About Tad Craig
Greetings & Thank you so much for visiting!
GUESS WHAT? I married the LOVE of my Life, and it was positively THE BEST day of my life! Cory and I had just under a hundred family & friends in attendance at the most gorgeous location. The Hui No Eau in upcountry Maui. On a perfectly overcast cool day we got to say our I Do’s & celebrate for nearly TEN HOURS!
I was born in Aspen, Colorado, but moved when I was just six years old to Telluride, Colorado. In Telluride, we had a very unique school that had an amazing ski program that allowed us ski racers to spend most of our days (about 150 days a year) skiing. My love for the mountains and all their beauty shaped my life. For high school graduation, my stepfather gave me a Nikon FE2 camera, which unbeknownst to me, would later become the instrument that would dictate my life. Growing up in the mountains you become accustomed to seeing the most magical moments and incredible vistas. One local Telluride Photographer in particular, Ace Kavale, was most influential in my pursuing photography as his photos captured the richest and vibrant moments of the mountains and sporting life we all lived. His photos regularly graced the pages of The Patagonia Catalog and I was hooked.
Throughout college and into the future, I pursued my adventurous life of windsurfing, mountain biking, skiing, rock climbing, and a host of other adrenaline sports. In 1994 I moved to Maui and fell in LOVE with everything I saw. Hawaii is absolutely one of the most jaw-dropping locations in the world. It offers so many incredibly beautiful vistas and amazing moments that you can’t believe they are actually real! It was seeing all this beauty that got me in the darkroom at The Hui No Eau Arts Center, where I worked tirelessly to print my B&W manually in a dark room. This was the time in my life when my love and natural connection with photography captivated me so greatly and defined my future. Now it has been 19 years here on Maui working as a Wedding and Portrait Photographer, and the excitement about my craft has remained just as strong as it was all of those years ago creating with that old manual camera.
Photography is a career where experience counts, one where learning and becoming better is paramount to being the best! I am so excited about the path my photography journey has taken, and how it has resulted in growth to a standard of perfection and creativity that I commit to each and every time.
My mission every time is to not only wow my clients with gorgeous imagery but to do it candidly and real. I consistently use all of the knowledge I have learned over the years to create images that tell YOUR STORY! I document your most important moments with great care, vast experience, and enthusiasm and it is not only an honor for me but deeply personal. I absolutely love the genuine connections and friendships that transpire from being in the midst of such powerful moments. These moments become the foundations of people’s lives and I truly cherish and value that, it means everything to me!
I’ll tell you a story of one particular family & what the pictures meant to them. It was actually a thirty year vow renewal on the beach at Five Palms in South Maui. I had developed a really nice repore with the bride & she had told me that originally her & her husband had got married in a courthouse with just a few people watching. For THIRTY YEARS she dreamed of having an actual wedding with her now grown kids standing with her & ALL of her most important people in attendance. Was one of those magical days with a gorgeous sunset & her grown sons weeping as they hugged & congratulated them. Truly heart stopping to witness this! Later that evening after the sunset had completely slipped behind the horizon, I was showing her images on the back of the camera & she was crying & holding me & thanking me for capturing her dream in images! This is exactly why I LOVE MY JOB!!!
Gratitude
I am very thankful for all my many many clients & the kind words that they leave for me. November 2018 I reached what I think is a very important milestone with 100+ FIVE STAR REVIEWS on theknot.com & then later the “BEST of Weddings 2019″ on theknot.com. This is the Eight Time I have won this award.
More recognition came from Weddingwire.com with the “Couple Choice 2019”, making it the Ninth time I have won this award. Of course earning these awards is exciting, but more IMPORTANTLY this recognition backs up the entire reason in WHY I do this & LOVE this so much.
Providing not only an Amazing Experience, to my clients, Gorgeous Imagery, but also backed up by quality service each & every single time! That is my mission!
THANK YOU for choosing Tad Craig Photography!
