Over the past year I have been helping with Photography | Visual design and branding management for respected Taranaki M?ori leader Howie Tamati during his election campaign for Te Taihauauru representing the Maori Party. Howie is currently the president at New Zealand Rugby League and the chief executive officer at Sport Taranaki. He is a father of seven and koro (grandfather) of five. In his day he was also captain for the Kiwis having played 24 tests.
Here is a quick video and the resultant billboard design which was created for a 4 metre billboard displayed in central New Plymouth, New Zealand. Lance O’Sullivan is a Maori doctor, practising in Kaitaia, Northland. He was declared New Zealander of the Year 2014[2] for bringing health programmes to disadvantaged in rural areas.
I created a series of branding portraits that we could draw on throughout the campaign. These two images below were were used for Howie’s Maori Party Campaign billboards, car signage and all branding.
I photographing Howie at his local Marae (tribal meeting house), Owae, which is also my Marae. With this image above, I wanted to surround Howie in symbols of our heritage and culture. To the left is a ‘pou’ or carved symbol of our great tribal chief Wiremu Kingi. The figure of the chief compliments Howie as a leader within our community and creates a diagonal line or flow from the bottom left corner through the image to the subtle structure of the housing for the bell on the top right corner.
The idea of this image was to convey Howie’s very honest and genuine character. We chose to capture Howie without a tie, to help convey a slightly more relaxed and approachable feel. Below is a more formal image we used, showing a different view, being the front of Owae Mare.
Part of my role was also to oversee the design and production of photo booth frames which we used at Howie’s campaign fundraiser. Picture here is Howie with Dr Lance O’Sullivan and wife Tracy.
Howie with his wife Aroaro and their four daughters. This image was used as during the campaign. Each daughter contributed articles to Howie’s Facebook page, sharing stories about their dad and growing up in a kaupapa Maori environment, all fluent Maori speakers.
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“My photography is all about connecting, capturing, and reflecting upon, the essence, character and soul of people, and their families, environment and culture.”
Photographic artist Tania Niwa draws inspiration and strength from her Maori cultural heritage. In her early career in 1994 whilst still living in Taranaki, New Zealand she created a ‘tribal’ series of indigenous portraits where she was able to infuse her images with the style, character and lore of her Maori ancestry inspired by her tribe’s treasured carved meeting house, Owae Marae and the majestic Mount Taranaki.
She has continued this series over her career to encompass Australian and New Zealand people from other indigenous cultures and more recently over the last five years has focused on capturing other creative women (wahine) from her tribe.
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Here are some examples of a commercial shoot for Real Estate Agents LJ Hooker Avalon. The idea was to revitalise their brand and create images that are reflective of their location at Avalon.
Here is a google review from Principal David Mackay pictured below.
Tania Niwa Photography was fantastic at making the best possible portraits of our sales staff. She was able to capture genuine warmth and energy in our expressions and used great studio quality lighting. With thorough research and testing she advised us on optimum time of day to capture the iconic North Avalon and ocean at it’s most vibrant blue. The lead up to our shoot, process and final production was handled at an extremely professional level and was an excellent experience! Tania can easily handle any tricky conditions to create premium quality imagery! David Mackay, Principal
After a few weeks in New Zealand setting up a second base in my home city of New Plymouth as well as adventures to Dunedin and Auckland, I have returned to the Northern Beaches, Sydney. I will be here and available for bookings until 9th March 2016. I will then be back in Sydney again mid April for 2 weeks.
Here is one of our latest family portrait shoots taken at a favourite location, Freshwater Beach. Featured here are brothers Liam and Kieran with newest addition to their family, Ruby. You would never guess… just a few seconds prior to this, Ruby, being pretty new to the whole beach experience, took off at lightning speed to explore greener pastures. This was right in front of the lifeguard. As the boys regrouped and got her attention for this portrait, we quickly took two shots, as the lifeguard approached and had to give Ruby the red flag to ‘vacate the beach and stick to grassy areas. We were indeed grateful we had captured other images on the rocks in the beautiful sandstone cave.
Ruby is a Beagle King Charles cross.
If you would like a family portrait with your pet please feel free to email or phone. AUS +61 41 999 7556 | Unit 10 Bldg A, No 148 Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale NSW | NZ +64 27 599 7556 | 3 Tay St, Spotswood, New Plymouth, Taranaki
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Exciting times, after more than 20 years based in Sydney, I’ve added a new base back in my home city of New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. I am now available for family portrait photography bookings anywhere in New Zealand. I’ll be back and forth between Sydney and New Plymouth for family portraits (next avail in Sydney from Jan 27th – March 8th).
Here is a heartfelt excerpt from a review by a family who are half kiwi – half Aussie as featured below.
