benjamin and elise

today.

2012-02-28T10:46:00.003+13:00

Recently, among the chaos and enjoyment of the busy wedding season, we are learning to take joy in each day as it comes. For what it is and not what it is not. For the love we have for each other and for all the things we can do with our life together. For our successes, failures, everyday challenges and exciting new opportunities. For the new people we are meeting, for the friendships that are strengthening and for the loved ones who know us so dearly. For the moments when nothing is a priority but each other - the one who captures our heart and imagination.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - 1 Corinthians 13:4

On another note, we're going to see Bon Iver (aka Bonny Bear) this evening. As most of you will know, New Zealand is at the bottom of the world and often forgotten about, so we are stoked that Justin has decided to grace our shores with his talented presence.

---

Listening to: The Head and the Heart, Young the Giant, Timo Räisänen, Andrew Combs.
Reading: Transforming Worldviews, The Beach, The Controversy of Zion and the Time of Jacob's Trouble
Watched Recently: The Artist, Melancholia, Shame, Moneyball, Drive

vermicelli.

2012-02-20T11:14:00.001+13:00

Over the last few months we have found a special little place in our hearts for chinese vermicelli - that's right, the thin transparent spaghetti-like noodle made from mung beans. We've found use for it in many a dish, preferring it over pasta and rice. They're a great healthy, low-fat, gluten-free alternative. Now we know that this isn't a food blog, but we have concocted a meal-for-two worth sharing.

Ingredients
- 150g vermicelli
- Half a chicken breast, cut into strips for stir-frying (or the equivalent amount of tofu for vegetarians) marinaded in 3 tbsp. soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, sliced thinly
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms, cut into matchstick-like pieces (julienned)
- Half a red capsicum, julienned
- Half a carrot, julienned
- Half a courgette/zucchini, julienned
- 2-3 cups fresh bean sprouts
- Handful of fresh coriander
- 50g peanuts, chopped, for texture
- 1/2 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
- Half a lime and Thai Chilli Sauce to taste

Stir-fry Sauce
- 1 tbsp. golden soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce (or more soy sauce for vegetarians)
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions
- Marinate the chicken, or tofu, and set aside
- Soak the vermicelli in a pot of hot water for roughly 5 minutes, or just until the noodles are soft enough to eat. It doesn't take much. Drain and set aside.
- Combine all stir-fry sauce ingredients, mixing them in a cup. Set aside.
- Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tbsp. oil (we use sunflower oil) and swirl around - then add the garlic, ginger, chicken/tofu, mushrooms and a few tablespoons of stock to get it all sizzling. Stir-fry till the chicken's cooked. If the pan becomes dry add a little bit more stock.
- Add the capsicum, carrots and courgette. Stir-fry for a minute - not too long as these veges should retain some of their fresh crispness. Now add the vermicelli, the stir-fry sauce, a handful of coriander, and the peanuts. Lift and turn the noodles, tossing like a salad so the sauce distributes throughout the ingredients.
- Finally, add the bean sprouts, toss and continue to stir-fry for a minute.
- Remove from heat, transfer to plate, and garnish with coriander, salt/pepper, lime and chilli sauce.
- And if you're that way inclined, have a glass of wine to top it off. Recently we've been drinking this lovely French red (in picture). Eat. Drink. Enjoy!

Sorry, that was quite long! But it's well worth the experiment if you want to give it a go :) And on another unrelated note, our most recent wedding that you may have seen here is being featured over there at Magnolia Rouge - one of New Zealand's best wedding blogs! Have a read of the article, then check out their most recent online magazine volume here. Enjoy the beginning of your week :)

coast.

2012-02-15T16:27:00.000+13:00

The wonderful Miriam White at Sunday, who we've enjoyed working with over the last year, is an extremely talented designer...as you can see from her most recent creations. Though we love Sunday, Miriam is set to pursue new endeavours in the fashion world - so even though she won't be releasing this collection, we all thought it'd be a pity to not show off the samples! This was actually a good chance for us to step outside our photographic comfort zone. And despite the raging, near-hurricane wind we loved it all the same. Plus, photographing Grace Alexander @ N Model Management was a treat.

Hair and makeup by Unna @ The Emerald Parlour.

cato.

2012-02-03T18:38:00.000+13:00

On our other blog, They So Loved, we have just posted photos from our most recent wedding! Simon and Clare were such a lovely couple to be around - oh so creative and full of love. We both literally cried during their beautiful ceremony. And by the end of our time in Snells Beach it felt like we were leaving good friends. We hope you enjoy the pictures!

dearest.

