love | light | laughter
AUCKLANd wedding PHOTOGRAPHER | fine art documentary photography
November gallery is ready - everyday pictures in my 365 Project (only one month to go! :)
Excited!
Enjoy these pictures!:
What an elegant wedding I captured last weekend at Formosa Golf Resort in South Auckland. This couple looks just stunning and photographs turned out just amazing. Meet...
Dominique & Owen
Venue: Formosa Golf Resort | Celebrant: Neena Maxwell
Makeup: Makeup by Meags | Hair: Camilleri HairDesign
Decor: Lautofa Tulagalua | Bouquets: Flowers by Lisa | DJ: Andy Wilson
What a great place guys choose for their wedding - beautiful golf course in picturesque sea side location with views of Rangitoto island.
Getting ready moments started at Formosa Villas with beautiful set up, light, views, Dominique and her best friends - three bridesmaids met me while doing their makeup and hair. The atmosphere was full of fun and positive emotions. Girls been in villa 10 while boys in villa 12 had their own fun. I been heading over to get details shot with wedding rings and some creative shots with guys :)
Weather been rainy all morning so ceremony moved inside the lounge (planned to be an outdoor), but lucky rain eventually stopped and we had opportunity to get all main family shots done, guests had cocktail hour and we with bridal party, Dominique and Owen moved to travel around golf course on 4 seater golf cart (I been riding at the back, holding tight :)
What a great location shoot with intimate session and some fun shots. Could be the best memories ever for stunning couple and their bridal party. Need to mentioned we had siblings from both sides in the party, what great traditions!
Reception been beautifully set up with white colours decor and light material around. What an airy feeling its created! Music been on and guests impatiently been waiting main couple to come in. What a great party just happened, amazing atmosphere!
Dominique & Owen, happy future together!
Enjoy this video and gallery!
Last evening we spent with family and kids on beautiful Mairangi beach in Auckland. We made a special trip from Hamilton to say good buy to uncle Paul and aunty Sinead who fly back to UK this evening, they spend amazing pre-wedding holidays in New Zealand, where all family been happy to see them.
What a fun time on the swing, in the waves, running on the sand, having hot fish and chips in Mairangi Bay park | playground and some lifestyle moments.
We will miss you!
Enjoy this gallery!
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Its really important to choose a right place to your big wedding day. Each location should have a special meaning to the you and made makes celebration moments unforgettable.
It's a lot of different options in Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas, indoors and outdoors (could be handy to do a rain check and have a back up plan ;)
Traditional wedding ceremonies are held in a church / registry office / hotel. I always enjoy to hear stories that couple choose the church where their parents been married. Its such treasured connection between generations, what great family traditions.
Outdoor locations had a lot of variety, especially in New Zealand: beach, domain, winery, gardens, farm, park, bush, golf course, resort etc. So many different options! Summer is almost all the year around with high plus temperature so its really tempting to organise picturesque ceremony/reception in the beautiful nature side. I just love to capture these natural light beautiful moments.
Other option what I often see with small family weddings - ceremony and reception at parents house with BBQ in the garden area. Thats so sweet memories as well.
So what type of wedding location close to you, where you want to celebrate your engagement and have fun with close to you people / family? It's all up to you! I'm happy to capture for you all these special moments with relax, natural style. I love to show raw emotions and connection!
Contact me with any questions!
Intimate couples moments are one of the most important and special at wedding day (and engagement session as well). Each couple is so different and have own special wedding schedule and ideas in place, but still very important to have at least half an hour during this hectic time to have quiet romantic moments and get stunning photographs.
These pictures will be one of the most treasured ones and these moments along away from the guest will give you some ability to rest and relax.
Thats why I always recommend to include an intimate session | location shoot in the schedule and do my best to have enjoyable and relaxable time together.
There could be different options to incorporate these moments in your wedding day: first thing in morning after getting ready (its often goes with first look), between ceremony and reception, during the reception (have some moments away from the guests and get stunning light at sunset).
