29th Aug 2010, 10:25pm

I looked into her eyes and I became a different person.

- Bertman

28th Aug 2010, 3:04pm

Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet.
-- Vietnamese Proverb

28th Aug 2010, 2:57pm

Family faces are magic mirrors; looking at the people who belong to us we see the past, present, and future.
-- Gail Lumet Buckley

6th Aug 2010, 12:47pm

I know Phillipa and Eric are just itching to see more so here's a wee preview (and there are a few more on Facebook)...

Phillipa and Eric opted to do the 'First Look' thang so they'd have more daylight for photos.  The second shot was Amber's...it was so cool to have Amber de Reus of Perspectives Photography co-shooting wih us!

So then we went for a wander around the grounds at Charlemagne Lodge...such a gorgeous venue!

Phillipa's bridesmaid was her daughter...

...a total poser but in a good way :-)

More of Phillipa and Eric around Charlemagne...

and to prove that my favs are not always black and white...

3rd Aug 2010, 9:17am

I was really looking forward to this wedding because Kane is my step brother and so I got to be a real guest as well as the photographer!  Kane and Lyndell have been going out for so long I can't even remember the first time I saw them together.  He is the goofy uncle figure my kids love to horse around with at family gatherings, she is the kindest, most caring soul who offers to pop in and visit your grandma in hospital, even though she's just finished a 12 hour shift.  Together they are a beautiful team.

Definitely some Beckstead influence in there with the framing of the archway...so fun to play a bit and try something a bit different (different for me anyway!)

And working those reflections...as you can see we had the most perfect day for it

Congratulations guys!  All our very best wishes for you both as you start married life!

3rd Aug 2010, 9:01am

Every winter I get wedding withdrawals, I get bored and restless and desperate to try something new.  I miss my weekly dose!  I miss hearing the blessing of the hands (gets me every time!) and I miss hearing the familiar readings.  I feel like I'm in a rut and nothing I do is good enough....this might have something to do with why my friends don't want to hang out with me in winter, I can be a bit of a joy germ!  Zack Arias sums it up so much more beautifully than I ever could in this short video 'Transform'.

But I know that part of the answer to this winter funk is to try new things and learn from different people.  So I signed up for David Beckstead's seminar in Auckland.  David Beackstead is a wedding photogrpaher best known for his dramatic composition and for doing destination weddings all over the world...probably the complete opposite from my bias towards storytelling photojournalism in the North Island!  But I was hoping for a good dollop of something different to wake up that part of my brain that was attempting to hibernate through the winter.  After all, if you keep doing what you've always done you'll keep getting what you've always got.

I wasn't disappointed, I came away with a clearer, enhanced vision of what I'm looking for at a wedding.  And how to incorporate design elements more effectively to create powerful compositions.

And then I got to put it all into practice at a wedding (absolutely perfect timing!)...pics on the next blog post :-)

25th Jul 2010, 7:20am

When Phillipa met Eric the very first thing she asked was whether he was into partner dancing and if he wasn't, would he be willing to give it a whirl?  Eric had to google partner dancing because he had no idea what it was.  But he decided that yes indeed, he was definitely willing to give it a whirl.  And so he did :-)

And clearly that was the answer Phillipa was looking for.

How gorgeous was the day yesterday?  Rach caught the beautiful afternoon light...

We were stoked to have the fabulous Amber de Reus (from Perspectives Photography) shooting with us yesterday too.  So you know there will be loads more gorgeous pictures to come!  I'm off to Christchurch this afternoon and will be back late Tuesday to edit more pics for your viewing pleasure :-)

23rd Jul 2010, 11:17am

I was dreading it actually...a couple whose wedding I shot back in 2007 recently made contact with me and said they had finally got organised and wanted to do an album.  I was really nervous to open those files because I didn't know if I would still be proud of the work I'd done.  Back in 2007 my best camera was the Nikon D200, it is now my backup and I know how much it struggles in low light.  And the wedding was in a dark church of course.  And my style has evolved and... anyway I was nervous.

But it's a little bit like looking back in time.  And while I can see technical faults and I can see the limitations of the gear and all that...it's really quite something to look through those images and remember the day.  It's almost as though distilling it all for 2.5 years makes the story clearer (although please don't everyone start waiting 2.5 years to organise your album!).

Which is all very reassuring for me because I often talk about timelessness and creating images and albums that stand up to the test of time.  Interestingly the images I most wanted to go back to the raw files and edit again from scratch were the ones where I had applied some funky processing that I've since gone off.  Note to self: simplicity really is king.

For the record, when they really do invent time travel I'm going straight to Simon and Garfunkel's 1981 Concert in Central Park.  In the meantime photos are are our best substitute, the only way we have to look back in time.  And I think that's pretty cool (maybe not as cool as Simon and Garfunkel in 1981 but pretty damn cool anyway!).

And also for the record...I am still proud of that wedding (and relieved to find that's the case) and I can't wait to show them their album :-)

16th Jul 2010, 9:06pm

It was lovely to catch up with two more of my wedding couples this week...

Megan and Stephen's wee girl Kaitlin is now 1 and I caught up with them at Karyn Flett's studio in Te Awamutu.  Kaitlin is just adorable and so full of personality!

And then today I got to hang out with Becky and Al's little man, Mackenzie, who is only 3 months old but also super smiley and just the cruisiest little guy...

And even though I love babies in black and white this sofa (at Browsers bookshop) just needs to be in colour I think.

Oh my goodness...two colour images in one blog post? 

Ah, that's more like it :-)  And holy cow, how gorgeous is that grin?!

5th Jul 2010, 11:10am

Emma wanted to turn back, Matt made her keep going.  Emma thought the view from halfway up the mountain was fine but Matt convinced her she needed to go right to the top. Because in his pocket he had a big surprise...a ring that he had been checking on obsessively all the way up the mountain.  So Emma made it to the top and Matt got to bust out the ring and of course she said yes...

I met up with Emma and Matt last Thursday and we spent some time hanging out at Hamilton Lake.  They came this morning and chose their favs and said I could share :-)  Yay for sharing!

Matt is into sailing so we needed some 'water shots'...the mini sailing boats being there too was a happy coincidence :-)

And this one was Matt's favourite...I love the shape made by the tree and its reflection.

All the best guys, thanks for sharing your pics and story.  And for reminding me that it really is better to go right to the top of the mountain, because you never know what's waiting for you there!