2012-01-25T15:01:00.000+13:00

We miss this girl, we hope she is enjoying her home in the sunny Hawkes Bay. Love you Nicole!

snells.

2012-01-23T11:01:00.000+13:00

the pool at the house of the Diprose family

planning the day with the bride and groom the night before the wedding

resting in auckland the day after the most beautiful wedding, before flying home

auckland from the car window

Yesterday we arrived home from Snells Beach where we photographed a wedding. We had both never been there before, but were pleasantly surprised. Beautiful beaches in every direction, a most hospitable community who cooked us scallops caught fresh that afternoon, and a wedding that was a dream to photograph. Such an amazing couple, with an eye for detail. We loved every second and cannot wait to get their pictures ready to share.

found.

2012-01-17T15:22:00.000+13:00

Hello, we are still here. We have taken the last couple of weeks off to relax over the New Year break, without going away, but enjoying our home and its surroundings that we are so fond of. With photography becoming our job last year we have found that picking up a camera often feels like work to us, though it is work we love so dearly - so we find ourselves often leaving it at home to be alone only with each other. To take in the moments simply as they are.

If you haven't heard of Luke Parker you may wish to listen to his beautiful music here - this young New Zealander writes music for your spirit and we can't help but be drawn into the Lord's sweet presence when listening to it.

We recently discovered this picture we thought we had lost. It's from two years ago in Melbourne when we found a massive house that had burnt to the ground. The only remaining framework was the front porch, a doorway and some old window frames carrying delicate lace curtains. Our film got jammed halfway through the camera but we secretly love it. Thank you camera. If you look properly you can see right through the doorway to nothing but barren land.

campen.

2012-01-04T13:09:00.001+13:00

Last month we got to enjoy photographing the beautiful wedding of Kelly and Richard. There is something so peaceful yet exciting about early mornings. The still, crisp air in sunny suburbia made for a magical start to their day and set the tone for the relaxed festivities that followed. Such a sweet couple. You can see more of their photos on They So Loved: our little blog of love.

tom.

2011-12-31T12:45:00.002+13:00

For photography, light is everything. Everything! So we were lucky then to be able to photograph this new face in the transition between the scorching sundrenched days of Christmas and the gloomy rain filled lead-up to New Years. We had a one day window of perfect overcast weather. This young man is Tom Lees and this is his first photographic modelling rendition: these images are for test shots that will kick-start his modelling portfolio at Kirsty Bunny Management. We're sure you'll be seeing his face again in 2012.

Happy last day of 2011!

joy.

2011-12-28T13:12:00.000+13:00

Dear White Christmas, please continue to stay as far away as possible, respectfully. This Christmas was our favourite ever. We spent the last three days at Ben's family home delighting over sunshine, delectable delicacies, good company and the beauty of a country we get to call our home. It was simply wonderful, it brought joy to our souls. So did the fishing on Boxing Day. Still. Sun. Ocean. Fishies for dinner.

the night.

2011-12-16T12:50:00.000+13:00

The night lights of the street crept their way through the cracks in the blinds, awakening the room with the magic of its shadows. There, the secret of the night lingered and held us in its presence.

office.

2011-12-09T09:10:00.000+13:00

We have finally received our second computer. Hooray! We found a mini version of our current desk and Ben set up the new computer today. So now, in our lounge, we can work side by side twice as fast. We have been waiting for this for a while so are quite excited. We're also excited by this video, if you haven't seen it already. The kind of imagery you fall in love with, and wish you were a kid again. Plus, we have not been able to get enough of The Civil Wars and The New Pornographers.

You might be waiting for the December Christmas photos to start appearing but, most likely to everyone's horror, our home is empty of any Christmas decorations. Though we have been listening to A Very She & Him Christmas on repeat and intend to make gingerbread houses! We may just steal a branch from a tree somewhere, put some tinsel on it, and pretend its a tree. That will do for us a tree we think. A couple of years ago, we pretended a tv aerial was a tree so it's probably a step up.

serenity.

2011-12-01T08:24:00.000+13:00

Our weekend away was no less than idyllic. We slept under covers in an old shed and in the mornings rolled open the doors to nothing but still, warm countryside. Rolling hills for as far as we could see, sun beating down in time for breakfast on the porch. Nothing but each other, the silence, the spotting of a hare who bounded surprisingly close, and the climbing over of fences to lie in the long grass like nothing else exists. The beauty of this quiet nature can not be underestimated. Bare feet on wooden floors, cracks through the door frames, the sound of birds exploring the iron roof and the unhindered peaceful company of one so dearly loved.

anniversary.