Follow me on Instagram! @tadcraigphotography
Happy New Years! Wishing everyone an Amazing New Year of Love, Prosperity, Peace and Happiness! Loved creating these images w the Lovely @melaniemcgrane and her well dressed groom @sailing101cc at South Maui Gardens. This Maui Wedding Venue is such a cool spot right in the heart of Kihei with all sorts of hidden gems throughout the property! Loved photographing Melanie’s Excitement as her day unfolded & later their choreographed first dance was a ROCKIN good time! Thanks to all the terrific vendors delivering the goods to make it happen! Congrats Melanie & Chris!💍🍾🌴 #mauiwedding #mauiweddingphotographer #destinationwedding #wedding #weddingphotographer #mauiweddingvenue
Imagine getting Married on a Tropical Beach in Hawaii? Surrounded by all the LOVE, All the FEELS and ALL your Favorite People in the Most Romantic & Beautiful Settings? Dreams can be a Reality! Let’s Adventure to the Most Wonderful places and make Amazing Memories together & I promise to Exceed your Expectations with an Amazing Experience, Gorgeous Imagery and Back it Up w Great Service! With Very Reasonable & Fair pricing, including my extremely affordable Six Hour Special Package, getting the wedding photo coverage you want is within your budget! Thanks to all the fantastic coordinators, fellow creatives and all the BHTS people making these events so special and perfect! I’m talking about all the stylists for hair and makeup, the florists creating magic with their flowers, the videographers, the ministers whose words leave indelible lifelong imprints on you! Not forgetting the chefs & servers making the dining experience so special along with bars and DJ’s who make the evenings rock and roll! I’m also not forgetting all the countless people who set up these events and their roles in making things even more magical! I’m also so incredibly Grateful and Thankful for the countless people who have hired me and trusted me to deliver their DREAMS in photographs! MAHALO! What an honor it is to travel Hawaii creating & capturing these wonderful moments and making memories that actually last lifetimes! Have any questions regarding locations, best time of day, timelines or vendors? Please reach out as I am very available to help in planning your big day! Want to see reviews? Please see my page on https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/tad-craig-photography-paia-hi-211102 for 150 FIVE STAR REVIEWS! Hire me and I promise to Exceed your Expectations with an Amazing Experience, Gorgeous Imagery and Back it Up w Great Service! #maui #destinationwedding #wedding #mauidestinationwedding #mauihawaii #mauiwedding #mauielopement #bride, #instawedding, #weddinginspo, #oahuweddingphotographer #kauaiweddingphotographer, #mauiweddingphotographer #lanaiweddingphotographer, #bigislandweddingphotographer
Can you imagine getting Married on a Tropical beach in Hawaii? Surrounded by all the LOVE, ALL your favorite people in the most Romantic & Beautiful settings? Dreams can be your reality! Let’s adventure to the most wonderful places and make Amazing Memories! Thanks to all the fantastic coordinators, fellow creatives and all the BHTS people making these events so special and perfect! I’m talking all the stylists for hair and makeup, the florists creating magic with flowers, the videographers, the ministers whose words leave indelible lifelong memories! Not forgetting the chefs & servers making the dining experience so special along with bars and DJ’s who make the evenings rock and roll! I’m also not forgetting all the countless people who setup these events and roles in making things even more magical! I’m also so incredibly Grateful and Thankful for the countless people who have hired me and trusted me to deliver their dreams in photographs! What an honor it is to travel Hawaii creating & capturing all these wonderful moments and making memories that actually last lifetimes! This year on multiple occasions I have photographed couples whose weddings I photographed more than 15+ years ago, and they just raved about how my photos then mean SO MUCH to them NOW! Seriously that is priceless! This is what it’s all about! Hire me and I promise to Exceed your Expectations with an Amazing Experience, Gorgeous Imagery and Back it Up w Great Service! #maui #destinationwedding #oahuweddingphotographer #kauaiweddingphotographer #wedding #mauidestinationwedding #bigislandweddingphotographer #adventurewedding #mauihawaii hawaiidestinationwedding #mauiwedding
