Sam & Nadine had a GORGEOUS wedding last Saturday. I love how every detail was thoughtful and incredibly beautiful. This is the third time I’ve photographed these two and their lovely little daughter Atlanta. It’s been such a privilege to document part of their journey so far. Sam & Nadine, thank you so much for inviting me into your lives. I hope you are having a wonderful time in Queenstown, love & blessings Kate xx

A big thank you to my sister and amazing second shooter, Lydia.

Nadine’s incredibly talented Aunty made the gorgeous dresses.

I love how Nadine & Sam chose to see each other in the morning and have a first look, the day always flows so nicely when couples do this!

Here’s a few photos of our gorgeous little Bach we are staying in at Raglan… Love how unspoilt and rugged it is here, quite a few cute shops and nice cafes. Good coffee too, always a bonus! x

Lydia is the second youngest of my 3 sisters. She is in her second year of a Visual Arts degree majoring in Photography at Unitec and is currently flatting in our old house in Auckland. Lydia is an AMAZING help to me, she’s my second shooter and has helped me on about 5 weddings so far – many more coming up this summer, so exciting. I’m spending this week with my sisters and Mum at a CUTE and cosy (studio style…) little 50′s bach in Raglan, love hanging out with them all again. xx

How was your weekend? It’s funny, coming back to NZ wasn’t the same as last time when I got the overwhelming urge to kiss the land when I stepped out the airport. I think it’s something to do with being more settled in Melbourne, however it’s so nice to be able to freely drive around Auckland (without needing the GPS!) to see familiar faces and visit places that have lots of memories. I am LOVING the spirit here with the Rugby World Cup! Every second car has a NZ or All Blacks Flag proudly attached, peoples homes are adorned with flags and I even saw a girl dressed head to toe in a black lycra jumpsuit yesterday …. My sister, cousin and I went down to the RWC Fan Zone last night to watch NZ vs Australia at The Cloud. The atmosphere was electric. We saw in front of a big screen with hundreds of others to watch the game, my throat is a bit sore today from screaming! Such a fantastic game, and so cool to be able to watch it surrounded in passionate supporters.

Other highlights of my weekend included photographing Sam & Nadine’s gorgeous wedding, and photographing Anna & Mitch down at the new RWC Fan Zone at the Viaduct in Auckland, which is incredible! So excited to show you more of these beautiful people…. xxx

I’m going to NZ today!! Leaving Melbourne is bittersweet as I’ll be leaving Sam behind…but this trip is quite short (10 days) and I’m SO excited to see my family & friends!

I also cannot WAIT to photograph these two beautiful peoples wedding this Saturday at Duders of Devonport… Sam & Nadine.

Hiranthi & Shirantha, you have been engaged for quite a while now and I’m SO excited that your special day is almost here! Hiranthi & Shirantha are to be wed the Saturday after this one, at this gorgeous place.

I also can’t wait to see this little family… + the new addition, Micah!

Really looking forward to hanging out with my Mum and sisters at a gorgeous little Bach (beach house for you Aussies) we have rented in Raglan.

See you soon NZ! xxxx

I’ve been thinking a lot about outsourcing my editing lately… I take one look at my calender and get a little frightened with all the wedding post processing I will be doing over the next few months. However I read this article that made me think twice about it! This bit was especially interesting….

“…..Outsourcing is very popular right now in the photography industry. It involves paying others to do your color correcting, creative editing and even your image sorting for you.

At first glance this seems like a good idea: pay someone else to edit your images so that you can spend more time shooting or more time with your family.

The problem is that you aren’t learning and improving your own skill set. In the long term you’re setting yourself up to be at a disadvantage compared to the photographers who spent years practicing and refining their workflow and technique. They’ll be able to edit images better, faster, and cheaper than you. You’ll be left behind in this rapidly evolving industry.

When it comes to accounting and law, those are parts of your business you’ll want to outsource to professionals, but when it comes to photography you are the professional.”

I have created a post production workflow system for my business that will allow me to NOT be hidden inside behind my computer all summer, that I’m going to try my HARDEST to follow in this busy season of back to back weddings. My worst nightmare is getting behind with my editing and making people wait too long for their images from the most special day of their lives! I can see why outsourcing editing is tempting for photographers, it sounds great to have someone else do the seemingly ‘dirty work’ of editing hundreds of images for you, and many photographers would argue that they aren’t lightroomers, photoshop and album design experts – they want to focus on the photography and business only. Is there a middle ground? Would you outsource only album design or just the bulk of your wedding images (only editing around 100)?

The goal for me right now is to keep to my workflow system, keep working on improving my craft and constantly refine and improve my production techniques so that I can process efficiently and finish my weddings in a way that I’m proud of.
What are your thoughts on outsourcing??

I had the privilege of second shooting this beautiful wedding with my good friend Amy Oliver. We had such a fun weekend! Starting with a road trip down the coast to Lorne on Friday, our weekend consisted of hot chips on the beach, a room with sea views, great conversations, a yummy seafood dinner, going to this lovely wedding, photographing so much beauty, and an amazing breakfast the next morning with lots of coffee! I had such a great time. Thanks so much for inviting me along Amy! Here are some of my favorites from the day…to see much more visit Amy’s blog xx

We had some friends over last night including this gorgeous friend, Ruth. I couldn’t pick just one photo of Ruth, this girl LOVES the camera and I LOVE her for that! Whenever I see Ruth, my stomach hurts from laughing and my mouth aches from smiling so much! She is a joy to be around. Born to an Egyptian mother and Lebanese father, I can tell Ruth loves her family and I know she ADORES her boyfriend of 4 years, Travis. She is a master of accents, and constantly has everyone in fits of laughter. The moment I met her, I felt like we had been friends forever. This girls loves life, lives it to the full and is a true inspiration to be around. xx

PS- I have major hair envy!

David and Coniela’s wedding was an incredible day. 14 hours filled with joy, love, emotion, dancing, singing and celebrating. Being a doctor and a lawyer, you wouldn’t think these two would be very creative…and you would be wrong. David and Coniela planned an amazing day involving surprise presents to each other in the morning, personalised vows, heartfelt speeches, choreographed dancing, and singing. Their reception was at Ormond Hall in St. Kilda, where David first proposed to Coniela during a salsa dance. David & Coniela sent me an invitation upon booking me for their wedding (love when couples do this!) and on it they had written a note about it being ‘AFL Grand Final Day’…since I’m new to Melbourne, I didn’t realise how significant this was! But traffic wasn’t a problem, and even the rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Coniela and David, thank you. It was an amazing privilege to witness and document the incredibly genuine love and devotion you have for one another. I hope you are having the best time in New York! xx

Special thank you to Amy Oliver for second shooting with me x

David made Coniela an amazing book filled with photographs from throughout their relationship.

Their beautiful, intimate ceremony was held at Rippon Lea Estate.

We then went to Labassa, for some more dramatic photographs…

Practicing their first dance in an alleyway near the cafe. The cafe where we stopped before the reception for coffee and a bite to eat, I loved that we got to do this!

The amazing Ormond Hall.