I also love to do bridal session (pre-wedding photo shoot) or post-wedding photo shoot, which allows to choose different location (be really far from the wedding location and have different atmosphere). No on elicited in time, so no hurry! Everyone feel relaxed :) Also its gives the ability for brides trash the dress (lay on the sand, move in the water, what can be big fun!).
For example, one of my recent weddings with Daria & Dmitry been in Auckland city (Russian Orthodox church and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron), so there was no option for incorporate outdoor photo shoot on the nature, so we organised beach post-wedding session 2 weeks after their wedding. Pictures turned just amazing!
Sometimes location just perfect for natural shots. My last weekend wedding been at South Auckland Formosa Golf Resort. It was so great to have a ride around golf course located next to the seaside with amazing views.
It is so important to do an intimate session in this stunning picturesque views!
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Casting Call
I am looking for:
- Two crazy in-love couples who are easy going and would like to have fun lifestyle session. If you a blond with long hair + a brunette with short/medium hair + a redhead with long curly hair definitely note that in your message!
No modelling experience necessary. Sessions will take place in Auckland-Hamilton. Send me a message on Facebook page or contact me if you are interested.
It was a rainy day yesterday and we stayed at home for most part of the day. My little one been waiting for daddy come back from work. She fast run, when she seen him coming. Big hug, laughing and next thing took her attention - a big blue-white umbrella, what she get in her little hands.
I can't help myself and captured these treasured moments with one little girl and a big umbrella for my 365 project, family storytelling :)
Enjoy these lifestyle moments!
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Im so proud to show you my new feature with #TTF magazine. My photo from stunning post-wedding session on Kariotahi beach, Auckland with beautiful Daria & Dmitry (you can check their wedding gallery and video) chosen as cover photo and for Photographer Inshot Awards. Also #TTF magazine published an article:
"4 details of this Costal New Zealand wedding what we love", hope you enjoy it!
Its a big pleasure to see your style and photographs noticeable and appreciated.
Thank you!
Contact me with any questions!
Wedding planning is not an easy thing to do and can be really overwhelming. My brides often asked me about videography, wedding celebrants, flowers and other wedding services and suppliers for their special day. I am happy to help as much as I can.
Thats why I decided to do featured blog posts and give information about some wedding suppliers that I meet at the Wedding Show in Skycity and also who I often work with and can recommend.
Meet in our Blog today amazing wedding flower business running by Andrea, warm, fun and creative person. When we started talking at the show (her stand with beautiful flowers just catch me) and found out we from the same city (Hamilton, just around the corner from each other) and have a lot common we just can't stop talking and I really enjoyed our following meeting after the show.
So here we go:
"Forever Flowers by Andrea creates unique, artificial flower arrangements for your wedding day. Our creations are affordable, timeless and tailored to your requirements. We guarantee quality, professional workmanship and attention to detail.
Forever Flowers by Andrea make bridal bouquets, bridesmaids bouquets, buttonholes, shoulder corsages, wrist corsages, flower girl bouquets, flower girl wands, flower girl baskets, table centrepieces and so much more!"
Please contact Andrea with any questions:
Address:
Forever Flowers by Andrea
Te Rapa, Hamilton
Telephone:
0211086723
Follow this business on Facebook
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Its a big honour to be featured in social media, especially in wedding categories. My recent post-wedding photo shoot with Daria & Dmitry been featured in The Westchester Wedding Planner.
Guys just a stunning couple! It was amazing experience to capture their wedding in Russian Orthodox Church in Auckland and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron at the waterfront. It was full of fun and romantic moments, natural emotions, candid shots traditional wedding. What a great memories!
Daria & Dmitry just love wild New Zealand nature. Thats why we decided to organise a post-wedding session on beautiful Kariotahi beach (Waiuku, Auckland). Pictures turned just amazing, and blow me away :)
This couples session been featured already in few reputable publishers and Im really appreciate all these attention to my work.