2011-11-26T11:58:00.011+13:00

Happy One Year Anniversary love of my life. And thanks to Andrew for our beautiful wedding video - it still takes us right back to those little moments.

loved.

2011-11-22T15:55:00.001+13:00

You may or may not have noticed that we sneakily set up a new blog here: it's called They So Loved. It will be a place where we post images of captured love - whether that be families, engagements, weddings etc.

One of our first features is this adorable little family (you can learn more about them here). They are soon flying to Mexico on a one-way ticket, which seems like an exciting adventure. To add to the excitement, Ivan also proposed to Pamela after the shoot that night. She had no idea it was coming. It is therefore an honour to have been able to document the afternoon of their engagement.

Also, dear followers, please feel free to drop us a line and say hello. We would love to know who's out there.

cowie.

2011-11-18T21:41:00.000+13:00

This last weekend, we enjoyed the wedding of Ben's mama. Was so lovely to part of her and Graeme's special day, as well as capturing it.. She looked wonderful. To be honest though, it was difficult to keep the lens off my beautiful husband since we finally didn't have to keep each other out of the shots. Also, his family was a delight to spend time with over the weekend, including Andrea's little puppy with it's little polar bear feet. So cute! We cannot wait to get our own little puppy.

rest.

2011-11-03T13:20:00.000+13:00

Last week in Auckland we wasted a lot of time. It was wonderful. We went to the cinema so many times they started to recognise us. So did the people at the pet stores. Those days were lovely - and so was the quality time we spent with Ben's nana who we cherish dearly. You may have seen her here. She spoilt us rotten - including a trip to see thousands of gannets crowding these cliff side rocks for the summer.

Also, if you are ever in the Mount Roskill area can you please go to Jungle Flavor. It is a quaint Thai restaurant themed like a jungle, go figure. It sounds weird at first, but now that we've discovered it, it's our new favourite place to eat when we are up there.

eskdale.

2011-10-21T15:29:00.000+13:00

This week we had the absolute pleasure of working with a talented team and a few local Wellington designers for a project that will be featured in a new magazine soon to be released. We can't say too much just yet, but we are very excited to show you once it is released this summer!

Tonight we are headed away for the weekend and then to Auckland for a week - to take a break and attend a fashion photography workshop with the amazing Fiona Quinn. We could not be more excited. We have also decided not to take our computer, so we aren't tempted by work but can just enjoy the sweet getaway with no plans in mind. Hope you are all having a lovely week. Thanks for following our little journey.

Oh, and by the way - until we get our wedding blog up and running - we have posted a few images from our first wedding here.

stone-skipping.

2011-10-13T09:04:00.001+13:00

Life has been a bit hectic lately - shooting, editing, shooting and editing. And also running the show at our little not-for-profit. But we love it. There will be some exciting things to share soon. Last weekend we photographed a lovely couple who are recently engaged. For this, their parent's farm made for a typically New Zealand backdrop, and a pleasant location. Plus, we were able to take a breath in the mid-afternoon sun and enjoy the simplicity of skipping stones (although, one of us was more practised in it than the other - not mentioning any names, Elise). Also, if you haven't seen it already, we have a wee guest post on our friends' blog, while they're over in Uganda bringing Rinah home.

retreat.

2011-09-28T18:09:00.002+13:00

Coincidentally, like our friends Andrew and Carissa, we got to spend some time away from the city. Out in the forest, in the middle of the nowhere, we spent the weekend. Great friends, good discussions, a lot of food and the sound of rain on the windows.

lunch.

2011-09-20T18:39:00.003+12:00

A month or so ago we went to the re-opening of Madame Fancy Pants. It was quite the treat - a teeny tiny room filled with macaroons, wine, gourmet pizza, the best wallpaper we've ever seen (you have to go in there to admire it), and beautiful locally-designed dresses. And it didn't end there! We were treated to a goodie bag filled with bits-and-pieces from places like Mor and The Powder Room. They even gave us vouchers for one our favourite places to eat - we love their design aesthetic. Thanks Madame Fancy Pants, you are cute!

spring.

2011-09-06T17:11:00.003+12:00

Although there are parts of winter that we have loved - especially the once-in-a-lifetime snow - we are pleased to give it a sweet farewell and welcome the blossoming trees and warmer air. We are photographing our first wedding this weekend up in sunny Hawkes Bay and are very excited. Hopefully there will be little lambs to see on our trip up through the countryside. As an aside, if you get the chance to see Hanna it is definitely worth the trip to the movies - the cinematography is beautiful and, as a whole, it is the best movie we've seen in quite a while.

unfolding.