Congrats to Alex & Shane getting married at Heeia State Park in Kane’ohe Hawaii. With hundreds of friends & family surrounding them they celebrated in style! Lots of beautiful memories made, but one in particular stood out. Both grooms danced with their moms at the same time & suddenly they switched and both moms danced together. Very sweet! Then they asked their dads to come out & dance. Both dads jumped to their feet to have the chance to dance with their sons. I had never seen this before and it was touching. However, the most amazing moment was about to unfold when Shane began crying as his emotions took over dancing with his very ill father who held so closely, supporting him as only a father can! I quickly started shooting in B&W as that moment needed to be documented only as a B&W photo can persevere the moment! Truly touching yo have witnessed this! #destinationwedding #weddingphotographer #oahuwedding #oahuweddingphotographer #gaywedding #voteblue #votefordemocracy
Beautiful Sierra enjoying her wedding day. This taken in front of @merrimansmaui where her & Patrick dined as a married couple!💍🌴🌴❤️ #mauiweddingshowcase #maui #mauiwedding #mauiweddingphotographer #mauidestinationwedding #destinationwedding #destinationweddingphotographer #weddingphotography #weddingcordinator
Alyssa & Philip stealing away to get a little alone time before walking down the aisle and saying their “I Do’s!” #maui #mauiweddingphotographer #mauiwedding #wedding #destinationwedding #mauidestinationwedding #mauidestinationwedding
I present the Super Fab wedding of Alyssa & Phillip at the Westin Maui Resort in Kaanapali! With families living in Australia & the USA, planning a destination wedding in Hawaii was a no brainer! Upon meeting the bride and her family I immediately felt at ease like a was reunited with family. With the grounds of the hotel as beautiful as ever & the blue bird day, it made for the perfect wedding day. Surrounded by 80 friends & family from multiple continents it was a day of love, laughter and tequila!🍸 Thanks for having me be apart of your families journey in becoming one! Congrats!❤️💍🥂👍🏼 #mauiwedding #mauiweddingphotographer #destinationwedding #mauihawaii #mauidestinationwedding #westinmaui #weddingphotographer #wedding
Want to LAUGH so hard your stomach hurts? Photograph a PRO Comedians (@sunnydcomedy) wedding whose Minister(@cliffprang)& Master Of Ceremonies (@sterlingsjokes) are both PRO Comedians and you are in for a treat! These three had all Seventy Friends & Family absolutely ROLLING in their seats! What a HOOT! Sunee’s bride Shawn looked flawless in the most perfect dress as well as their son and Sunee in their stylish Tuxedos! Thanks to @foodforthesoulmaui for running the show & the delightful eats! @mauibarsareus took care of the cocktails, @djdanmaui took care of thumping melodies and @aloha.akoni played the strings of his guitar! All the pretty flowers were done by @ So incredibly happy for these two best friends marrying each other surrounded by so much LOVE & LAUGHTER! #mauiwedding #mauiweddingphotographer #wedding #destinationwedding #mauihawaii #mauidestinationwedding #mauiweddingvenue #weddingphotographer #adventurewedding #maui
Just Maui’d Celeste & Adam celebrating in style! Congrats to these two here in Maui with their loving families and friends at the Gorgeous Gather Restaurant in Wailea. With the perfect day dialed in w soft clouds keeping it cool & then later the crazy beautiful light piercing through the trees at sunset. The wedding party all danced into the reception with a roar from the crowd. What a hoot! Happy for these guys! Thanks for having me be a part of your big day!❤️💍🥂👍🏼 #mauiwedding #mauiweddingphotographer #destinationwedding #mauihawaii #weddingphotographer ##mauiweddingvenue #mauiweddingplanner
Oh my goodness this wedding was EVERYTHING! Surrounded by all their favorite people Krista & Mike celebrated @hotelwailea in style! With all the gorgeous details coordinated perfectly, Krista walked into her ceremony with both moms crying tears of happiness and came out a married woman! Afterwards her & her husband cocktailed with all their guests until sunset where we then wandered down to the event lawn for another stunning sunset with @mauiroadsters Porsche 356! The Hotel Wailea Ballroom had been transformed into this most amazing gala dripping with stunning flowers, crystal glasses, golden chandeliers, and a champagne tower flowing with @veuveclicquot ! Absolutely stunning! Such a lovely and elegant affair and I’m so incredibly grateful to have been apart of it! Of course it was a team effort to create this masterpiece of a Maui Wedding. Thanks to all of these wonderful vendors and all their skills & talent to make it happen! Special shoutout to Kimi of @hotelwailea for her relentless dedication to perfection and all these other talented perfectionists, @donv.lax @officiantkelii @djdanmaui @lulaleihawaii @letsentertainmaui @arielquirozart @mauiroadsters @liz_mauimakeupartistry #mauiwedding #maui #mauiweddingphotographer #destinationwedding #weddingphotographer #luxurywedding #mauiluxurywedding #hotelwailea #hotelwaileawedding @liz_mauimakeupartistry
