4th Jul 2010, 11:32pm

Today the girls in my family celebrated Nanny's 91st birthday in style at The Olde Creamery with high tea...

It was lots of fun and a great way to celebrate!  Special thanks to Chris who went out of her way to look after everyone; rushing off to get cushions, making special sandwiches for the youngest 'ladies' in the group and generally being a fabulous hostess!

30th Jun 2010, 2:25pm

Thanks so much to the fabulous Interspeed team for all their hard work! 

24th Jun 2010, 9:03am

 Head along to the Waikato Wedding Expo on Sunday and then pop round here for a coffee and a look at some albums in a calm and peaceful space...take your time and ask all your questions.  Let me know when you're coming and I'll make sure the coffee machine is on :-)

23rd Jun 2010, 2:27pm

If you're going to be in Hamilton this weekend for the Waikato Wedding Expo how about you pop in and see me as well?  I'm not at the Expo this year...this will be the first time I have missed it in 6 years but I have been increasingly feeling that I want more time to talk to couples than I get at Wedding Expos. 

So drop me a line and let me know when it would suit you to pop in for a (proper!) coffee or tea on Sunday...I'd love to chat about your wedding, show you some albums...all without 50, 000 other people trying to get a look in as well :-)

22nd Jun 2010, 9:26pm

I think this whole vintage theme that's hot for weddings right now might have been created just for me.  And I am so grateful :-)  I just love vintage inspired weddings...it's the perfect theme right?  It's all about tradition and the value of things that last...what's not to love?  Here are some of the gorgeously styly details from Alana and Hamish's Chateau wedding a few weeks back...

16th Jun 2010, 2:36pm

Now Kimberley and Steve know about how life changes when you become parents, they're working on Number 3!  I have been so lucky to photograph their family periodically and to document the changes (and the things that stay the same).  Their daughter Ally stars as a baby on a giant canvas in my studio and at two and a half she is as photogenic as ever...

Now joined by her brother Ben in the running to be the cutest kid ever :-)

And the whole family...

16th Jun 2010, 2:28pm

I love this part of my work!  Last time I saw Carrie and Ant they were newlyweds and now they are parents.  Little Nixon has changed things forever, pretty soon I bet they will look back and hardly know those two beautiful people in their wedding photos.  Because now there will be three beautiful people in all their photos...

No one does serenity and peacefulness like a baby...

and one last one...hanging on to Dad's finger

29th May 2010, 8:09pm

Two years ago I had this great plan that I would like to shoot more portraits and that a good way to kick start that would be to submit a portfolio of work and get my NZIPP Q (qualification) in portraits.  So I duly chose the required 12 images and printed them and put them in a cute little folder.  I had been shooting weddings for a while and I thought I had a pretty good handle on the whole portrait thing...my subjects were relaxed and happy, I knew my posing was ok, I knew how to not blow my highlights so I thought I was home and hosed.

Right up until the bit where Bernadette Peters (who was the Portrait Director at the time) rang me and told me that I had been unsuccessful.  I was a bit gutted.  I listened to the comments and went and had another look at the images.  They didn't really look any worse to me now that I knew they weren't 'professional standard'.  But I could see that there was a lack of catch light in the eyes.  And there was some lens flare that served no purpose.  And there was some light that could have been controlled better (it was all hard on a preggy portrait when soft would have been a better choice).

So I did some workshops about light and I experimented on the kids (and occassionally dolls when the kids were not feeling cooperative).  I submitted lots of images for regional judging just to hear what the judge would say about certain techniques.  I studied pictures in magazines and scribbled notes all over them about the lighting.  I hired a studio and spent hours trying to replicate natural light with strobes and reflectors.  And when I thought I had something pretty good I asked hubby Stu for critique...he doesn't take many photographs but he is a damn good judge lol...and he would let me know what was wrong with it.  And I started again :-)

Gradually I collected images in a folder called 'Portrait Q Submission'.  I must confess, a few deadlines slipped by before I finally nailed one down...wrote it in the diary and actually got myself organised for it (with help, as always, from Rach). 

In the meantime I had been appointed as Wedding Director which meant I was actually part of the panel that judged the Weddings Qs so my submission had to extra anonymous and I had to slip out to make some phone calls when I saw mine was next in the pile (I scribed for the Portrait Q panel).  I waited and then walked back in and asked 'So was that one a pass or fail?' and YAY it was a pass.  I was trying to be all cool or I would've totally busted out the portrait Q dance :-)

So for those patient souls who have read all the way through this and are still with me, here are the images I was judged on:

Huge thanks to all my gorgeous subjects...I couldn't have done it without you :-)

22nd May 2010, 9:30pm

I've been very lucky to photograph some gorgeous kids in the past couple of weeks.  These two agreed to be part of a personal project I was working on and so I shot some portraits for them as a thank you...

And Katie Trigg is an up and coming local singer (and family friend) who needed some pics for the cover of her debut album!

And then there is my favourite model, my daughter Caro...

12th May 2010, 8:18pm

If you're looking for a wedding photographer you might hear people talking about the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers.  And they might even tell you that you should choose a photographer who is a member.

So, why?  What's in it for you?  Well here's my two cents worth :-)

Qualification

There is currently no qualification requirement for calling yourself a professional photographer.  There is no exam, no license required...anyone with the inclination can buy some gear, get a website and viola, they're competing for your hard-earned wedding dollar.  NZIPP is the only professional body that has a qualification standard that must be reached in order for a member to advertise their membership.  If you see "NZIPP Qualified Wedding Photographer" you know that person has been judged on a full wedding album from a single wedding and has demonstrated a high standard of composition, lighting control, creativity and technical expertise.  Many photographers are unsuccessful on their first attempt.  So this is a big deal!  Of course it doesn't mean that non-members are not good photographers, of course some of them are.  But you can trust that 'NZIPP qualified' means a photographer has been measured against a high standard.

Ongoing Improvement and Professional Development

The NZIPP places a huge emphasis on education and professional development.  The annual Iris Awards offer all NZ photographers the opportunity to show off their very best work.  It's no surprise that the best of the best are almost always NZIPP members.  What's in it for you is a photographer who cares about the latest developments in technique and technology.

Who's got your back?

NZIPPers look out for each other and each other's clients.  If one of us can't make it to a wedding through illness or injury the NZIPP community swings into action to do everything possible to ensure you have a suitable qualified photographer on the day.  Of course this isn't something we can guarantee but we do our very best (and in four years as regional secretary I know of this happening twice, and both times the wedding was photographed by another qualified member and everyone was happy).

Dispute Resolution

In the (very) rare case that something goes wrong the NZIPP will organise mediation between client and photographer to ensure a fair and equitable resolution.  This is in addition to your statutory rights of course.

So, what's in it for you?  More than anything it boils down to confidence in your decision and some valuable peace of mind.