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 :-)