Author Archives: chris

A portrait for Annabel Langbein’s wonderful new book

Okay, so I’m showing off a bit here but I am feeling immensely proud that my portrait of Annabel has made it into her wonderful new book – Free Range Cook Through The Seasons. She sent me a copy too. I’ve been rattling the old pots and pans all week. Did I mention it was signed?…..Thank you Annabel.

Alaina & Michael’s windswept wedding

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“Love them love them love them! You are truly amazing. Thank you”
…Alaina

An icy cold wind greeted me as I got underway to photographing Alaina and the bridesmaids’ wedding preparations at home at Buckland’s Beach. A windswept and blustery Auckland continued to be the order of the day with the sun putting in an all too brief appearance after a wonderful wedding ceremony at St Columba Church in Grey Lynn giving us just enough time to take the family group photos outside. For the guests it was off to the Royal Yacht Squadron down at Auckland Mariner- Good idea. For the bridal party? Well we girded out loins and headed for Point Erin and the full force of the now gale force winds to get into out creative wedding photography shoot……. Bad idea( well maybe) we lasted all of about 5 minutes before pulling stumps and following the rest of the guests down to the reception venue. But in that 5 minutes – wow, did Alaina & Michael go for it giving us a handful of wonderful photographs. Watch out for one of my favourite shots of the day as Alaina makes her entrance into the Royal Yacht Squadron( taken from above).

Mary & Jeffery’s Engagement Photography

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I knew I was in for some fun when Mary let slip that she had three outfits for us to include in our shoot. Auckland’s North Head was our first location and some glorious light making a photographers dream. We got rolling with Mary in her beautiful white wedding dress and Jeffery in a tailored English blazer. In and out of the gun emplacements that give North Head such a brilliant and edgy industrial look. Then a change for them both with Mary looking the very picture of graceful elegance in her traditional Chinese Qi Pao. The third change, into a glamorous evening party dress and change of location to twinkling lights Auckland CBD. Fantastic. Oh and thanks for the yummy cakes guys the kids went crazy for them.
Head to their gallery to see more….

Great photography – A PR Must

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I’m Chris Loufte and I have been working as a photographer with the media, PR and marketing companies for the last 20 years in the UK and now here in Auckland and it has lead me to an undeniable truth. Great photography works brilliantly in PR and marketing to deliver a crisp and concise message in a split second better than anything else you care to mention. And that’s why it should be at he top of your list when you are managing a client campaign.

Photography is probably the most powerful, simple and direct way to communicate pretty much any information you care to name. whether it’s, an idea, a story or showing off an event, product or service. In the blink of an eye even the most complicated message can be made understood, then often shared with others making for a very powerful recommendation.

Take an event for example. Days of preparation quite often large expense to ensure every thing looks and runs perfectly. The event is a terrific success everyone there enjoyed themselves and was very impressed. But what about the people who couldn’t be there? Chances are they will outnumber those who were there by 10 to 1. Again great photography will pass this event on and provide you with 10 times the exposure.

Event photography by Auckland photographer Chris Loufte

The PR industry is very good at producing text lead documents. Press releases and copy. They contain the client’s relevant information on a product, service, promotion or event and for online , the search terms for Google so that the content can be found . The problem comes when the viewer arrives at the content.

We know from the exhaustive research that we look at roughly 80% of images and read of scan up to just 20% of any text. And that’s he same whether on line or in print. If faced by a page of text generally one of two things happens.

The text is briefly scanned, but not read. Result, your message may be confused or even missed.

The reader bounces straight off the web page or flicks through the publication

in search of something more eye catching.

That phrase ‘something more eye-catching’ really is key.

So when you are planning a PR strategy with your client here are a few ways that photography can help.

Quite often the photograph is the story. Sometimes what a client would like to promote or the story you working on is not very strong. A really great photograph might see it get snapped up by a publication or just generate more on line interest and you will get coverage you might well otherwise not have done.

Make your clients look more interesting than perhaps they are. Link something more interesting with your client to make a really great photograph. For example, let’s say your client manufactures structural components, springs for example and it turns out that one of the applications for those springs is race car suspension. What not put those two business together for a photo down on the race track. Much better photo and maybe even a lead into a new client. Plus the added advantage of opening up the number publications interested in your story of two different businesses with a common crossover.

Work with your photographer to help build your photo shoot brief. Once your client has told you what they would like talk to your photographer. They should be able to give you some simple effective ideas to make the photography work and explain the thinking behind them. They will be able to help you visualise the end product. This will give you the information you need to give to your client when you discuss the photography brief. t will give you a better understanding of the process and a high level of professionalism when talking about photography.

Client wants a big shoot let’s get round the table- Perhaps client want to make over their website from staff profiles to products and services or plan a marketing campaign to work across multiple points of sale? Get your photographer in to sit with you and your client to help them turn their ideas in to ‘photography’.

Build a relationship with your photographer they will be a great asset to your business. – When you find a photographer that you are happy with. There work and service are of a consistently high standard your PR business will enjoy the added benefit of being the team dose “really cool photography”. A terrific value add to your business.

Worried that the client might spend on photography without results. If you are aiming a story at a publication on or off line and you think a photo would improve your chances of getting the story in but you are not quite sure. Call the picture desk or the editor and run it past them. Publications are under pressure to work on ever tightening budgets and if your story comes with the sort of photograph that will make their publication ‘look good’ then the chances are it will get published.