Thank you guys! Love our time together!
Enjoy their featured gallery!
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Hello and welcome to my Blog, where I talk about my lifestyle moments, photography and share some inspirational photography tips and exercise.
We will talk today about multi-exposure images. They look pretty neat and not much people know how easy achieve them.
One way - in post-processing when you put together a few layers from few images with different opacity.
But Im a lazy photographer, I really don't like a lot of post processing work and prefer to make things right into the camera (for not spend to much time at editing, but give this treasure time to my family, to my active little ones).
So at this case you go to your camera Menu, put on Multi-Exposure, choose how many images you will merge together and how many times you want it one (single time or more). I did just basic 2 shot single multi-exposure, what I will share with you. (Attention - not all cameras had this mode - please read your camera Manual for get more information. For note - I shoot with Nikon D750 full frame).
Important note: you should nail your exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) in the camera, because you can't work on each picture separated, they will be merge together in one image what you will see in your computer.
So lets go to my pretty simple experiments.
First one image with my daughter and a tree what I merge together. Little tip - it was easier for me first to take image with my subject and then knowing I had a good shot, put my attention on the background - I choose a tree shape for this purpose.
You free to choose if you want to convert your image in Black and White (BW) or leave a colour variant. Sometimes BW version really stand out for me and speaks to me more.
You can also play with merging not 2 different backgrounds, but play with merging images with the same person. Some photographers use this trick for selfies to show different type of emotions. I just choose my little one and follow the best moments in the same location.
Here is a result:
This image really speaks to me with this lines, composition, emotions and BW conversation.
So grab your camera and experiment! Good luck!
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People often asking me what means lifestyle photography, Why I'm doing lifestyle pictures, is it mean Im not doing portraits at all?
So lets talk about it and bring it all out, so it will be easier for you to understand what to expect from me, my photography services, and your final pictures :)
1. Lets start from definition. Yes, I know it sounds boring, but will give us a base for our thoughts.
Lifestyle photography is a kind of photography which mainly aims to capture portrait/people on situations, real-life events or milestones in an artistic manner and the art of the everyday (Wikipedia).
So I'm capturing, documenting moments and people in situations in an artistic manner, bring the art into your everyday moments.
You can ask me: Is it just documentary style and capturing all stuff around? No, its much more. I am not just capturing what I see, I am creating an art, I find the beauty in all these moments - what speaks to me and I hope what I created will speak to you, and mean a lot to you!
2. Weddings | Events. If I'm shooting your wedding or another important event I am capturing all natural moments through the day, If you laughing I will capture that, If you are crying I will capture that too.
St Matthews Church wedding
I will do posed moments as well (as family portraits or intimate session for bride and groom), but I will do it natural and happy way so everyone will really enjoy it and have a positive experience with "happy family" pictures :)
Family pictures on Lisa's 21st Birthday Party
As for moments for bride and groom they will be based on your personalities, story and naturally relaxing for you. There will be posed shots and unposed and intimate as well. If your a fun loving couple we will have a lot of fun and can create even dynamic, a little bit crazy pictures, if you prefer to have your quiet moments of happiness I will do my best to capture it in romantic editorial style. All these moments really speak to me, then I'm creating and telling your story through the art of the lens!
Daria & Dmitry
Bridesmaids
If we're in getting ready moments and there a lot of stuff around (make-up, bags and all other items) I will do my best to create pictures that focus on the main subjects, of course will take some details shots, which form part of the story and maybe even show with wide angle lens all these mess and people around. But also I will try to use blocking and framing for get artistry shots of you and people around even in these hectic conditions! :)
I love to capture raw emotions, candid moments, details what is a part of your story and all these connection and love between two of you, its just magic moments!
I'm a mum of two little ones, they are so active and cute and little nightmares sometimes. I realised how important and treasured every moment of their and our life together, how fast they grow, and how important for us to remember these moments.
