I've been photographing people for over a decade, telling their stories through imagery. Love stories. Growing a family stories. Unconditional love for our furry friends. Sibling dynamics. Stories that centre around a sense of place. And I also document people's passions through brand photography. Showcasing small businesses that people start as an outlet for a passion they have. The creation of a business and brand that is an extension of that person. 

Recently I sat down with Heidi from WILD & Rustic to plan how we could capture the slow art of her sourdough baking with some brand photography. We planned how we could document each stage of what is really a 48 hour process. We talked about the purpose of the photos - for product marketing and for education. We mapped out a style that aligned with her brand aesthetic. Heidi wanted the photos to showcase her products more than herself as a baker, yet still show the hands-on process from start to finish. 

This photoshoot was a lot of fun to plan & execute. It sparked my creativity, stretched photo-stylising muscles that I don't really get to with family portraits (but used to love doing with wedding day details etc!) and it has me thinking of all the creatives out there creating something they're passionate about with their hands and their stories that need told!!!

I guess this is the blending of two of my very own passions; photography + simple living. So if you are a maker, grower, homesteader, creative, dreamer with a small business doing something you are passionate about putting out into this world let's talk because I would LOVE to tell your story through photography!

For those who might not know about sourdough & it's slow fermentation process; it begins with feeding up your sourdough starter to get it active and bubbling. You generally start doing this about 48 hours/the day before before you want bread! Now most sourdough connoisseurs are feeding 100grams or thereabouts of starter - but Heidi is doing kilos at a time! That is because each week she bakes dozens of loaves for local households who can't get enough of her incredible sourdough products. Heidi told me she goes through 80 kilos of flour in a week!

One day 1, once the starter is ready for use the dough for each different style of product can be made up. Heidi makes standard sourdough loaves, sandwich bread, grained loaves, honey oat, focaccia, pasta, pizza bases, buns and more. This first day is all about making up each batch of dough then beginning a series of "stretch and folds" with the dough over many hours to activate the gluten in the flour creating a beautiful dough and starting the sourdough process.

​And in amongst all the dough prep, Heidi is also making pasta! 

This photoshoot also felt like an educational experience for me watching Heidi work, seeing her process and her tricks. She moved so fast I was often glad she had repetitive tasks with multiple batches so that I could ensure I captured everything without having to ask her to pause for the camera! Because it was also a lovely thing to witness her 'flow'.  

Flow state is something I enter when I have my camera in my hands. It's that melding together of your action and your consciousness where you just become completely immersed in your activity. Time passes quickly but you don't notice anything outside the bubble of your focus. It was cool to witness & capture someone also in their flow, doing something they love and are masterful in. Especially because I also think working with dough is such a therapeutic activity too!

Day 2 is an early start in the kitchen for Heidi. Day 2 is baking delivery day so there is a lot happening. The kitchen was a bustling blur of activity when I arrived. Dozens of loaves being shaped, proved, prepared, baked and packaged. Heidi usually starts at 2am to ensure all products are finalised by midday! 

Sourdough requires a long, slow fermentation overnight because it relies on the natural wild yeasts present in the wheat flour to activate - there is no added yeast & this fermentation process is what gives it that iconic sourdough flavour, but also makes it a gentler, easier digested bread.

Once shaped and loaded into tins, Heidi prepares each loaf with attention and care. While Heidi makes the scoring of a sourdough loaf look like artwork, there is also a reason for doing this; it allows a controlled release of the gases in the dough while baking and helps it rise up in the right way. Loaves are covered for the first half of the baking to create a steamy environment for the bread to cook perfectly inside & create a good crumb and crust, then the lids are removed to finish the loaves.

While baking continued I had a fun time curating a WILD & Rustic backdrop for showcasing each of the products. Some thoughtful planning went into this before the photoshoot. Heidi gathered some props that matched her brand aesthetic; wooden boards, condiments, even grains from the mill she sources her flour from! I wanted the backdrop for these shots to help tell the story of the sourdough. And I won't lie; throwing flour, scattering grains and flinging seeds about all in the name of art was a lot of fun!

This is just a small peek into the 100+ photos created documenting the sourdough process for Heidi at WILD & Rustic, but I hope it gives you an insight into the slow art of sourdough, Heidi's beautiful brand and her creativity & talent. 

If you are a maker, grower, creative, entrepreneur, dreamer with a small business doing something you are passionate about putting out into this world let's talk because I would LOVE the opportunity to tell your story through photography!

Did you know that I offer professional print options direct from my online photo galleries? And I've made it affordable pricing in the hopes my clients will choose professional over cheap online print stores.

