Crouching Lion on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu will forever have a special place in mine and James’s heart. We chose this spot to do our epic, adventurous engagement photos because of the rocky cliffside landscapes, the view of the bay and the overall experience. Crouching Lion is guarenteed to give you an adventure experience, first and foremost. With a straight incline UP A MOUNTAIN, we knew we were in for something memorable. Crouching Lion did not dissapoint!
Hi there!
My name is Alesia and I’m a Destination Wedding Videographer based in Portland, OR.
My best friend and I got engaged in September of 2022 and we’ve been relishing in this season of our lives, finally experiencing what it’s like to be on this side of things.
A lot of James’s close family lives on Maui, so I hosted a workshop on Maui from January 9th-12th 2023 to double as a family visit.
Then, I got booked a wedding at Sunset Ranch on Oahu for the following weekend and decided to bring James along so he can experience Oahu for the first time! God’s timing was perfect.
Naturally, we booked our engagement session while we were there and we chose the most adventurous spot we could find on Oahu: Crouching Lion.
3 Tips for a Couple’s Session at Crouching Lion
1. Pack hiking boots for the trailhead.
Trust me when I say, this trail can be muddy. It’s located on the wettest part of Oahu, so come prepared with boots and/or spikes. I wore these trusty boots from Amazon.
2. Bring a Makeup Bag for face + hair touch-ups
The irony of our engagement session was that it was blazing hot all the way up the trail, so we were sweating like crazy and had to take 10 minutes to just cool down once at the top. Then, 20 minutes into taking photos, a tropical rainstorm blew through and completely soaked us! I recommend this cute bag that doubles as a packing cube from Amazon.
3. Plan ahead for sunset times and weather
This side of the island would be PERFECT for a sunrise session. We chose to do it mid-day so we could drive back across the island to Honolulu and get sunset photos there, instead. It’s up to you! But in terms of lighting, from a photographer’s perspective: being backlit with the sun close to the horizon creates the most creamy, golden hour photos. Plus, you could avoid the mid-day heat when you hike straight up the mountain and reduce the amount of sweat you’re absolutely going to endure – aka don’t do what we did haha!
Our Engagement Photos at Crouching Lion, Oahu
Drum roll please…
This is the official gallery of our engagement photos, all taken by the beautiful and talented Annette Ambrose Photography.
Annette is a dear wedding photographer friend of mine who referred me to do video for the Oahu wedding. It was only right, since she was there with us, that she be the first to document our official engagement photos on the island!
Thank you thank you thank you again to my amazing friend. She is always down for a hiking adventure if that’s what you’re looking for… PNW Elopement couples, I’m looking at you!
But first, a highlight of the film photos she captured on the Contax T2.
Crouching Lion Engagement Photos – Digital
Get ready to be mind blown be these beautiful Oahu landscapes! But first…
What to wear on an engagement shoot on Oahu
Alesia’s Dress from: Red Dress Boutique
Alesia’s Shoes from: Amazon
James’s Shirt and Pants from: Asos Men
Weather at Crouching Lion, Oahu
Our engagement session experienced a 5 minute rain shower! Crouching Lion is no joke when it comes to moody weather. Be prepared to experience it all and most importantly – embrace the rain. We had a “Notebook” worthy kiss, we danced and we laughed. It was a magical moment, to say the least.
Playful Poses for Engagement Photography
Our personalities are extremely goofy and playful. Therefore, Annette made sure to highlight this part of our relationship and we fell in love with these photos of us! Examples are:
Pick her up and do half spins!
Kiss and bite his/her face super fast!
Use your film cameras and capture each other showing off your engagement rings
Sit down and cuddle close and talk about your inside jokes
Walk towards the camera and bump hips while you’re walking, try to knock each other over, without actually knocking them over, GO!
Do your secret handshake
But most importantly, DANCE IT OUT.
Crouching Lion, Oahu Wide Shots – Engagement Photos Edition
The best of the best wide shots from Annette Ambrose Photography.
She made sure to capture the rugged terrain with the ocean in the distance so you can fully see where we were. She highlighted the top of this trail so well!
What comes after Engagement Photos?
We’ve been asked this a lot after posting our engagement photos to the ‘Gram @alesiafilms!!
Once you get your gallery back, start making your Save the Date cards with them, Invitations, etc. so people can slap it on their fridge. As a result, everyone can count down your wedding with you and your friends and family will be thrilled!
Oahu Engagement Photographer + Videographer
Finally, looking for an engagement photographer and/or videographer who specializes in 35mm film and Super 8 on Hawaii? Look no further than right here on my website! If I’m in your budget, feel free to reach out through our contact form. Even though we’re based in Portland, we’re on island almost every January and we get hired out there often throughout the year for weddings. Reach out to see when we’ll be there next!
Or, keep tagging along our official wedding journey right here on the blog.
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