Whether you’re a fellow photographer or a soon-to-be-wed couple, welcome! Here, I share the behind-the-scenes of weddings I’ve captured—the magical moments, the unexpected challenges, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. You might also find a few affiliate links sprinkled in, which means if you click on them, you might just be fueling my coffee addiction (and I deeply appreciate it!).

“Hey Trace…”

“Yea…”

“Riley’s getting married, do you want to photograph it?”

“Yea, absolutely!”

I’m pretty sure that was the entirety of the conversation I had with my friend Te Ana when we bumped into each other at her work, as I was heading out the door.

As a new photographer, I often wondered how you got those “first gigs”. Turns out, it’s just been friends and family who’ve seen my photography on my facebook page, and who’ve asked me to shoot for them - which has come from me simply posting my photography journey, and then posting stuff I’ve done for friends and family… you see where this is going.

The beauty of this entire conversation, is that Te Ana and I have been friends since high school, and I was at HER wedding too, before Riley was even born - so it was pretty mind blowing to see this come full circle, AND to now be photographing it!

The Girls Vows

The girls decided that they wanted to do private vows before the big day. A special moment between just the two of them at a spot in Ngarimu Bay, about 10 minutes down the Thames Coast.

I arrived about an hour before the girls, so I could have a look around, check the lighting, look for potential places to shoot and just to chill before the shoot. We’d decided to do an evening shoot, so the light would be closer to golden hour, although it was 7pm when we started and the sun was still pretty high.

But Mother Nature had a few other plans… yes, it was a beautiful evening. Sun shining, gorgeous… BUT, the wind was whipping so hard that the sand was actually being blown at about knee high along the beach. So when the girls got there, and Riley’s gorgeous long hair was being whipped every way possible, I realised we were going to have to get a bit creative.

Thankfully the girls were more than patient with me, and tried everything I asked them to do, even when it seemed a bit weird. :)

The first shots I went for, were more “safe” shots and good for a warm up. We found a tree for shade, and started with the easiest things I could think of. Some simple “stand next to each other shots” and a fun one I’d read somewhere of “face each other and touch noses” - which was great for a warm up.

A Veil and some Chiffon…

Next I thought I’d try some of the props I’d bought with me - in this case, a veil (with a hole in it, btw - which I strategically put behind Riley. lol) and a large piece of pink chiffon… I figured that since the wind was so strong, I may as well use something that would look interesting in the wind. lol

Us Vs The Wind

The girls had a specific spot that they had in mind for their vows - but when we got there, there was a family using that spot. So we decided to just keep going with the photos until the family left. So I kind of just made things up as we were going along!

As I packed up my veil + other props, the girls went for a wander down the beach. So I just grabbed my camera and went with that. A few from behind them, and a few from in front.

Then I had them face the sun, but turn their heads towards me. It was a fine line of the angles - because the sun was still really bright, but the wind was also whipping Riley’s hair in all different directions. lol.

I also figured, that since the sun was getting lower, it was a great opportunity for some backlit shots. I know I have more to learn about doing backlit shots - because there’s an art to nailing it - but I gave it a go and was pleased with the outcome. The girls liked the photos, so that’s the main thing. :)

The lesson here is: don’t be afraid to try something you haven’t done before, or you’re not super confident about. You might find that it turns out really well. Just make sure you let your clients know that you’d like to try something, and see how it comes out, so they’re not specifically expecting to see those shots. Honesty is always the best policy so you manage expectations.

Getting Closer to Golden Hour

The sun was slowly starting to be a bit softer, but the family down the end hadn’t moved… I think that’s why it’s important to be flexible and to just go with the flow so your clients are relaxed too. They're not going to feel relaxed (or look relaxed in the photos) if you’re looking at your watch every two minutes.

Just look for anywhere you could try something else.

In this case, there’s just a simple set of steps down from the road to the beach, and it was a great space to just sit and chill for a few minutes. Being tucked away a little bit helped reduce the impact of the wind, and as the light got nicer, it wasn’t as hard on the eyes and the girls didn’t need to squint as much.

And these were some of my favourite photos - so don’t be afraid to try something, you just might find your favourite shot in those “i’m not sure what to do next” moments.

The Vows

By this point, we noticed the family packing up for the evening - so the girls sorted themselves out with what they needed for their vows, and I put the extra stuff back in the car.

I had said to the girls that I would try to record their vows, but couldn’t promise anything, especially since the wind was whipping so hard… thankfully, they were easy going about it, and were happy just to have some of the footage.

So I set my other camera up on my tripod, pressed record, and then stepped back to take some photos while the girls had some privacy to say their vows to each other.

I had to do some additional editing on these images, to get rid of our shoes that we’d left close, my filming camera, and the clipboard they were using. So you might see it in some photos, but I edited it out as best as I could. Lightroom’s AI is pretty amazing at identifying objects and removing and replacing them pretty well. Certainly enough so it’s not distracting in the image.

Just as the girls were close to finishing, and I was standing well in the background, the wind whipped up, and my film camera toppled over sideways, even though I thought I’d pushed the feet of the tripod into the sand enough… apparently not. lol.

The camera kept filming though, and it made for a funny blooper on the end of the little video clip I made up for them. :)

Aside from that incident, I did my best to be invisible in the background to let them have their moment, quietly, alone on the beach. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - it’s such an honour to be a part of little moments like this.

And just to finish off…

In Ngarimu Bay there’s an iconic little blue wooden garage over the road - so just as we were packing up I suggested we try for a few quick shots there if the girls were up for it.

So when the traffic was clear (the coast road has a lot of blind spots, so always something to be careful of if you shoot up there) - the girls popped over the road, and I stood by the car with 24-70 lens on. And we got a couple of fun extra shots. :)

And then it was off home to prepare for the big day… their actual wedding the following day!