I want you to have beautiful imagery to enjoy on your coffee table/wall/shelf.

I know many photographers who put their mark up in their products, in fact I used to be one of them! Low shoot fee, investment is in the final product. I.e: you pay very little to have the photos taken, but you have to buy any photos you want. It's a solid pricing structure and a bit of an industry standard in the profession I'd say.

But I've decided to change things up with my portrait structure. I now charge a portrait fee for my time & skills which includes all your final images, then I pass on wholesale product pricing to you as an option if you want it. No buying your photos - they're yours.

I don't want to have to upsell you. 
And I don't want you to miss out on any of your beautiful photos. 

It also actually breaks me a little when I see incredible photos *butchered* because of poor print quality...

Check out the colour differences in the print examples below! The one with the white border is the photo printed in calibration to my editing screen (ie as it was intended to be when I edited it). So much variation between the other 3 cheap online prints and what you can't really see here is the lack of sharpness and clarity too.

Here's another example... Yikes 🥴

Maybe it's just a photographer thing that we notice these variations so much, in which case I'll say no more because I reckon I've helped solve the price barrier to quality prints for my clients anyway!

So if you're one of my past clients and you'd like to get some prints done at my new print pricing send me an email and I'll send through your gallery link/s. And for all current and future clients booked in with me, my new print pricing is automatically loaded right within your shopping cart! Easy peasy.

We book the photoshoot, buy all the beautiful photos captured with good intentions to get them printed for the wall/album/coffee table... but then life gets busy and those precious digital photos end up just sitting gathering virtual dust...

Sound familiar??

Hi. Yep. Been there, done that! 🙋‍♀️ 

Firstly it takes time & energy to work out how you want to display your beautiful photos...and indecision ends up putting the task on the back-burner because well life is full & wonderfully busy!

Then there's the logistics of finding a decent printing company these days!

Here is where I come in! Today I'm going to guide you through the process & help you get the most from those precious memories you had captured in photographs. And I promise I'm going to make it as easy as 1, 2, 3!  

1. Let's start with how you want to display your portraits... 
A statement piece for the lounge wall? Perhaps you're running out of wall space so some smaller framed prints or canvases along the hallway? Do you have a collage wall you want to add to? Have you got empty frames to use? Or maybe you love the whole collection of photos so much you want to print them all... An album or keepsake box of loose prints might be better. Are there loved ones you promised copies of prints to?

2. Choose which photos to print
This is often the hard part so here's a quick trick to help you. If your photos are in an online gallery (my clients get lifetime access to their galleries so if you had photos done by me & can't remember the link for your gallery - email me & I'll happily resend it!) go through the photos & favourite/star/heart the ones you really love. This will quickly narrow it down & then you can just look at those favourites to make your final decisions. If they're on your computer you can do something similar, making a folder with just your favourites. 

When working out what ones to print consider the story you want to tell when you look at your displayed portraits...a family moment captured full of personalities & laughter & love? Or do you want that feature photo to be one where everyone is looking at the camera? Will your album tell the story of a day at the beach with portraits, close ups, details, wide shots etc?

3. Order your prints 
If you're one of my clients this can be as easy as using the print shop within your online gallery! I have my galleries directly connected to Queensberry, NZ's leading professional print company, so you can order the finest quality loose prints, canvas, frames & more straight to your door.

If the photos you want to get printed aren't from a photoshoot with me - no stress! If you'd like to get them professionally printed I can still help you out - as long as you have the rights to print the photos I can assist you if you'd like to use my printers. Simply send me an email and we can make a plan. And I'm happy to offer you the same wholesale printing prices I pass on to my clients through the online gallery system. 

While I'll always suggest getting quality prints made I know it can be attractive to use a print kiosk in department stores or online retail stores and my clients have full rights to print their photos wherever they choose because my priority is that you are enjoying your photos - so wherever and however you choose to print your photos the main thing is that you do!

Got questions about printing? Want to get prints done through me but can't find access to your online gallery anymore? Are you after something more customised & bespoke? Confused about sizing? I'm here and happy to help so please, please get in touch and let's make a plan for displaying your beautiful portraits. ​

I'd love to get you inspired about what your dream portraits could look like...This is part of the planning stages of my Portrait Experience where we chat about how we can personalise your portrait session and create your ideal portraits.

Will it be a wintery adventure session with you and your partner, cozied up by a camp fire with mulled wine or hot chocolates, s'mores at the ready, completing the look with warm blankets and woollen hats?