Bits about James..
Photographing Weddings since 2013
I am half Japanese, half Hong-Konger and culturally a New Zealander.
My wife is Korean, and we have a 2 year old son.
Lived in Singapore for close to 6 years (Woodlands & Jurong)
I used to be a 3D Artist and an Architectural Graduate, before pursuing my passion for Wedding Photography.
In 2019, I was named as one of the…Best In The World by LooksLikeFilm
In 2020, SLR Lounge also named me as… one of the Top Wedding Photographers in Australia and New Zealand combined.
I have also been featured multiple times on the top Japanese Wedding Publications.
What our Core Values are in 2021
Celebration
We believe that Weddings are a celebration of a couple’s commitment to each other.
Our priority is to make your Wedding Day beautiful, memorable, stress-free and meaningful.
Sustainability
We’ve seen first hand the devastating effects of global warming, with crazy weather and melting glaciers.
Did you know that the average wedding in New Zealand creates 200kg’s of waste? Why create the perfect backdrop, when nature’s already provided it for us!
Mindfulness
We believe that love is love.
No matter who you are, or what your circumstances may be, our focus is to do our best to be respectful and to help you celebrate with your commitment to each other.
Our Past as a Pre-Wedding Shoots business 2012~2019
Back in 2019 when we moved from Auckland to Queenstown, our business focused on Pre-Wedding Shoots for couples coming in mostly from Asia.
It was all about taking photos to let my clients’ show off, for them to get a lot of likes on social media.
A lot of missed dinners to get those perfect sunset shots, really late nights in the freezing cold to get those starry night shots, open back wedding dresses in temperatures as low as -15 degrees, just for pretty photos.
Our job was to make the photos look beautiful, but deep inside we knew it was a lot of forced smiles and it lacked the very essence of Wedding Photos - the emotions.
Pretty photos to look at, but remembering just how hungry the bride was or how cold she felt, how the groom kept forcing himself to look like he cares.
Business was really good - our top package (the 2 day South Island Shoot) sold so well that we were driving to Tekapo and Mt Cook from Queenstown 3-4 times a week.
14 hour long days, 6 times a week. Our clients liked the idea of long shoots going to many places but fatigue was inevitable, and for us it was unsustainable.
While we still offer Pre-Wedding Shoots as a product, we are putting more focus on authenticity and client comfort. Our 2-day long Tekapo/Mt Cook option has been discontinued - we reckon there’s much better locations around Queenstown.
With the introduction of our Elopement Packages in 2020, we’ve decided to put more effort into authentic wedding experiences.