I have been working on my new website for a wee while and am REALLY pleased to finally have it up online.  It’s quite a different look from the last one and has all new images on it as well as facebook and twitter links, so feel free to click through and “like’ my ‘Emma Hughes Photography’ page if you are a facebook-er.

The new site has loads of lovely wedding photos, as well as heaps of cute children’s photos, baby photography, pregnancy shoots, family portraits, couples photos, boudoir and body shots and of course a whole lot of individual portraits (never really know what to call these – ‘adult portraits’ just sounds kinda wrong!).

A new portfolio section we added this time around is a called ‘generations’ – these are a selection of the multi family portraits of extended family that we often do at Christmas and other holidays when everyone is all gathered together.  Waiheke is the perfect location for these extended family portraits and they are always really special, involving everyone from the smallest babies through to the great grandmothers.

Check out the new site HERE

The “Classic Portrait” was a newly added category at the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography Iris Awards this year.  It was added after many requests for an award that was about REAL photography, not about how good you were at photoshop!  The following images were the ones that earned me a place as a finalist in this category…

Sometimes with the Iris Awards, you can figure out who the finalists will be in each category, but in the case of the Classic Portrait, I must admit that I had absolutely no idea that I was a finalist until they announced my name at the Gala Awards dinner!

It was a great surprise, and means a lot to me because being a finalist in this category recognises how good our studio is at producing great, authentic images that don’t need to be photoshopped to within an inch of their lives to be good.  Nice.

Congrats to the super-talented Mike Hill who took out the title of Classic Portrait Photographer of the Year

Wow.  Just returned from the NZIPP annual convention and Iris Awards where I was awarded the Wedding Album of the Year trophy for the second year in a row!  This year I also received another ‘bar to my masters’, and was one of three finalists for the Classic Portrait Category, a new category this year which celebrates a ‘straight’ capture, i.e., an image that has not been digitally manipulated like so many of the current awards images are.

The convention itself was fabulous – a real treat, with heaps of great advice and inspiration from some awesome speakers.  Will post more info over the next few days along with my successful awards images and the details of the wedding album pages for those that have been asking me on FB.  Until then though, you will just have to look at my smiling (and slightly ‘stunned mullet’) face…

I had the pleasure of photographing the very lovely Green Party candidate Denise Roche a few weeks ago in the studio.   She was needing a photo to be used in her campaign for Auckland Central, with the chosen image destined to be put on the side of a car.  Cool!

We did a few different looks in the studio including some shots with our new … ahem… ‘wind machine’. 

[photo showing Denise's partner Jon doing an excellent job of operating said wind machine... very technical!]

And the end result…

Thanks to Denise’s friend Michelle Benson for sending through the pic.

I received this lovely email from one of my brides last week… it made my day so I thought I would share it!

I kept meaning to tell you at the wedding – Just after I booked you a year before the wedding, I was in this gorgeous designer bridal store in Dubai called Frost and the Lebanese owner was asking where I was getting married. Long story cut short – when I said New Zealand she said the most stunning wedding photos she had ever seen had been of a bride she sold a dress too who got married in New Zealand, but she couldn’t remember where or any of the details.

Even though I was telling her I’d already booked my photographer (didn’t mention your name) she keep persisting that I find this “amazing photographer” and so she ran off back to her office to find out the details. Mean while I standing there thinking “There’s hundreds maybe even thousands of wedding photographers in New Zealand… what’s the chance…” A few minutes later she appeared with her laptop and a shot of this bride at Mudbrick by Emma Hughes!
I nearly fell over!

Just thought you’d like to know how amazed people are with your photography – worldwide!
Have a great day!
Pepita

Lovely.

And since a post is not really the same without a photo, here is a studio portrait I shot recently of my dear friend Selina Tusitala Marsh…

Selina is an exceptionally talented poet, whose live performances are just amazing; evocative, emotive and downright moving.  She was wonderful to photograph.  This portrait is part of a group exhibition from the Waiheke Photography Collective which opens at Toi Gallery on Waiheke Island this coming Friday at 6pm… all welcome.

Congrats to Trinity, the gorgeous and fun winner of our Waiheke Island School Fair giveaway this year.  Her mum opted to go for one of my ‘Rockstars’ shoots and I am so pleased she did because Trin is a natural Rockstar!

Schools out!  Happy Holidays to all the school kids out there and good luck to all the parents… remember, rockstar shoots are a GREAT school holiday activity and a fun way to capture your little darlings youthful enthusiasm.