Perspectives Wedding Photography

Hi guys,

On a bright & sunny morning, we caught up with Abbie & David at Sands Villas in Titikaveka, where they had a beautiful wedding.

In the morning as we were getting ready, there were huge humpback whales launching out of the water just beyond the reef – it was a really amazing spectacle, and what an awesome omen for your wedding day!

And a perfect day it was – blue, sparkly, tropical.

Abbie & David were each getting ready in one of the villas onsite – so we didn’t even need to travel in between each

The ceremony was held right down on the beach in front of their accommodation – Abbie’s Dad walked her along the beach…

By this time, the clouds began to drift over in the background…

But as the sun hit the water, the brilliant blue was still apparent

As we walked back up from the beach, David decided to give Abbie a helping hand..

The clouds coming over also made for some beautiful soft light, as we headed down a cool coconut lined road…

After this little detour, the sun came back out – and we made the most of it down on the beach. The dark skies in behind with the aqua water makes for awesome contrast!

By this time, we were getting a few spits of rain.. so we decided to quickly change spots & see if we could race it up the coast. After sitting out a heavy shower for 5 minutes in the cars, we hopped out and raced for it!

We envisaged some shots in a different location from the typical ‘white sand blue sky’ feel… and the weather certainly turned it on for us! The clouds rolled in, the sea was wild, and everything was suitably dramatic.

And then it rained.

A lot.

Because we’d picked our way right out onto the rocks, we couldn’t even run for cover – and within a few seconds the heavy Raro raindrops had drenched all of us right through. So we stayed on for a few more shots, seems as we were all soaking anyway… it was worth it!

If you have enjoyed these images, make sure you head along and ‘like’ our Perspectives Facebook Page – where you can stay up to date with all our latest creations – right in your news feed.

Abbie & David – thanks so much for having us along to share a part in your special day

Enjoy this little sneak peek of the photos – more to come soon!

Isaac & Amber.

Hi guys!

Last week, we photographed Steve & Laurie’s gorgeous wedding at the Tamarind House, in Rarotonga.

The morning began around at Moana Sands, where Steve & his groomsmen were staying. It was a perfect, blue, sunny Rarotonga day – a perfect respite for their NZ friends & family to come and escape winter for a while!

The view from the room look out across the lagoon…

And provided some cool reflections as Steve & the boys got ready.

We headed down to the beach for a few shots..

And then up the road, to catch up with Laurie & her bridesmaids, at a private villa. The last stages of hair and makeup were finished off, and Laurie put on her amazing dress!

We then took a little detour to a cool jungle patch down the end of the section – which had some gorgeous light & a really tropical feel

Steve’s daughter, Ashley, looked gorgeous in her dress too

Laurie helped her Dad pin his buttonhole on…

And then, after a quick shot with all the girls together…

It was time to hop into the cars & head down to the Tamarind House.

It is such a beautiful venue for a wedding – with a little platform overlooking the sea, and lush tropical gardens – magical.

We asked Laurie beforehand if she thought Steve was going to cry and she said ‘yes’ … this is the closest he came, as he saw her for the first time

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful – it was officiated by Keith – a family friend of theirs who is a marriage celebrant in New Zealand.. and he had gone to the lengths of registering as a celebrant in the Cook Islands too, so he could perform the legal side of their marriage.

As we headed out afterwards for a few photos nearby – Steve & the boys were keen to get something involving scooters – which, for those who have been to Raro – are pretty symbolic of having a great time over here… wind in your hair, racing along, tears streaming from your eyes in the wind – perfect!!

We kicked off our location photos with one of the concrete bunkers – I love the textures of the concrete, very cool!

We got down onto the beach – the light was fading fast – but made for some stunning shots looking back along the coastline..

Now – there’s never a guarantee that there will be a sunset. Some days look perfect for it, and the sun just dips below the horizon with no fuss whatsoever.

And some days are incredible.

Like this one.

It actually rained while we shot these – but the sudden arrival of the rain clouds overhead made for some perfect red colouring in the sky above.

On arrival back at the Tamarind House, we got the lights out & set up a couple of cool shots on the balcony, with the last light fading in the sky. It was nearly pitch black as we shot these!

