These photos are from the wedding of Charlotte and Matt who got married in Wellington on the 11th of December 2011. On this particular weekend it was really really windy throughout NZ with the exception of Wellington.

An old Yiddish proverb springs to mind - "Better an ounce of luck than a pound of gold."

So we were lucky with the weather but I worked my butt off to get some stunning images for Charlotte and Matt. Having said that, luck often favours the well prepared... Later on in the day when we were on the location shoot "luck" provided me with a 1 second window of opportunity and I grabbed it, getting a shot that is one of my favourite photos (that I have taken) of all time. I will point it out further down this post.

With all weddings I always start the day by getting detail shots, here are just a couple...

This very cool painting seemed appropriate to include in the shot.

Charlotte looked stunning with her fascinator.

After the service at Foxglove on the Wellington waterfront...

It was off to the wharf by Te Papa for the location shoot.

And here is the shot that I spoke about earlier. I had just composed the image and was about to take the shot when the cyclist rode straight through the middle of the set-up. I managed to grab two shots when I realised what was happening and this one really stood out. After the cyclist had gone I took the shot that I originally intended on taking but it just doesn't have the same X factor about it. My problem now is I don't know which version I prefer... The colour or the black and white?

A clump of yellow grasses by the back of Te Papa looked really inviting too. You'd think they were in the middle of the back country of Canterbury somewhere.

Then it was off to a grafitti covered wall for a bit of colour and fun.

Hope you enjoy the photos. Till next time.

Steve Sharp

Wedding Photographer

www.shots.co.nz

I dropped their album off to them a couple of days ago and mentioned to them that I would post a few images from their wedding on here. So...

Every wedding is unique in it's own special way. Aleasia and Chris wanted to pay a special tribute to her step-father who passed away prior to the wedding. Aleasia spent a little quiet time composing a very personal note to him and then tied it to a balloon and had it ready to release at the start of the service.

It was a lovely way to make him a part of the day and there were quite a few people moved to tears during the release.

The weather that day was typical Northland blue skies and fluffy clouds. Aleasia and I had a few minutes before the wedding to grab a shot with her and her well behaved puppy.

As well as a couple of her by herself before we headed off to the helicopter.

Having friends that own helicopters means arriving in style. The guests had no idea of the wedding transport until they landed at the ceremony location.

The service was on the foreshore at Waitangi with some very large Waka watching on.

The weather was so good that the colours of the water, trees and sky popped like they do in the Cook Islands. The water looked especially inviting but no time for swimming...

We jumped back in the helicopter and flew up to the Cavalli Islands, dropped Aleasia and Chris on the beach, took off again and photographed them from the air.

Then, it was back it the chopper and on to the Whangaroa Harbour entrance, where we dropped them off on the top of the highest peak and too a few more shots.

Although they are pretty small in the above photo, part of my brief was to create some amazing landscape images with them in. This shot looks incredible blown up really large.

After all the fun flying around the North we ended up back in Waitangi at Waikokopu Cafe for the reception and some yummy wedding cupcakes.

I don't get a lot of weddings in the North but the couple I had this year were very memorable.

More weddings coming soon...

Cheers

Steve Sharp

NZ Wedding Photographer

www.shots.co.nz

Phone 09 438 8357

So I thought I would post a few articles within a short space of time covering some of the weddings that took place throughout the season.

This posting is from the wedding of John and Maree. They live up the hill from me. When I say up the hill I mean it... Their driveway is unbelievably steep. My wife doesn't like driving up there because it freaks her out. Awesome views at the top though.

Anyway, getting back to their wedding...

They got ready (and had the reception at) at the Copthorne Omapere which is a fantastic venue. The people that run the place are the most hospitable hosts you will find. Plus, the view from the front lawn is pretty spectacular.

The wedding had a bit of a vintage style to it with the jewellery, hair, make-up and dress.

Maree looked stunning.

There was also a bit of a red theme going on with the shoes...

and the amazing flax flowers done by Amy Condon of Keepsake Bouquets

The church they got married in was a 30 minute drive as well as a ferry ride away. While waiting at Rawene for the ferry, Maree and I took the opportunity to grab this shot at an old fishing shack next to the ferry landing.

The church in Broadwood is one of the quaintest little churches around.

Following the service we spent a couple of hours on a photo session that took us from Broadwood to Kohukohu to Opononi to Omapere.

Finally, I thought the cake was pretty special too...

Another post coming soon so keep checking back.

Cheers

Steve Sharp - Shots Photography

NZ Wedding Photographer

www.shots.co.nz 

A couple of weeks ago I photographed the wedding of Tracey and Steven. As they currently live in the UK it seemed fitting that they had some tributes to the country they now call home.

Firstly, there was a red double decker london bus that picked up all the guests from the ferry and shuttled them to the ceremony at Mudbrick Vineyard.

