suggested we screen our potential photographers by looking at an entire wedding they had shot, before they edit out pictures or photoshop. However, we liked him so much and felt so comfortable and confident in his work already that we skipped this. To seal the deal there were a few emails exchanged. He arrived early on the day of the wedding and asked if we minded him touring the property to get a feeling for the venue. This simple practice is an example of how thorough and thoughtful Kaoru is. Throughout the evening and into the night he made us and all of our guests feel so at ease with him that you didn't even notice he was there. Because your wedding day is full of so many spectacular things, big and small, it is really incredible to have someone there that is in tune with all of it. When my husband and I looked at the pictures he had taken, we got to relive all of those moments, even ones we missed on the day of the wedding (like our nieces and nephews playing in the grass or the tears shed during they ceremony by our aunties and uncles). Putting on a wedding was happy, but also stressful- yet the pictures took our day and memorialized it in the most celebratory of spirits, and when we look at them they are so full of love and joy. While it would have been a wonderful day no matter what, having Kaoru there gave us a wedding that was, in the words of my mother-in-law "picture perfect"....

Kaoru (the photographer) was amazing! He didn't make us feel rushed at all, and took some amazing pictures. He was very creative and gave lots of direction as to how to pose, and what he was trying to capture from the photo. He was also very willing to try some of the poses my wife recommended. Before the wedding he took scout pictures to sort of give us an overview of the landscape and possible locations for pictures so that we could plan for the locations. He also devoted lots of time editing the pictures to make them come out perfect. Great photographer!

My name is Chantelle, I was recently wed on 8/6/11 and chose Novalee Photo for our photography. From day one Kaoru was very prompt and professional in all correspondences. I was really impressed by the perspective and style of his photography. We live on Molokai so working out all the details of our wedding was hard but Kaoru was very flexible when it came to scheduling an appointment to meet and go over our preferrences. I was impressed when Kaoru attended our rehearsal and made suggestions on the positioning and timing of the wedding party in order to get the best shots. Kaoru has a keen eye for detail and capturing the moments that are priceless. We received our pictures in a very timely manner and are extactic with the end result. Overall I have already recommended Novalee Photo to all my friends and family and would recommend Novalee Photo to everyone for any of their photography needs.

There are no words that I can say that will tell you how grateful, happy, excited I am with Novalee Photo. Just when I thought that I could not have any professional pictures done because of my tight budget, Kaoru and Novalee Photo came through for us. After meeting with him, we came up with a package that we could all work with. Weddings are a very special time in our lives. It takes weeks, months, sometimes years to plan that special day. Yes DAY! Something that takes such a long time to plan is over before you know it. That is why we need to capture all those moments. What better way than with a photo? I could not have asked for a better photographer and company than NOVALEE PHOTO. We just had our wedding and EVERYONE wanted to know who did our engagement pictures. They even wanted to know where it was taken cause Kaoru can scout the best places for those one of a kind pictures! I know Kaoru has that eye to capture moments in time that you can cherish forever. I can’t wait to see all the moments he captured on my special day so that when I look at it 50 years from now, it’s like I was there all over again. I highly recommend NOVALEE PHOTO. I will recommend Kaoru to all my family and friends not only for weddings but for family pictures, special occasions or just to capture some special moments in life.

My husband Laifone & I were just married on July 09, 2011 and one of our main concerns was to make sure we had awesome wedding photography. After our very first meeting with Kaoru of Novalee Photo, we KNEW we were in great hands. Our Engagement Photos were SO MUCH FUN and all of our family & friends were awed by them. Kaoru made it a priority to come to our Wedding Rehearsal to prepare, which my wedding planner said was a first! On the Wedding Day, he worked so hard and still remained so patient, professional, and courteous despite the chaos.. Haha.. Kaoru has been nothing but genuine, funny, professional, and very nice, all the while doing what needed to be done to capture every moment of our Special Day. His hard work did not go unnoticed- SO many people at our wedding made sure to get his information, even to this day:) We give our highest recommendation to Kaoru, such a talented photographer and such a nice guy! His cool personality made it so easy for us to work with him and helped us to just be our happy selves and enjoy our day:)