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Featured on Junebug and DIY Bride websites | New Zealand wedding photography

I’ve been so fortunate to have been featured on two amazing websites this past month. If you need any ideas at all for your wedding, do stop by Junebug Weddings and the DIY Bride. Both have wonderful editors who put together fantastic features. The best part is that I think both websites are really grounded and don’t have too much ‘wedding industry’ bogging them down, instead they rely on fresh ideas and seem to really love unique personal ideas from all of your amazing weddings.

May 10, 2013 - 1:48 pm

kristi wright - Congrats on the Junebug feature! What is the magic secret? :)

May 11, 2013 - 12:51 am

Kellee Walsh - Congrats Mary! Gorgeous work :)

May 11, 2013 - 11:27 pm

Sachin Khona - Congrats Mary!

May 12, 2013 - 10:39 am

MArio Colli - Contratulations Mary. Well done :)

May 12, 2013 - 10:47 am

Dale Lempa - Well done, congrats!

May 13, 2013 - 3:13 am

Rebecca - you lady, are amazing. congrats :)

May 13, 2013 - 12:20 pm

Alex Miller - Well deserved Mary – your images are fantastic.

May 13, 2013 - 5:31 pm

small - Great work! Congrats!

May 13, 2013 - 9:12 pm

Albert Palmer - Congrats on the feature Mary!

May 13, 2013 - 10:21 pm

Matthew Long - Congratulations Mary.

May 14, 2013 - 4:28 am

caroline - um, duh you got featured! it’s cuz you’re so amazing!

May 14, 2013 - 12:36 pm

Darren Gair - Well done and well deserved recognition.

May 14, 2013 - 2:38 pm

Albert - Well done!!! well deserved!!

May 14, 2013 - 5:58 pm

Cole - Badass. Congrats. And that DIY blog feels like a perfect home for you style :)

Stephanie and Tom | Wellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement Photography

It’s fair to say this wedding season has been a whirlwind of amazement, happiness and an incredibly long (but very fun) processing queue. My blog always gets the last look because my clients’ images and deadlines come first. I’ve managed to stay ahead of all photo delivery deadlines this season; I’ve come pretty close to the wire sometimes, but wild horses (or wildly slow Lightroom) can’t drag me away when there’s a delivery date to beat!

I’ve just delivered this engagement session to the gorgeous Stephanie and Tom, so thought I’d take a moment to post some of their shots on the blog. I’m also hoping that I can catch up and post a lot more amazing weddings and engagements from this past season, as the winter comes in. In the meantime, here’s a slice of summer on this delightfully fresh and Autumnal day (in Wellington, anyway):

Wellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement PhotographyWellington Waterfront and Oriental Parade Engagement Photography
April 8, 2013 - 4:56 am

Bec - absolutely beautiful Mary! The lovely pastel colours are just divine.

April 8, 2013 - 5:18 am

David Childers - That bridge shot exploded my brain!

April 8, 2013 - 5:37 am

Jason - Wow! LOVE those portrait orientation images, and the photograph on the bridge – genius!

April 8, 2013 - 8:34 am

don barrington - the light is nice in these images. :D

April 8, 2013 - 11:34 am

Martin Turner - York Wedding Photographer - Some beautiful photos here. Thanks for sharing.

April 8, 2013 - 1:10 pm

Natalie - Sun drenched and gorgeous!

April 8, 2013 - 5:24 pm

Porter - duuuuuuuude mary that second one is GORGEOUS, such killer work!

April 8, 2013 - 8:10 pm

Matthew Long - Just beautiful, amazing light and tones

April 8, 2013 - 8:52 pm

tim riddick - second frame is a jaw dropper!

April 8, 2013 - 9:16 pm

Anni - I love all of these, but there is something about the third one (the b&w) that’s especially captivating. Lovely work.

April 8, 2013 - 9:38 pm

/mariahedengren - Oh, the light is fabulous!

April 8, 2013 - 11:43 pm

Leah Muse - These are so lovely.. the sky pictures are great.

April 9, 2013 - 3:15 am

JESSIE - She’s beautiful! You have captured their love awesomely!

April 9, 2013 - 6:52 am

Luis Godinez - I’m totally in love with the first vertical. So amazing.

April 9, 2013 - 10:06 am

Dale Lempa - Beautifully soft captures and epic compositions.

April 9, 2013 - 2:55 pm

Ashley - Great moments captured here – love the perspectives you used

April 11, 2013 - 4:39 pm

mathias fast - mmmm. love these!

April 12, 2013 - 9:46 pm

Sinereh - Love the tone and softness of the photos. Beautiful.

April 13, 2013 - 3:25 pm

Marc - Aruba Photographers - Love the creative point of views! Very refreshing!

Kodak Gold Awards

I was so happy (not to mention surprised!) to receive two silvers in the categories I entered in the Kodak Gold Awards this year! It was my first time entering a New Zealand competition, but like many photographers my connection to Kodak goes back years and years, to the first blurry photos taken off film in a homemade darkroom. It’s great they sponsor an award series like this and I liked the idea of being a part of it.

