As parents, many of us recognise the importance of professional photography at the exquisite ages when children are newborns or cheeky young pre-schoolers. But there is something very cool about capturing the independent spirit that shines through in older children.

There's a wish-list most couples have when it comes to the perfect wedding. But dreams are sometimes hard to transform to reality, so I was absolutely stoked with the way Sam and Gareth's Black Barn Market wedding finally came together.

Anyone planning a wedding knows they can be complicated. That's why we adore engagement sessions. They are, quite simply, about two people in love. There's no dress to fuss over, no bridal party looking on, no timelines to stick to beyond those set by Mother Nature and there aren't 100 people waiting for us to hurry up and be creative so the party can get started.

Rochelle and Mark imagined a wedding that was 'a bit traditional but with pops of fun and colour and a spash of glam'. The Mission provided the perfect backdrop for that when we all came together for their spring wedding day.

Every time I've had an email from a bride asking me to shoot their wedding at Oruawharo in Central Hawke's Bay, I've rushed to my diary in a fever of excitement and always been gutted to discover I'm already booked. When Kate got in touch almost 18 months ago, I was like a kid in a candy story to discover I was free as a bird on her date. When we met at the grand old homestead for High Tea and a planning session, my excitement levels blew out entirely...

Photography is important for so many reasons but mostly because it presses pause on a passing (and precious!) moment in time. I feel so lucky to have been part of a number of passing moments for the Tod family. Firstly it was to celebrate Matt and Kirsten's engagement, then, of course, the wedding. A newborn session followed with the arrival of their first baby, beautiful little Caitlin. And just last week I got to see her all grown up (well, almost four which is kinda the same when you're almost four, right?).

What are the things you enjoy the most on holiday with the people you love? Do you even remember? Hayden wanted to make sure they never forgot their Grand Tour around Europe, so during dinner one night at the Imperiale Palace in Santa Margherita, he asked Monique to take turns with him writing down all the highlights so far. Of course he had the trump card up his sleeve - "will you marry me?"

'Some spots on earth inspire in their owners a very special affection…an occult sympathy betwixt the elementals of the soil and those who touch its surface with their feet' - William Guthrie-Smith.

We all know weddings are about love, commitment and happy every after. But one thing that became pretty clear as Emma and Pete's day went on is that it was also about having the most fun day of their lives, bar none. Happiness is one of the most intoxicating drugs, and by the time these two were spinning on the dance floor at Craggy Range Winery, my entire face was hurting from smiling so much.

The very first shot I took at Innes and Carrie's Hawke's Bay wedding pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day: Carrie was sitting cross-legged on the floor getting a massage from her Aunty. Being relaxed on your wedding day is something all brides aspire to but few can pull it off. 

All parents know just how fast children grow and change and how important it is to soak up and enjoy the here-and-now. But it's not always easy in hindsight to appreciate just how magical things were at one small moment in time. That's why Lou and Chris decided that professional photography with their kids was a priority.

For Ashhurst dairy farmers Wendy & Richie, June 20th, 2015 was a day on the farm unlike any other. For a start, the milking shed was swapped for an in-home salon, where six already foxy besties rapidly turned into six smoking hot bridesmaids, and the girl everyone knows and loves in gumboots and jeans had her Cinderella moment and was transformed.

For our 9th annual winter family session, the Coole kids and I thought we'd earned a sit-down. And so Granny Gretchen had us over for lunch at Rissington - although this was no ordinary lunch...

Kathryn & Craig's wedding was in the last of the April light at the picture-postcard-perfect country church, Christ Church at Pukehou. A reception at Sileni Estate winery followed. Photography by Eva Bradley.

Was it love at first sight or third sight? It depends who you ask for the answer. I was lead to believe that the first date may have needed a lick and polish but in the end love conquers all.  Mr. & Mrs. Hayden started out as a long distance love affair that ended with "I do" and "I'm moving home!"

I absolutely LOVE working with families over the passage of time - and it's awesome when parents realise the importance of investing in professional photography as their children grow and change. In the case of the Gilberts, it's extra cool because each time they've come to see me they've had one more adorable girl to include in our session.

When you reach a certain age, it is experiences that matter most, and few of them so precious as those involving family. For Sue's special milestone she and husband, Ed, gathered their children and grandchildren and took them away from the bustle of life in Auckland for a long weekend in beautiful Hawke's Bay.

These days thanks to the rise and rise of the 'selfie', most of us have far too many photos of ourselves...and more than too many of our kids. And because so many of them are a little bit average (ok lets be honest, they're awful), we have all at some stage made the investment in professional family photography.