There's something about Waiheke that makes it feel made for photography. The light softens differently out there. Filtered through vineyard rows, bouncing off the water, catching the gold of late afternoon on the hills. When Bob and Kristina asked me to photograph their time on the island, I knew we'd have no shortage of beautiful backdrops. What I didn't expect was just how naturally the day would unfold.
A day made for wandering
Rather than sticking to one spot, we moved across two very different corners of the island. We started tucked away in a native bush track, all filtered green light, ferns and old pōhutukawa where Bob and Kristina wandered hand in hand in soft, earthy lace tones that blended right into the bush around them. Then we made our way out to a rugged, cliffside stretch of coastline, where the light opened right up: turquoise water, pale golden grass, and dramatic rocky outcrops running down to the sea. A quick outfit change into a pink shirt and white dress and the whole mood of the session shifted - from quiet and intimate to bright, open and full of movement.
This is exactly the kind of session I love most. Not one where couples are posed stiffly against a single backdrop, but one where we let the island itself set the pace. Bob and Kristina walked, laughed, climbed over rocks and chased each other down to the shoreline, and mostly just let me capture them being themselves.
Why Waiheke works so well for couples' portraits
Waiheke Island has this rare mix of intimacy and scale. You can find a hushed, fern-covered bush track one minute and a sweeping clifftop view over turquoise water the next, all within a short drive. For couples' sessions especially, that variety means we're never stuck with "one look." This session alone moved from soft, green and enclosed to wide open coastal light, all in the same afternoon.
It also helps that the pace of the island slows everyone down. Away from the city, Bob and Kristina relaxed into the day quickly, and that's when the best photographs happen. Not in a posed moment, but in the quiet ones just before or after.
My approach
I always shoot with a documentary, natural eye first. Rather than directing every pose, I gave Bob and Kristina space to move, talk and connect with each other, and photographed the genuine moments that came out of that. A hand reaching for a hand, a laugh caught mid-sentence, the way the light hit them scrambling over the rocks along the shoreline. Splitting the session across two locations (and two outfits) also gave the day a natural arc. Quiet and close in the bush, then playful and expansive once we reached the coast.
Planning your own Waiheke Island session
If you're picturing your own relaxed, natural couples' session on Waiheke - whether it's an engagement, an anniversary, or simply a beautiful excuse to spend a day on the island together. I'd love to help make it happen.
