Hi there! I am Desiree Maher

Jake & Nicole...

2009-07-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

I had some close friends of mine get married last week in their backyard which was ocean front in Kihei. It was a nice breezy day and all of the guests were our closest friends and family. I had such a good time covering the wedding because it was such a personal and beautiful expression of love between this couple that I have know for years. I wanted to post some of my favorite pictures so everyone can take a peek....

Aloha,

Desiree

On My Own...

2009-06-06T18:19:00.001-07:00

It isn't very often that I shoot a wedding without Paulo but last month I was sent out on my own. Kim & Rick are friends of mine that came over from Oahu to get married. I was so pleased with some of the shots that I thought I would put up some of my favorites.

Movement

2009-01-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

So I did a small project playing with long exposure. I wanted to capture movement in people. I experimented at a Christmas party I went to because the girls started dancing and everyone else was reacting. I also caught one of my friends tasting dinner off of her finger...It was interesting to see how the camera could pick up on the most subtle of movement and stillness at the same time. It was just for fun so I thought I would share...

It came out pretty good...

A Visit to Thailand

2009-01-05T19:49:00.000-08:00

During the month of November, I visited Thailand. Most people go down south to the islands but I spent the month going up north. I traveled from Bangkok to Sukhothai for the first leg of the trip to experience the Loy Krathong Festival. The Thai celebrate the end of the rainy season and send little lanterns of light into all of the rivers throughout the country. Since it all began in Sukhothai during the 13th century, I wanted to see this ancient tradition up close. It moved me to see over 100,000 people come together to send their wishes and hopes out into the night sky under the full moon.

I then journeyed up to Pai which was a tucked away little mountain town. There were lots of hill tribe people around selling their goods and unique shops all around. I found my favorite little coffee stand where the girl who owned it made me Thai espresso every morning.

Throughout the country I noticed that the Thai are very artistic people. There is detail in very nook and cranny. I loved going to the night markets and shopping for all of the handmade goodies.

Overall it was a great trip and I am looking forward to my next adventure.

Take a Good Look...

2008-10-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

So I always let Paulo pick out his favorite images of me for the website. I left it up to him to choose some action shots to open my brand new blog page & really let all of you know what I look like when I am working with him... Well, my first thoughts were wow I look great doing my detective work behind that rock. My second thought was why did he have to pick the one photo where I am not looking my finest, sun bleaching out my face and all. I guess it is an action shot & Paulo likes that I look like I'm working (ha, ha) but i thought you all might be ready for some other pictures of me... These kind of show some personality & it may help with your curiosity of what I look like as well. I'm sure you all know that I have many looks but I wouldn't want of any of to not recognize me on your big day....

Aloha,
Desiree

The Fair Pics

2008-09-17T01:37:00.000-07:00

Snap Dragons

Absolute Stillness

A Rose is A Rose

Every year the Maui County Fair has a Photo Contest and this year I have decided to enter. It is always so hard to go through your own work and choose the best ones. Some are sentimental, other are just great moments, and then there are those that show your artistic talent. So I have narrowed it down & now I need your help picking the final two. So even if it is your first time visiting the site, I would love to hear your vote. Just send me a comment on the blog. Hopefully together we can pick a blue ribbon winner.

The Fire Inside

Candyman Smiles

Pure Joy

I Got the Blues...

2008-08-16T02:10:00.000-07:00

So just about a month ago I got a call from my good friend Ryan. He wanted to know if I could come down to Kihei and do a shoot for his band. I was so excited to do something new & create a look for these guys. I was one lucky girl taking six handsome guys around Halama St. on a killer day. They were a lot of fun and we got some great stuff.

After the coverage was over I got to crash their practice and let me tell you, these guys have it going on. They have this blues meets funk kind of vibe and as I was leaving I was truly hoping that something great happens with this band. If anyone is interested in looking them up I know that they are on MySpace under Ryan Robinson Band. I'll keep you posted when they get their own site going...
Anyway, good luck Ryan on your band...Just know you already have a big fan!!!

The Fire Inside

2008-08-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

When I came to Maui I knew that I would be inspired by many arts because I am an artist myself. I had visited the infamous drum cirle in Makena a week after being here and was blown away. It was a traditional circle with all kinds of drumming & dancing going on at Little Beach. As night fell fire dancers came out of the crowd into the circle & performed well into the night. I continued to watch just aching to try it myself and wondered if I had it in me to do this kind of dancing. A dear friend of mine introduced me to Naya...a beautiful fire performer and she took me under her wing. Having a dancing background throughout most of my life, I became in touch with it once again through this new genre. Now three years later, I am part of Merkabah Fire Productions. We are an 8 person dance troop & we are currently working with Musical Options creating a Cirque du Soliel kind of show for the Hawaiian Islands. It is really exciting and at times I feel fortunate to have such a blessed life out here... So when I'm not busy photographing weddings, I'm practicing & performing all over the island. So I thought you all would enjoy some of the images I have captured of my dearest friends dancing under the recent full moon. I am also going to throw in a couple of me just for fun...

Viva El Peru

2008-08-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Last year I had the opportunity to travel anywhere I wanted...I worked hard all summer and knew that I was going to take off with my camera a get another stamp in the passport. My best friend who is in West Hollywood mentioned to me that she was thinking about Macchu Piccu and doing the trek up to the Lost Incan City. It sounded intriguing so I did my research and decided to meet her in Peru & join her on this trip. So sure enough after two days of traveling I ended up in Cusco early in the morning on November 11th. My dear friend Nick from Maui joined me & when we arrived we fell in love with Peru immediately. It is such a warm and colorful culture. They keep things simple & have carried on their traditions for ages. I admired the old Incan style foundations layered with the newer Spanish layers from the time when they entered South America long ago. The cobblestone streets had different patterns & the tiny cafes were a great break from the cold air. We had to acclimate to 13,000 ft in order to sign up for the Macchu Piccu trek. We committed to the five day journey and decided on the Salkantay Trail which was the back entrance to Macchu Piccu. It had more to offer in climate changes and scenery & we heard it was less traveled. I was awe struck for the entire hike just loving tiny little grass huts amongst the huge mountain tops of the Andes Mountains. It was such a build up as we went through cloud rain forests & jungle to make it to Macchu Piccu. As we approached we heard all of the legends of how the Incan royalty would make their way on these vast journeys through all kinds of weather and terrain in order to be protected. The night before we made it up to Macchu Piccu, Nick & I enjoyed the quaint train town of Aguas Calientes. We could hardly go to sleep knowing that the following morning we would see with our own eyes the city that was never touched by the Spanish invasion & is now considered a Natural Wonder of the World. We hiked up to it before sunrise & my first feeling was how sacred and huge Macchu Piccu was. The city held a population of over 5,000 of the highest honored Incans of their day.I walked through temples, touched ancient stone walls, & learned how the old culture lived by the sun, moon, & stars.

As I left I was changed and had a new respect & love for Peru. The next week I had planned on giving back by volunteering so I was given the opportunity to teach English in children. Nick & I had two classes where we going to actually give an English lesson.We decided to make colorful construction paper pictures of English words we wanted to teach. We went out into the community and were met with such warmth & love from the locals.The kids loved the fact that we handed out lollipops in return for their attention. It was amazing to have received such thanks for something that seemed so simple. Peru will always be in my heart. I hope you get a chance to see it for yourself.. It is truly an amazing place...

Much Aloha,
Desiree