tropical moms | sunny & zeb - Cadencia Photography

name: Sunny Savage

kids, age: Zeb Savage, 9 months Saelyn Savage, 11 years

maui family photographer
where do you live on Maui: Haiku

occupation: Wild Food Instructor, Medicinal Clothing maker, and Film Producer

maui momma tropical moms maui family portraits
what are you passionate about?: I feel so blessed to have been gifted a passion in life. I was 19 when I got really fired up about wild foods, and now I wonder if it’s me who finds the plants or if it’s them that find me. In addition to learning about, harvesting, and preparing wild foods, I’m also passionate about reshaping our relationship to how we dress ourselves. I’ve had a clothing company, which uses wild and sustainable fibers, for the last 8 years. I really enjoy harvesting plants to make natural dyes and distilling them into essential oils and hydrosols. And finally, gazing at the stars has been a passion since coming out of the womb.

what is the best part about being a momma?: The unconditional love that our children share with us comes from such a pure place. The joie de vivre I see in my 9 month olds eyes connects me with the great mystery. My 11 year old will just look at me and say, “Mom, have I told you that I love you yet today?” These experiences fill me up with such feelings of love and of not being alone in the world…aaah, I love being a momma!

what’s your favorite thing to do as a family?: The cuddle puddle…with a great movie! There are crazy tickle sessions and wonderful meals prepared together, but really when we are all curled up and get transported to some new place or new idea via a great film…that’s my favorite. I also love going on a great adventure together. We often times retell stories about our grandest adventure yet, which was living on a sailboat for 3 years. Like all good sailors we tell tall tales with animated voices and body movements trying to wildly reenact those cherished sailing experiences, which gives a depth to our family bond that exceeds the Mariana Trench.

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what’s your favorite thing to do as a family?: My extended family has been living on Maui for nearly 40 years, but I had never visited until a job brought me here. I immediately fell in love with my innkeeper, and the magic of the islands. We like to joke that I checked in and never checked out. My son Saelyn was 5 at the time, and I knew that growing up blanketed in the aloha spirit, with fresh air and water and food, was the best life I could facilitate for him. My son Zeb is kama’aina and a true love baby of the islands.