The DLNR has sent cease & desist letters to two Hawaiʻi wedding photography companies for not obtaining proper permits prior to shooting in off-limit locations. Bradyhouse Photographers and The Foxes Photography could face criminal or civil citations, which can carry fines of thousands of dollars and potential jail time.

DLNR officials discovered photographs taken at locales including Kalepa Ridge, Wailua Falls and drone shots in Waimea Canyon and Kōkeʻe State Parks, as well as from Hanakāpīʻai Beach and Honopū in the Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park on both Bradyhouse Photographers and The Foxes Photography websites and social media platforms.

In a press release, DLNR Division of State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell said, “Many of these places are both naturally and culturally sensitive and we would not be issuing permits for commercial drone operations or wedding photos in these sensitive locations.”  Cottrell also stated, ““If you are ignoring the rules for a commercial advantage, the evidence is on your websites, and the law will catch up with you. For couples wanting to get married on Kaua‘i we encourage you to simply ask if your wedding photographer is a member of the professional association.  They may not be able to get you to the exact spot of the likely unauthorized photo you saw, but they do know exactly where it is legal and appropriate and where it is not, due to culturally or naturally sensitive resources that are out of bounds…But hey its Kaua‘i, so pretty tough not to get amazing photographs no matter where.”

Film permitting is handled by jurisdiction, whether state or county, and requires approval by the government agency with jurisdiction over the location.  The issue of illegal activities on State lands is not isolated to Kaua‘i. On Maui, the film office reports getting multiple complaints of un-permitted commercial photography, not only in state parks but also on lands under other departments or division’s jurisdictions.