It started very early in the morning for everyone being woken by the earthquake in Christchurch.  Teresa (my second shooter) and I were unlucky enough to have booked into a hotel in Cashel steet and were on the 22nd floor when the earthquake hit.  More about that later,  but it did have to be mentioned as it certainly impacted on the day.  We headed off very shaken to start recording Katherine and David’s big day.  I was delighted to see a big smile on Katherine’s face when I arrived at her house.  The messages started coming in, the hairdresser wasn’t going to make it (oh well there was no power, so what do you do), then there was the call regarding the venue which had crumbled inside, oh well as Katherine said we could still have a BBQ!  Then we got a visit from the priest and we knew this would not be good news.  The beautiful church that they had chosen had crumbled in on the inside as well.  So it was decided that they would get married on the lawn outside the church.  Good news also came in, the flowers where fine, and the caterers had found another venue so no need for the BBQ.  Katherine you were amazing you took so much bad news that morning and still managed to smile and look on the bright side.  Katherine and David your wedding day was beautiful and I wish you both all the happiness in the world.  Thanks for having me along.  Enjoy your pics there are a lot more to come.

Thanks for being so brave it was freezing, not long now untill the wedding.  For those that follow my blog you will recognise this little piece of paradise it is one of my favourite places to shoot in Kakanui I am sure am going to miss this spot.

I have had the pleasure this year of mentoring (trying to at least) two young and upcoming photographers.  One has moved over to Australia and is starting her own photography business (more about Alyssa in another post).    The other is the very talented Teresa who has been working for me for a while now coming along to weddings and generally helping to organise my life!!  What I love about mentoring is seeing someone become their own type of photographer and not just a clone of you.  Teresa’s style is very different to mine and it has been a pleasure to watch her grow.  As I am closing down my business in the little old town of Oamaru and moving it on to Invercargill,  I will miss hanging out in the studio with my friend.   Here are some photos from a recent wedding that Teresa came along and second shot for me.  You will get to know here by her business name Hummingbird Photography.  Enjoy her work!!

To my wonderful bride and groom thankyou again for letting us be a part of your big day, and now you have Teresa’s photos to enjoy with a disk coming your way soon!!

Thank you for having us along on your wonderfully perfect day.  Here is just a sneak peak with a lot more to come.  Enjoy!!

With newborn photography the goal is to try and get some sleepy shots, well this little guy wasn’t having a bar of it.  We managed to snap one frame with him asleep and that was it!!  But if I had eyes that gorgeous I would be reluctant to shut them for photos too.  Isn’t he gorgeous!!

With five children I don’t often get away by myself for the weekend.  So when I was asked to photograph Katherine and Davids Wedding in Christchurch, I took the opportunity to head away on my own for a weekend to do their engagement shoot.  I had a blast photographing these two the are so in love it was gorgeous, and I got to catch up with a very good friend of mine for the night afterwards and a few wines!!  Katherine and David  you are such a great couple and have so much love for each other.  Enjoy your sneak peak and there are a lot more to come, very soon!!

I went to University for a number of years and came away with a Masters Degree in Science majoring in Psychology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation I then went and worked for the Blind Foundation.  When our second child was born he had very severe allergies so I  had to give up work.  This is when I discovered my passion for photography.   He is now 7 and I am still obsessed with all things photography and have turned that into a business which I love.

I had the pleasure of photographing Candace Little in the studio for her head shots for acting.  Here is a young woman who is following her passion, Candace  I wish you all the luck in the world.

This was a special wedding for me to photograph as it was my husbands baby brother getting married.  I had to laugh as only a month before the wedding I had said to Pauline that  while  I was loving wedding season,  I would just love to go to a wedding as a guest.   I didn’t know at the time they were planning on getting married!!  They didn’t give us very much notice pretty much the whole thing was organised in two weeks.   As I drove down to Dunedin with all our children in the truck, I was touched by their genuine excitement about the Wedding and the talk between them about how it was such a great day because they were getting a new Aunty.  Dunedin is not renowned for its great weather (I might pay for that comment later) but the  Gods had got together and decided they would shine on these two for the day.  Hope you enjoy your sneak peek there are alot more photos to come!!

Wow it has been a while since I blogged and I have a lot to blog about, my studio is opening soon,  I have been ordering huge canvases and laying flooring and buying the most gorgeous newborn hats and petty skirts.  Look out next week on the blog for a sneak peek of the studio before it opens.  But today I am blogging about a shoot with a great group of people who were great sports and made the best out of a very chilly and wet day.

Well this was  my last wedding for the summer and what a great day it was.   Thanks Kim & Ben for having me along on your wonderful day.  Kim your dress was stunning and your brides maids and flower girls looked gorgeous.  The boys well what can I say they looked seriously cool!!   Hope you enjoy your sneak peek there are plenty more to come.