Rainbows End, Manukau
Lately I have been thinking about trying new things with photography, especially with couples. So far the majority of the couples I have photographed have been lovely, but due to our culture they aren't very intimate in front of the camera. Don't get me wrong I am glad that they trust me to take their photos and that I am a safe space for them to feel comfortable... but it left me wanting to try more.
I was driving along Manukau at night and saw that the stratosfear ride was going and there were lights on. Then it got me thinking... what would it look like if I did a photoshoot at Rainbows end?
So I did some research on Pinterest, Instagram, Google and Tiktok... there was nothing! I mean, there were selfies taken there and family happy snaps taken on phones, but no photoshoots! So I just had to give it a try and see what happens. I saw that the night lights were coming to an end so I literally only had one week to prepare for the photoshoot so we would get in before it came to an end.
If you have been following me for a while you would know that my vibe is golden hour at the beach, so taking photos at night was completely out of my comfort zone! I would have to really raise my ISO and wait for it.... use external flash (yikes!) hahaha.
So I did a model call and Jasmine was quick to respond. Her vibe was awesome so we decided to work together! Here are some things I have learnt
- if you're wanting a couples photoshoot, please tell your partner BEFORE you reach out to me! Thankfully Grant was up for the photoshoot and such a good guy. But I have had moments where the partner did not know what he was doing until the day of the photoshoot and was very reluctant to participate. Remember I can only prepare you so much, if he isn't willing to try it will show in your photos.
- Photographers - please DO NOT just rock up to Rainbows End with your gear and clients expecting to get in! All photoshoots/professional gear have to go through an approval process (including Health and Safety induction with Rainbows End) before you enter the park. I had the pleasure of having some amazing staff at Rainbows End taking me through this process and it was a breeze. Thank you again Dayna, Aroha and team :)
- Even though we went when it wasn't as busy, there were still a lot of people around so be prepared for this! Thankfully although people were around they didn't get in the way or were rude about it. The Rainbows end staff at the carnival rides though were on their own vibe and encouraging my clients along haha! all in good spirit though and it seems like they have a lot of fun at their job.
- Even though I shoot manual all the time, it was a challenge getting my camera to focus at night and trusting that my ISO can super high! I have to stop living in fear of having a high ISO haha. Taking photos at night meant raising aperture and ISO without going too low for my shutter speed
- If I could take one thing away from this photoshoot, its that I need to seriously invest time and energy into learning flash and off camera flash! its just so hard to find videos or courses that really dumb it down and make it as simple as possible to under stand. They're over here talking about power and triggers and stuff and I'm still trying to learn how to turn it on hahahaha. Send help plsssss.
But overall it was a fun learning experience and has given me more goals to work on in future :)