The trees at the Tamarind House are covered in fairy lights – and once these came on, they made a stunning backdrop..

The reception was perfect – amazing food, and everyone had a really great time.

As the dancing got underway, Amber took this cool image with the fairy lights in the foreground, while I was off inside the doorway with a flash, lighting up the people.

The following day, we mentioned to Steve & Laurie that if they were interested in getting dressed back up again, and come out for a ‘Trash the Dress’ style shoot, we were keen!

Turns out that, with a family brunch / lunch in the morning, and a flight to Aitutaki in the afternoon they needed to be back for – we had about 45 minutes to shoot.

And this is what we came up with.

Steve & Laurie – thanks so much for inviting us along to share a part in your special day! Now every time you come back to Raro, it’ll be like a little anniversary

If you’ve enjoyed these images – head along and ‘like’ our Perspectives Facebook Page – where you can stay updated with all our latest creations.

Enjoy the photos – many more to come soon!

Isaac & Amber.

*** UPDATE – 14th September 2011 ***

The shooting period is underway for our competition now – we’re busy with some really fun engagement sessions
You can still register & book in for a shoot to get yourself into the competition, right up until 9th October.

Here are a few couples that have already done their shoot in the last week or so, and are in the running to win that $5200 package. You could be too – get in touch with us now!

Daniel & Renee:

Gavin & Genna:

Paul & Kelly:

Shane & Teresa:

Seipua & Matt:

Chris & Kristie:

Luke & Tracey:

*** ORIGINAL POST / COMPETITION DETAILS ***

OK guys – we’re super excited about a couple of things.

Firstly – we have a bunch of new ideas & concepts we want to play with for our engagement shoots. They’re such a cool way to relax in front of the cameras before the wedding, to get to know us better, and to capture some awesome images of the two of you – to use for invitations, save the dates, or just to celebrate what a cool couple you are.

Second – we want to give away a $5200 wedding photography package. For free.

So we’re doing both.

Here’s the low down. You book in an engagement session with us. It costs you $150 for the shoot, and we go out – have some fun, capture some really amazing images of the two of you. Then – you pop into the studio for your viewing session, where you can see a selection of images from the shoot – and to be eligible for the competition, you need to purchase at least one (either a print or a digital file) – starting from $95.

The engagement sessions need to be booked, images purchased, and paid for – between September 3rd, and October 9th, 2011.

Now you’re in the draw. Here comes the cool bit.

There is no ‘luck’ involved. Why?? Because, we’re running the competition through an application on our Facebook page. The winning couple will be determined by how many votes your image gets… so – the more people you encourage to come along, like our Perspectives Facebook Page – vote for your image in the competition – the greater your chance of winning! Pimp it to your family, your friends, random strangers on the street, whoever – the more votes you can rustle up, the better!

On October 10th at 5pm, the gallery of images goes up on our page. On November 10th, at 5pm, voting closes & the winner will be announced. You’ll have exactly one month to rack up those votes!

So – what do you win??

It’s our premium coverage package ($5200) – detailed below.

Coverage up to 10 hours, and includes:

* Groom & groomsmen getting ready
* Bride and bridesmaids getting ready
* Ceremony
* Family and group photos
* An extended photo shoot with the bridal party at a location (or multiple locations) of your choice
* Full reception coverage up to (actually a little bit after!) the first dance. Coverage of speeches, cake cutting, dancing, details, candids of guests, etc.

What you receive:

* A DVD disc with a minimum of 500 high resolution photos. The disc comes in a beautiful presentation box.
* Every image colour corrected and exposure balanced.
* 60 artistically retouched images (30 of which are also shared on your ‘sneak peek’ blog post)

Your wedding can be on any date that we’re not already booked – up until April 30th, 2013. Saturdays, peak season, whatever – if we’re free & you win – it’s yours. Check our online calendar to see if we’re free on your date. We won’t be holding dates open just in case you win – so if you’re set on a particular date and really, really want it – then it’s best to book us as per normal (a $500 deposit to secure your date). If you win, your deposit will be refunded. If you don’t – it won’t.

