Wellington Husband and Wife Click in Award-Winning Way

Wellington Husband and Wife Click in Award-Winning Way

A husband and wife, who work side by side capturing love stories one camera click at a time, have won both wedding categories in a professional photography competition.

Wellingtonians, James and Michelle Phillips of Patina Photography, scooped gold at the recent National Epson/NZIPP Iris Awards, becoming the first couple to win both categories in the same year in the competition’s wedding section.

Competing against more than 1,100 other entries, James took out the Wedding Creative Photographer of the Year award, while Michelle was named Wedding Classic Photographer of the Year.

In addition, James won highest scoring entry in the whole competition. This was for a composite print made up of two images of Auckland couple Sun and Tae Hyun Kim. This image, which so captivated the judges, was scored a 97 out of 100.

It was the first time James had entered the competition organised by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography – the country’s only qualifying body for professional photographers.

James came into photography sideways – he studied Architecture at Victoria University before marrying Michelle, and then following her into the profession. The two then established Patina.

“We love that our images celebrate authentic couples, and the little moments that are often overlooked. It is our hope that we get to capture more real people and genuine love, caught in a creative and thoughtful way so that couples will have these incredible memories that they’re proud to hang on their wall,” James says.

One of Michelle’s photographs that caught the judges’ attention was an “incredibly moving” image taken of the first same sex couple to be married at the historic Wellington Church, Old Saint Paul’s. The couple had travelled from St Louis USA at a time before same sex marriage had been legalised in the States.

James and Michelle are amongst a group of Wellington photographers to excel at the awards. Of the 16 categories, nine of the placings went to Wellingtonian creatives.

The other Wellington winners were Esther Bunning and Terry Wreford Haan (also husband and wife), Tamara Mildove and Jo Frances-Moore.

Esther won commercial photographer, plus illustrative photographer of the year; Terry won travel photographer of the year; Tamara scooped documentary photographer of the year, plus the rookie award, and Jo portrait classic photographer of the year.

NZIPP president Russell Hamlet says the awards give photographers an opportunity to push the boundaries, and to see how their work is judged against the rest of the industry.

“As a result, the bar keeps getting raised higher and higher and this year was no exception,” he says.

The awards were held in Queenstown.

ENDS

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