Some of the images are so delicate you might find yourself holding your breath — tiny dew drops balanced on the reddest hibiscus that ever bloomed; a tumble of gold and green keys from the hala tree; the lush pointed leaves of the kukui tree twisted and woven into a lei.

Minako and Rusty Kent know the story behind every shot. "This is Bernard," Rusty says, pointing to the hibiscus petal jeweled with shining drops of water. "Bernard is 7."

For the past two years, Rusty, a teacher at Chaminade, and Minako, a professional photographer, have taught 10 kids living in Ma'ili Land transitional housing the basics of photography. The youngest in their program, Kids' Pics, is 7, the oldest is 13.

"This girl," Rusty says, talking about the student who shot the hala, "she can run with any kid on the island, any kid in private school. She's so smart."

All the photos taken by the children are of flowers or lei. In Hawaiian culture, the lei is a metaphor for a favorite, beloved child. The Kents see their little photographers as favored children who need the most help from the community. That's why they drive out to Ma'ili from town, pick up the kids and take them to museums, art galleries, exhibits and gardens — places where beauty abounds.

So far, the major funding for their efforts has come from their wedding.

When Minako Ishii and Rusty Kent got married last summer, instead of a gift registry, they asked their guests to donate to their project. That fund is the base, used to buy supplies and to start a scholarship. The money for field trips and snacks still comes out of their pockets.

Sony, where Minako used to work, donated nine Cybershot point-and-shoot cameras. Some local businesses, including Pictures Plus, donated frames. Chaminade students in Rusty's class volunteered their time to teach photography.

The pictures are enchanting.

"The children, they're fearless," Minako says. "When kids get older, they really try to take a good picture, but the logical mind and the trying gets in the way of intuition."

The photos are being sold, with the proceeds going into a scholarship fund. The goal is to raise $10,000 so a college scholarship, called the Lei Fund, can be established for kids in transitional housing.

Just last week, one customer asked to buy $1,000 worth of the photos. That puts the total at $8,500.

Still, the money sometimes comes in a dollar at a time.

Individual notecards sell for $3.50, which translates to a dollar profit for the Lei Fund. Larger prints sell for $8 and dramatic gallery-wrap canvas prints run from $50 to $150.

None of the photos is "cleaned up" or digitally enhanced. What you see is what the child saw when he or she took the picture, all that unguarded, fearless, limitless beauty.

The notecards, framed prints and canvas prints can be ordered online. To see the collection, go to www.leifund.org.