Natural, candid wedding photography across Auckland. 20+ years behind the lens in the US and New Zealand, and now booking a limited number of weddings for 2026/2027.
No obligation, let's start with a coffee.
I started shooting weddings full-time in the US and have spent 20+ years since behind the camera, the last stretch based here in Auckland. I've photographed over 100 weddings, from intimate elopements on black sand beaches to full marquee celebrations for 200 guests.
I'm not chasing trends. I'm chasing the real moment: the look between you and your partner, the parent's face during the vows, the room mid-laugh. That's what you'll actually want to look at in twenty years.
If you've been searching for a candid, documentary wedding photographer in Auckland rather than an afternoon of posing, that's exactly what this is. I work quietly, stay out of the way, and let your day happen.
I don't interfere with how you want your day to run. Fast family photos so you can get back to your guests and the food? That's what we'll do. We start with a coffee, which is genuinely just getting to know each other and hearing what you've got in mind.
The planning session comes later, and that's where the real work happens. I walk you through the timeline, and after a hundred weddings I can tell you what each part actually costs in time. Most couples change how the day flows once they can see it laid out, and end up with more of what they wanted from it. We sort the shot list and the family photographs in the same session, including who's going to round people up when the time comes. That one person is the difference between fifteen minutes and forty-five.
By the day itself I know all of it and I'm working to a plan, so you don't have to think about any of it. Stress free is the goal.
Most of my weddings happen across West Auckland and the west coast beaches, and I shoot right through the rest of the region: North Shore, Central Auckland, South Auckland and everywhere between.
Beach, garden, winery, native bush or a marquee in a paddock, the approach doesn't change. I turn up early, learn the light, and photograph the day as it actually unfolds.
More on West Auckland weddings, including Te Henga, Bethells Beach and Muriwai.
Something a bit different that people genuinely love. I turn your photos into proper magazine covers, made for your day and your people. One for the bridesmaids, one for the groomsmen, and the groomsmen in particular tend to lose it.
The artwork is included with every wedding and it's yours, so print it wherever you like. If you'd rather not think about it, I can organise printing through a local printer who does beautiful large format work. You choose the size and what you want to spend.
You don't get to reshoot your wedding. The phone photos your guests take are lovely and they're perfect for your socials, but they aren't usually good enough for the album you'll still be handing round in thirty years.
So after every wedding I design a full album from your photos, laid out as the story of your day from start to finish, and I give you a finished proof to look at before you decide anything. The design and the proof come with every package. Printing doesn't, and you're under no obligation to buy it.
I design it straight away, while your day is still fresh in my mind. That matters more than it sounds. Plenty of couples pay well for a photographer and never end up with the album, sometimes having already part-paid for one, and by the time they come back the work has been archived. So you get yours while it's all still alive, and from there we take our time working out the album you actually want, at a size and a price that suits you.
Telling a story in order is a skill, and seeing your day laid out properly is a different thing entirely to scrolling a folder of files. Changes are easy: most couples come back with four or five, usually swapping out one of the family group shots, and it's done. I take the pain out of it and you end up with a family heirloom.
Talk to me about your dayI get asked about wedding videography constantly. I don't film on the day, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. What I do instead is build you a reel: your own photographs cut into a moving story and set to music, made for sharing.
When couples see one, it's usually what they actually wanted. The one playing here is mine, so you can see the style.
This is the part most photographers can't do. Music copyright is strict, so a reel scored with a track off the radio is a problem waiting to happen. I'm a musician as well as a photographer, so I can set your reel to my own music and it's all above board.
If you'd rather choose your own, I hand you the reel without music and you add whatever you like on your phone.
Talk to me about your day"Jo is amazing, from the very first meeting she makes you feel comfortable. The pictures are amazing! Totally gobsmacked!!!"
Sarah & Rob"I am so in love with all my photos! Almost making me cry just looking at it. Thank you for capturing such beautiful memories we are able to cherish forever."
Darnell & Izzy"It was an absolute pleasure to work with Jo, the photographs are gorgeous, everyone loves them!"
Nerissa & Kieran"Jo has done my wedding photography and my daughter's. What superb photography, from formal to relaxed, each and every photo special and treasured."
Teresa, mother of the bride"Ohhhh Jo they are so stunning! Bringing tears of happiness to my eyes! They are amazing!"
Amber & Brian"Oh my goodness!!! I just cried looking at the picture! You're absolutely amazing and talented!"
Jennifer LamSecure your date with 25%, then pay the rest however suits you. Most couples book a year ahead and put a little aside each month. No interest, no fees, no minimum. The balance is simply settled a month before the day.
Need more time on the day? Extra hours can be added to any package.
Engagement and location sessions are booked as their own shoot. What they cost depends on where you want to go and how much setting up it takes, so let's talk about it rather than guess from a price list.
Full detail on the wedding photography packages page.
Auckland pricing varies widely with hours of coverage and experience. Mine starts at $2,950 for three hours, $3,500 for four hours, and $6,000 for six hours including a printed 30 page album. Secure your date with 25% and pay the balance at your own pace, no interest and no fees.
Ask to see full galleries rather than highlight reels, so you can tell whether the standard holds across a whole day. Look hard at the candid frames, not just the posed ones. And make sure you actually like the person, because you'll spend more of your wedding day with your photographer than almost anyone else. That's why I start with a coffee rather than a contract.
The hour before sunset gives the softest light, so I plan a short golden hour step-out wherever the timeline allows. Auckland summer sunsets run late, so that often sits between the entrees and the speeches. In winter it can land right after the ceremony. Overcast days are no problem at all, flat light is kind to faces.
Yes, and without taking it over. There is a dedicated planning session for it, separate from the first coffee. I walk you through the timeline, and after a hundred weddings I can tell you what each part really costs. A clifftop session, for instance, can take an hour and a half away from the day. Most couples change how the day flows once they can see it laid out, and end up with more of what they wanted. We sort the shot list and the family photographs in the same session, including who is going to round people up, because that person is the difference between fifteen minutes and forty-five. By your day I know all of it and I am working to a plan. Stress free is the goal.
No, I don't film on the day, and I'd rather say so plainly than take the booking. What I do give you is a reel: your photographs cut into a moving story and set to music, made for sharing. Most couples who ask about video turn out to want exactly that once they see one. Because I'm a musician as well, I can score it with my own music, which sidesteps the copyright problem entirely. Or I hand it over without music and you add your own.
Yes, and often. Intimate weddings, micro weddings and elopements are a real part of what I shoot, from the black sand west coast beaches to a backyard with twenty people in it. The Intimate package is built for exactly that.
All of it. Most of my work sits across West Auckland and the west coast beaches, and I shoot through the North Shore, Central and South Auckland, as well as gardens, wineries and native bush venues right across the region. Outside Auckland, just ask.
I'd genuinely rather meet you than trade emails. Send your details below and I'll set up a no-pressure coffee, just us, getting to know each other and hearing what you've got in mind for the day. If your engagement ring's ready, I'll often shoot it on the spot so you've got a beautiful image for your invitations, on me. The planning session comes later, once you've decided.