One of the special moments during the day was when they met for a photo before the ceremony. They were seperated by a wall and could not see each other. Tracey didn't want to ruin the surprise for Steven. That's the great thing about weddings. Clients come up with some really cool ideas to make their weddings unique. I have been photographing weddings for 15 years and never taken a shot like this before. Very cool!

Another UK touch was the black London cab that the bride and groom used as a bridal car.

After the service we went to one of the local beaches for a slice of local kiwi lifestyle in the photos.

Then it was back to the vineyard for a few shots.

At the end of the day, Auckland turned on some fantastic weather which provided us with the opportunity to grab a couple of sunset shots as well.

All in all, a great day with a fantastic couple.

As the craziness of the wedding season starts to pass I will post a few more of the weddings that I have had throughout NZ up here so come back soon for a visit.

Cheers

Steve Sharp

NZ Wedding Photographer

Further to my last post, here are a few images from the wedding of Raima & Frank Pritchard.

Althought the weather was generally cloudy, it was HOT! They had a beautiful wedding service on a small motu (island) just off Muri Beach in Rarotonga.

The bridal party were a great lot of people. Just by having fun and mucking around they helped make the day really go well.

I took a device that I have been playing with lately... A handle that has an photographic umbrella attached to it and then the off camera flash bounces off the brolley creating a much softer light than straight flash.

There are sooooo many fantastic locations around Muri Beach. We really didn't have to travel more than a few minutes to find some cool spots.

There are some cool abandoned buildings around as you can see.

As well as picture perfect palm trees...

We ended up at The Point Rarotonga for the reception which included some awesome displays of traditional dancing by the locals.

And just because we could, the next day we went out and got some more location shots along with some family photos. All the rush and pressure from the wedding day was gone so we took our time and had a bit of fun.

Raima was really keen to do a "trash the dress" session as well so we ended the day down on the beach. The whole family ended up in the water to cool off. Some beautiful light and a little bit of sizzle from Frank & Raima made for some gorgeous images.

There are a lot of cool jobs in the world but I've got to say... Mine rocks. Thank you Raima and Frank for choosing me to capture your fantastic day (and for such great accomodation too). It was an absolute pleasure working with you both.

Till next time.

Steve Sharp

Photographer

www.shots.co.nz

Come New Years eve I swear I'm going to make a resolution to be more consistant.

Just got back from a 4 day trip over to Rarotonga for a wedding. The wedding was on a small motu off of Muri Beach. A really fun relaxed couple. We did another photo shoot, a "trash the dress" type thing, the day after the wedding as well.

Funnily enough, the bride found me through my previous blog posting about the last wedding I did on Aitutaki.

I may post some images from this wedding up at a later date after I check with the bride and groom.

What I thought I would include this time though is a little movie I made on my iPhone 4. I recently upgraded from the 3G, after dropping it one too many times (thanks State Insurance) and I am blown away by the capabilities of the iMovie app along with the versatility of the iPhone's camera.

After arriving on "the rock" at 5pm, I grabbed a little scooter and headed out to look for locations for the next day. Plugged in the headphones and listened to some Jack Johnson as I cruised sans helmet as you can do in the islands.

Really getting into the music and locations I thought "This is one of the coolest parts of my job" so, with the help of a rubber band and praying my new phone would stay attached to the speedo, I did a little filming and then put it all together in iMovie. Hopefully, with a little help from Jack, this conveys some of my experience for you.

And yes, I did change my shirt, part of it was shot the next morning as well.

Till next time...

Steve Sharp

Shots Photography

www.shots.co.nz

From beginning to end, it was an amazing experience and I was so happy to be a part of it so I thought it would be a nice idea to show the final album design along with Ray and Karla's kind words...

Ray & Karla, Ellerslie, Auckland, NZ

Re: Steve Sharp – Shots Photography

To Whom it May Concern,

Two months on from our wedding, we have again returned to the photographs of our magical wedding day in Aitutaki, remembering the amazing day that we shared together, and the key role that Steve from Shots Photography played in our day.

As we go through the photos, we recalled the lengths Steve went to in order to get the perfect shot for us, whether it was to climb up a palm tree, or submerge himself chest deep in the ocean risking himself and his equipment, or his navigating sharp rocks (cutting his foot in the progress), there was nothing that Steve wouldn’t do to ensure that we were able to remember our day through his work; all of which are traits that earned him the title ‘Action Man’, amongst our guests.

Our decision to use Steve Sharp was not an easy one, although we immediately liked his style, his album composition, and importantly, we could see ourselves easily able to work with his personality, we were a little unsure if flying a photographer to a remote atoll in the pacific was the best option.

