Light and lifestyle {New Zealand wedding-engagement photographer}

As all photographers {especially wedding-engagement ones ;)} I love the light, and can't help myself when I see the beautiful light coming through the trees {at our family walk at reserve not far from our house}.

This time we took kids on the bike truck and they had a lot of fun running around and riding bike {my older boy who is turning 4! this week first time been riding bike with 2 wheels and he just confident jump into it without any trouble at all, been so happy}. My smaller one loved to have freedom, lay on the grass and enjoy herself :)

I used the opportunity to grab camera fast and capture a few lifestyle moments with kids.

Enjoy this gallery!

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Pirongia bush walk - personal moments {Waikato lifestyle wedding photographer}

It was a great weekend in Pirongia {Waikato NZ} with bush walk at the mountain with my family {including 2 little ones}. It was one of these rare weekends when I am not been doing wedding photography and spent time with my family :)

I love to capture lifestyle personal moments and treasured memories for my family storytelling. Kids grow so fast and changes a lot. My older one soon will turn 4 years old and little one in few months time will be 3 years old, they not a babies anymore! {a little bit pity...I remember how I been waiting when they grow up from baby age and when its actually happened I missing this time, thats why I need to capture these treasured moments!}

Day started from rain on the way but luckily all clear up when we arrived to the mountain. Kids been really happy to explore everything around, look at tall trees, go across the bridge, climb up, and even found some stream, where they immediately went into the water and enjoyed themselves. Then of course they became all wet, I dressed my sun in my big warm jacket and carry my daughter all way back in my hands. Fun time and great memories.

Enjoy this gallery!

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365 Project - March 2016 {Auckland-Waikato-Northland lifestyle family and wedding photographer}

I keep doing my 365 project in 2016 and want to share with you some photographs from March. 

It was really busy month for me with a lot of shooting: few weddings in Northland, Auckland, family event in Morrinsville {Waikato}, maternity photo shoot, meetings with my awesome clients | friends  and other little business things with parallel full time work as Mum of 2 active little ones!

It's really important at this hectic time to get ability to slow down, observe and capture the moments, what never going to be repeated again.

So hope you enjoy this gallery with my everyday lifestyle moment!

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The Creative fight - Book club {Auckland-Waikato-Bay of Plenty wedding photographer}

I just discover amazing book wrote by Chris Orwig "The Creative fight". Im not a reading person for a last time (shame to say years! during having 2 babies, and mostly read learning stuff online), but its so big pleasure just to hold in your hands a real book, especially THIS book and turn the pages! :)

The book content is amazing for people who think about photography, creativity, life and philosophy as well :)

Im shooting weddings a lot in Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas and sometimes feel really tired if even I love my work. It's so busy and hectic and I really want to find beauty in details and harmony in moments. So idea about think different, outside the box and be creative with unfolding your interior feelings and open the eyes towards new ideas is really refreshing!

I'm reading chapter by chapter, week by week. Not because I don't have time to proper read it between shooting weddings (it's part true though), but also because I have the opportunity to think, do creative exercises and also discuss ideas with other photographers!

What a great world opens for us, if we want it to be open, of course ;)

If you want to change something start from yourself and your feelings about the situation (it's not a Chris Orwig quote, it's my feelings and thoughts :)

So just follow your gut!

The Creative Fight {Auckland lifestyle wedding photographer}

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Wedding workflow {Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga lifestyle couples-engagement photographer}

Im a really organised person, love to create different todo lists, put together items in logical order and create a workflow. Today I decided to share with you my wedding photography workflow. Im as a lifestyle wedding photographer travel a lot around Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga areas, sometimes even up North or down South and its important to keep on track with all events and clients | vendors.

A lot of people who are really far from photography business can think that our work as photographers just arrive on location, shoot event and right away deliver the images (believe me I thought that too before joined amazing world of photography), but its so much more! 