2011-08-31T08:24:00.002+12:00

I remember the day we met. The smile. You can be anywhere when your life begins. When the future opens up in front of you. You may not even realise it at first, but its already happening.

bridal.

2011-08-26T13:31:00.003+12:00

Our talented sister has just today released her new Tea Rose Collection, featuring a series of lovely wedding dresses which she designed and made. We were lucky enough to photography them at Llandaff Country Residence, a quaint heritage bed and breakfast in the Wairarapa.

If you're getting married you should buy one of her dresses for three good reasons: (i) if you purchase a dress from her Tea Rose collection before the 31st October 2012 you will go in the draw to have the purchase price of the dress refunded. (ii) if you have your own ideas for dress designs, she can pretty much make whatever you want. (iii) she made Elise's dream dress for our wedding and it was amaaaazing. She's seriously talented.

Model: Gracie Ridley-Smith @ Kirsty Bunny

wonderland.

2011-08-17T14:17:00.003+12:00

Oh my goodness. We're very excited, like everyone else (see here) in New Zealand at the moment. Wellington has not seen snow like this in our lifetime. Which means we have never ever seen snow in our own city. It just does not happen. On Monday, as we drove up the hill to the suburbs we found that Karori had turned into its own winter wonderland. We were pretty excited that there was snow covering everything! It was magical. And even though we got trapped up there overnight, we loved the adventure.

friday.

2011-08-15T09:08:00.002+12:00

poker face.

yellow.

2011-08-11T15:20:00.002+12:00

We took a walk down by butterfly creek.

Among the gorse and the trees.

We like to live our days like these.

website.

2011-08-05T10:18:00.002+12:00

We have just released our brand new website! Come and take a peek at it here. The website will be a portfolio for our favourite images, a clean space for prospective clients to navigate easily. But we will still post photo sets and snippets from our life here as usual.

These are the photos we took of the beautiful Nicole for that editorial piece we were talking about a few weeks ago. We were inspired by the delicate balance between rawness and beauty. We always seem to get captivated by those kinds of images.

vote.

2011-08-03T18:04:00.002+12:00

Our friend Miriam, who owns and designs for Sunday Apparel, has just got through to the top ten of the Westpac Young Fashion Designer Competition. It was announced only an hour ago, so we're very excited for her. The stakes are high. If she gets the most votes in this competition, she'll get the opportunity to showcase her work at New Zealand Fashion Week. We helped her out by photographing her three 'looks', on which she will be judged. So pretty please do a favour for us both by voting here, we really appreciate it.

You can also see her latest Summer lookbook here. Her clothes are always so beautiful.

suburbia.

2011-07-29T11:31:00.002+12:00

Here are those photos we promised you!

floral.

2011-07-26T09:37:00.002+12:00

So if you thought we had complained about the winter weather enough here is some more music to your ears. This last week has been the coldest week of our lives. It's not just us, but everyone is frozen to the bone. Our small country has seen snow in the most unexpected places this morning. The newspapers have called it a 'standstill' as cities around the country just didn't know what to do or how to handle the mass amounts of snowfall. You see, this just doesn't really happen here. Ever! So it's come as a bit of a surprise. Sadly though, there was no snow outside our window so we had to go to work as normal.

In the midst of all this cold weather, we discovered these beautiful signs of flourishing life. These plants seemed to be in a world of their own: a little micro-climate of summer that has been sheltered from the harsh conditions only just around the corner.

sidenote.

2011-07-21T09:47:00.002+12:00

Last week we shot an editorial spread for a friend's university project. We had complete creative freedom, so we decided to do something a little different than the style that we are used to. The final collection of images look nothing like this but here is a little inbetween shot we thought was cute. We will share the finished work when her magazine has been published! We hope you are all having a good week and enjoying the beauty in the small things that surround us.

colour.

2011-07-19T15:26:00.003+12:00

Each year the wonderful Mel Langley from getfunkd enters the NZARH regional hair comps, and each year around this time Benjamin's hair is subjected to a rather dramatic change. We are always filled with anticipation, keen to see what work of art she will create in the 40 minutes of cutting time the competitors are allowed. It's always quite exciting. This year we quietly stole one of her other models to take some pictures of her first-place winning hair colour. We will share some photos we took of Ben soon.

class.

2011-07-18T08:38:00.002+12:00

Over the last two school semesters we have been tutoring these three lovely girls in photography, through a local youth organisation called Zeal. Though we all endured many freezing cold afternoons to take pictures, it has been amazing to watch them be inspired and grow in their skills and creativity. We really enjoy sharing our passion for photography with others. And the best part is, we will be holding a final exhibition at the end of the year to showcase their work. So you should come along if you're in the area. We'll keep you posted.

měiwèi.

