Auckland Wedding Photographer FAQs

What services do you offer?

I am an Auckland based, professional wedding photographer - who can cater for both small weddings, medium weddings, as well as longer weddings; whether formal/informal; religious/non-religious, I am a very diverse wedding photographer and can cater for almost any type of wedding that you're after.

Where are you based as wedding photographer?

I am based in Auckland, New Zealand. I have a photography studio based in Whangaparaoa, but can also travel to anywhere in Auckland - whether for weddings, portrait shoots, family shoots or parties/events- indoors or outdoor. I also have a portable studio light set that I can take with me to any indoor location.

When can we contact you in regard to your wedding photographer services?

Anytime between 9am and 8pm.

Can we meet you first?

Yes, I offer free, no-obligation consultations for people who might want to book me as their Auckland wedding photographer. The aim of the consultation is to meet, talk & discuss any details for your wedding. After the consultation you can decide whether you want to contact me and go ahead with booking my services as wedding photographer.

When are you available for consultations?

Since I understand the fact that most people have to work during the week, a booking for a consultation can be made any time during the day/evening, in the week/weekends (whenever I am available).

When is your busiest time as wedding photographer?

Oct - Feb is usually my busiest time as one of Auckland's wedding photographers, especially Saturday bookings, so if you wish to get married over this time, it is highly recommendable to contact me as far ahead as possible.

What areas do you service?

I service the whole of Auckland as wedding photographer, as well as most parts of Rodney.

Do you charge extra for travelling?

My wedding photographer packages include travelling costs to most parts of Auckland - so usually there is no extra/hidden costs involved. However, some areas within Auckland might require additional travelling fees - if you are uncertain, please feel welcome to send me the address of your wedding venue and I will give you a precise quote.

Can you photograph both our wedding and engagement party?

WYes, I offer special packages with discounted rates if you wish to book me for your engagement party and as your wedding photographer (and both events are in Auckland) - please inquire from me to receive an individual quote.

How do we book you as our wedding photographer?

A booking for your wedding is made once I have received a 20% no-refundable deposit. Before then I can only keep your wedding date available as long as I don't receive any other inquiries for that date. If I do, the booking will have to be made for the couple who paid their deposit first.

Do you photograph the bride while she is getting ready?

Yes, photographing brides while getting ready is included in my Auckland wedding photographer packages to couples who wish to include it. What I normally find is that this is a very busy and intimate time for the bride and her family/friends. So, instead of being in the way and hanging around for an hour, I usually arrive half an hour before the ceremony starts and then stay for 15 minutes, during which I ask that the bride (and everyone else involved with the photos) set aside 10 or 15 minutes of their time for the photos while I am there. After this I leave and let everyone carry on and give them their space.

What is the longest time that you can stay to photograph a wedding?

My assistant and I can stay up to 9hrs to photograph your wedding. Usually this is adequate time to cover any lengthy wedding.

How many photos do you take during the ceremony?

This is a fine balance for any Auckland wedding photographer to pull off: between capturing the moments and yet also respecting the religious/spiritual environment. For this reason I limit the amount of photos that I take during the ceremony to key moments only (of which I take 1 - 2 shots of each). I will also respect any requests from your priest/pastor in regard to where I can & cannot be during the ceremony. Usually my assistant will stand at the back of the church/location to capture it from a different angle, yet with the same mind-set as the above.

We are not sure what package to book?

My Auckland wedding photographer packages differ depending on the time that you want me (and my assistant) to stay. Some people prefer short weddings while others prefer longer weddings. If you only wish for me to photograph the ceremony (of less than 45 min) and maybe a few photos of the bride & groom and/or some group photos, then this might fall within the Ruby package of 1-2hrs. However, if you wish for me to stay for the bride getting ready, ceremony, reception (including speeches, cutting of cake, first dance etc) then this will more likely fall within the Diamond package of 5 or more hrs. Usually I set aside a whole day for a wedding so if you do realize at a later stage that you might require me to stay longer (as your Auckland wedding photographer) then it shouldn't be a problem.

We wish to have outdoor photos taken for our wedding - do we need a back-up option?

Even though we will all be keeping fingers crossed on the day, Mr Murphy might have other plans! For this reason, as your wedding photographer, I always recommend to have another back-up option for a rainy day - whether indoors or a place which has a balcony/roof.

How many photos will we receive and in what format?

You will receive all the photos on a flash disc in high resolution - ready for printing! The amount of photos that you will receive will depend on the amount of photos that I take which will depend on the length of your wedding and the time that you wish for me to stay - overall this can be anything from 80 to 400 photos in total.

How long do we have to wait before receiving our photos?

As one of Auckland's top wedding photographers, it is my first priority to get each and every client's photos done ASAP, as I can appreciate that you would be excited to receive the photos asap. Which is why I usually try to finish them within 1-2 weeks after your wedding (although it might vary depending my work load).

Do you do any post-processing to the photos?

Yes, like most other Auckland wedding photographers, I retouch every photo and do some post-processing work - making sure that they fit quality, professional award-winning Auckland wedding photographers standard photos. So you will still receive all the photos - however, instead of giving you only originals, you will be receiving all the photos in high-end, printing-ready standard.

Can we order prints/photo albums/canvasses from you?

Yes. Please refer to my "Printing prices index" on my pricing page.

Do you have any assistants?