“When we look at our photographs, we feel so many emotions, from joy, to pride, sadness and laughter. We now have something that captures ‘us’, the things that are important to us and the places that are special to us. We really have something to cherish and value. Not only are we so grateful that Tania has captured us as a family and given us beautiful memories of what a young family brings, but also that these artworks makes us smile. Our kids were made to feel like superstars, it was so easy and relaxing which shows through in our photographs. The outcome is absolutely priceless!” | Michelle and Derek Bosson
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It has been a significant week in politics with Malcolm Turnbull taking the reins as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia and new Leader of the Liberal Party.
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This offer includes pregnancy, newborn and toddler portraits sessions at your choice of location, at your home or in our studio and $50 towards your purchase. Pregnancy portraiture will give you a timeless window into those precious moments of your life that you and one day your child will cherish. Check out our Pregnancy and Newborn portfolios to see how we could bring a smile to your face
Hear from a happy repeat client:
“Moments in time you can never capture again – My children love looking at my pregnancy photos on my wall, reminding them which child is in which photo and me reminiscing of them in my belly. I am so glad I had my pregnancy photos taken by you Tania, thank you!” ~ S.Dimitropoulos
CONTACT US NOW to purchase this Special Mother’s Day Gift Certificate Offer!
Minimum spend for this offer is $445 per shoot. Table Top products start at $250 and wall Art starts at $550. Framing starts at $140. Visit our website to see our product range and pricing.
FOR OTHER MOTHER’S DAY GIFT IDEAS FOR FAMILY PORTRAITS CLICK HERE ; chat to us on 02 9939 5553 between 9am and 5pm weekdays or drop us a line here
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High Roller Gaming is a design studio based in Brookvale that develops jackpot gaming and slot machine casino games for both the Australian and USA markets.
Our photography brief was to develop a series of images for a new website. The idea was to feature commercial photography with a more personalised touch that shows the people behind the company and the personality of their business which is located in an echo friendly, funky lifestyle building on Sydney’s Northern beaches.
High Roller Gaming prides itself on being different to other gaming and gaming content providers in the market as explained by marketing manager Tiane Olive, “rather than just showing images of games, we’d like to show more lifestyle shots that depict where the games come from and how they come to life. Being a creative studio we really wanted to highlight these aspects in our website, whilst still remaining professional.”
To help ensure successful outcomes, preparation before the shoot included visiting the design studio, meeting key staff members and offering advise on suitable clothing for visual cohesion.
The assignment was split into two shoots with the first one focusing on their people. The second shoot focused on the actual product, the gaming machines, being the end result of their creative development. It was decided a group shot of the whole team should also depict the alluring Sydney harbour. Before this shoot we researched the late afternoon sunsetting light at Sydney Heads and did a test shot to present for approval to ensure the mood and selected location conveyed what High Roller Gaming had visualised.
Tiane and her team appreciated the preparations, and initial meetings to clarify and collaborate on what type of imagery they were looking for in terms of look and feel. Tiane commented, “It was great for Tania to visit our offices and get a good idea of the setting. I was then able to brief our team on what would be happening on the day, what we wanted to achieve as well as giving them an idea on what to wear.”
For the first shoot, we used the unique nature of ‘The Lifestyle Building’ as the setting for a portrait of Tiane and husband Scott (company owner). The setting helped convey that their work environment is relaxed, spacious and modern. When it came to capturing their team, we found some people were very shy, so responded with gentle, clear directions mixed with humorous conversation to help people relax. We gained our subjects trust by making them feel relaxed and communicating in a friendly and professional manner. By ensuring the experience was enjoyable, it helped make it easier to convey the team’s personalities. People that were initially shy, became very excited and ‘on board’ with what we wanted to achieve. This was evident by our last group portrait at North Head, which just happened to be one of Sydney’s coldest windiest days.
Tiane commented “There were a few staff members who felt shy or self conscious about the shoot, but I think Tania really lightened the mood and got everybody laughing and relaxing into the shoot. The results are visible! I also think that Tania really took advantage of the architecture of Lifestyle Working to convey the awesome atmosphere in which we work.”
The second shoot involved shooting the slot machines at their studio to demonstrate the team’s creative development along with the unique features and updated technology. This included featuring the newest Lightning Link machines with sleek graphics, LED coloured lights and touch screen capabilities.
If you would like to discuss a commercial shoot for your business please click here.
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One of the things we value highly at Niwa Photography is the continuing education and development of young people and inspiring the next generation of budding photographers. Whether it’s hosting an Inspiration Day at Tania’s childhood school in Waitara or judging photographic works of graduates from CATC Design School and presenting the Fibonacci Award for creative excellence, we are always encouraging students to aspire to be their very best and give them hope.
