I Flew to Maui to Photograph My Best Friend’s Family—and the Sky Put on a Show 🌴

When your best friend asks if you’ll fly to Maui to photograph her family, you say yes. 😂

Amy and I have known each other for 20+ years, so getting to photograph her family somewhere as beautiful as Maui was incredibly special. I stayed with them for a couple of nights, and somewhere between spending time together and island-hopping over to Kauaʻi afterward, we carved out an evening for family photos on one of Maui’s gorgeous beaches.

And because apparently even paradise likes to keep photographers humble, the weather decided to make things interesting.

Planning Their Maui Family Photo Session

Photographing on Maui requires a little more planning than simply finding a pretty beach and showing up with a camera. We had a photography permit for one specific location, which meant we couldn’t switch beaches at the last minute if the weather changed.

I had also looked up the tide schedule ahead of time, so we knew we would be arriving around high tide. That meant there would be less sand available and bigger waves moving through the rocky shoreline, but it also meant plenty of movement and drama in the background.

Because Maui’s beaches can be popular with photographers around sunset, I suggested arriving about two hours early. That would give us time to settle in, explore the area, and begin before other sessions potentially started competing for the same little pockets of beach.

As it turns out, that extra time became very helpful for an entirely different reason.

When a Rain Cloud Appears Out of Nowhere

There had been no rain in the forecast all day. Naturally, as we were driving toward the beach, a rain cloud formed directly over the exact location where we were headed. Not nearby. Not vaguely in the same part of the island. Right over our permitted beach. 😂

Since the permit was location-specific, moving somewhere else wasn’t an option. We just had to get there, see what the weather was doing, and hope Maui would cooperate.

It was drizzling when we arrived, but thankfully, the rain cleared fairly quickly. As soon as it did, we got to work. The beach was absolutely gorgeous. The high tide sent waves crashing between the dark lava rocks, while the wet sand reflected the light like gold. Behind them were layers of tropical greenery and palm trees, giving us so much more variety than a wide-open stretch of sand alone.

We photographed the whole family together, the kids with each parent, Amy and her husband, and all of those smaller combinations that help tell the full story of a family. We captured plenty of photos while the weather was calm, knowing that another little pocket of rain could move through at any time.

Waiting for the Maui SunseT

Once we had completed the bulk of their gallery, we could have easily called it a night. We already had beautiful family photos, everyone had been a good sport about the drizzle, and the high tide had made navigating parts of the beach a little adventurous.

But the sky was still changing.

So we stayed.

We hung out on the beach and waited as sunset approached, watching the clouds slowly shift from gray to soft pink, lavender, and blue. The same clouds that had made us nervous on the drive over ended up catching the last of the evening light and creating the dreamiest cotton-candy sky.

I am so glad we didn’t leave early.

Those final images feel like such a perfect reward for trusting the process. The palm trees became dark silhouettes against the pastel clouds, the water softened as we moved into blue hour, and the entire beach took on a quieter, almost surreal feeling.

The rain cloud that initially seemed like it might ruin our plans ended up helping create some of my favorite images from the session.

More Than Maui Vacation Photos

Of course, Maui gave us an incredible backdrop. But what I love most about these photos isn’t only the palm trees, volcanic rock, dramatic waves, or pastel sky.

It’s Amy looking at her family and laughing. It’s the kids being fully themselves. It’s the way everyone leaned into the experience, even when that experience included surprise rain and wet feet. It’s knowing that years from now, these photos will bring them back to this exact season of their family’s life and this evening we spent together in Maui.

Family photos while traveling aren’t just a way to document where you went. They preserve what it felt like to be there together.

And if the island happens to deliver a surprise cotton-candy sky? Even better. 🌺