The Big Island: In Black and White: Day 1

Arriving at the Big Island of Hawaii at 650 AM was far from tiring. I could immediately smell the salt in the air and I still had remnants of sand in my hair from getting whipped around in the ocean near Pipeline. An explorer is not someone who enjoys escaping daily life, but someone who enjoys new culture, new people, and a god damn adventure.

"It is better to have your head in the clouds and know where you are... than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below ." 

- Henry David Thoreau

"The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only paradise which we will ever know, the only paradise we will ever need." 

- Edward Abbey

The end of a day never seems to be an actual finite thing in Hawaii. Each moment here has brought new feelings of wonderment, new thoughts about the world and most importantly, insights about my own personal self. 

Live in each and every moment. 

Newlyweds: Davide and Alessandro

There is nothing more noble than seeing two lovers, eye to eye, become one in marriage. This wedding was like nothing I have participated in before. Two amazing, powerful, and smart men, Davide and Alessandro were married on January 5th, 2014. It was an absolute honor to photograph these two men as my first gay wedding. Not only was it a beautiful and intimate ceremony, Davide and Alessandro were two of the warmest and kindest people I have met with a love that seems almost effortless.

Congratulations to you two and I wish you all the best in this beautiful world.

Keep light, love and peace.

"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine and a man cannot live without love."

- Max Muller

"Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone, we find it with another. "

- Thomas Merton

"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead."

- Oscar Wilde

"I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human. "

- Oriah Mountain Dreamer

All Photos Copyright © Jaci Berkopec

Chrissy: Mother and Child

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Chrissy's maternity photos. It was incredibly inspiring to photograph such a strong, beautiful woman while she was carrying a child. Little Mason was just born on December 30th. 

Congratulations to Chrissy and Mike with their adorable angel!

 "Motherhood is one of the most challenging and creative jobs anyone can do."

- Naomi Wolf

"Pregnancy and motherhood are the most beautiful and significantly life-altering events a woman can experience."

- Elizabeth Hasselbeck

"The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children."

- Jessica Lange

All Photos Copyright © Jaci Berkopec