2011-07-16T10:27:00.002+12:00

One thing we have learned since being married is that we both aren't the biggest fans of grocery shopping. This usually results in an empty pantry and last-minute lunches out. Having had our eye on these delicious pork buns for some time now, we decided today would be the day to try them. We weren't disappointed. They were the most delicious pork buns we have had. Plus, it was a lovely little excuse for a date in the middle of the day.

winter.

2011-07-13T10:49:00.003+12:00

Hello! We are so sorry for being absent recently. We have been tucked away and wrapped up, trying to hide from the cold weather over the last few weeks. We have also been hit by various winter bugs and flus, so we've had a lot of home time. Nevertheless we have enjoyed lots of dvds, s'mores, paullina simons, and reading about new projects. However, we did manage to make the most of this sunny Sunday morning to go out for a breakfast smoothie and enjoy the waterfront together, blasting wind and all.

james and rachel.

2011-06-28T21:39:00.004+12:00

During this lovely couple's engagement shoot we could not stop the words 'cute' and 'awhh' from coming out of our mouths. They were quite a treat. We had so much fun with them and hope that they love the results as much as we do.

derelict.

2011-06-27T18:45:00.000+12:00

white.

2011-06-23T16:57:00.002+12:00

The White family are very close to our hearts. They are a family that exude love and joy, and we have had the pleasure of capturing a little piece of that on a recent Sunday afternoon.

countryside.

2011-06-17T14:49:00.005+12:00

Getting on the road and driving from town to town is such a pleasure here on this island. The rolling hills, farms and countryside never stop looking so beautiful and we never get tired of the scenery. Especially in the afternoon when the sun starts to hit the trees and slowly sets. Seriously, it captivates me. This week we drove with our friend Masha to Palmerston North because there's a group of people opening a Free Store like the one we showed you here. We got to stay overnight with our church pastor's lovely parents and op shop a little.

peckasso.

2011-06-06T11:38:00.002+12:00

Our good friend Richard (who you may have seen here) has recently built a chicken coup and adopted four beautiful chickens: Peckasso, Edwing Featheringham, Popcorn, and Dave. We really had no idea how funny chickens could be! We stood for at least an hour, completely amused by their antics and their interactions with each other. We could have watched them all day, but the lure of a cup of tea was too enticing.

boatshed.

2011-05-29T11:01:00.000+12:00

Yesterday we enjoyed the last hour of sunlight down by the boatsheds near our house. They say you can't beat Wellington on a good day - that is, when there's no wind - and it's certainly true. Exciting things have been happening here at the bottom of the world: my mum has just got engaged to Graeme (you may have seen them here) so we're looking forward to helping plan a lovely wedding. We just booked in another wedding this week with a beautiful and creative couple. And we've been married for a wonderful six months as of Thursday!

film.

2011-05-24T15:47:00.000+12:00

Over this last weekend we took part in the national 48-hour film festival. With a team of friends we made a short film in 48 hours. Starting at 7pm on Friday night we camped out and begun writing the script, on Saturday we filmed until midnight, and on Sunday we edited and raced to hand it in before the 7pm deadline. After handing it in over half an hour early, we excitedly watched the ensuing wave of teams literally running to the hand-in, up until the last second. Tonight our film is being screened at a theatre as part of the regional heats. I couldn't resist using this light set-up to take a few pictures of my beautiful husband.

hurray.

2011-05-20T11:22:00.000+12:00

Yay! Yesterday Benjamin graduated after four years at university. It was a perfect sunny day for the street parade: the main streets of the city were lined with onlookers, while a sea of black and orange wizards walked by. Orange means that the graduands studied a Bachelor of Commerce. But Ben had orange and blue, meaning he also graduates with a Bachelor of Science. Congratulations, you will make a great wizard.

prelude.

2011-05-10T09:42:00.000+12:00

We finally looked through our engagement photos from last year. Now I'm not sure why we hadn't done this earlier: I guess it was because we were so excited about getting our wedding photos we simply forgot we had them. We love them, especially these two. This was only a couple of days before our wedding, when we were full of excited little butterflies and when we got to spend time with the lovely Andrew and Carissa. Thanks Carissa for the photos, they hold great memories.

thoughts.