Pay for a pro of have a go? Working with a professional photographer will give you very high end professional results that will make you and your client look fantastic. it’s probably fare to say the opposite is true of having a go. Most of us have a camera, cameras don’t take photographs photographers do. Gordon Ramsey’s saucepans don’t have any Michelin Stars but he dose. ( I have one of his saucepans and I burn toast!).

Do the photographs need a press release? Not necessarily. If the picture is leading the story just a good tight caption with contact info can be enough. Ask your photographer to imbed this information using Photoshop. This info is seen with the photograph at the publication so all of the information an editor needs to make there decision is with your photo. They won’t go looking for it when they are in a hurry they will use someone else’s

Shoot for your target media. A good photographer will shoot for your target media. For example let’s say you have a client what wants exposure in a high end wedding photography magazine. The images will need to fit with the style of that publication. You don’t necessarily need a wedding photographer although there are many very good ones here in Auckland but you don’t want to send them a set of photographs that would sit better in the Woman’s Weekly. It’s horses for courses and a good photographer will know this and help you advise your client. Try to shoot different photographs for different publications on the same shoot. It’s cost effective and simple if planned with your photographer in advance.

Aimee & Aaron’s Auckland Engagement photos

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I sent Aimee her engagement photos today and guess what she said. ” We love them Chris, thank you so much”.. I have to say I thought that they made a wonderful portfolio and they are planning to use a selection of the photos for their wedding invitations.Yep, invitations plural because in addition to the big Auckland wedding there’s going to be an event in Aimee’s old homeland, Ireland.

When they told me that Aaron had popped the question on Mission Bay beach no less it had to feature in the final selection of their engagement photos. The cool and cloudy start to the Auckland day didn’t put a damper things for us as we started into taking photos on the cliff top above Ladies Bay giving us a view of the distant Auckland CBD skyline. After a few short minutes a playful Aimee & Aaron simply forgot about me, loosing themselves in each other making wonderful pictures. Hear are a few of my favourites from the shoot.

L’Oreal Kerastase 50th Aniversary Moet Et Chandon reception

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It was just brilliant fun be the official photographer as Auckland’s top hair salons, hair stylists, hair dressers gathered together for a glamorous champagne party to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kerastase at St Mathew’s in the city in Auckland’s CBD. The gold and black themed event was enjoyed the likes of Rodney Wayne , L’Oreal’s Gary Marshall and Kerastase New Zealand’s marketing supremo Rachael Brown( who’s recent wedding in Auckalnd I had the pleasure of photographing) And – hot off the press; the announcement of the new Discipline range of Kerasatase products. Al together a very chic evening indeed. Great to bump into the familiar faces of some of the hair stylists I have worked with photographing weddings IN Auckland this year. Did I mention the ballerinas? They were just fabulous.

Ben & Lichelle at Mudbrick on Waiheke Island

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Just half an hour from Auckland lies the beautiful island of Waikeke with its rolling green pastures, gorgeous sandy beaches and of course world famous wineries, every popular venues for couples to choose for their wedding ceremony, reception and wedding photographs. And where better than Mudbrick. A favourite location for many an Auckland wedding photographer and it’s certainly one of mine. When ever I visit Mudbrick with my wedding clients for our pre-wedding photography planning meeting we always seem to be able to find a new and undiscovered spot that adds a charming uniqueness to their wedding photographs. It was no different for Ben & Lichelle who were married in the soft glow of the afternoon’s fading light.

As always at Mudbrick the late afternoon ceremony meant that we were against the clock for our creative wedding photos but as ever, We had been and planned everything through in advance so we were able to move seamlessly from the vines through to the gardens having terrific fun shooting all of the photos we wanted in every spot we had planned to be. As the sun finally set, a little off camera lighting gave us a shot that was the perfect end to our creative wedding photography shoot.

See more wedding photographs by Auckland Wedding photographer Chris Loufte

Bride & Groom Wedding show in Auckland – Bridal fashions

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I had a ball photographing what was just a fantastic show agian this year. Hats off to Bride & Groom magazine for putting on the most splendid wedding show in Auckland again this year. The highlight had to be the bridal fashion shows. Featuring New Zealand’s top designers presenting all of thier latest dresses. As an Auckland wedding photographer I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. Here are a few of my favourites.

Emma & Jamie’s Highland Fling

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Bagpipes, kilts and sunshine for Emma & Jamie at St Margaret’s Gardens in Karaka. Gorgeous gardens
just south of Auckland provided a splendid backdrop to their fabulous wedding day, not to mention the farm over the road with it’s terrific classical red barn – a real beauty- where Just enough blustery breeze let Emma’s veil billow out to fill the camera frame. I love photographing weddings in Auckland, looking for new venues to shoot wedding photographs is a bit of a hobby for me these days but has to be said It was a real treat to get out of Auckland for the day and into the counrty.

Bride & Groom Magazine’s Official Wedding 2014 Show Photographer

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Crowing a little, but I’ve Just been asked to be the official Bride & Groom photographer at the Bride & Groom Wedding Show at Ellerslie again this year so I’m feeling pretty chuffed! So chuffed in fact that if you see me at the show( I will be the one going around taking photographs of everything) just ask me for a FREE show photo of you and your friends!
If you haven’t been before( yes people do go more than once) it’s a must visit to see an enormouse range of the premium wedding services on offer in Auckland. From Auckland wedding photographers like me through to cakes, tabel decorations and Bridal fashions.
So put Sunday 4th May in your disry an I’ll see you there!