Emma & Kash | Engaged

Engagement Portraits | Mclaren Falls, Tauranga

When I was talking to Emma about choosing a location, she explained that they weren't actually from Tauranga, and that they'd be making the 2 hour+ drive, all the way from Galatea, for their engagement session!

When a couple wants to come to US it's pretty special!

We talked about different locations around Tauranga and I explained that it was really important that she and her fiancè chose a location that really showed who they were, as a couple.

I mentioned Mclaren Falls as a possible choice and they were sold; "a waterfall location would suit us heaps!".

A month later and we were finally meeting Emma and Kash on the side of Mclaren Falls road!

Now, if you know the Mclaren Falls waterfall, you'll know that there were lots of cars.. lots of people.. I had to be creative with where I placed them and how I posed them, to ensure that we didn't have any photo-bombers.. because no one wants a romantic photo with a shirtless stranger in the background.

Kash proposed to Emma in Mangawhai, as they looked out at the sun rising over the ocean. A perfect moment, captured by friends, of Kash down on one knee and Emma looking beautiful in gumboots; they're dairy farmers, after all!

Emma explained that they wanted photos of this part of their life, preferably without the gumboots, and I was so excited to do that for them!

Emma and Kash are just a super fun, really down-to-Earth couple, and we had a ball getting to know them a little better.

As the sun disappeared behind the trees and it began to get dark, we called it a night and parted ways. After every session, John and I walk back to the car, comparing notes and gushing over how awesome our job is. "I can't WAIT to get home and edit these! I just know I'm going to love these images for years to come!" I say to John, loading our bags into the back of our mini-van.

I always take my camera body out of my bag and scroll through the images on the drive home. I don't know why. I think it just feeds those 'pinch me' moments that I get to have after a session.

Whatever it is, it makes me feel so incredibly lucky that, 6 years later, I still get to do this.

Emma and Kash,

Thank you for driving ALL THE WAY to Tauranga for your engagement session! Thank you for rock hopping, laughing at random objects and allowing us to really get to know you both and have a really fun session!

Thank you for trusting us and having faith in my ability to tell this part of your story.

Thank you, Kash, for being one of the very few males we've photographed to really NAIL the 'model look'! Ka pai e hoa!

Here are just a few of my favourite images from Emma and Kash's session at Mclaren Falls.