Aloha! Who’s had the chance to check out Gray Malin at the Mauna Kea, yet? If you haven’t done so already, you can explore the whole series here. So far it seems as though you all love it and it’s been so fun to share this special collection of photographs with all of you. Whenever I launch a new series, I always love to share a little bit of a behind the scenes peek at how it all came together and based on the response from all of you, you love to see it just as much. So, today I’m taking you behind the scenes of Gray Malin at the Mauna Kea and giving you the scoop on how I got some of my favorite shots from the series. Check out the video below to join me on set!

Surf’s Up was such a fun photograph to create. When we were coming up with the concept, we had no idea how we were going to make the surfboards stand up. During one of our planning days, two members of the team went to the local hardware store and bought wooden planks we were planning on sticking in the sand behind the boards to hold them up. As it turned out, we didn’t even need them because the sand held them up all by itself (except for when the occasional wind blew through).

When creating Arrival at the Mauna Kea, I wanted to capture the magic I’ve always felt every time I’ve pulled up to this hotel. It took many different iterations arranging the luggage and the surfboard in the back, but after a while we finally got it perfect. Those palm trees in the back really make the scene!

Welcome to the Mauna Kea was the first shot we completed on day one of the shoot. We spent hours out in front of the hotel sign arranging the boards in different ways and playing around with angles. When we finally nailed it, it felt so good to have one photograph under our belt. It made the rest of the shoot feel like a breeze.

I don’t know about you guys, but Beach Buggy makes me feel like I’m heading off to a beach day with friends. Oh, how I wish we could do just that! This vibrant Mauna Kea VW Thing was such a fun accent to shoot all over the property. I’m jealous of the lucky owner!

Beach Vista has to be the most iconic and magical image of the entire shoot. I shot a few different vantage points, but there’s something about the perspective of this one with the bright blue waters in the background. I feel like I’m looking outside my hotel window. We did test shots out of over 10 different hotel rooms before finally finding the perfect one!

Is anyone else feeling ready for a getaway to the Mauna Kea? If you are, then you can enter our Escape to Hawai'i Giveaway in partnership with Mauna Kea. One winner will receive a 3-night stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and a limited edition print from the Gray Malin at the Mauna Kea series! You can enter the giveaway and read the details here.

Cheers!

Xx

Gray