Naturally we set about evaluating alternatives, but found ourselves measuring them all by Steve’s work and standard; our final decision was made when one of Steve’s peers, who is herself a very accomplished, award winning photographer commented she understood how we would want Steve’s style as he was after all a Master in his field – for us this peer recommendation was the deciding factor.

For us, we could see the difference between a good photographer and a great photographer, having had several friends recently get married, and listening as none of them have been 100% happy with their photo’s. For us, it is the complete opposite as we can’t say enough about our amazing photos!!

We were impressed and grateful by the pre-work Steve put into our day, both the planning and research. From the locations he would use to capture specific moments and emotions in the day, through to coming to understand the important people and the roles they played in our lives, all this work ensured he was able to capture every special moment for us.

Steve is the consummate professional and made us, our guests and the rest of the wedding party feel at ease – his unobtrusive style ensured he was never in the way as he managed to find himself in the perfect position to capture every single moment that made our day unique... whether it was the moment the grooms mother wiped away a tear when she thought no one was looking, to the bride stealing away a moment to wash the sand out of her shoes; Steve was there and captured every moment.

When everything is done and finished you only have your memories and your images of the day and we are glad we made the decision we did. Now, when we look back in years to come, we know our memories will be as vivid as the photographs Steve took on our day.

There are a few things that put Steve above any wedding photographer for us and they are, the consistent high standard of all the photos he took, his calm approach when around the ‘stress’ of the wedding day, and importantly, his passion, which is evident as everything he does is to get that perfect picture and capture the story of the day.

If you want to remember the most important day in your life, both the moments and the emotion, through photographs, then we would recommend Steve without reservation as the best man for the job.

With Regards, Ray and Karla.

Thanks for such a wonderful plug guys. I look forward to catching up with you both soon.

Cheers

Steve Sharp

Wedding Photographer

This is the first opportunity I have had to post on my blog in a long time and it is with a bit of wonderful news...

On Wednesday 8th December, at a regional meeting of the NZIPP in Auckland, it was announced that I had earned the title 2009 Auckland Photographer of the Year. This is a fantastic honour and I am flattered that the local judges saw fit to bestow it upon me.

The competition is open to all NZIPP members in the Auckland and Northland regions and runs for the entire year. Every month a photographer can submit 2 images, of whatever they like, and points are awarded. It is completely anonymous throughout the year although until the final announcement of the photographer that has accrued the highest aggregate score for their 6 highest scoring images.

It is all good practice for the national awards.

Cheers

Steve Sharp

Wedding Photographer

The rules allow a photographer to enter 4 in the Wedding category, 4 in the People category, and 1 in the Wedding Album category. I only entered 4 into the Wedding category this year. (Didn't have the time to put an album submission in.)

So I was extremely happy to receive 3 Golds from 4 entries.

As the Kodak Gold Awards fall one month after the annual NZIPP Epson Iris Awards, I usually just enter the same prints. To give you an idea of the difference in scoring between the two competitions, at the NZIPP Epson Iris Awards I scored an 87, an 80, and a 73 for the three prints that I entered into the Kodak Gold Awards and they all won Gold.

They are completely different competitions in a number of ways...

Firstly, at the Kodaks, all print entries are judged in a closed judging session. ie. No public or photographers allowed. Whereas at the NZIPP awards, anyone can go along and listen to the judges discussing the merits (or lack of) of a print.

Secondly, the Kodaks only have three levels of award, a Gold merit, a Silver merit, or nothing. The NZIPP awards have a scoring system that combines the aggregate of 5 judges scores to give a final score between 50 and 100. There are 8 different levels of merit for the NZIPP awards:

Below Professional Standard

Professional Standard

High Professional Standard

Bronze

Silver

Silver with Distinction

Gold

Gold with Distinction

Most photographers work in a bubble a lot of the time. We don't really get to see what other photographers are doing so entering awards is a great yardstick to see how we compare when we are judged side by side.

Here are the images that I won Kodak Gold Awards for.

I have also just found out that the first image is in The Photographers Mail next month. They are doing a feature on the Kodak Gold Awards and I was asked if they could use it. So grab a copy from any camera/photo shop and have a look from mid November onwards.

Cheers

Steve Sharp

Wedding Photographer

www.shots.co.nz

What a way to kick off my wedding season...

I was priviliged to be asked by Ray and Karla if I would join them in the fabulous Cook Islands to capture all the fun and excitement of their wedding day. How could I say no.

To say that Ray and Karla were well prepared would be a gross understatement. They actually sent a crate over to Rarotonga with all their vases, table settings, candles, and even rocks... which they used as table runners for the candles to sit on. Now that's organising.

I bow down to your list making skills Ray.

The water in the lagoon of Aitutaki is the most spectacular shade of turquoise blue. 

The ceremony was on a sandspit just off of One Foot Island, where we went for a few photos afterwards...

Karlas wedding dress was stunning with a very sexy split up one leg.