Shooting a wedding day can take usually between 5 and 12 hours depends on quantity of events and locations, but pre-wedding process and post wedding production can take weeks and even months! Usually I spend on each wedding at least 80 hours work and even more.

wedding workflow - photography tips {Auckland wedding photographers}

Let see my usual workflow (Im not going to put down quantity of hours | time spend on each item, its easy to guess :)

1. answer for enquiry, follow up

2. organise meeting for discuss wedding details an see if we on the same page

3. create and send quote, contract, questionnaire, invoice. Sometimes send a reminder {in 17 hats - management software}

4. answer for all following questions,

5. contact clients few months before the wedding day, organise an engagement | pre-wedding session (do all session workflow including choose and scout location, shooting, post-processing, deliver the gallery, blogging etc.)

engagement - couples photo shoot {New Zealand wedding photographer}

6. contact clients one month before the wedding, send an invoice reminder for final payment, questionnaire

7. organise pre-wedding consultation | meeting, go over all details again {online or via the phone}

8. scout wedding location

9. check last minute changes one week before the wedding

10. prepare equipment, all addresses, directions to location, contact creative team | all vendors

bride getting ready {New Zealand wedding photographer}

11. shooting wedding according the timeline and any unexpected changes / delays with first dance, cake cutting etc.

12. copy all files, back-up files at the end of the day {Im using two external drives and online Amazine Drive storage to be absolutely secure}

13. culling (choosing best images) - sometimes I move through images twice, as second time allow me to look at images with fresh eye

14. post-processing | retouching images

15. post sneak peek on Facebook or email

wedding photography New Zealand | destination wedding photogpraher

16. download images in online gallery and USB stick

17. organise prints | products

18. send to a client letter with link on online gallery (3-4 weeks after wedding day)

19. post USB stick with high resolution files + web quality images and prints | products

20. back up final galleries

21. write and publish a blog post with best images from the wedding day

Auckland wedding photogpraher

22. choose best images for portfolio and publications

23. send a gallery link to all creative team

24. submit the gallery for publications, keep on track with publishers (i love to share my images, because Im really happy with results)

25. submit best images for various awards | contests (thats motivate me to do more, progress and move forward :).

26. post wedding results on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media etc.

Im sure its not a full list, probably I forgot some other little details :) But hope you get an idea about how much work involve into the weddings and I love this work :)

wedding photographer Auckland - Hamilton - Tauranga NZ

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North Head {Auckland lifestyle wedding photographer}

North Head is a very interesting place to visit. Located in Devonport, Auckland big historic reserve with beautiful views on Auckland city, Rangitoto Island, Waiheke Island and surroundings. There also some tunnels what been build during World War II.

We used the opportunity to visit this site with family last weekend in North Shore (Auckland) and kids had chance explore around, go to tunnels with torches and had freedom to run around :)

I captured some lifestyle moments and beautiful views. 

Interesting I been contacted the same day about couples photo shoot prior the wedding on North head. Sounds like a destiny, place to be :)

Enjoy this gallery!

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My 365 Project - February {Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga wedding photographer}

February was a second month of 365 Project and its second year as well. It was a great month full of positive emotions.

I finally had a chance to have a short family holidays in Tauranga in between of busy wedding season with shooting weddings and lifestyle sessions in Auckland and Hamilton. I been happy to catch up with my awesome wedding clients who planning their wedding in 2017 (some of them even one and a half year in advance! thats a great timing). Its always pity to get inquiries for the same date, so my advice to book your venue and photographer right after engagement and move it out of the way :)

Back to my lifestyle everyday moments with family and kids (they grow up so fast!).

Enjoy this gallery with best photographs captured for 365 Project in February:

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Family fun with kids - personal lifestyle moments {Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga wedding photographer}

Sometimes its really good to just relax and to have family fun with kids. Last evening we took kids out to Te Rapa playground  near shopping centre {Hamilton} and kids been happy to run around near closed shops and even found some trolley, what they decided to ride.

Do you think its hard to shoot weddings? These two little ones making my life really busy, hands full, more hectic then on wedding day, ha-ha :)

I captured some lifestyle personal moments and their freedom to discover and do things what they feel like to do, it's such a treasured moments!

Enjoy this lifestyle gallery with my family personal moments (few last images taken by my husband :)! It was our 4 years anniversary by the way :)

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Timeless photographs {Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga lifestyle wedding-family photographer}

Sometimes photographs what you captured have some timeless feeling. You don't know why but they deeply speaks to you as photographer. Its can be a colour or shape, emotion or atmosphere, lines or composition, or something else what hard to describe. I found out black and white images often feels stronger connect to what I want to see in the my art.