So now you know. Over the next 3 or 4 weeks, it’s time to book in your shoot (or – buy a session voucher as an engagement gift for a friend & help them enter!) – Saturdays are pretty much already gone, Sundays will go fast, and weekdays / evenings will be available too. Places are limited (we can only shoot so many E-sessions in one month!) – so be in quick.

If you’re one of our fabulous, amazing clients that has already booked their wedding with us – you’re totally eligible too! Just book in an engagement shoot over the competition timeframe & you could win back the cost of your wedding photography – think of what you can then do with the $5k you save on us…. designer gown… awesome honeymoon…. hire a helicopter for your wedding photo session…. (hint hint!)

To book in your engagement shoot with us and get yourselves into the running to win this awesome prize – contact us here and we’ll send you through the T&C’s, and find a time that’ll suit.

We can’t wait to see the results!

Isaac & Amber.

Hi guys,

Before we headed over to Europe, we had the pleasure of photographing Scott & Amanda’s TTD shoot out on Auckland’s west coast.

It was the perfect time of day (we love shooting in the late afternoon / sunset) – and the conditions all came together for some really special images.

We began with some inland shots, featuring a great waterfall…

And then we got them into a tree (it didn’t take ANY convincing either – so much fun working with adventurous & keen couples!!)

A bit of a different angle on things… love the ‘Harry Potter’ feel of the trees.

As we walked down to the beach, the sun was shining in behind – gorgeous soft backlight.

At the beach, we climbed some dunes – as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds & provided our favourite natural light conditions ever – dark skies in behind, with sun splashing the foreground. So beautiful. It looked like this.

And what better way to get off the dune, than to sprint down!!

It was time to head down by the water – and the wind was SCREAMING!! The sand was blowing across the beach & stinging our legs and faces (not to mention filling up the cameras – eek!) – so it was a relief to get into the wet sand down by the sea for a respite from the sand.

You can see the wind catching Amanda’s dress –

The sun showed itself again…

And the mist started to descend around the coastline…

The light began to fade with the approach of sunset…

Striking silhouettes..

As the last remnants of light disappeared from the scene, we were left with this little patch of light in the sky, making a reflection on the wet sand. By lining Scott & Amanda up in the right spot, and adding a bit of off-camera flash, we were able to get this dramatic ‘spotlight’ effect…

After which it was very quickly pitch black – and we traipsed off the beach in the dark – wet, cold, and totally stoked.

It was a super fun shoot, and some fantastic images as a result – thanks guys, for being so willing to mix it up!!

Make sure you head along and ‘like’ our Perspectives Photography Facebook Page – where you can stay up to date with all our latest creations

So – want to do a Trash the Dress shoot with us now????

It’s only $150 to come out with us and capture some amazing images – we have some space for bookings throughout September & October 2011 – get in touch with us now!

Hi guys!

So we hear the weather is terrible in NZ.

Luckily – Jo & Tristan decided that Rarotonga sounded more appealing for the week after their wedding – and while there on honeymoon, we had the chance to catch up with them for some cool shots around the island.

They were keen to get some shots that ‘felt like Raro’ … so we worked in some coconut trees, the beach itself, and then some cool underwater ones to finish up & cool off after a hot few hours in the sun.

You can also check out these, and our latest Rarotonga wedding photos, on our Perspectives Photography Facebook Page.

Here’s a little peek of what we came up with.

Enjoy

Hi guys!

Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of photographing Jo & Tristan’s gorgeous wedding at the Wilson Home chapel in Takapuna.

Jo had planned a winter wedding, and she was keen to get some beautifully stormy skies, tempestuous weather, and make the most of the beauty that winter has to offer.

Typically, it was a beautifully blue day, with not a cloud in the sky!

The wind was ever-present though, reminding us all that it was indeed winter.

Our day began around at their apartment accommodation in the city – both Jo & Tristan stayed in the same complex (on different floors) – which was perfect, as we could just float in between while we captured them both getting ready.

With Tristan’s proud South African heritage, we just couldn’t resist sneaking this artwork of New Zealand on the back wall into a few shots.

Back upstairs, Jo was in her dress and looking absolutely stunning.

