2023, what a year! I held my first solo exhibition, saw one of my photos featured as the artwork on a beer can, took a trip to the UK to see my entire family for the first time since covid (and becoming a Mama), got a promotion at my day job (SwipedOn) to Brand & Content Manager, joined a panel talk with Betty Zine, had some of my photos featured in Our Place Magazine, created a brand new version of my Vitamin Sea calendar for 2024, and stepped out of my comfort zone and onto the other side of the lens with my very talented friend Grace. And to top it all off, I read one book. Yep, just the one.

TLDR: Banging photo. Not the reality for most. You got this. Respect to the Mamas still doing all the things.

In its third year, The West End Wiggle came in hot for a winter wiggle. Despite the chilly waters, booties were donned, and some of New Zealand’s finest loggers rocked up to take on whatever would roll in from the Pacific Ocean on the chosen day. And roll in it did!

I have never cried when photographing someone, but I was moved to tears in this shoot with Moa. You’d think it would be the hormonal Mama-to-be getting emotional, but nope, it was me…

As I look forward to the new year, I feel excitement and zero regrets for the best and worst year of my life so far. While I typically wouldn’t go into very personal details about myself, this year I feel it makes sense to because it’s affected my work so monumentally. 2021 has been a mega year for me; I grew and birthed my little girl Lola, bought a house with my partner Mark (and subsequently moved house with a 10 week old baby), I’ve experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life so far as I’ve…

While 2020 was the year that brought us many challenges as a global society, it marks a year of change. A year that, perhaps we’d all secretly been waiting for. How else could we sustain the rapid destruction to the planet that our modern lives involve? For a virus to destroy travel and air traffic as we know it, to give in and let nature run…

On 13 March 2020, I headed down to Ohope Beach for the inaugral West End Wiggle longboard comp where I was set to shoot action both in and out of the water the following day on the 14th. Mark (my partner) and I headed down to Whakatane with our good mates Chris & Jess (and Jess’ frother of a Dad who was over from the US at the time) where we settled in for the night with beers, nachos and a few treats from…

It took me 30 years to journey to New Zealand.

At 18,695km away, and the antipodal point to my home country England, United Kingdom, some might say it’s no surprise I hadn’t set foot on NZ soil yet.

In this journal post, I’ll share with you a little bit about where my passion for nature and photography began and how and why I started LouLouB Photo many years later...