Im doing my 365 Project and capture everyday lifestyle moments with my family and kids. Its a family storytelling in between of wedding photo shoots around Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga areas :) This part of my personal photography projects is really important to me.

This time I captured how kids had fun after pre-school colouring on the concrete drive way. They enjoyed it and I used the opportunity to capture these moments with my Lensbaby, which gave the opportunity to be more creative and get really interesting shots with timeless feeling to them. Its not so easy to get right focus (there absolutely manual control), but its let you to feel the camera and lens and get some retro and timeless feeling to it what I really love! :)

Enjoy this gallery with my little ones!

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Family holidays in Tauranga {Auckland-Waikato-Bay of Plenty lifestyle wedding photographer}

Its been a happy family holidays in Tauranga (Bay of Plenty) last weekend. We been waiting for these moments from Christmas time because of busy summer wedding season (I been shooting a lot of weddings in Auckland, Waikato around December-January time).

So it was a real treasure to move into the hotel with swimming pool, take kids to the beach, have fun at Memorial park in Tauranga and just try to relax, what not so easy to do with two little ones around :)

I still been doing some work, catch up with my awesome wedding clients in Tauranga: two meetings during one weekend, but thats me, work is never stops, especially my one where you need be on track 24 | 7 :)

I had the opportunity to capture some lifestyle moments around when had feeling I need take this shot because of beauty around, light or just memorable family moments :)

Enjoy this gallery from our family holidays in Tauranga!

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My everyday moments in 365 Project - January {Auckland-Hamilton lifestyle wedding-couples photographer}

Its a new year, its a new life and I continue to capture my everyday lifestyle moments in 365 project (366 this year :)

What a great month January, amazing start of the year: first 3 weddings open this year for me with travel to Auckland (Castaways Resort), Tauranga (Ataahua Garden Venue) and around the Hamilton, news about winning an International Wedding Photography Award by Bridal Guide (my pictures chosen in top 50 with other amazingly talented wedding photographers). My picture features on the cover of HuffPost Weddings! Its a big honour and amazing start of the year!

My little one finally became toilet trained, yay (you can't believe but its a big achievement in each family with little ones, ha-ha!). 

So many exciting events! I also look forward this year (a lot of big dates).

Oh, I forgot I celebrated my 35th birthday on 8th of January! Yay!

Enjoy this lifestyle gallery with my everyday moments!

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Taitua Arboretum: family time {Hamilton lifestyle photographer}

We decided to spent this weekend family time in Taitua Arboretum, not far from Hamilton (Waikato). What a fun time for our little ones! 

Kids just loved walking through the bushes, seen chickens everywhere, ducks and swans in the ponds and tall trees everywhere.

It was a boiling hot summer day, so its been a lifesaver to hide in the shade of the greenery around.

Love to capture these everyday lifestyle moments for my 365 project and family storytelling (its a treasure for me as a mum and a photographer). 

Enjoy this lifestyle gallery with my personal moments how little ones explore Taitua Arboretum! (don't be surprised to see an Ironman with Spiderman hat, he just loves superheroes!) :)

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Little one having fun in the bath {Hamilton lifestyle family-kids photographer}

It's a real treasure to capture everyday moments with kids. Today my little one (3 years old boy) had some fun in our bath and I used this opportunity to shoot these lifestyle family moments.

Im a mum but I also a photographer who looks at beautiful life, atmosphere, emotions and moments!

Enjoy this few pics from my little one's morning fun! 


Hot day in Hamilton Gardens {Personal family moments - Hamilton lifestyle photographer}

It was a hot day and our family decided spend it in Hamilton gardens. We had a picnic on the lake, walk around the gardens, kids been happy to explore surroundings and even found a little swimming pool. What a treasure at this warm weather!

I had my camera nearby and captured some lifestyle everyday moments for family storytelling, memories and my 365 Project. Yes, I keep going with it second year in a row :) 

All kids had a wet clothes when we come back to the car, but everyone been happy, especially with ice block in the hands, ha-ha!

Enjoy this gallery!

