Alice & Ling’s Elopement Wedding
I was working through my emails one quiet morning when I got a message on Facebook. It was Alice. An old school friend of mine that I used to frequently talk to back in the good old days of MSN. We had drifted apart over time but I was pleasantly surprised when she asked, “Would you be interested in being our wedding photographer?” I had a lot of questions in my head as I hadn’t caught up with her in ages but there was only one reply I had in mind, “Yes, of course! When is it?” And that’s when she told me, “Next week.”
Wow! That was very soon and as a wedding photographer, I usually get my bookings at least 3 months in advance but this one was a first for me. I was feeling excited already. Let’s book it in!
Fast forward to the day of the wedding - Alice & Ling had flown over from Australia to New Zealand. We met up at the registry office in Auckland CBD where a small group of around 15 people attended and numerous friends and family tuned in on the livestream of their wedding. Keeping it short and sweet, we watched as the marriage celebrant officiated their marriage and we shortly left to take photos in the bustling urban landscape of Auckland CBD.
Being the busy city that Auckland is, they of course had to have road works everywhere that day but that did not stop this photographer from getting his shots! We shot against a beautiful glass backdrop along the burgundy coloured stairs just outside the registry office. The location was quite the wind funnel and it was getting cold so I asked Ling, our dashing groom, to lend Alice his jacket. I snapped away as they both smiled at each other and the photos that came out just made my heart melt.
The forecast on their wedding day could only be described as dodgy, it was cloudy with a 110% chance of a pour down at any moment so we moved quickly. Not long into our search for an indoor location around the city, we found this amazing waterfall feature inside a nearby office building with a large glass ceiling, allowing for beautiful natural light to fall across their faces. The water feature made for a great backdrop as our romantic couple embraced each other in front of the lens.
These next set of photos were taken by chance. I had planned to photograph Alice & Ling against the marble slate wall of the Auckland Art Gallery. When we got there, a ray of sunshine just bursted from the clouds and through the mangled branches of the trees for just for a short moment. The shadow of the trees were cast on to the walls and made for a unique backdrop. That was when I had an idea. Using the dry golden leaves that we found off the ground, we threw them up in the air and I snapped them in motion. Needless to say, I was stoked with the result!
Finally, we had decided to switch it up and drive to Musick Point. A beautiful gem of a location in East Auckland. Where after a short downpour (and I’m talking about raining cats and dogs here), the clouds parted and the cotton candy sky opened up for an awesome sunrise session. I’m a very lucky guy when it comes to the weather and I’m always stoked for my couples to be looking dry, warm and loving. Though I have been wanting to shoot a romantic and intimate session in the middle of pouring rain… You know, like in the movies (contact me if you are keen!). But I digress. We ended the shoot with a twilight sky above our heads and Alice and Ling closed their eyes, head resting on each other. Lost in the moment…
