Auckland Photographer; The PWC Love Boat

On Saturday night I climbed aboard the PWC Love Boat and cruised away into the sunset with a bunch of very good looking people.
The ship set sail at the brand new, and very fancy, Viaduct Events Centre down at Wynard Quarter. After plenty of champagne, a 3 course meal (well for me it was 3 pieces of pizza but it was damn good) and a few wise words from the captain it was time for the entertainment to begin.
I was so impressed with the Event Centre and the team from Orange Productions, who did an amazing job at bringing the love boat to life, that I thought I would share a few of my favorite shots with you so you could see how impressive it all looked!.
Love x

Auckland Photographer; Something new

Oh I am excited!!! I got my new 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 lens today...it is delicious! I took a couple of little snaps on my doorstep and thought I would share them with you all just so you can see how amazing this new lens is.
I now have a new best friend.
Off to shoot the PWC Mid Winter Christmas party tonight so I will share more with you tomorrow
Love x

Auckland Photographer; Summer loving

You may remember a few months back I did a maternity shoot for Carolyn and Ryan?. Well on July 8th they welcomed gorgeous Summer Lily Koppens into the world and last weekend I popped round for a cuddle, ok a cuddle and to stick my camera in her face.
Carolyn is a very special friend of mine and we know each other pretty well. We are similar in a lot of ways and I didn't feel the same apprehension for this shoot that I do for most others, especially babies, I felt worse! Ha
C, like me, is very particular. She knows what she wants, she does things her way and she does them bloody well. She is an impressive wee thing and I have always had an admiration for her determination and passion. Our portrait session was the first time I had seen C since Summer was born. I walked in to an immaculate home, a calm and collected aura and a glowing C who looked like she was born to be Summers mum.
Summer was an absolute dream, besides pooing on the pink organza but that's what babies do. I am so happy with the photographs we got, I hope you enjoy them too!
Love x

Auckland Photographer; Charlie-Jane's first photoshoot

There's always a little apprehension before a baby shoot, will baby be awake, will they be content, let me move them around, what's mum like, what's dad like, what's the space like..it's hard to visualize a shoot when things are so unpredictable.
9 times out of 10 I have the exact shots played out in my mind and 10 times out of 10 I never take one of those shots.
I think it's this unpredictability that makes me apprehensive, I'm a planner, I think I've told you all this before, so when I go into a shoot not knowing what's going to come out of it it's fair to say it makes me feel a little sick.
First babies are always even more nerve wracking, mainly because most of the time I have handled babies more than mum and dad have. Moving a wee baby around for a photo shoot is very different to calling in for coffee and having a cuddle with a new born. To get the kinds of shots everyone oohhs and aahhhs about you often need to get these tiny things into slightly uncomfortable positions. Imagine how you would feel being made to lie on your tummy when you can't hold your own head up?
So a couple if weeks ago when I offered to take photos of a friends new baby I wasn't exactly thinking about the lack of sleep I always have before a shoot, the ache in the pit of my stomach or the nausea that ensues as I pull in the driveway. I was thinking about how gorgeous this little girl would be and that I knew I needed to have her in my portfolio! Selfish I know haha
I needn't have worried, as soon as I was greeted at the door all the apprehension waned, the nausea turned to nostalgia and I couldn't wait to meet Charlie-Jane. Her mum and dad are the most laid back, accommodating people I have met. They were more worried about getting the right shots for me and making sure I was happy which as you will see from my favorites below made for a somewhat romantic photo shoot that oozed love, appreciation, adoration and complete contentment.
I am so grateful to people like Phil, Jane and Charlie-Jane, without them there would be no time to stop and take it all in, for there would be nothing to stop for or everything would fly by so fast and we would simply miss the joy in living.
Love x

Auckland Photographer; One night at Mollies

One night at Mollies
Where do I begin, champagne? All good nights begin with champagne, right? Well especially this one, it was a very special occasion and I was lucky enough to be a part of it.
On the day of their 20 year anniversary this gorgeous couple sealed their commitment with an intimate civil union ceremony and a gorgeous dinner at Auckland's boutique hotel Mollies.
I walked in to an intimately lit foyer with a stunning Victorian chaise and equally stunning Georgian painting and rounded the corner into the lounge bar where I was greeted with a very charming, wildly happy couple and a glass of Veuve Clicquot. This is my kind of photo shoot!
Gary and Peter were treated to a portrait session by their dear friends, crazy English couple Emma and Peter, and Mollies was the destination.
I haven't shot at Mollies before so I was so excited. Ok, excited is really code for extremely bloody nervous! It was an evening shoot and I knew how beautiful Mollies was outside and kept visualizing all these amazing shots I could get but given it is July, miserable and dark I was challenged with how to do an entire portrait session in one room and a lobby.
I needn't have worried, Gary and Peter filled each space with a contagious laugh and outwardly open love for each other that I didn't really need to work the space to hard.
I laughed, I wanted to cry at how happy they were and I hope I have given them the joy in their photos that they gave me for an hour at Mollies.
I want to go back there and explore, it's beautiful. No actually I want to go back there and live, do you think they would notice?
Love x

Auckland Photographer; Maternity yummyness

It's fair to say Maternity shoots aren't necessarily my thing, or my strong suit but when a gorgeous girl like Rahana asks you to capture such a special time in her life, its hard to say no and not get a little excited about it.
Rahana is such a gorgeous girl and pregnancy suits her to a tee, not that she agrees, so I knew we would undoubtedly get some amazing photographs.
Her equally handsome partner played along and the outcome was a sweet mix of traditional maternal beauty and edgy anticipation.
Love x