about

Welcome to the new HIYA PAPAYA blog.

We are long-time friends Cristi B. and Jessi Safsten. You’ll notice from our self-portraits that we love to laugh… at ourselves, at life. We enjoy the little things.

We both have ties to the “papaya” world– Jessi grew up on the beautiful island of Oahu and Cristi once lived there as a missionary. We are islanders at heart.

Our hiya papaya name describes our style perfectly–FUN, quirky, fresh, gutsy, original. We tend to shoot loosely, giving little direction so we can capture the more natural state. We’re not really into the rule-following thing. We are two unique individuals and we show that originality in our work.

We like to push our limits, try new things, experiment with different styles. We aim to make each photo session completely original. That way, no two events are alike. Because, really, no two people are exactly alike! This constant challenge of ‘changing things up’ is one reason we love what we do!

THANK YOU for checking out our blog! Leave us a comment and let us know what you think, or send us an email.

We are HIYA PAPAYA!