2011-05-06T10:22:00.003+12:00

Last weekend we drove to Petone to watch Ben's brother play soccer. Ben watched the game, I watched Ben. We talked about the very real possibility of living in Petone, sometime in the near future. Being not too far away from the city, having quaint little houses, being without wind, and having the warm sun on our backs: it seemed like a pretty good option.

pony.

2011-05-03T22:06:00.002+12:00

Murphy's Law gets you every time. Now that the sun has come back out, our 50mm prime lens has decided to break itself: honestly, we treat it so good, so it's not our fault. It's only two months old! And to make matters worse, Canon repairs are taking super long, because the crisis in Japan means it's hard to get parts from HQ. Given that we take nearly all our photos with our fifty, we might be short on new material in the month to come.

So in the meantime, here is some more new old stuff. When we shot Katharine and Remo, we couldn't resist touching this beautiful pony: it was so soft. And we were even allowed to go for a little ride.

lawton.

2011-04-28T16:54:00.001+12:00

We love Robbie. We miss him dearly: he is studying theology in another city. Hey Robbie, you should come home already.

intermission.

2011-04-27T15:29:00.002+12:00

It has suddenly got ever so cold! So we haven't managed to leave our apartment to take any new photos. We are having trouble just taking our hands out of our pockets. We spent our Easter indoors, reading books and playing chess. We thought we would share another photo we liked from our shoot with Nicole last month. When we brave this weather we'll bring you something new. Oh Wellington, you truly live up to your reputation.

garden.

2011-04-22T12:14:00.002+12:00

Living in an inner-city apartment is wonderful, but it makes it pretty tricky to grow your own vegetable garden. So we are instead attempting to grow our own herbs, slowly but surely. We have started off with some basil and thyme: Ben has been making delicious home-made margherita pizzas with the basil. Next on the list to plant are organic oregano, chilli and rocket seeds. Thanks little herb garden. You are small, but we love you.

ayla.

2011-04-20T12:31:00.000+12:00

Here are some more photos from our afternoon with Ayla. Wellington is getting noticeably colder. Dramatically even. It's about time for snuggly blankets and jumpers, closed windows, and many a cup of tea.

dresses.

2011-04-19T15:18:00.002+12:00

We have had many comments about Elise's beautiful wedding dress, which was made by her talented sister Sally. We are very excited to announce that she has started her own bridal design business. Hurray! We took some photos for her new website which has just been launched. You can have a look at it here. Sally is amazingly creative, and can pretty much make whatever you want. Boys, start proposing. Girls, get in quick.

rorvik.

2011-04-16T14:20:00.001+12:00

This girl has one of the most infectious smiles and the cutest laugh: it's special when you get the opportunity to capture something like that. Ayla is the kind of girl you love to love.

palace.

2011-04-13T13:33:00.001+12:00

Last weekend the Governor-General opened his quite large house to the public. It has recently undergone a $45 million refurbishment. On Sunday we spent two and a half hours looking around the interior and the surrounding grounds: it literally took that long. And only half of the house was available for viewing. The things that caught our eye were the extensive collection of artifacts, the super expensive gold-plated china dinner-sets, and the ginormous royal paintings.

backyard.

2011-04-09T22:19:00.002+12:00

Today we went for a walk up Mt Victoria. We were talking about how Wellington is such a strange and wonderful little place. We have a forest in our backyard, a city out our front door, and a beach literally around the corner. And everything is so close, we are already there. Sometimes we can't believe that this is our home.

remo.

2011-04-06T09:09:00.003+12:00

Katharine Pfeffer and her love for horses makes for a beautiful day out on her sunny little farm.

beloved.

2011-03-31T12:42:00.000+13:00

We absolutely love shooting for our sister Sally, because her collections are always so beautiful. These are a couple of pieces from a collection she designed and created called beloved. She has quite the talent with wedding dresses also (she made Elise's wedding dress) and next week we will be photographing some of her exquisite dresses as she starts her own bridal business. Keep your eyes out for these!

richard and amy.

2011-03-30T11:00:00.003+13:00

We have lived with Amy for almost a year now and love her dearly. We have enjoyed her company, conversation, and sweet little laugh. And we have been lucky enough to partake in Richard's culinary creations on occasions: he really is the best cook we have met. These two are peas in a pod, and we love that we get to be friends with them both.

des forêts.

2011-03-28T18:12:00.006+13:00

Last week we were feeling inspired and this was the outcome. I remember the feelings of childhood and being small: when the world seemed so full of fantasy, when nothing existed outside of yourself, and when your imagination was more real than reality itself.

night.