Karla and Ray were a great couple to photograph as well. They were relaxed and having fun the whole day. Just what a photographer wants.

Although the sunset didn't really turn it on for us, everyone was well tanned and happy at the end of the day.

And it didn't end there...

The next day they got dressed up again for a "Trash the Dress" shoot.

One of the guests snapped me in action too...

It was a brilliant way to round off what was a fantastic weekend.

Ray & Karla, you guys were brilliant. Hugs all round and I look forward to catching up with you both soon.

Cheers

Steve Sharp

Wedding Photographer

www.shots.co.nz 

I took my wife Danah with me to Wellington to view the print judging and attend the conference held at The Intercontinental.

I have attended the print judging for 4 years now as it is a wonderful learning experience listening to the judges talk about what they like and don't like about the entries. I was honoured to be asked to judge this year for the first time and had an awesome time.

I didn't do as well as I would have liked to with my entries. (Unfortunately, judges don't get to judge their own images.)

In the Wedding category, I ended up getting a Silver with Distinction, a Silver, and two Bronzes. There was only one Gold given out in the wedding category this year.

Here are the entries I put in for the Wedding category

This got an 87

This got an 80

This got a 73

This got a 72

Needless to say, the judging was pretty hard this year.

From a total of 1205 entries there were only 18 Golds given out.

On the bright side of things I got a Gold in the Landscape category for this image

I got a 92 for this image

A 73 for this one

And a 72 for this.

You can go to the NZIPP website www.nzipp.org.nz and look under Iris Awards 2009 to see all the winning photos.

At the end of the day, it was a fantastic week, catching up with colleagues and old friends that I only get to see once a year, looking at what everyone is is doing, getting inspired to do it all over again next year. Hopefully, with better results.

Cheers

Steve Sharp

Wedding Photographer

I had an awesome day on Saturday photographing Veronica and Justin. A really cool couple, they never let anything phase them throughout the day.

We managed to get through most of the locations we had planned around Auckland city before being hit with a huge deluge of rain.

In one of my previous posts I showed these next two locations "sans bride". Well here is how they turned out...

The light was fantastic and we got some beautiful images.

That's the great thing about bad weather. The lighting is wonderful and even and very flattering.

After the rain hit, we jumped in the cars and headed around to Mac's Brewbar, which is in the old Northern Steamship Co. building. They have some great little spots to take photos.

The manager of Macs, Dylan Marychurch, was wonderful to let us use his place.

The reception venue was The Wharf.

It's a truly spectacular location under the northern side of the Auckland harbour bridge with views back to the city.

All in all, it was a wonderful winter wedding. To Veronica and Justin, thanks for being such a fun couple.

Steve Sharp

Wedding Photographer

For instance, after the Awards in Wellington this year, I will be stopping off at New Plymouth, Taupo, and Rotorua to search out locations for weddings I have there. Usually I spend about 3-4 hours reccying each wedding, looking for wet weather photography locations as well as best case scenario locations. I like to be extremely well prepared for whatever the day might throw at us.

For the weddings I have in the South Island and overseas, I get there the day before and do the reccy, then come up with the shot ideas that night before the wedding the next day.

For me, continually looking for the next awesome shot, is part of my business model. I don't want to be using the same spots and just putting different couples into them. Because I shoot quite a few weddings in Auckland every year, I am always on the look-out when I am driving around the city. But nothing beats getting out on the streets on foot.

Which is precisely what I did yesterday...

A good friend and fellow photographer, Gary Hewlett (dodgy wedding and portrait photographer), joined me for a wander around the cbd.

We found lots of new photography locations. Some that I am really excited about.

Here are a couple that I have done a little work on:

You can imagine a bride and groom in these can't you?

It is so cool finding a location, forming an idea for a image, shooting it, and then turning it into a fantastic wedding photo that a couple will love and enjoy for years to come.

Cheers

Steve Sharp

www.shots.co.nz

I am looking forward to this new approach, keeping clients and friends informed about the goings on with Shots Photography.

The next few months are going to be very taxing. The annual Epson/Iris Awards are coming up and I hope to be entering the maximum 10 prints allowed.

I have 4 of my favourites from this past wedding season ready to go for the Wedding Category. (Only 4 prints per category are allowed.) That was the easy bit. The hard bit is figuring out what to photograph for the other 6 entries.

Here is one of my favourite entries from last year.

This was from Kushla & Chris' wedding at The Estate on Waiheke on the 2nd of Feb 08. From memory it got an 83.

The thing about the awards... You never know how an image will do. There is an emotional attachment on the photographer's and the clients' behalf but there is none of that from the judges...

I will keep you informed through this blog of my success (or not) at his years awards...

They are being held in Wellington from August 20th-25th 2009.

Cheers

Steve

www.shots.co.nz