Hi, i’m Onawa
Born with eyes wide open in the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York, I made my way to NYC to study photography at Parsons School of Design. I quickly became restless and found myself desiring a move to the mountains of Southwest Colorado, where I took up mountain bike racing and backcountry skiing— Gemini transitions. Fast forward 15 years and birthing my first and only child Henry, I have returned to my artistry of storytelling through images. A natural light and on location photographer, I am available for hire in the Bay Area and abroad. I am thrilled at the prospect of working with you.
What People Are Saying
“Onawa had the ability to interpret our vision in a way that was non intrusive and absolutely natural. After seeing the photographs she delivered, each one took me back to the moment- they’re incredible. Thank you so much for capturing the strong natural emotions of the day. Onawa has such a gift and we are so thankful she shared it with us.”
— Suna keller, client.
“Onawa was a fabulous photographer to work with. She was energetic, engaging, and a lot of fun. She has an artistic eye, and will make your experience memorable. We adore our family photos and can’t wait to work with her again.”
— Danielle mcfaden, client
“I highly recommend working with Onawa! She has a fun and lighthearted approach- that makes someone uncomfortable (like myself) more at ease!”
— Sam kabert, client
“I own a local real estate company and we have had the pleasure of working with Onawa Charbonneau Photography on several shoots. I actually paused when I began to write this review. Not due to the lack of great things to say but pondering how to just focus on Onawa’s beautiful photography when she’s also a great mom, mountain biker, surfer and asset to our local community. She has bandwidth as I like to say…Onawa’s ability to pull out the story while making her clients feel wonderful is a great talent. I’m smiling as I think about how good a time we had during our shoots. Thank you for making us all feel great & look great. You are awesome!