Out in the hallway, there were some cool glass balconies that lent themselves to playing with a bit of lighting…

It was then off to the Shore, where we arrived at the Wilson Home chapel and took our places. Jo arrived, and struggled to keep it together as she walked into the church with her parents – I love this shot as she gives Mum a hug at the end of the aisle.

Jo & Tristan wrote their own vows to each other – so beautiful

We love the moments immediately after the first kiss…

After the ceremony, the sun was streaming through the trees in the gardens at the Wilson Center, so we stayed and took a few shots out in the beautiful light…

Then it was off into town, where we found a cool doorway with crinkly steel…

And a cool brick wall covered in wintery ivy vines..

This cool little alleyway looked great with some harsh backlighting – thanks Mat (tucked in there behind!!)

One of the coolest things about winter weddings is that it gets dark early – so we get to shoot in the twilight / evening light that doesn’t arrive until 10pm in the middle of summer…

We headed back to the Pullman Hotel for their reception… where we also set up a little photo booth, along with some chalkboards that Jo had prepared, for guests to write their messages on. It was hilarious seeing the progression of the messages, as the evening wore on!!

For this last image, after the dancing was well underway, I wandered around 3 or 4 tables and swiped all their candles, and stacked them in various locations to get the right lighting & feel for this one – with the fairy light curtain in the background.

And then put them all back again.

It was a fantastic wedding day – and we had so much fun with you all!!
Thanks for inviting us along to capture the moments

If you’ve enjoyed these images, head over and “Like” our Perspectives Photography Facebook Page – where you can stay updated with all our latest creations.

Jo & Tristan then headed off to Rarotonga for their honeymoon… and we are currently over here in the islands too… so we caught up with them for a fun TTD shoot in Raro. But you’ll need to wait for tomorrow’s blog post for those.

Isaac, Amber, and Mat.

Hi guys

Last Sunday, Amber, Isaac, and Holly boarded a plane.

This was lucky – because with 97kgs of baggage between Amber & I – it was touch & go. Our suitcases were full of electric cables, studio lights, softboxes, little fold down seats, all the ingredients of a fantastic shoot.

We arrived in Wellington & it was shite. Like usual. Cold, raining, basically everything the elements could throw at us. Surprising? No.

However, the following day, the weather had cleared up a little & the sun was making it’s best effort to show itself. And so began our bride parade shoot.

10 brides, all married over the last year or so – who had come together, along with their gorgeous dresses – and were ready for a super fun photo shoot.

The morning began with hair & makeup at a building we’d hired in town. As each of the girls finished, we did a few shots around the room, using some beautiful window light. It wasn’t even a planned location – more of a time filler – and yet some of my favourite shots came in this little room. All the indoor ones you see below are shot here – with just window / natural light used.

Our 3 stylists (Kerry, Lucy, and Hayley) from Michele Perry makeup were fabulous – with my overly generic direction they totally nailed the look we had envisaged. Great mind reading, guys!

Once hair & makeup was all finished, we headed down to the coast – where the girls were fantastic at buying into our crazy rock scrambling ideas – and big thanks to Aaron too, who held the lights & kept an eye on the generator so that nothing fell into the sea!

Finally, once the sun had dipped below the horizon, we headed into the city for a few night time shots – with Holly giving us some fantastic lighting to work with – and basically shot until we were too tired / cold to go on.

By this time, it had been about 11 hours on the shoot – and everyone was shattered. So the whole crew headed back to our room at the hotel (winning some fantastically strange looks from the poor guys at the front desk), changed out of wedding dresses, and we finished up the evening with dinner & drinks at Monsoon Poon.

It was such a fun shoot, and a great weekend away.

And now, what you’ve been waiting for. 10 gorgeous ladies, in Wellington, rockin it.

Enjoy.

Abby:

Alicia:

Amelia:

Anna:

Becca:

Elisha:

Holly:

Jessica:

Katie:

Patricia:

And a couple of group photos with all the lovely ladies in together:

If you’ve enjoyed these images, make sure you head across and ‘like’ our Perspectives Photography Facebook Page – so you can stay updated with all the latest creations.

And if you’re getting married down in Wellington and want photos like this…. we’re only a grabaseat flight away

Until next time,

Isaac, Amber, and Holly.