I received awards for a wedding photo of Danielle and Johnny, shown below, and of Leah who were all as excited about photography as I am. I am hugely thankful to them (as I am to everyone I have the privilege of taking photos of) and, really if you think about it, all I did was point the camera.

 

Award winning New Zealand wedding photographerAward winning Wellington portrait photographer

March 18, 2013 - 9:22 am

Dale Lempa - Great work; congrats!

March 18, 2013 - 9:50 am

Albert Palmer - Congratulations Mary! You must be so pleased :o ) The images look sensational – esp that second one.

March 18, 2013 - 4:26 pm

dustin - Congrats! That is awesome!

March 18, 2013 - 6:42 pm

Luis - Congrats Mary!! Very well deserving, you rock!

March 18, 2013 - 6:59 pm

Lyn Ismael-Bennett - Congratulations, Mary. These are amazing!

March 18, 2013 - 7:20 pm

Joseph West - Congratulations! I love the last photo. Reflection = the bomb.

March 18, 2013 - 10:59 pm

Michael Wachniak - Congratulations! Very well done!

March 18, 2013 - 11:31 pm

Sam - Massive congrats Mary, well done!

March 19, 2013 - 1:23 am

tim riddick - like whoa CONGRATULATIONS!

March 19, 2013 - 4:16 am

Victoria - Congrats Mary! So awesome.

March 19, 2013 - 10:43 am

David Campbell Imagery - Congrats, well deserved!

March 19, 2013 - 4:44 pm

Edward Maurer - Congratulations. Brilliant work.

March 20, 2013 - 3:13 pm

Ashley - Congratulations! These are beautiful!!

March 26, 2013 - 3:28 am

Rebecca - Congratulations Mary! Well deserved :)

March 26, 2013 - 9:54 am

Stefan Hellberg - Congratz!!

March 27, 2013 - 1:08 am

Jason Jarvis - I love your images! I’ve been on your site for about 20 minutes looking at all of them!

March 27, 2013 - 10:30 am

Aruba Wedding Photographer - Congratulations. Always nice to receive awards as an appreciation of your work!

March 28, 2013 - 3:25 pm

Charlotte Wedding Photographer - This is awesome! Congratulations.

March 29, 2013 - 5:01 pm

Luis Godinez - Omg, Mary!! Congrats and that image of the dancer is stunning!

April 2, 2013 - 7:13 pm

mathias - congrats! love the image of the dancer!!

Matt & Anna | Riversdale Beach Wedding Photographer | New Zealand

‘Are we doing this right?’

I get that question a lot during the creative part of a wedding day. The fact is, if you’re anything like Anna and Matt (just having some fun and hanging out before heading up to their reception) then you couldn’t be more perfectly suited for creative shots.

I love to just hang back and follow the bride and groom during the creative photos, reflecting back to them their own love story. In the case of Anna and Matt, we were walking along Riversdale Beach, where Matt’s parents had owned a house for a loooong time. They had a beautiful ceremony beside a tiny little seaside church, then all of their friends and family joined them for an exquisite marquee reception with panoramic views of the ocean.

Riversdale Wedding photographer New ZealandRiversdale Wedding photographer New ZealandRiversdale Wedding photographer New Zealand

February 26, 2013 - 4:32 am

Bec - Mary, these are stunning. I love that last one!

February 26, 2013 - 4:35 am

Gavin Farrington - Such a beautiful embrace. Love it!

February 26, 2013 - 8:16 am

Dean Jones - These are stunning shots Mary, I love them and I bet they do too!

February 26, 2013 - 2:03 pm

Nathan Gilmer - I love how bright and pretty these are. #2 is my favorite.

February 26, 2013 - 2:51 pm

Natalie - Absolutely stunning images, gorgeous couple and beautiful light! Wow!

February 26, 2013 - 4:49 pm

Dale Lempa - Great stuff; classic compositions: romance is leaking out of my computer screen.

February 26, 2013 - 6:40 pm

Razvan - Beautiful portraits. The location is so awesome.

February 26, 2013 - 9:12 pm

Amanda Basteen - love these, so intimate and beautiful!

February 26, 2013 - 9:23 pm

benj haisch - such warmth in these.

February 26, 2013 - 11:11 pm

Sarah - Wow, these are so so stunning Mary!

February 27, 2013 - 12:48 am

Veronica Varos - Absolutely beautiful, Mary! So dreamy!

February 27, 2013 - 6:20 am

Jean - Oh, my! Gorgeous!

February 28, 2013 - 3:14 am

don barrington - amazing!! keep up the good work! :D

March 1, 2013 - 4:56 am

Kelsie Taylor - gorgeous! i especially love the second one.

March 1, 2013 - 1:36 pm

Adam Ward - Awesome shots. That first one is killer!

