Rainbows End 1 year birthday party {Auckland lifestyle event photographer}

Rainbows End {Auckland, NZ} is a perfect place for kids birthday party! How happy might be a child to have so special event in this magical place, thats how felt 1 year old birthday boy Daniel! 

I loved to capture lifestyle moments of the event: kids having fun at attractions, parents talking and laughing, beautiful party details around.

Congratulations to beautiful mama Katya on this big date - one year! Time goes so fast with little ones! This event was so special for me as I been capturing Daniel's pictures when he been a little baby, so its a real pleasure to see how these little babies became a big kids, walking and running around. Congratulations to happy parents!

Enjoy this video and gallery!

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Adventures on the bike track {Hamilton NZ lifestyle wedding photographer}

My kids love to spend a lot of time on the bike track at reserve just behind our house in Hamilton, NZ (my son just learn how to ride a bike). I know, really lucky they can have a little adventures and explore areas around what they love to do!

I used the opportunity to capture these lifestyle moments in between of my wedding season :) I just love spent this treasured time with my kids and capture a family story, document our everyday moments.

Enjoy this lifestyle gallery with adventures on the bike truck! {you can see how active my little ones, hands full!} :)

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Documenting family everyday moments {Auckland-Hamilton lifestyle photographer}

I love to do a family storytelling and document everyday lifestyle moments, day by day. 365 Photography Project coming to the end, but I think I will keep going and capturing all these treasured moments in my family life: my daughter's first pony tales (her hair grows really slowly for the first two years :), my son meeting Santa just before Christmas (what great memories!), love all these emotions, my little ones love jumping on the bed every day...

Hope you enjoy this gallery!

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Hamilton Zoo family time {Waikato kids lifestyle photographer}

What a fun family time we had at Hamilton Zoo at Sunday morning. I just love these lifestyle moments, which are great to photograph to have memories about this treasured time.

Its so great to see all kids raw emotions of happiness when they met monkeys, giraffes or even ducks! :) They just a little bit small for big walking through the bush, up and down, so we carried them a lot of times :)

I had a chance to take a fast pictures in between candid moments :)

Enjoy this gallery!

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Photographing kids | Lifestyle moments | Family photographer LEVIEN & LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

Every moment with kids is a treasure. Do you want to remember how your kids sleeping, playing, making mess, having bath etc.

This time my little one grab a mermaid and while her brother was asleep at day time I decided to take her up to the bathroom so she not wake him up (yes, I even not think to move him upstairs to his bedroom for not disturb his sweet dreams, actually i tried once and it was not successful, ha-ha!)

So she had a fun time playing with mermaid in the water and I just used the opportunity to take a pictures with these everyday treasured moments. Kids will grow up at one day but I will keep these memories! :)

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Play time | Creativity exercise | Family and kids photo | LEVIEN & LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

New creativity exercise for your family images today!

Kids just love play time. Choose one activity to entertain them and use the opportunity to take a pictures while they are busy. It will be natural lifestyle images.

You can pop daddy in the frame (or nana/granddad), siblings, pets etc. and focus on different subjects, shoot details and their emotions of course. Try to change angles and shoot from all sides.

Good luck!

Talk to you soon.

Here is just quick example with few shots from the hotel where daddy and kids been playing cards on the bed (we been away from Auckland in Rotorua, I had destination lifestyle session with family at Lake Tarawera, love to travel!)

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Snowy mountains Lake Taupo-Ruapehu destination session | Lifestyle photographer Auckland-Waikato-Bay of Plenty

I spent last weekend at Lake Taupo, where I have had a family photo session and many more. Lake Taupo is one of the best family destinations in New Zealand. I have been invited to capture precious moments of a baby turning 1 year old - a fabulous present of his parents. Birthday party at the mountains all covered with snow. First time to encounter snow – what can be more exciting for a child!

What a great experience!!!

I love to travel. I have been so happy that they have decided to share with me these special moments.  

Mama Lena specially made a cake to celebrate one year old, and parents’ friends brought some cool presents. Gorgeous little boy has been so happy to have a ride on a toy-train with funny music and play with balloons. Later this day we drove up to the mountains passing by snowy trees and amazing landscapes everywhere you look. What a magic atmosphere it has been!

Not to mention it was just freezing up on the top of the mountains and it has been a little bit challenging to shoot with cold fingers, but it’s definitely worth it: beautiful nature around us and family walking on snow, laying and playing together. I have found that I'm not used to snow anymore, after few years away from Russia (there was really freezing temperatures - 20-30 at winter!!!), so now I’m more used to summer all year around.  But it's great you can find so different landscapes in New Zealand, all in one spot! Love it!