Hi guys,

On Friday – we photographed our last wedding of the ‘season’ – Evan & Eve’s beautiful celebration out at Zen Garden, in Whitford.
It’s a beautiful, tucked away little spot which is just magical – such a lovely place for a wedding.

Our day began at the boys place, where Evan & his best man were ready to go. The suits & one of the kerchiefs had just arrived the NIGHT BEFORE – but Evan was showing none of the stress that such a situation must have entailed! And they looked fantastic.

Some interesting light coming in through the horizontal blinds (after this we put a flash outside & fired light back through to really enhance the stripes – was very cool!)

Around at the girls place, Eve was into her wedding gown and looking stunning. As she was putting on her jewelry, Amber took this shot through from the kitchen – I really like the foreground elements giving it some depth.

After a few shots around the house, we all headed out to Zen Garden – where Eve planned to have half an hour or so of time before the ceremony began, and we were able to get a few more shots.

The huge wooden doors (it’s a Japanese styled building, and very impressive) made for a cool setting..

The ceremony took place down by the lake, and the guests had a wonderful view of the Eve as her brother walked her down the winding stairs from the building up top. It was cool looking back down too (the benefits of two photographers!) – getting the whole scene, and looking back across the harbour to Rangitoto.

First Kiss.

Shiny table for the signing of the register made for cool reflection shots…

After the ceremony, we went for a wander around the grounds at Zen Garden (well, we went for a wander around the tiniest part of the massive amount of space there!)

Water fountains on the lake…

And back up by the big wooden doors, where we also worked in some cute little cushions that Eve had found…

These guys did soft & romantic so well!!

We then headed down to neaby Arylies garden – where we found beautiful backlight & autumn colour tones…

And also a beautiful big tree with the sun streaming through behind them…

A quick stop at Eastern beach on our way back to their reception at the Beach House in Bucklands Beach…

And arriving in time to catch beautiful sunset tones in the sky along with the table detail shots – just the right backdrop!

Our very last shots of the day, we got the lights out & utilised the final drops of colour in the sky outside the reception…

Once we arrived home, we sat on the couch & watched the Royal Wedding as our cards uploaded the days shots onto the computers… and happily came to the conclusion that our wedding we’d photographed earlier in the day was MUCH more exciting!

If you’ve enjoyed these images, head along and ‘like’ our Perspectives Photography Facebook Page – where you can stay updated with all our latest creations, right in your news feed

Evan & Eve – thanks so much for having us along to share a part in your wedding day – we had so much fun with you all, and we’ll have plenty more images in store for you soon.

Isaac & Amber.

Hi guys,

The other day, we had the pleasure of photographing Lee & Sarah’s gorgeous wedding, with their ceremony at St. Matthew in the City, and reception at The Wharf.
It was a super fun day, with some really cool urban shots around town.

Our morning began over at the Grand Chancellor, where the boys were ready to go – looking very suave in the suits

Our assistant Mat spied this cool light in the foyer – and has total credit for this image, in terms of setting it up / posing / directing – and also shooting as well.
Nice!

We headed off to the Westin – which you could actually see from the Grand Chancellor – and caught up with the girls. Sarah’s wedding gown was stunning.

Before the ceremony, we headed down to play with a few of the beautiful parts of the building (we could have spent hours just shooting this alone, but alas… Sarah actually wanted to go and get married!.. ugh. The nerve of some people )

Reflections.

It was off to the church!

We love shooting at St. Matthew in the City – it’s a gorgeous church, beautiful light, and just looks suitably epic for weddings.

Photo by Mat:

Another great aspect of St. Matthew’s is the balcony – makes for fun angles with group shots!

For our location photos, we decided to go with an ‘urban’ feel – using many cool spots around the city, which allows for heaps of variation in a small area

Love the rusty zig zag texture of this metal door.

Mat was shooting some cool high crop images with plenty of top space, like these next two..

I love this shot of Sarah – striking is an understatement!

The boys kept warm in their jackets – by now, the wind had picked up and it was FREEZING at this spot!!

But Lee & Sarah didn’t seem to mind..

Adding a bunch of flash to balance the brightness of them + background here makes for a cool / surreal image..

