Updated: Sep 2021 It's safe to say, for anyone who is engaged or in the midst of planning a wedding, the disruption and uncertainty caused by COVID-19 feels like a kick in the guts. The stories we've been hearing from couples and our photographer friends are heartbreaking —we've always said a wedding is the party of a lifetime —but it's hard to imagine what this could look like in a time of 'social distancing' and disruptions to travel. We are already seeing more couples opt to elope, almost as a 'middle-finger' to the virus; but this isn't something everyone wants or is able to do. We believe ..read more

Your wedding photographs are one of the few special things you get to keep after your wedding day, so once you have your photos you might be asking, “what’s next?” We’re huge advocates for getting your photos off the screen and into your home where you can enjoy them for years to come, and we know that making decisions around how to display your photos can be tricky! As wedding photographers, we get asked a lot about showcasing wedding photos; from how to choose which photos to print, to where to display them and what size they should be printed.  We’re answering your most commonly a ..read more

Do you remember when digital photo screens were super popular? The ones that auto played a slideshow of images, usually given as Christmas gifts to parents and grandparents… We've created a modern way to display one image at a time, minus the tacky screen. Introducing our Oak Display Block; the perfect companion to our multi-image Print Pack. Showcase your favourite memories with our locally-crafted, recycled Oak Display Block. Perfect for your bedside table, work desk, and for casually displaying photos around your home.    A Modern and Simple Way to Enjoy Your Photos. Our Display ..read more

  Serving a drink that matches your wedding really adds to the atmosphere and has guests happy and talking about it for years to come. We've seen couples serve everything; from summery fruit punches at their garden weddings, to rooftop expresso martini's as the sun goes down. We love how a signature drink sets the tone for your wedding. Get the party started with a champagne tower or brew a batch of mulled wine to add a warm cozy vibe to your winter wedding . If you love craft beer, why not serve a home-brew? We've even seen couples personalise cans and bottles with their ..read more

Choosing who will stand next to you as you say ‘I do’ might be a time-honoured tradition, but it can also be stress-city! Worried about having an uneven wedding party? Or hate the thought of playing favourites with your friends? Fear not! As wedding photographers, we’ve seen our share of weddings and witnessed some amazing alternatives to a traditional bridal party —including no bridal party at all! We totally believe there are no set rules when it comes to your wedding; so we’re sharing 10 awesome ways we've seen couples break from tradition, so you can have a bridal party that reflects exact ..read more

We've been making some moves in our business to get ready as New Zealand starts stepping back down the alerts levels. So with the move to Alert Level 3 on the 28th April, we wanted to give you an update about what it means for Patina and how you can support us if you would like to. ❤  Wedding + Portrait Photo Sessions While we 100% support the restrictions on gatherings, our thoughts are with the couples and our friends in the industry that have been hit hard by these measures. It’s would be easy to get excited by the slight loosening of requirements around wedding at level 3, but our rec ..read more

Last week we kicked off a 2-part series on the working-from-home tips and strategies we’ve learnt over the last 8 years. We looked at how to define a work schedule, how to set up a productive environment, and how to manage all the distractions of working from home. In part 2 we are sharing the productivity hacks that help us get shit done, and how to get back into a steady your flow after hitting a creative block.   Productivity hacks for freelancers 1. Weekly dreams, daily goals. Each Monday we write a dream list of goals to accomplish for the week, we then pick and choose from that list ..read more

If you’re one of the people lucky enough to be working from home for your job, if you’re studying, or thinking to finally get serious about that side-hustle you’ve been dreaming off; Then you’re going to love this list we’ve compiled for you. We’ve been working together from our home for nearly 8 years and I like to think we’ve learnt a few things along the way. So here’s our list of the best work-from-home tips and strategies that we’ve learnt over the years of being self employed and working together from our home office full time.   How to define and stick to a work schedule Working fr ..read more

We feel lucky that so many of our couples see photography as an investment, because it allows us to take the time to really put our very best into our craft.⁠ But we also think it's worthwhile to step back every so often, to pull back the cover on what exactly influences the price that photographers charge and what goes into creating the best photo memories we can every weekend.⁠ ⁠Here are the top 3 things we are passionate about and explain why the wedding photographers who care the most, will charge multi-thousands for coverage of one (important) day.⁠   Care Is Expensive On average, we ..read more

We are sharing a photo editing tip that completely transformed our Lightroom editing. Editing in Lightroom is by far, the most time-consuming part of our week. So anything we can do to speed up or efficiency and workflow, not only has a big benefit to our couples who get their images faster, but can also make a big difference to our profitability and sustainability as a business. Almost every industry from health care to the kitchen will have specialized tools to help make a job easier and faster, so it’s almost crazy that the majority of us are still editing with a mouse and keyboard. And whi ..read more