For weddings, I normally request to bring along my most trustworthy assistant (aka my husband). The reason for this is because a wedding is a busy time where many things happen at once. As a result I often don't have time to fiddle around with my equipment (and carry all of it) - I need someone to help me out with it as well as a back-up photographer for taking photos from another angle during the ceremony (to avoid having to walk around during the ceremony & disturbing everyone). However, if your particular religious or cultural views don't allow men to be present whilst photographing the bride during a wedding ceremony, I could make an exception and only bring along myself - the best is just to mention any of these details when contacting me as there is no hard rule - I try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate everyone. For portrait shoots I normally work on my own at my studio, whereas, if its an outdoor or indoor shoot that might require an assistant to help me with holding a reflector, I will discuss this with you beforehand.

Our wedding isn't what you would call "traditional" - can you cater for that?

Yes, off course! Being a very diverse Auckland wedding photographer means I can cater for any and every type of wedding. My job is to go with the flow - adjust to the vibe and make sure I capture it! I am probably a lot more laid-back than most other Auckland wedding photographers might be - so go ahead, contact me for ANY type of wedding (yes, any type) - I can handle it!

We are looking for a wedding photographer for short weddings. Can you cater for that?

Yes. I am an Auckland wedding photographer who can cater for short weddings (even weddings that are only 1 - 2 hours), as well as lengthy weddings. Please refer to my "pricing" page for more details on the packages that I offer.

We don't want "posed" photos - we are looking for an Auckland wedding photographer who can take relaxed and natural-looking photos of us. Can you cater for that?

I am often told that this is very reflective of my style: natural, relaxed photos - focusing on the energy and special moments in time. I also believe that I have the gift of making others feel very comfortable and at ease. I usually tell couples when photographing them that they should talk to each other and pretend that I am not there - that is when I get to capture the best photos!

Do you cater for gay couples getting married as well?

Yes, off course! I offer my services as Auckland wedding photographer to any and every type of wedding - including weddings for gay couples

Our wedding isn't going to be very formal - although we still want photos taken by an Auckland wedding photographer?

I can cater for very informal and yet also for very formal weddings - either way I am very adaptable to any type of wedding that you wish to have so please feel welcome to contact me.

Is photography your only qualification?

No. Apart from 7 years of experience in photography, wedding photography and a certificate obtained at the Photography institute of South Africa, I also have an LLB Law degree as well as a post-graduate Law School certificate which I obtained in 2006 before deciding to become a photographer in 2007.

Being an Auckland wedding photographer for quite some time now, I have learned a few things over the years - a few tips if you may - and thought it good to share.

Choosing the right Auckland wedding photographer

Always make sure that you choose a wedding photographer which you are comfortable with. Wedding photographers who bark, scream, shout or make any rude comments towards you, your partner or your appearance are NOT the type of wedding photographer you would want at your wedding. I've heard it happen many times and sadly cannot say that I've ever heard of any good results that came from that. So always make sure that the Auckland wedding photographer that you choose is someone who makes you feel comfortable - not stressed-out!

Tips for brides

Even though I am no make-up artist or hairstylist, I do get to see many women and brides and, being an expert Auckland wedding photographer, I do have an eye for the little details (and the big picture)... I have therefore, over the years, picked up a few things as a bystander which might come in handy as helpful pointers.

The three most important things to consider (in my opinion as an Auckland Wedding photographer) and which will influence your appearance the most is make-up, hairstyle and dress.

Make-up

Firstly, in regard to make-up: there are a lot of make-up artists out there but they will all be different and will all have different styles which may or may not coincide with your style. So, as an experienced Auckland photographer I would recommend to make sure you pick a make-up artist that you've worked with before or ask them to do a test-run with you before your wedding date. That way there will be no surprizes. If you cannot find a make-up artist with whom you're comfortable with, go for the safest option: do your own make-up!

Hairstyle

That brings us to the next big question: what to do with your hair for your wedding? When choosing a hairstyle, the most important thing to consider is not what styles are in fashion or what suits your dress etc but what styles suit YOU and YOUR facial structure. There are 7 different known face shapes: oval, round, diamond, square, oblong, triangular and the heart shaped face. Not all hairstyles will suit all face shapes - i.e. if you have a very fine, petite, Audrey Hepburn type face then you can probably get away with letting your hair loose or having it taken up... However, if you have a face like I have (which is round & big!) then you simply cannot take your hair up (no matter how pretty the style might seem - it just won't suit me - so I always have to keep my hair at least shoulder length and hanging loose, close to my face). Some hairstylists might want to convince you to choose a style that they like but always make sure that it's a style that YOU want as well.

Choosing a wedding dress

When choosing a wedding dress one has to follow the same thinking procedure as when choosing a hairstyle as above: firstly consider what type of body shape you have (i.e. apple, pear, hourglass, rectangle or inverted triangle) and then choose the type of dress which best suits your own body shape. You might already know what types of styles suit your body shape: go have a look in your cupboard: can you categorise your dresses in groups of (or at least one group of) the same styles? If so, those are the styles that suits your body best. I.e. think of the sleeves - are most of them sleeveless, short, straps or long sleeves? And where is the focus point: at the hips, the bosom, the back or the bottom? Are they v-necks, c-necks or polo necks? You can also use this as a base for deciding the colour of your dress (yes, even for white dresses as you get various types of off-whites as well!).

Puffiness under eyes

If you had a restless night before the big wedding day and couldn't sleep much and wake up all puffy-eyed: don't panic! This might sound like an old wives tale but I live by it: put some cucumber slices on your eyes (unless you are allergic to cucumbers off course). Cucumbers have a very cooling effect on your skin. The fact that you have taken it out of the fridge also means it is cold - cold & cool is good for relieving puff & redness on your skin. You can even press them down lightly against your closed eyelids if you are rushed for time - a few minutes and you'll be good to go. Check it out afterwards it the mirror - you will see that it really does work wonders!