Sunny.

Back at the Wharf – they made their grand entrance up the stairway…

And then had time to sneak out after their entrees for a quick few evening shots with the city lights in behind…

A perfect way to end a gorgeous wedding day!

If you’ve enjoyed these images, head along and ‘like’ our Perspectives Photography Facebook Page – where you can stay updated with all our latest creations.

Sarah & Lee – we had such a great time with you guys & your bridal party, thanks so much for inviting us to share a part in your amazing wedding. Many, many more photos to come!

Isaac, Amber, and Mat.

Hi guys,

On Saturday, we headed out to photograph Jono & Yvonne’s wedding – at the Avondale Reformed Church, and then on to Gracehill Vineyard in Kumeu, for their reception.

Our morning began around at the boys house, where we found Jono & his groomsmen ready to roll.

This was shot with some off-camera flash down at the bottom of the stairs, giving it that nice punchy lighting effect. Love the suave tails on the morning suit that Jono was wearing

We spied a tree full of ‘autumn’ … so headed across to the next-door neighbours backyard to make the most of it…

We left the boys (who were planning to get back into casual clothes and have a BBQ breakfast!!) and arrived around at the girls place – where Yvonne was in the final stages of makeup..

Everyone looked stunning – the bridesmaids in their beautiful ‘infinity’ dresses which Yvonne had made – very talented!

We had time for a few shots around the place…

And then it was down to the church.

When we arrived, we saw their gorgeous flower girl – holding her bouquet. Her aunty (Yvonne’s sister) is a florist – and had done all the girls bouquets. But part of the rules of being a florist, is that this little one usually isn’t allowed to touch the flowers. So today – being able to hold her own special bouquet, her eyes just lit up!

Jono, seeing Yvonne for the first time.

Their parents came up to the front of the church at the conclusion of the service, and all prayed for them. Beautiful.

For our location photos, we had 3 spots lined up – the beach, Gracehill, and some cool trees we’d found.
The usual (and logical) sequence of events would be to shoot at Gracehill last, so that once we were finished, we could head inside for the reception & were already there.

But logic is often trumped by opportunity – and in this case, we hoped we might get something of a sunset down at the beach, if only we could stay there up until the last possible moment.

So we headed to Gracehill first – and took some shots down on the jetty…

Then – down in one of the corners, this beautiful tree was in full autumn colour brilliance.

You’ve seen me mention before – we LOVE autumn weddings. For so many reasons. It’s not so hot, like the middle of summer, the colours are fantastic, and the afternoon light is just the best to work with. And – we can get sunsets at 6pm, when we’re actually out shooting the bridal party photos, as opposed to a 9.30pm sunset in summer that occurs around the same time as the first dance. Autumn = awesome.

The bridal party had a bunch of rose petals to throw around… so we made sure they were put to good use…

Then, we saddled up, hit the road, and stopped in at our trees.

Love how this image is both beautiful & eerie at the same time.

Walking back to the cars, this light was hitting the trees behind them so perfectly.

We raced off to the beach, racing both the remaining daylight, and our time we needed to leave by!

When you’re shooting down by the waterline… there’s always one teeeennny problem..

And then, the sunset started getting sunsetty..

And it was right about this point… that we needed to leave. So we said ‘guys – we can stick to schedule & head back now, or we can be 15 minutes late back, and see if we can get a sunset.’

Guess what they opted for.

Thanks so much, both Yvonne & Jono – but also your fabulous bridesmaids & groomsmen – for indulging us, braving the cold wind proved worthwhile

Back at Gracehill, after their arrival at the reception, Jono & Yvonne took the chance to have a sneaky first dance practice..

Then, just before we headed home for the night, we set up some lights outside, where there was a cool fountain – and played with some backlighting, shining through the water. Here’s the very final frame of the whole day.

If you’ve enjoyed these images, head along and ‘like’ our Perspectives Photography Facebook Page – where you can stay updated with all our latest creations

Jono & Yvonne, thank you both so much for inviting us along to share a part in your wedding day – we had a fantastic time with you guys, and we’ll have more images on the way soon!

Isaac, Amber, and Tam.