Next day it was time to leave our location, beautiful house we spend the most amazing weekend. It was pity to leave this beautiful place. Lake Taupo was a short drive from where we have stayed, so we decided to continue with a photo session with a change of the background and of course more positive emotions, especially when so many interesting birds, swans and ducks around us. What a great experience for little one - watch all these new moments for him and feed those birds!

What a great weekend and amazing time! Enjoy our pictures and watch this space!

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Kids Portraits. Auckland Children and Family Photographer LEVIEN & LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

Childhood is a fun time. Let kids be kids and do what they really love to do. Lifestyle photography documenting these special alive moments.

I really enjoy sessions with little ones and having fun together. Its so easy and at the same moments. Not just trying to organise an environment for kids, let them be themselves, happy, show their characters and personalities.

Here are some shots what I done at family lifestyle session with Kylie and her two gorgeous daughters Taylor and Kourtney. I just can't help myself and took a lot of different pictures. We been colouring, doing play-dough, baking cupcakes, playing with bubbles, and having a Teddy Bear Picnic. See our stories in previous blog posts!

Here some of my favourite girls portraits:

I just love to take some lifestyle pictures for 365 Project and a lot of them includes my little one. You just can't help yourself when you see these emotions and alive moments:

She just loves to dress up and put something on her head :)

She just loves to dress up and put something on her head :)

lifestyle moments

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Princess tea party {Auckland children lifestyle photographer}

How do you like to spend your family time with children? What do you love doing together?

We could capture these treasured lifestyle moments during your family photo shoot while you and your loved ones have fun outdoors!

That is what we did with Anya, Ben, Alice and Annie at their family session in the park: climbing trees, stone walls, picking up autumn leaves, running around, having a picnic, sitting in a princess tent, having a tea party with teddy bears and so much more.

It was an amazing time with this active and fun family. Girls were so gorgeous! And their parents love them so much! It was a real pleasure to capture these special family moments, their relationship, fun, freedom and spirit. We really enjoyed this time together and the little ones have been happy to play and explore everything around. Pictures turned out just amazing! 

Thank you so much for these moments!

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5 month Baby-girl pictures {Auckland-Hamilton newborn lifestyle photography}

I just love taking pictures of babies. They are so small and so gorgeous! They have their own personalities and cute smiles.

I had an honour to photograph a 5 month old Mariam and her mama Sofi and grandmother Khatuna. This session was full of amazing moments!

We started our photoshoot at their place where we set up a little studio with some props - blankets, soft toys, necklaces (all girls love jewellery, even little ones! :), and also a few different outfits (every girl needs it too).

Mariam was just a perfect model: sometimes serious, sometimes ready to give a lot of smiles! What a cutie pie! After a while Mariam needed a break and we all happily followed suit and had a cup of tea with the most delicious hachaputi I have ever tasted. Hachapuri is a traditional Georgian bread baked with cheese and Khatuna made it nothing short of perfect. I will never forget that melt-in-the-mouth taste and most friendly and delightful company!

Then we moved to the closest beach for some shots in the nature. I just love all these ocean views, waves and the wind, great sunny weather and healthy fresh air for our little princess! She became really tired at the end, almost ready to sleep at mummy's shoulder. What a sweet little girl!

Thank you Sofi, Mariam and Khatuna for this amazing time together!

Have a look at this gallery:

 

 

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Lets have some fun! Family and kids photographer Auckland

Let Kids been kids! They always doing unexpected things and ready to find something interesting in our usual life and have  fun with it!

So much surprises, mess, cleaning work, fun moments!

My little one sneak outside and I found him playing with leaves, through them up in the air, having fun and doing leaves rain what drops in his hair, under the clothes and nappies as well.

Big fun - big bath afterwards!

I love to capture these real life moments what brings some magic in.

Who love to play outside, have fun and made a mess? Guess! :)

outside
through
autumn
kids picture
auckland photographer

Here our lifestyle moments!

Kids portraits

One little girl and a Big hat. Lifestyle children photography

I just want to share with you my everyday moments with kids. Its great to capture all these little moments what we will treasure in future when kids grow up. Sometimes its really handy to have a camera beside.

I been with kids at playgroup today and did some shots with their play and craft.

play
brother and sister
Brother and sister

Brother and sister

But then my daughter found big hat, and I just follow her with camera (lucky I had it with me) :) Its looks so gorgeous and cute! I just can't help myself :) So here big picture share. I like this old style retro feeling what give us these pictures:

heat
hat
girl and heat
emotions
hands up
black and white
face
girl and sofa
soft

Its shows how many interesting moments you could capture for shot moment with kids :) Just have camera ready :)

Lifestyle photography

Kids Portrait

2 Minutes With... Photography Project. Lifestyle photos

2 Minutes Project - Its a great opportunity to capture different events or emotions during two minutes. You will be surprised how much could happened just for this short time!

