You don’t always need a plan.
Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.

Mandy Hale

Photo Retreats Hawaii brings internationally known photographers to the beautiful Hawaiian Islands to focus on inspiring your vision, building your craft and understanding your business. The goal is for everyone, professional, amateur or hobby enthusiast, to build community and relationships with like-minded peers to help support and grow our industry. The schedule and environment allow for ample opportunity for hands-on learning, mentoring, one-on-one and group interactions and networking.

ENERGIZE YOUR CREATIVITY.
ENHANCE YOUR TECHNIQUE.
STIMULATE YOUR BUSINESS.

 

Integrate body, mind, heart and soul with your art.

Life happens and it happens fast. Our lives are complicated and filled with challenges, choices and the constant need to have it yesterday. Who wouldn’t appreciate a day to rest, regroup, reassess and refocus? A retreat is the perfect opportunity to pull away from the fast paced rat race we call life. The greatest benefit a retreat offers is perspective. Perspective gives us a fresh look and the ability to see things objectively. Could you use some time to ponder, to listen, to learn and to find a deeper, truer self?

What is included in the price?

Lodging at the Windward Retreat Center.

The center is located in Kaʻaʻawa, Hawaiʻi, a small beach community nestled between spectacular mountains and beautiful white sand beaches.

3 delicious meals daily.

Meals will feature local recipes inspired by in-season fruits and vegetables. (dietary needs accommodated)

Daily photography and business activities.

Activities are provided to help spark your creativity, drive your focus and extend your skills all while experiencing the beauty that is Hawaii. Each retreat will outline their focus and literary.

On-island travel to and from retreat activities.

Travel will be provided for designated retreat activities only. Transportation to and from the airport (HNL) and the retreat center is provided during the scheduled times on the retreat's arrival and departure days.

  • Departs the airport (HNL) around 3pm on the arrival day for the retreat center.
  • Departs the retreat center around 11am for the airport (HNL) on the departure day.

Explore the area in your free time.

There are three acres of tropical rainforest bordering the facility for you to explore including hiking and beach access.

What is not included?

AIRFARE TO AND FROM HAWAII.

The cost of your travel to and from Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL) is not included in the retreat fees.

Please contact us prior booking your travel to ensure you'll arrive during our designated window to be included in the on island travel to and from the retreat center.

If you're arriving before or staying after the retreat, you're responsible for travel to and from our designated pick-up and drop-off location (HNL).

OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS AND OTHER INDULGENCES.

Participants will have the option to activities outside of retreat specific photography and business exercises. Additional costs may incur should you choose to participate. (ex: Lu'au, Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, Surfing or SUP Lessons, etc.)

Transportation for sightseeing and travel to activities outside of the designated retreat schedule will be at your expense. Transportation to and from the retreat center should you not arrive or depart during our set times.

Additional food, snacks, alcohol or items of a personal nature and souvenirs purchased while out and about. (ex: shave ice, shrimp truck, malasadas, gifts, etc.)

Travel insurance and gratuities at your discretion. It is highly recommended you purchase insurance to cover your camera and gear while on retreat. We will not be held responsible for any damages.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Explain the deposit to me.

What is the cancellation and refund policy?

What should I expect the process to be like?

Can I bring my partner or studio manager with me?

Where is the retreat based?

What is the closest airport?

What is the weather like in Hawaii?

What should I bring?

Upcoming Retreats

Retreats are for everybody.

Retreats are for ordinary people at any time in their lives, giving them the chance to step aside from life for a while, to rest and become refreshed in a nurturing and peaceful environment.
Socrates says the secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.

DO IT NOW. Sometimes LATER becomes NEVER.

I attended my first retreat over 8 years ago, on a whim as my life changed suddenly I found myself free from obligations and with an offer I couldn’t refuse. I had a passport so I booked my ticket to Costa Rica at midnight two weeks prior to the retreat start date knowing only the retreat host and barely at that. I didn’t even know where Costa Rica was on a map.

I landed in Costa Rica a day early. I was alone and I didn’t speak a word of Spanish! It was scary at first, but also empowering as I navigated a place to stay, food and the time difference my iPhone didn’t register.

By the time we arrived at our Retreat Center…an eco-lodge… I had survived the night, gotten myself to the group’s meeting location and taken a sketchy 45-minute flight on a 12 passenger hopper where you had to be weighed carrying your luggage to make sure the plane wasn’t too heavy. The plane took off and landed three times at these secluded, small “towns” before finally arriving at our location. I gathered my backpack from the side of the “landing strip” and jumped into the back of a truck with a bench seat for a 45-minute, bumpy car ride on an unpaved road through the jungle of Costa Rica’s rain forest.

let the fun begin!

My home for the next 10 days was a hut made out of bamboo with no walls or a real door for that matter. The bathroom was in a separate building off to the side and you couldn’t flush the toilet paper! There was a bug net to sleep under or risk being eaten alive and don’t even think about leaving food out or eating in your hut unless you like ants and other critters in your bed. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing here, but here I was and here I would be for the next 10 days!

There was no electricity in our rooms, but solar panels lit up the kitchen/dining room/main hang out area. We used candles and headlamps to get between there and our rooms. All meals were served family style at a specific time and we ate together on a long wooden table with bench seats. The sun rose at 6 am and set at 6 pm. The yoga deck was outside with no cover or protection from the elements but a beautiful view of the beach.

Let’s Connect

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Retreat Details

Explain the deposit to me.

What is the cancellation and refund policy?

What should I expect the process to be like?

Can I bring my partner or studio manager with me?

Where is the retreat based?

What is the closest airport?

What is the weather like in Hawaii?

What should I bring?