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New Year Resolution {Auckland-Hamilton lifestyle wedding photographer}

Its a new year come and its time to publish new resolution. Its became a good tradition to look back and realise what I need to work on, where to go :)

Results of 2015:

1. This year was amazing. I did plenty of lifestyle newborn-baby-family sessions, couples-engagement photo shoots and of course weddings! :) I met amazing people and made more friends! :)

2. I think I finally lean toward to my style, found my voice in photography.

3. My work been published in few established publishers and it feels really good when what you are doing is acknowledged. Also at last day of 2015 year I received a great news: two of my pictures been chosen by Bridal Guide Magazine as best pictures of 2015. Im so thrilled to be an Award Winning Wedding Photographer!

4. I learnt a lot (finished few great workshops - wedding photography, post-processing, using flash and much more) for provide the best experience to my clients.

5. I continued been in amazing community ClickinMoms with great support and advice. 

6. Finished first 365 Project - documenting my kids everyday moments and family storytelling. I think I will keep going on for capture so treasured moments!

My personal life achievements:

1. Moving from Auckland to Hamilton NZ, with more relaxable lifestyle and ability to be closer to Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions (which good for my photography).

2. My little ones turned 3 and 2 years old. Its amazing how they became more independent, talking, having own opinion, toilet training (ha-ha, that was stressful and then happened in one moment, mother will understand my excitement!) and how active they are :)

3. Joined Russian community and  made a lot of new friends with keeping old ones :)

4. Getting new equipment and lenses (wait, its again about my photography, but its really personal to me, my little treasures, ha-ha :)

Goals for New Year:

1. Practice-Practice and more practice, continue 365 Project (maybe in slightly relaxable way :). Learn a lot!

2. Develop my business, service and packaging as well ;) Make more clients/friends happy!

3. Getting higher level of art, develop photography style. I want my pictures speak to you!

4. Be happy and keep my family happy. Im so glad to have amazing support from my husband (who look after kids when Im shooting and doing my business, and help me a lot, even with proof reading my blog-posts!). Thank you so much, I have no idea what I can do without you!

Look forward to this 2016 year, really exciting. Its few special dates coming: Im turning 35! Im not a shy girl to tell my true age :) on 8 January (can't believe it), my husband turns 40 (big date!), its 5 years from our first meeting in Europe (yes, we fast with marriage and babies :) and kids turning 4 and 3 years - not long to go to school! Hopefully there will be more exciting events!

Look forward to see you all again! Yay!

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Best of my 365 Project 2015 {Auckland-Hamilton lifestyle photographer}

Its just amazing how many positive and enjoyable moments happened during this year, which I document in my 365 Project.

It also let me practice, grow and progress in my photography and capture family storytelling, everyday moments with kids. These all such a treasured lifestyle moments.

I love to look back through the galleries. Hope you enjoy it too!

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My 365 Project. December {Auckland-Hamilton lifestyle photographer}

Last month of this year gone and its last month in my 365 Project - December.

It was a month full of positive lifestyle moments and emotions. I been doing photo shoots in Auckland and Hamilton, weddings and lifestyle sessions and also capture my family and kids everyday moments.

Enjoy this gallery!

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Merry Christmas and Happy holidays (Auckland-Hamilton lifestyle wedding photographer}

My dear friends | clients! 

I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy holidays!

Hope you will have exciting events, trips and have some rest and relax!

I am still very busy with shooting weddings, lifestyle sessions in Auckland and Hamilton, especially at summer time! Will post more sneak peeks and blog posts during the holidays if I have a chance :). 

It's exciting time for everyone, hope you enjoy it!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Christmas tree {Auckland-Hamilton wedding-engagement-family-kids photographer}

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Documenting family everyday moments {Auckland-Hamilton lifestyle photographer}

I love to do a family storytelling and document everyday lifestyle moments, day by day. 365 Photography Project coming to the end, but I think I will keep going and capturing all these treasured moments in my family life: my daughter's first pony tales (her hair grows really slowly for the first two years :), my son meeting Santa just before Christmas (what great memories!), love all these emotions, my little ones love jumping on the bed every day...

Hope you enjoy this gallery!

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Hamilton Zoo family time {Waikato kids lifestyle photographer}

What a fun family time we had at Hamilton Zoo at Sunday morning. I just love these lifestyle moments, which are great to photograph to have memories about this treasured time.

Its so great to see all kids raw emotions of happiness when they met monkeys, giraffes or even ducks! :) They just a little bit small for big walking through the bush, up and down, so we carried them a lot of times :)

I had a chance to take a fast pictures in between candid moments :)

Enjoy this gallery!

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