Its works good with capture people's emotions, especially if its little kids. They full of energy, fast change their attention, move from one thing to another... You need same fast react on all these changes :)

You could try to do it with own kid or other family member (its could be static position on the chair and just close capture face with emotions or move around the room with your subject - especially if you have active toddler)

I could show you example with some lifestyle shots with my little one what I took today during 2 minutes. You can see how much happened for this time. 

Lifestyle photography

Other sample of 2 minutes pictures at playground with my kids, full of beans :)

Kids Portraits. Photography tips. Auckland family photographer

You want to have your kids portrait, but sometimes its really hard to get it, especially when kids so active and always move around. I have a few tips for you.

1. Catch the moment!

Try catch the moment when they in right place and right time! Its not so easy, but you can do it (just watch them playing and moving around and have your camera ready with fast shutter speed :) And when you see this special moment just made a click :) Better few in continuous mode for be sure you get it right :)

egg

 

2. Create this special moment

Take kids attention -

smile to them and they smile in answer,

smile

 

talk to them and take their attention, ask some question - where the bird? and sure they interested look at window or tree and show you the bird,

made silly faces, jokes - made them have fun and laugh.

ask them to make serious face - and you get the most funniest faces ever!

made something interesting for them - flash works good with kids, its a magic for them, so make this magic around and they will be happy repeat this moment, also you can took their attention with mobile phone or computer (and get more light from screen :)!

play with them - made for kids interesting task - jump as high as they could, run as fast as they can, made a secret, choose one person in family and jump in the hug, draw something, made mess (they love it!) etc. I use a lot of games and play moments during photoshoot and its always work well with kids, they just having fun and show their personality :)

3. Look for light - be sure your kids face in good light (without hot spots) and eyes had some catchlights, its looks really good. Half face could be in shade (if light goes from the side like window light) and its made more dramatic look (especially with black and white conversation).

4. Keep kids eyes in focus - be sure your focus right, check on eyes if they clear to see without blur.

5. Play with aperture - you could make blurry background with small aperture, just be sure your kid far from background (otherwise its will be same clear like kids face).

6. Watch the composition! - try get it right, so picture take attention (you could use rule of thirds, repetition, lines moving to subject, colour attention, isolation, using negative space etc. - its a lot of things to count but the main thing - picture just need looks right for you, all in harmony!

7. Just enjoy the process and have fun! Only if you relax kids relaxing and having fun too, be sure you made for them interesting environment and they even not put attention on camera. 

ice cream

It will be great results!

One year cute baby boy birthday celebration {Kids event photographer Auckland NZ}

I love parties. Especially if its babies parties :)

One year seems to be a big date for new person in the world. First we counting days after birth, then weeks, and later months. Feeding, changing nappies, playing, move to sleep (big task!) - all this routine staff make this time looks like ever!

And then suddenly ONE year coming. And we want made something special, make us remember this day - when baby became a toddler. And looks like our live became lighter and happier (joking! with part of true :) first time mums understand. Second and third time everything became easier :)

So good ideas for celebration 1 year old:

- choose the right location (your house, playcenter, or outdoor - park or beach like in our case)

- invite good people (friends and families with little kids (don't forget send an invitation)

- prepare yummy food (remember to include baby items - like baby cans, crackers, cheese, veges, fruits etc)

- prepare play activities, equipment (slide, water games, cars etc), bubbles, ballons...

- don't forget a decoration what making good atmosphere and party feelings!

- and order photographer (for good memories fixed and free hands - you no need running around with camera, try get good shots with active moving kids and organise party at the same moment :)

- Oh, yes, and spare clothes for little ones - they just love to make mess!

Last weekend I been at great party - celebration one year old Ivan with his family and little friends. What the great company, nice atmosphere, amazing location at Waiaki beach, and a lot interesting to shoot!

Parents did a great job with setup all party - choose location, took and keep the best spot on the beach, think about all activities for kids with little playhouse and slide, water play, big car etc Kids just loved it! So much fun and positive emotions.

I been happy to shoot all these little ones and their families. Yes, its been a big task for me - to shoot birthday boy Ivan's family + 4 families with babies - mini family sessions on location, and tried keep shooting party process. Great experience, new emotions and great to meet new people - such a wonderful guys! (And I even been so much into shooting and looking for the best respective and composition - so fall of the walking pass when been shooting last family. Camera and lens fine, Me too :) just a few marks on hands and legs, funny moment :) Everything for session!

Here some pictures coming (need to say I retouched much more then usual amount of pictures - just to be sure I have all families and party pictures as well).

Happy Birthday Vanya (short for Ivan - Russian name)! Hope you enjoyed this day and had a good sleep afterwards :) as I did!

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