Having my lips chapped, fingers frozen and hair blown in a thousand directions up on the summit of One Tree Hill was worth it for this view. More to come.
MELODY | PORTRAITS
The first time I met Melody, she was arriving at our home for youth group, dutifully-clad in our school's prescribed summer attire, fondly known as the 'sailor uniform', backpack full of her brilliance, sweet, slightly apprehensive smile on her face. That was a number of years ago now and over the years, 'one of my youth group girls' has become one of my favourite Auckland buddies.
This fine Saturday afternoon, we decided to resist the lure of our new mutual friend, Netflix, and headed to our nearby park, a short five-minute drive away, for a photo adventure. We froze our faces and fingers off - thank you, Auckland winter wind, chased sheep through a field of poo land mines, and drove to the summit of One Tree Hill. A Saturday well-spent, in my book!
RACHEL MARIE | PORTRAITS
Rachel in chambray and floral print rompers must mean spring time. Although Redding's interpretation of spring time does look more like a particularly hot Kiwi summer day. We hit high 20s (Celsius) at the most counterintuitive time of day here - 4-5pm. That being said, welcome to California, right? We complain about the heat but I'm pretty sure we all secretly love being able to walk around with almost-tanned legs in shorts while our East Coast friends are still bundled up and flooding social media with photos of blizzards. Us international students do end up missing the worst of it in July when it hits upwards of 40 degrees celsius here and iPhones turn themselves off because they've over-heated. I can't even.
SCOTLAND (EDINBURGH: PART I) | TRAVEL
Last month over 1700 BSSM students travelled around the world to more than 40 nations on more than 80 missions trips over the course of two weeks. Last year I was part of the very first media missions team and we had our adventure in Tijuana, Mexico where we filmed the first season of the docuseries What Does Love Look Like?
This year my adventure took me to stunning Scotland. Again I was part of the media team but this time got to function both as primary camera operator and photojournalist. The trip was more than I could have dreamt up in so many ways. I hadn't heard much about Scotland prior to heading there and now that I'm back, I don't understand why! We landed in Edinburgh and got to explore that first day - needless to say it didn't take much time at all for all of us to fall madly in love with the culture, beauty and history of the place. It felt like there were secrets hidden in the streets and buildings, stories to tell of people who lived in time long gone by.
It was also surreal to me as we strolled up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle to realise that I was walking the same streets and looking at many of the same buildings that my grandfather, who passed away before I was born, would have walked and seen when he was an Engineering student at the University of Edinburgh. That thought definitely made the experience all the more special to me. There are many more photos to share here from Edinburgh as well as Glasgow and the Isle of Lewis, so stay tuned! x
BEN AND JENESSA | WEDDING
What a day - apart from an unexpected sprinkler surprise during wedding party photos which made for some hilarious reactions, it felt like everything went off without a hitch. It was beautiful and all things lovely from beginning to end.
Let's talk about First Looks. Oh my. My favourite. I was ecstatic when Ben and Jenessa decided to say Yes to doing a First Look - there really are few moments like it. I felt like a VIP being let in on a secret as I watched the unbelievable excitement build - both when Ben was getting ready and then Jenessa as she peeped out of the window to see her groom waiting for her. I can't imagine what was running through Ben's mind as he heard the crunch of the gravel as Jenessa approached from behind in her cute navy lace TOMs.
Worship during the ceremony was easily one of my personal highlights. As I recall it now, I am blown away by just how precious it was that it was one of the final things Ben and Jenessa would do together before they became husband and wife. Two people who have fallen madly in love and in knowing all there is to know about each other, have each made a powerful decision to choose each other - every day, for the rest of their lives. It was these two people who stood hand-in-hand at their wedding altar in complete awe and gratefulness before God, I believe simply for who He has been in their lives but also for the fact that that was the moment they were in right then. Pretty dang stunning.
Speaking about stunning, there were definitely an unusually high proportion of incredibly good-looking people at this wedding. I mean, look at that wedding party alone! There were plenty of laughs, plenty of robot dance moves, and I'm pretty sure they did Bey proud when the DJ cranked up Single Ladies.
Ben and Jenessa, Mr and Mrs Wait - thank you again for the honour of capturing the biggest day of your life. You are well-loved and absolutely celebrated. Miss Annika Botha, thank you for second-shooting with me! I loved scoffing down lunch with you in the parking lot, accidentally matching outfits and our navigationally-challenged (me) adventure. You are a gem.
SENIOR PROM | PORTRAITS
Tonight was senior prom night for these ones and we got to get a few shots before they headed off to their big party. Don't they look stunning? Emma looked like a princess in her beautiful dress and there was a whole lot of giggling going down between all the girls that were at this particular bridge for photos. Apparently it was the place to be - no one gave the cyclists the memo though. Side bar - who knew pinning a corsage was so complicated?
Since these photos were snapped I've heard these guys have danced their feet off so I have a sneaky feeling it was one heck of a night and one they'll tell stories about for years to come - I'm still telling people about how my senior ball date sat on my beautiful ivory dress in all our formal photos! Happy prom night, Emma, Brianna, Brendan and Conor!
BEN AND JENESSA | WEDDING (SNEAK PEEK)
Over the weekend, sweet Ben and Jenessa became Mrs and Mrs. Start to finish, the entire day was absolutely wonderful and I can't wait to show you more. I was so honoured to have been invited to witness and capture some of the most significant and precious moments of their lives - I love weddings so much!
CIANI | PORTRAITS
Ciani is a woman who, to me, is a clear example of powerful confidence. It's not the kind that's in-your-face but the quiet, yet strong, presence of a woman who is fully present at all times, knows who she is, is unafraid of her weakness, excels in her gifts, and creates room for the people around her to do the same. She is an advocate for women wholly healthy and celebrates our beauty, creativity and strengths proudly.
This past month, Ciani turned 30 and to celebrate, we did a couple of portrait sessions, and this here are a few of my favourite shots of her. Oh, that violin she's holding? The new instrument she's decided to start learning. Talk about inspiration.