March 2, 2013 - 1:58 pm

Cassandra - Aruba Weddings - I always say, do your own thing and forget that we’re here! It always takes a few minutes for the bride and groom to get used but as soon as they do you’re off to get the greatest wedding photos!

March 4, 2013 - 3:58 pm

Cole - Intimate. Open. Love it.

March 5, 2013 - 7:03 pm

mathias - bam! awesome stuff.

March 12, 2013 - 2:36 pm

Albert - Wow Mary this is stunning, love the light!

March 14, 2013 - 8:24 pm

ryan - Wow! There is so much awesomeness in that first one. The lighting, the wind, the moment…just all of it.

March 16, 2013 - 5:40 pm

Mike - Really pretty stuff, love it.

Natalia and Matt | Wellington Island Bay & Botanic Gardens Wedding Photography | Boatshed Restaurant

Island Bay Wellington Wedding Photography

Long blog posts are hard work for a photographer. We’ve spent hours (usually 30+ for me) carefully processing, editing and lovingly choosing the moments of the day until we have a solid 300+ to hand over to the couple that we think reflects the love story they told on the day.

Then for a full blog post, we have to cull it down to anywhere between 30-100 image, and it’s so hard. How do we say this moment gets picked, but not that moment?

I know that I can’t always do this, and end up staring at the screen for a few moments in frustration before finally just choosing 3 or 4 that act as a sort of cover to the book.

So instead I’m going to try and throw the rules out of the window. Sneak peek, followed by full blog post? Not this time. I’m going to publish blog posts here and there. Out of order. A bit from this gorgeous reception, then a few from that beautiful ceremony, then later some more from getting ready.

For today’s, I’m posting a few slices of life. They’re simply moments that I liked. I’m holding out for the full blog post, which will come later, so for now, here’s some great moments from Matt and Natalia’s amazing sun filled day.

The part I loved the most was watching them laugh. Natalia’s laugh was especially contagious, she has this incredible giggle that just bubbles over and lights up the whole room. During their portraits I just stood back and photographed them interacting. This is how I always want to capture newly marrie couples; it’s about who they are, not how I pose them. And so I caught lots of laughter as they brimmed over with their love.

Island Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyWellington Botanic Gardens Wedding PhotographyWellington Botanic Gardens Wedding PhotographyWellington Botanic Gardens Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding PhotographyIsland Bay Wellington Wedding Photography
February 20, 2013 - 5:06 pm

Dale Lempa - Wow! Remarkable use of light, and great posing.

February 20, 2013 - 8:21 pm

Brian Kraft - Love the high emotions portrayed in this wedding. The shot of the bride on the coast is amazing!

February 20, 2013 - 10:54 pm

Mercedes - I know why I love looking at your weddings. I’m partial to the warmth, the sun and the flare! That shot of her windblown skirt is beautiful! So are their sweet smiles. These are lovely :)

February 20, 2013 - 11:19 pm

Len - I love the flair and your use of light. They look like the most adorabley loving couple! Love it!

February 21, 2013 - 1:17 am

Kelsie Taylor - beautiful! such lovely light.

February 21, 2013 - 2:09 am

Jean - So many great emotions here! Beautiful couple and images.

February 21, 2013 - 2:14 am

shari - Mary, I’m such a fan of your work, but man you rock the sun fare so beautifully. I admit I lingered over that large black and white portrait of the bride too.

February 21, 2013 - 2:46 am

Xanthe - Aaargh so cute! What a gorgeous couple – and you’re right, you can totally see the giggles happening naturally here. Beautiful work as always, Mary!

February 21, 2013 - 12:58 pm

Naomi - goodness wow, mary. that black and white of her in the rocks is just so wonderful. really joyous work.

February 21, 2013 - 9:24 pm

small - SO pretty! I love the bw smooch photo on the beach! So many great moments!

February 22, 2013 - 4:14 am

Bec - Gorgeous couple and beautifully shot Mary. I love what you do with light, and the emotions of this wedding are nicely captured :)

February 22, 2013 - 8:02 am

Kathy Steele - Beautiful Natalia (not that I am at all biased). From the MOTB.

February 23, 2013 - 4:43 am

Serena Severtson - I’m loving the emotions shown throughout your imagery. So, so good!

February 25, 2013 - 7:58 am

admin - I couldn’t agree more Kathy, and I’m not biased at all, Natalia looked phenomenal!!! She’s a supermodel :)

March 2, 2013 - 9:58 pm

Sarah Rominger - Love how your lighting in these is just so… perfect. =)

March 5, 2013 - 7:05 pm

mathias - love the portraits on the rocks. real good!

March 14, 2013 - 10:27 pm

Stephen Shefrin - Love how bright and natural your pics are. Great work

April 11, 2013 - 5:36 pm

Rob Dodsworth - Am.az.ing! That BW portrait is simply outstanding…perfect light and capture!