I'm doing 365 project this year and documenting my everyday moments with kids and family. It's fun, interesting, sometimes usual moments, morning routing, play time and all other stuff. I'm planning to print a book at the end of project with all these images.
Lifestyle everyday moments. 365 Project
But its not about me, its about you. About your family, about your life.
I love to capture the moments when baby appear in this world, capture everyday moments and routine of your first day with baby, your connection and emotions, everyday things that you are used to with the baby: baby on the big parents bed, baby in the cot, on the changing table, in parents arms, on dad's big shoulder, little fingers in mums hands.
Baby Nazar
What do you want to remember about these days, this period, what will be gone and only pictures will remind you about this moments? Details what making a way to your memories: babies name on the wall (or on the door), Teddy bears and other toys around, baby monitor on the shelf, cold cup of tea on the table and dummy nearby, mobile with Winnie the Pooh theme, basket with nappies and all other little things what telling your story. I will capture all world around the baby (your smile, your hair, his little fingers in it, favourite thing to play for your baby - your neckless...)
Baby Luka
Kids grow up and have own interests, love to spend their time playing soccer, colouring, making sand castles and all other exciting things. What do your family love to do together? What do you want to remember from this year?
Lifestyle session at home: Baking
Do you want to have classical portrait of all family together? I will do it at start of our session and then we will go and have fun, do all these things what you and kids love to do, document all these happy moments, emotions, feeling and connections between you in our 1-2 hours time together. I will try to capture these live moments, trying to get individual characters of each member of your family and you all together and you will help me with this. We can do outdoor session if you love to be in the park/ beach or I can come to your place and document all these treasured for you moments what you do around the house (reading books, playing play-dooh, colouring, playing games, maybe even bath or settling and sleeping time, anything what you want to remember).
Knott family in Auckland Domain
4. I hope I showed you what it means for me to do a lifestyle photography with capturing for you such special events or everyday moments (whats actually unique and special in their own way and never will be repeated again), how important for me the emotions and connection, how I treasure and love each single moment and every person on my sessions, how I want to help to tell your story through the art of photography.
Contact me with any questions!
I would love to have a chat with you!
Look which picture been featured as Picture of the Day in Bridal Guide. I just love this image too!
What a beautiful bride Daria, amazing landscapes and incredible wind!
Sweet memories about our gorgeous post-wedding photo shoot on Kariotahi beach.
Im so proud to share this with you!
October is a month what comes after a really busy September (with moving house, a lot of shootings, wedding show etc.). So this time I had an opportunity a little bit relax (chillax as my husband says :) and just concentrate on lifestyle everyday moments.
I had a few exciting photo shoots with my clients / friends which Im really proud of and also get some news about my last post-wedding photo-shoot which will be published in few wedding publishers. Its always great to see when your work goes live!
So here is my monthly gallery. Enjoy it!
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I was so thrilled to be invited to capture Lisa's 21st Birthday Party at her parents farm near Morrinsville last weekend.
What a great family, atmosphere, amazing guests and incredible surroundings.
Lisa is a fun loving girl, talented singer and song writer as her sister Anna Hawkins. What an amazing family. Lisa's parents are such a happy couple, celebrated 30 years together this year. So many big dates!
We start our photo shoot with taking some portraits for Lisa around her family house to have good memories about her birthday. Then was time for happy family pictures with a lot of fun and laughter. Guests start arriving and I just surfed around and captured candid natural moments with party flow. I just love to capture lifestyle moments and all these raw emotions - smiling and crying (believe me there was some at the speeches, what important and emotional moments!), fun and joy. Thats my style!
It was a real pleasure to meet all Lisa, her family and guests - friends and relatives. Some of these friendships for a very long time, through the years, I heard just amazing stories during the evening. What open and generous people!
I just loved every single moment of this event.
Hope you enjoy this gallery, pictures turned out just amazing!
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What a great exhibition event we been visited at long weekend in Hamilton Gardens - Model Railway Exhibition.
