HAWAII · A FAMILY VACATION ON THE BIG ISLAND

Thanksgiving in Hawaii.
Time for one another.

Pool days, seahorses, and a last day on the water. A family tradition, photographed as it unfolded.

Photographs and story by Robert Evans

Sunlit palm trees along the Big Island shoreline, on the left page of the Hawaii book — Palms along the Big Island shoreline, across two pages of the original book.

The facing page continues the palm grove beneath green hills — Palms along the Big Island shoreline, across two pages of the original book.

I joined this family in November for Thanksgiving on Hawaii’s Big Island. They alternate the holiday between the two sides of their family, and Hawaii is part of that tradition.

We stayed at the Four Seasons in the Kona area. Most days were spent around the hotel, with the children playing in the pool and the family enjoying their time together. I was there alongside them, photographing what they were doing.

Small discoveries, shared together.

There was a little lagoon full of fish that we would go and explore. One evening, we went to a luau. On another day, we visited a seahorse farm on the island, where everyone had the chance to hold a seahorse. It was a memorable experience to photograph.

Those discoveries give a family’s book its own character. Alongside the photographs of everyone together, I include the things they stopped to look at—the details that help them remember being there.

A seahorse in blue water, photographed during the family’s visit to a seahorse farm — A visit to the seahorse farm, preserved in the family’s book.

Another view of a seahorse arranged on the facing book page — A visit to the seahorse farm, preserved in the family’s book.

A final day out on the water.

On the last day, we took a boat to a beautiful little cove and went snorkeling. I photographed everyone on the boat, in the water, and enjoying themselves between swims.

That is the part of the trip I remember most: being out on the boat, getting into the water, and watching the family swim and have a good time together.

As their family vacation photographer, I could follow the experience from the boat into the water. The family could enjoy the day while I made photographs they could return to afterward.

The green coastline and turquoise water photographed from offshore — The coastline becomes part of the story, too.

The facing page continues the coastal view with boats near shore — The coastline becomes part of the story, too.

A tradition, made into a book.

Back home, I brought the photographs together in a book I personally designed. The family moments sit alongside the ocean, the seahorses, and the places they spent time. Together, they tell the story of this particular Thanksgiving.

The selected pages shared here show the surroundings and details. The family photographs remain private, but these pages offer a glimpse of how I build a book around the experience of a trip.

Every travel commission includes a museum-quality book. Whether I join a family for a holiday tradition or a vacation they have planned just once, I want them to have something they can pick up and enjoy long after they come home.

THE ORIGINAL BOOK DESIGN

The days together.
The book you keep.

Explore the selected Hawaii book pages to see how the island’s surroundings become part of a family’s memories.

Explore the Hawaii book

A boat in Kona, on the left page of the Hawaii book

Palms beside the blue ocean on the facing book page

These photographs and book pages are shared with the client’s permission. The pages shown in this story preserve the original book design and omit family photographs for privacy. In the full selection of book pages, one figure has been digitally replaced for privacy. Your photographs remain private unless you expressly authorize their use.

YOUR OWN TIME TOGETHER

Where will your
family’s story take you?

I travel with families for an extended weekend, a longer vacation, or part of a journey. Each travel commission includes a book I personally design.

Family travel with Robert Begin a private conversation

Thanksgiving in Hawaii.Time for one another.