2011-03-25T13:15:00.001+13:00

This isn't the sort of photography that we are used to. Yet still, we found it quite magical to capture and distort light like this. These photographs were taken in the pitch black cover of night. When viewed at full resolution, especially the first, the intricacy of the pattern is staggering, and they more closely resemble a painting than a photo.

rachel and blake pt. II

2011-03-22T20:24:00.001+13:00

Here are some more photos from Rachel and Blake's engagement. We don't have much time left with them before they are whisked away to America to be wed. We love them and will miss them dearly. Hopefully one day we will be able to visit them in their new homeland, living the American dream!

home.

2011-03-20T15:13:00.000+13:00

This week we have lived in our apartment for a year. It is not just a flat anymore, it has become our little home. It is so lovely to live with the person you love the most, and always be around your best friend. And we feel really blessed to be able to live with such cherished friends.

sunday.

2011-03-18T10:10:00.002+13:00

Hooray! Sunday's winter collection has been released! A couple of weeks ago we were offered the privilege of photographing this lovely Wellington-based fashion label. It has been a pleasure working with Miriam, the designer. We are excited about the pop-up store that Sunday will be featuring in, alongside other local designers. Book it in your diary!

mamiya.

2011-03-17T13:59:00.000+13:00

Last night we were looking through some old photographs and found one that Elise took a few years ago on her favourite camera: the Mamiya RB67. The best thing about using this old camera is the sound of the hefty mechanical shutter gracefully opening and closing. You really know you're taking a photo when you shoot with this camera.

piano.

2011-03-16T08:56:00.004+13:00

Ben has never taken a piano lesson in his life (apart from my attempt to teach him Christmas carols), though I love listening to him create music on my parent's piano. It is lovely.

autumn.

2011-03-14T16:36:00.006+13:00

Autumn has graced us with its presence, and for now it's just as good as summer. On Sunday we were able to enjoy the sun and long grass down by the river after a picnic lunch. We think Upper Hutt is such a beautiful place and we love to escape out there when we can.

free.

2011-03-10T18:41:00.007+13:00

A little group of us run a little shop called The Free Store. With our lovely volunteers, we collect surplus food from cafes, restaurants and sometimes the supermarket and give it to the people of Wellington, for free. It's great.

break.

2011-03-09T20:17:00.005+13:00

Today we finally took a break, from everything. We slept in, had a big breakfast, and wandered down the beautiful Wellington waterfront. These are our favourite kind of days. Tomorrow we have a meeting with a couple who will be our first wedding photography clients!

soon.

2011-03-04T09:14:00.004+13:00

Last weekend we shot the winter collection for a lovely Wellington-based fashion label. It is a beautiful collection and we are really enjoying working on the images. The collection and the photos will be released later this month, so keep an eye out. This is only a quick test shot in between model changes.

parcel.

2011-03-03T10:01:00.005+13:00

Oh boy, we are excited! Yesterday we received a little parcel in the mail from our friends Andrew and Carissa. It came from all the way round the world in Arlington, Virginia. We are delighted to have our wedding photos and all 3 hours and 15 minutes of our raw wedding footage. Thanks so much you two lovely human beings. We loved every minute of having you in our country.

animals.

2011-03-01T18:58:00.006+13:00

We have fallen in love many times with little kittens who have wanted to come home with us. We have made friends with a little fatty bird who has eaten too many chips. And we have definitely laughed at this photo of our grandma's dog.

one.

2011-02-26T10:33:00.002+13:00

Since our wedding, we really have become one. It's such a blessing to be able to spend everyday with your best friend. We do everything together, and even running the most simple errands becomes an adventure. We are excited that we have a lot of projects coming up that involve us as a team.

cheryl and graeme.

2011-02-25T12:07:00.001+13:00

dickens.

2011-02-21T17:43:00.002+13:00

Yesterday was arguably the best day of summer yet. There wasn't any wind, which is a huge achievement for Wellington. So we went to the beach to get ice-cream and to read a little in the sun. We read all about Pip's grandiose lies concerning Miss Havisham, and Dolly Varden's amorous affections for Joe.

catherine.

2011-02-16T17:20:00.002+13:00

Catherine is one of Elise's most dearest friends: they've been friends since they were eleven. She has now gone on to be beautiful and talented dancer, both at home and overseas. These are a couple of our favourite portraits from a shoot we did for her portfolio.

bread.

2011-02-15T19:32:00.004+13:00

Elise had never eaten banana bread until I raved about it heaps. Then she made it - and it turns out she can make it amazing - so now we are addicted. Secret: walnuts.

nicole.

2011-02-13T21:03:00.002+13:00

I love this girl a lot. She is one of my favourites.

nana.

