Anna Kidman

Anna Kidman is a Crane Brothers favourite, loved for her artistic, romantic wedding photography. Her work can be seen in the latest copy of Together Journal. We caught up with Anna prior to the summer wedding season to ask her about the cameras she shoots with and how to get camera ready for your big day.

How did you get into wedding photography?

A friend of a friend asked me to photograph their wedding...prior to this I had photographed extensively for magazines and worked mainly on commercial food shoots - so it was quite different! But I really fell in love with the process and the challenge of creating a cohesive visual story across the day. I now photograph 20-25 weddings a year and balance commercial food work through the week days...needless to say, it's pretty busy...but I feel lucky I get to juggle my workload around my kids.

What sort of cameras do you prefer to shoot on?

This really depends on what I'm shooting and the time that I have. A lot of my work is done on Canon d Mark IIIs, they're workhorses and perform so well in all lighting conditions and they're fast, have never let me down....when I have more time I like to embrace a slower process by shooting medium format film, I have a rather large camera collection ....everything from the Contax G2 for street photography, Mamiya's, Pentax 645n to the Hasselblad 500CM.... film is incredibly beautiful...unfortunately in NZ the processing is a little cost prohibitive, but a lot of my personal family work is shot this way.

What advice would you offer to brides and grooms to ensure beautiful photos?

Find a photographer who's work you love and book them. Look at their portfolio and make sure it's their work you love, not just the style of one bride and groom. You can't make one photographer emulate the style of another one, so it's best to book the person who visually speaks to you the most.

Is there a recent menswear trend you've been noticing on grooms?

Yes - a return to tuxedos...I'm so happy this is happening! There's no better occasion to dress up. They also make for incredibly timeless photos.

1. Georgie & Tommy. This image was sort of an afterthought, but I'm so grateful it happened. We were walking back to the cars to take us back to the reception and I saw this little moment. I normally photograph a lot closer than this, but I think this feels as close to a dream as it gets.

2. This is one of my favourite bridal portraits I have ever taken. I took it just as Anna put on her wedding dress...it's such a close composition but I think it says so much in its simplicity.

3. I loved this wedding like a friend. They were so unique in their approach to everything, and we had this perfect Winter's day...this one's being published in Together Journal's next issue. I think this is such a nice little moment between them. Josh looked so handsome in his tux and their florals by Lu Diamond were some of the best I've seen all season.

4.  This one is a special one to me. It's my son Max running towards me after I've finished photographing a family member's wedding....it's actually slightly out of focus because he's running so fast but it only makes me love it more. I love his untucked shirt...and his hair...always a talking point.

5. And who can't love the bride's English bulldog and Louboutins....