Congrats to Heather & Scott and your dreamy wedding day. Surrounded by the love of 130+ family and friends who came in from all over the globe to celebrate with you. Was truly wonderful to be apart of it! Cheers to New Beginnings and Sunset Kisses! #maui #mauiwedding #destinationwedding #mauiweddingphotographer #mauidestinationwedding #surroundedbylove #hawaiiwedding #gorgousbride https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ZW-52vh_J/?igsh=MWx0bTc0Z3ViOHFrYQ==
Congrats to Rebecca & Jaime flying with their kids all the way from Britain to marry on the white sandy beaches of Maui. All expectations were met with the most beautiful of Beautiful Days surrounded Mauis sunshine and lots of love from their kids! #mauiweddingvenue #mauiwedding #mauielopement #mauielopementphotographer #maui #mauiwedding #mauihawaii #mauidestinationwedding #fairmontkealani
Greetings. I’m Tad Craig a professional photographer here in beautiful Hawaii since 1999! My very first camera was a Nikon FE2 that my parents gave me as high school graduation gift! I loved that camera, and shot with it regularly but didn’t take it seriously for a very long time. It wasn’t until years later until that camera came into Sharper Focus and finally changed the trajectory of my life!📷 That is when I started processing B&W in the darkroom at the @huinoeau! I started my photo career working for a Photo Kiosk at the @fairmontkealani where they would give me one roll of 36 exposures for a family shoot or wedding! I complained that just wasn’t possible and then they then gave me two rolls of 36. That’s when you learned to make every shot count! It was also at the @fairmontkealani & @grandwailea (before starting my photo career) that I learned about giving the FIVE STAR experience to every single client! This invaluable lesson learned from these two luxury hotels I have carried with me ever since! I’ve always been Nikon guy shooting with just about every film camera & then every Nikon digital camera! Their first digital cameras were not great. But Oh times have changed! Yes of course I’m still shooting Nikon & I’m absolutely LOVING the freaking amazing new Nikon ZF! This camera has that retro look of the Nikon FE2, but the sharpest on point autofocus system using the very latest in Nikon technology! In addition to the incredible innovation it uses to power it, it also has another trick up its sleeve! By simply moving a lever I go from shooting color to shooting B&W! This is MAJOR! What a joy to be able to shoot in B&W again! So here’s a little bit of my history at a pro photographer here in Maui Hawaii! Hire me and I promise to Exceed your Expectations with an Amazing Experience, Gorgeous Imagery and Back it Up w Great Service! Many, Many Thanks to all my Awesome clients and colleagues who trust me to deliver the goods! Mahalo for reading. Sincerely Tad Craig #mauiwedding #wedding #maui #mauielopementphotographer #mauidestinationwedding
Congrats to Jay & Shaun celebrating their long overdue honeymoon at the Four Seasons Maui! ❤️💍🥂👍🏼 Had a blast taking them to all the spots and Maui offering up the perfect sunset made it even better! Thanks for including me in your Hawaiian travels! #maui #mauihoneymoon #mauihoneymoonphotographer #desinationhoneymoon #fourseasonshotel #fourseasonsmaui #fourseasonsmauihawaii #honeymoon #honeymoonphotography
Married ten years & celebrating their anniversary with renewed commitment to each other in a tree house! In addition to the poignant words of @officiantkelii and their own written words, Miranda & Brian, spoke from the heart, with tears flowing and sealed the deal with a kiss! This was exactly what she had hoped for including wearing her stunning dress to make the day as perfect as could be! Congrats to these two best friends remarrying each other!❤️💍🥂👍🏼 #maui #mauiwedding #mauivowrenewal #mauitreehouselove #wedding #vowrenewalceremony #mauidestinationwedding #mauidestinationweddingplanner #hotelwaileatreehouse #hotelwailea #mauiisforlovers
D & T Celebrating a milestone birthday, ten years married and two handsome boys in Style @fsmaui. Making lasting memories with those that you love is what it is about! #mauimemories #fsmaui #fourseasonsmaui #family #familytime #familyvacation #mauifamilyvacation #dancewithyourlove #maui #mauihawaii #makethisgoviral #viralvideos
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~HAWAII BEST WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER EXTRAORDINAIRE~LUXURY WEDDINGS~ ~EPIC ELOPEMENTS~SURPRISE ENGAGEMENTS~COUPLE SHOOTS~ADVENTURE SESSIONS~SPONTANEOUS MOMENTS~ FAMILY GATHERINGS~ BIRTHDAY PARTIES & CORPORATE EVENTS~
Tad Craig Photography | 120 Baldwin Ave, #791996, HI 96779 | 808.283.0617 | Established in 1999
tad@tadcraigphotography.com | ©Tad Craig Photography LLC |2023