Its just paradise for little kids and their parents, and for everyone with love to trains. Its hard to imagine how it all been created, set up and running all these little trains, trucks in the beautiful handmade landscapes, townships and wild nature. There was represent even snowy mountains what I just loved (as Im from Europe with freezing winters and snow all around :) ).
My kids had so much fun watching these trains, as we do as well :) I manage to take couple of pictures between enjoying everything around and watching my little ones (which are really active). Hope you enjoy it!
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Hope everyone enjoying their long weekend and I just feel like I need take a break from my intensive photography life and to relax.
Just want to share with you few everyday moments with kids. They are active and needs a lot of attention, and a little nightmares with their tantrums sometimes.
I trying to document these everyday moments and to capture our real life with all these daily routine and unexpected moments :)
Enjoy it!
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What a great pleasure to see how little ones grow up and capture the most important moments of their life.
I had a special session last weekend at Okahu Bay, Auckland with Lena, Vanya and their gorgeous little one Max. Need to say its our third session together (fourth if counting a baby shower event :) and we became really good friends. Lena's baby shower and maternity session been not a long time ago, then I been doing newborn photo shoot for Max and now see who has become a really big boy and can walk all by himself? Max!
Here is just couple of shots from our past sessions, such great memories:
It was really enjoyable moments to document all these stages and now do a lifestyle session for my friends. No any pressure, just follow guys on the playground with making smiles swing, to the beach where Max really loved to watch the waves and play with shells, have a picnic in the park by the beach and also lucky enough to get opportunity to touch an old cars what been nearby.
What a beautiful day!
Its time for our new creativity exercise! This time we will shoot at one location, choose one subject and try to incorporate it in surrounding environment.
So make camera ready and try to shoot 5-10 shots in the same location with the same subject/subjects and try to create at least 5 different frames (angles, perspective, close or far shot, you can even use different lens for get different feeling (wide angle, portrait or tele etc.).
You can make this creativity exercise in one go or try a couple of times to get effect what you want.
For example, I shoot my daughter in the car early morning when we been in Mainly Music session, i took one shot
Then when we been back I seen her playing in the car and did series of shots to show how she love to sit in the car and play in it. Here is few more shot from different angles, perspective, points of view. Enjoy it and hope your will do your set of pictures with your kids.
Its a treasured moments, so its good to remember what they loved to do when they been so little :)
My pictures is not ideal, but they show the moment for me and really personal!
We as photographers are so used to being behind the camera and document others people's everyday life and special moments, so its a really hard task for us to be in front of the lens, and being captured in frame.
Im doing 365 project, which allow me to shoot every day and get my families lifestyle pictures, my kids, life around and include a clients sessions as well. But sometimes you just run out of theme, with no inspiration. At this moment can be great to try a new views, angles, genre, detailed shots, different lenses or come to self portraiture.
Its really not so easy. Because no one directs you and tells you what to do. Its all totally up to you and your idea how you want to see yourself, with some idea behind it. Also its not so easy to get exact focus (need to practice couple of times), good body language, everything what you need in or out of frame, ha-ha! and you need to take a lot of shots to get what you need.
Does it sounds like fun? could be, ha-ha!
There always some idea behind the self-portrait. What we want to show, what its mean for us. Do we want do direct gaze, or keep anonymity, do we want a classical portrait or to show some lifestyle moment from our life. What the story behind it?
Last time I took this self-portrait:
Story behind: Im a lifestyle photographer and a mum of two really active toddlers. So cup of tea its a special time: time for rest and relax (if no one call: Mummy!!! :) ) Also its time to think about day plans, photography business, client enquiries etc. Thats how I roll :)
Its not a perfect picture but its mine, and Im already a winner because I went in front of the camera and tried it myself.
Next step - try to capture my kids with me in the frame. Im not sure if I have any of these portraits at last months...
Hope you all will try some new experience for you! Enjoy it!
Talk to you soon!
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