randy jay braun | Jessica Veltri Photography

While traveling in Italy over the summer my friend Randy Jay Braun and I ran into this couple trying to take photos of themselves using an extended arm and a point and shoot camera! Well Randy just couldn’t let that happen, so we walked over to the couple and asked if they needed some help. It turned out their photographer was just around the corner seeking a better angle, so they weren’t completely on their own. When he came back he was ok with Randy and I taking a few shots of our own. The couple was from Hong Kong and flew all the way to Burano, Italy, just to take some wedding photographs before the wedding. Randy made sure our best ones were emailed to them. Great models in a beautiful setting!

It’s been months now since I was first asked to submit some photographs to Douglas Peebles for a photography project he was working on. His project was an updated version of the book, “Maui on my Mind”, and he was seeking photography of all types to make this a well-rounded and beautiful book. I submitted about thirty photos and found out that about four of my images made the first cut. After several emails back and forth I was later told that all of my images were edited out and did not make the cut. At that point I was wishing that I had submitted more and was definitely disappointed, but was most of all grateful for even being afforded the opportunity in the first place and sent an email to Doug to thank him for that.

The next day I got another email from Doug saying that they were adding two pages back into the book and would be using my image of Wailua Falls from the Road to Hana. Needless to say, I was ecstatic, and could not wait to see the final product. I received my copy of the book just a few days ago and it is gorgeous! I am happy to share a few images of it here and I am so honored to be a part of this beautiful project. A special congratulations and thank you goes to my good friend and mentor, Randy Jay Braun, whose image is proudly displayed on the cover.

Absolute Maui can be found at Costco on Maui and here on Amazon.