2011-02-10T20:46:00.001+13:00

When we were up in Auckland we got to spend the weekend with our beautiful grandma. Some of you may know her or may have met her at our wedding. There's so much to love about her, but these are our favourite things:

1. She has such a beautiful heart for people, just as they are. She is overflowing with God's love, and it never seems to dry up.
2. She is extremely hospitable: willing to take in family, friends, and complete strangers alike. She has a guestbook full of appreciative comments from home-stays that dates back as far as '82.
3. She is genuinely funny. She may not realise it, but her sense of humour is actually amazing.
4. She is fun to be around. She's not just a grandma, she's a true friend. And when we leave her we just want to be back in her company.
5. She enjoys life to the fullest, and has a youthful sense of adventure: she has travelled the whole world, and has even smuggled Bibles into China!
6. She gives wonderful hugs: the kind that warm your heart.

We love you Nana, with all our heart.

auckland.

2011-02-05T19:28:00.005+13:00

Gardens, friends, summer heat, japanese food, and cold beers. We are enjoying Auckland, despite the 100% humidity.

road-trip.

2011-02-03T21:33:00.003+13:00

We just arrived in Auckland: we're up here to see Sufjan Stevens next Monday. We started our road trip yesterday, stopping over in Wanganui at Elise's family farm. At Virginia Lake, we met some friendly little ducks and some rather scary geese. We gave them some bread though.

Elise always loves coming back to this farm. She's been visiting her grandparents here for as long as she can remember.

gelato.

2011-02-01T09:57:00.005+13:00

Last night was date night and again it was a pleasantly sunny evening. We went for a stroll down the waterfront and ate some yummy gelato from Kaffee Eis: chocolate and caramel, mango and white chocolate. Gelato melts real fast, it went everywhere! Oh, and yeah, there were cute dogs everywhere.

happy.

2011-01-31T09:02:00.011+13:00

Last Wednesday we attended a gig at Happy, our local underground haunt. It was the best $10 we have ever spent! We got to admire the soulful crooning of our best friend Robbie Lawton (pictured), the soothing tones of Tim Armstrong, the pop-yet-indie sensibility of Avalanche City, and the sheer amazingness of Melbourne's The Paper Kites.

Let it be known, we are gutted that we didn't make it to Laneway Festival today in Auckland. Seeing Yeasayer, Foals, Beach House etc. would have been indescribable. To all the kids up there right now, enjoy it for us!

rachel and blake.

2011-01-29T18:48:00.010+13:00

Two of our beautiful friends recently got engaged so we celebrated with them: it is an honour to be a part of their journey. They are perfect for each other.

picnic.

2011-01-25T18:08:00.008+13:00

Last night was Monday night which means that it was date night. The summer storm calmed down and the sun came out to play, so we went up mt victoria for a picnic. Twas lovely!

rinah.

2011-01-24T21:10:00.011+13:00

Our good friends Andrew and Carissa have fallen in love with Rinah, a beautiful girl from Uganda that they are in the process of adopting. They have been walking through this difficult process for a while, and would much appreciate your support: even just a quick prayer.

treats.

2011-01-20T21:03:00.007+13:00

I bought Elise the Frankie Magazine Sweet Treats recipe book for Christmas. This afternoon we enjoyed making Coconut Ice and Coconutty Shuku Shuku together. It was hard to decide on what to create, because there's so much yummy goodness in that book.

dreaming.

2011-01-19T15:23:00.004+13:00

music.

2011-01-18T17:14:00.006+13:00

2010 was a busy year: mainly because of the wedding. As a result, we tended to lag 'behind the times' on the music front. To get up to speed, we trawled through the endless supply of music reviews at Pretty Much Amazing. Their Best Albums of 2010 is a pot of aural gold.

Like our friends Andrew and Carissa we will also be hosting a screening of Vincent Moon's music film 'An Island' which will feature Denmark's Efterklang. So far we are hosting the only New Zealand screening. You can find out if there is a screening in your area here.

outside.

2011-01-16T13:47:00.006+13:00

The sun was finally out on wednesday and thursday. We took a stroll and ran some errands. A man also invaded our personal space and insisted that we take a photo with his dog.

beginning.

2011-01-15T11:36:00.005+13:00

Recently we got married. Andrew and Carissa documented our perfect day as For You Love Me: Andrew with video and Carissa with photographs. It was the best day of our lives, to finally become one. One last name and one journey together. We actually couldn't contain our excitement throughout the ceremony and celebrations - so many people remarked that they'd never seen a bride and groom so excited to be married.