Jul
30
2013
Here are a few of the final images from Jaya’s beauty portrait session. Jaya is a graphic designer from Hamilton who works at a business that I often go to get bits and pieces printed and she got in touch with me when I first mentioned that I was going to start offering make overs and beauty portraits. I’m so happy with Jaya’s images, and I am very grateful that I got the opportunity to photograph this beautiful woman. 
If you’d like to book yourself, or a friend or family member in for a make over and beauty portrait session, please contact me here.
Jul
28
2013
At the start of July, I took a week off work and went up to the Coromandel for a bit of a break. The last few months have been unbelievably busy, and it was a great opportunity for me to recharge my batteries and get some rest. We were based in the Coromandel township, and drove to the different places around the peninsula each day. Our accommodation was a Farm House owned by a guy named Rick, and the pig above was one of the many animals we got to hang out with during our time there. She is a Kunekune pig and she was amazing.
We did all the generic touristy things like going to Cathedral Cove, and Whitianga, but we did get to spend some time doing some more relaxed activities. We spent a bit of time at the Whitianga museum where I got to do a little bit of research for one of my projects, but other than that, I was really good and took hardly any work with me! The weather wasn’t amazing, as it is the middle of winter here in New Zealand, but it was still a great break with lots of sleeping in and eating.
Jul
25
2013When I meet people and tell them what I do, I generally get asked the same sets of questions- almost without fail, so just for fun.. and also to hopefully create an informative blog post- I’ve put together a list of the most common questions I get asked.
Do you shoot weddings/babies/events?
Unfortunately, no I don’t. I shoot portraits and my personal work, which generally tends to come under the fine art genre.
The wedding photographers that I recommend are Perspectives Photography and Simply Weddings by Sonia. For newborns/babies I recommend Karyn Flett and Vabe Photography.
What kind of camera do you have?
I shoot with Canon cameras. I own a Canon 1000D and a couple of basic lenses which I do the majority of my work with. For larger scale projects or special work I usually hire a 1D or a 5D from Topic Rentals.
I’m looking at buying an SLR because I want to get into photography, what kind should I get?
Just get a basic camera- don’t spend too much time thinking about it because the entry level cameras are all more or less the same. The main thing is to just get in to it and actually start shooting.
Can I help out on one of your shoots?
Sure- it takes a lot of helping hands to make a shoot come together, particularly if there are a lot of different things going on, or gear that needs to be moved so email me and I’ll get in touch with you when we need some extra help.
Do you ‘Photoshop’ your images?
Yes- everyone edits their photographs. I think that editing and post processing are a really, really important part of photography.
Have you got a degree in photography/Where did you learn about photography?
I haven’t got a degree in photography, and haven’t studied it ‘formally’ but fortunately we live in a time where you can learn just about anything from the resources available on the internet + lots of practise and hard work! I usually save or bookmark all the tutorials I read or watch, and I take notes that I can refer back to later and keep them in these notebooks. Most of my project planning happens in these notebooks too.
How long have you been a photographer?
I started getting into photography in 2010. I started out taking photos of the things around me, nature, landscapes, sunsets etc, and then moved on to taking portraits of people.
So that’s it! I hope that answers some questions that some of you might have- feel free to email me if you have any other questions or topics you’d like to blog about and I will cover them next time!
Jul
24
2013
Today my website underwent a bit of an overhaul. In the midst of frantically checking links and file paths, I took a trip down memory lane while looking for images to include in my portfolios.
Three years ago I took my very first portraits for an online photography competition I wanted to enter. I didn’t win, or get a placing, but I did get my first opportunity to photograph something other than landscapes and flowers. The competition brief was to produce an image that could fit the theme ‘science, technology and society’. My work collegues quickly volunteered themselves and their families as models, as I began to experience a whole new level of generosity and support that has become so critical to my work.
When I look at this photograph it feels like it was such a long time ago, and yet it perfectly represents the journey I have been on since then, even though, in the grand scheme of things, it has only been 3 short years. I remember taking this photograph and not really having any idea what I was doing and it’s only now that I truly appreciate the incredible generosity of someone giving up their time to let you have a go at something.
Photography for me was a distraction from other things I didn’t want to deal with any longer. I had burnt some bridges a couple of years earlier, and attempted to immerse myself in new things to fill the large hole that had suddenly appeared in my life. I threw myself into it wholeheartedly because I had nothing to lose. It was just something I was trying out in my spare time and because I had no emotional investment in it, it meant that I had no fear to hold me back. I wish I could create this freely across all mediums.
If you leave this post with anything, I hope it is a gentle reminder to give things a go. Even if (or especially if) you don’t think it will lead to anything. Photography has had such a profound affect on my life, taught me things I would never have otherwise had the opportunity to learn, and has made my life infinitely richer. It’s hard to imagine my life without it.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has allowed me to photograph them or helped me out in some way over the last three years, I could not have done it without you.
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