Each year we offer a number of internships to highly motivated photography students who gain first-hand experience and an insightful look behind the scenes on what it takes to become a successful photographer. The students also have opportunities to work as a photographer’s assistant, develop post production techniques and support marketing campaigns.For example, this article was written by fellow intern Vanessa Zhang who is studying Photo-Imaging at CATC, works for her family’s swimwear company while also balancing an internship at Niwa Photography. Our interns definitely have a lot of variety and are continuing challenged whilst working in the industry.
One of this year’s interns, Anne Poremskis, shared her experience below as a photography assistant on a two-day commercial shoot for the Australian Academy of Beauty and Spa Therapy. The shoot involved capturing the wide range of culturally diverse students of all ages actively involved in their education of beauty and spa therapy. The imagery has been used for their website, social media and to advertise their new courses available at their locations in Castle Hill, Chatswood, North Strathfield and the new training facility in Kogarah.
Anne said, “as a recent graduate of the Photo Imaging Diploma at CATC Design School, The Rocks, I was very pleased to gain an internship at Niwa Photography to be mentored by Master photographer, Tania Niwa.
I must admit I felt a little daunted upon arrival as the presentation room was brimming with students and this was the first large commercial shoot which I had assisted. It was tricky to remain low key during the lecture, whilst still getting the job done in a friendly and professional manner. Engaging and coordinating effectively with so many people was a process requiring patience and consistency.”
Anne continued, “Tania quickly guided Ziva (Tania’s assistant) and myself through the equipment set up and were instructed by Tania to be her second set of eyes, from pointing out the removal of distracting items to straightening creases in clothes. This attention to detail would result in superior images and avoid unnecessary time consuming post production. During the shoot Tania mentored Ziva and myself on methods to capture subjects which would produce more flattering results. For instance, when a subject is looking downwards the head should not be tilted too far forward ensuring the nose does not cross over the mouth and outer line of the face”.
Anne concluded, “the shoot went very well and regardless of the challenges the mood remained friendly and fun for all.
I was quite in awe of Tania’s persistent hard work and patient, friendly, encouraging attitude when engaging the subjects to achieving the results she knew the client would expect.
I have learnt that no amount of formal education can truly be a replacement for on the job training and direction from those who have acquired professionalism through years of experience and hard work. A big thank you to all at The Australian Academy of Beauty and of course to my mentor Tania Niwa for this great and rewarding opportunity.”
If you would like to see more of Tania’s commercial photography portfolio for your company or would like to enquire about photography internships at Niwa Photography please contact us or call +612 9939 5553.
One thing I love about personal branding portraits is working out the best way to tell a story visually, exemplifying an individual’s unique style.
Michelle Walker Architects is one of Sydney’s leading residential architects with over 20 years of experience. As a previous client, we worked closely with Michelle to help set up and capture her personalised portrait to express her brand and creative skills. One of her company’s core business beliefs is to design smart contemporary architecture, based on the concept of good living conditions and enduring value.
Positioning for Personal Branding photo shoot:
As an architect who is very artistic and creative, it is very important to show Michelle’s hands as showing hands in a portrait can help convey trust, an essential part of building established clients in any business. Instead of having Michelle standing straight to the camera and potentially feeling a little awkward, we made her use her iPad and a cool red ladder to hold on to during the shoot. This not only reflects her kinesthetic side in a visual way but also represents herself and her brand as being proactive, always busy and willing to get the job done for the client. You will also see I intentionally stayed at eye level when taking her portrait to convey approachability and equality with potential clients, small details matter for my personal branding photography.
Choosing a location for a Personal Branding photo shoot:
One of the first things to take into consideration when photographing commercial portraits for personal branding is the location and time of the day to shoot. For Michelle, we chose to photograph in her newly renovated home by Jetcharm Builders as it represented herself as a brand authentically and showcased her style. I used a mixture of natural light coming through the tree’s shade with sunlight bouncing off the poolside tiles and placed Michelle next to the wooden bench with wooden ornaments for that warm and homely feeling.
We also captured a commercial portrait of Michelle and her newest team member, Danielle Apap, against the colourful orange wall of Michelle’s car port to give a sense of vibrancy and warmth whilst maintaining a consistency across the images.
To view more of Tania Niwa’s Photography portfolio, please click on these links Interior and Architectural Photography, Commercial Photography, tanianiwa.com.au. Tania is available for photography assignments in both Sydney, Australia and New Zealand including Auckland, Taranaki, Hamilton, Wellington and Coromandel.
For enquiries please contact our Brookvale Professional Photography Studio:
+61 2 9939 5553
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