A Surprise New Year's Eve Proposal at Muriwai Beach (Auckland engagement-wedding photographer): Oliver and Taylor

Muriwai Beach is one of the most spectacular locations in Auckland for engagement and proposal photography. With its dramatic black-sand coastline, rugged cliffs, impressive rock formations, and famous gannet colony, it offers some of the most breathtaking scenery on New Zealand's West Coast.

When Oliver contacted me about planning a surprise proposal for Taylor during their trip to New Zealand from Oregon, USA, I knew Muriwai would provide the perfect backdrop for such a special moment.

The plan was simple: stay hidden and avoid attracting attention until the big moment arrived. As their photographer, I spent some time blending into the surroundings, pretending to photograph the local birds and landscapes—which, to be fair, are absolutely worth photographing on their own!

As Oliver and Taylor arrived and began exploring the beach together, everything unfolded perfectly. They wandered along the coastline, taking in the incredible views, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Then came the moment.

Oliver dropped to one knee and asked the question he had travelled across the world to ask.

Thankfully for all involved, the answer was a very enthusiastic "Yes!"

After the excitement settled, we spent some time walking around the beach, chatting, laughing, and capturing the joy of their newly engaged adventure. It was such a pleasure getting to know them and hearing more about their travels around New Zealand.

Originally, we had planned to photograph the proposal at sunset, but Mother Nature had other ideas. With thunderstorms forecast for the evening, we quickly adjusted our plans and moved the session to the morning instead. While the light was stronger than we would normally have at sunset, the stunning scenery, genuine emotions, and excitement of the occasion more than made up for it.

At the end of the day, photographs are about much more than perfect conditions. They are about preserving real moments, genuine reactions, and memories that will be treasured for years to come. And this proposal was full of all three.

Congratulations to Oliver and Taylor on their engagement! Thank you for allowing me to capture such an unforgettable moment in your journey together.

Enjoy some highlights from this beautiful surprise proposal at Muriwai Beach. Contact me with any questions!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year | 2025 Highlights (Auckland family-wedding-couples photographer)

As another year comes to a close, it's time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe how quickly this year has flown by. Looking back through my galleries, I'm reminded of just how many incredible people I've had the privilege of photographing. From family sessions, maternity and newborn photography to graduations, couples, surprise proposals, elopements, and weddings, this year has been filled with beautiful stories and unforgettable moments.

One family even booked three sessions with me this year—a personal record! It is always such an honour when families continue to trust me to document different chapters of their lives.

What I love most about photography is the opportunity to meet amazing people and preserve memories that will be treasured for years to come. Every session is unique, and every family, couple, and celebration brings its own story.

This year also brought incredible variety beyond weddings and family photography. I was fortunate to continue working as an official photographer for New Zealand Ice Figure Skating, covering major competitions throughout the season, including the North Island Championships and New Zealand Nationals. Watching athletes from across the country come together to share their passion for the sport is always inspiring, and photographing those moments remains one of my favourite challenges.

Many of you know that figure skating is not only something I photograph- it's also one of my personal passions. As an adult skater, I was incredibly grateful to enjoy one of my most successful competitive seasons to date. Highlights included placing second at the ISU Adult Competition in Oberstdorf, Germany, first at WinterSun in Brisbane, third at the Hollins Trophy in Sydney, and fourth at the Crystal Challenge in Melbourne.

These experiences created memories I will cherish forever and allowed me to spend time with wonderful friends from around the world who share the same love for the sport.

It has also been a big year for my own family. My son earned a place in the Auckland United development football programme, while my daughter worked tirelessly on her skating, mastering all of her double jumps and earning a silver medal at the New Zealand National Championships in the Basic Novice Under-12 division. Watching their hard work and dedication pay off has been incredibly rewarding.

As always, balancing work, sport, travel, and family life remains a challenge, and I know there are times when I wish I could spend even more time with those closest to me. But I am deeply grateful for every moment shared with my family, friends, and the wonderful clients who invite me into some of the most important days of their lives.

Another highlight of the year was continuing to teach my online photography workshop, Love, Light & Laughter, through Click Photo School. Since launching the course in 2018, it has been a privilege to help photographers develop not only their technical skills but also discover their own voice, purpose, and passion behind the camera.

As I reflect on the year, I feel incredibly thankful for every couple, family, athlete, student, and friend who has been part of this journey. Your trust, support, and friendship mean more than words can express.

Below is a collection of some favourite moments from the past season - a mix of weddings, couples, families, and events. Messy, real, emotional, and full of life - just the way I like it.

Thank you for following along and supporting my work.

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas, a safe holiday season, and a New Year filled with happiness, adventure, and beautiful memories.

I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Contact me with any questions!

A Surprise Proposal at Sanders Reserve (Auckland pre-wedding photographer)

Surprise proposals are always incredibly special to photograph, and Ishan’s thoughtful plan at Sanders Reserve in North Auckland was no exception.

Ishan got in touch with me ahead of time to help document his proposal and make sure everything unfolded smoothly. Together, we planned the details carefully so the moment could be captured naturally without raising any suspicion.

With the help of family and friends, a beautiful setup was created at a quiet spot on the edge of Sanders Reserve. A white carpet, framed couple photos, flowers, and a camera set up on a tripod for video all came together to create a stunning and intimate proposal scene.

My role was to blend into the surroundings and pose as a random passerby, quietly photographing the natural beauty of the reserve while waiting for the moment to unfold.

Everything went exactly as planned.

The bride-to-be had no idea what was coming. As they arrived at the location, the moment quickly became emotional and unforgettable. Ishan got down on one knee, and in an instant, joy and surprise filled the air. Moments later, their friends and family joined in to celebrate, many of them moved to tears.

It was one of those beautiful moments where everything feels real, emotional, and completely unforgettable.

After the excitement settled, we continued with a relaxed engagement session around Sanders Reserve. The location offered so many beautiful backdrops - lush greenery, open views, and soft natural light - perfect for capturing their first moments as an engaged couple.

It was such a joy to be part of this surprise and to document such an important chapter in their story.

Enjoy highlights from this beautiful surprise proposal at Sanders Reserve.

A Surprise Proposal in Pollok | Richard & Vivian (Auckland pre-wedding photographer)

Such an exciting proposal unfolded in Pollok, South Auckland, where Richard planned a beautifully thoughtful surprise for Vivian.

Richard got in touch many months in advance to carefully organise the moment, ensuring everything would be perfect. As part of their getaway, he arranged a stay at a nearby Airbnb overlooking rolling hills and peaceful water views - an ideal setting for such a meaningful occasion.

On the day, everything came together beautifully. In front of a stunning flower wall, Richard got down on one knee and asked Vivian to marry him. It was a heartfelt and emotional moment filled with joy, surprise, and happy tears.

After Vivian said “yes,” the celebration continued with a champagne toast, making the moment even more special as reality slowly sank in.

Following the proposal, we took a short walk down to the waterfront for a relaxed and intimate couple session. The surrounding landscape provided a beautiful backdrop, with soft light, open space, and a calm atmosphere that perfectly reflected their excitement and connection.

It was such a joy to witness and capture these genuine emotions - simple, honest, and full of meaning.

Enjoy highlights from this beautiful surprise proposal in Pollok, South Auckland.

One location - variety of photos {Auckland engagement-wedding photographer - photography education}

Sometimes just one location with one source of light can take your breath away and make it magical with great variety of photos. It happens to me pretty much at every Auckland engagement photo shoot or wedding, where I’m searching for light, inspiration and creativity, and aim for a great variety of photos, which important for most photographers.

Light is a big moving part of every creative process. For me, personally, location take play as well. It’s important to consider colour, texture, space and available light at every location.

Next comes compositional choices with leading lines, symmetry, reflection, negative space and plenty of other techniques, including choosing a focal point and shooting range (far away, middle range or close up to get more intimate feel). Choice of lens is important as well, that’s why I often using two camera bodies with two lens or have a 24-70 mm zoom lens on me to get more variety of photos.

By the way, my online photography workshop “Love, Light and Laughter” coming soon on 9 June 2025 at Click Photo School, not long to go now! Perfect education for photographers to discover your voice and best way to express it!

Enjoy highlights on our recent proposal session with Zoe & Marshall in Winter Gardens, Auckland Domain, where we explored a few little spots around the pavilions, and one particular spot became my favourite.

It offered a great light, solid backdrop, opportunity to capture different range of shots, including anonymous portraits and negative space, and intimate couples photos as well.

Proposal in Winter Gardens: Marshall and Zoe (Auckland wedding photographers)

The groom planned a perfect proposal in Winter Gardens: Marshall knew Zoe’s parents get married in Winter gardens (Auckland) and this location is very special to her, that’s why he decided to ask her hand at this epic location, very popular with many couples and wedding-engagement photographers.

Even rain can’t stand on the way of this proposal! We decided to meet in one of the pavilions and Marshall asked his friends to come over to help with his plan.

I arrived to location early, looking for happy couple, secretly pretending to be interested by shooting flowers (I did enjoy colourful lines of beautiful creations, but been as a man on the mission, acting as a spy and hoping to not miss the most important moment to capture. Luckily, Marshall sent me their selfie beforehand, so at least I knew how couple looks like.

Then moment has come. They both walked in the Winter Gardens, Marshall fall on one knee in one of the flower rows, Zoe looked very surprised and happy. She said YES and everybody around been clapping, applauding to happy couple (and there was lots of people as everyone tried to hide from the rain under cover).

Couple took hugs and congratulations from their friends and we continued to take some photos around Winter Gardens (luckily weather settle down by then, even though we found plenty of spots providing some cover).

Enjoy this quick proposal sneak peek! I can not wait to move through couple’s final gallery. Contact me with any question!

Proposal on the beach (Auckland wedding photographers

Exciting times with proposal on Brick Bay Beach (Sandspit, Auckland)! Alexanrde decided to propose to Casey on their romantic weekend in Matakana. Couple made their way from Hamilton, to spend weekend away, have a beautiful dinner at Brick Bay Winery and have a relaxed walk on the beach, where all action happened!

Surprised proposals are my favourites, pleasure to photograph for all wedding and couples photographers!

It required some spy work - I been hanging on the beach pretending to be interested in photographing swans in the ocean! Suddenly couple appeared and Alexandre dropped on one knee! Quick in action!

It was a great time on the beach with these beautiful souls, when we slowly moved from proposal to engagement session photos.

Congratulations to happy couple! Enjoy this quick highlight from the beach proposal - engagement session on the beach. Let me know if you have any questions!