About Me

Kia Ora, my name is Alisha and I am a professional photographer based in Auckland, New Zealand. Ever since I was a child I have been passionate about the visual arts and continued this all through my school life which led me into pursuing to graduate with a Bachelor of Design (Graphic Design) in 2014 and then, not totally sure on the creative path I wanted to head down, I then completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies focusing on Digital + Online Media and Popular Culture in 2016, both from Auckland University of Technology. I started freelancing with Photography and Graphic Design in 2014 after I graduated from Design School which has eventuated into me becoming a full time freelance photographer until now. Here is a little bit about me and my background if you feel like reading it before you press the contact button. 

I have a passion for creating and crafting imagery through the process of Photography. Due to my artistic and design background, I have a love for composition, lines, curves and angles. While it does make me sound like a bit of a psycho, it gives me the background and skill to compose images on the fly, which is essential to being a professional photographer as you have to work fast, whether you are documenting an event you have zero control over, or you are on set working with time, weather and location restraints. I actually had zero interest in photography growing up. I was more into fine art and illustration and at one point I wanted to be either a character or set designer for film and television, growing up with the Lord of the Rings and it’s beautiful concept art that did eventuate into the spectacular icon of cinema right here in our very own New Zealand. Or I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator, or design adverts or communication tools using illustration. Growing up as a child, art in school was never enough and I was often invited to art camps with kids way older than me and always did art and drawing as a hobby. This is what ultimately led me to enrolling me into a Graphic Design degree due to the communication aspect and giving me a wide range of tools needed in which pathway I decided to go down. 

Alas I went down neither of those paths. In the first year of Design School, a compulsory component was Photography. So I reluctantly bought a camera. A Canon 600D, to continue my course. That is when I fell in love with the medium. Suddenly I was able to combine composition, mood, colour, lighting and all the aspects that make great art and illustration, but this time I was able to see the result of creating a shot, instantly! I was suddenly hooked and continued to take photography as an elective throughout my degree. 

Where does the sport element fall in you ask? Funny as during my time at university in my undergraduate degree I tried hard to branch away from sport. As an effort to not ‘pigeon hole’ myself. However it seemed inevitable I slipped back into it as almost my entire life I have been participating in sport. One with a competitive nature ever since I was a kid, sport seemed to be where I fit in. I played multiple sports, while at the earlier years of high school did athletics, football and cricket, all unfortunately to a reasonably high level so as I reached my later years of high school, it dropped down to football and athletics to then in my final year of school, I just focused on athletics. Unfortunately my final year of school and following years dealt some not so great hands and had a big string of injuries. However this might have been a blessing in disguise as my first taste of sports and action photography was when I took my camera to the track to take photos of my friends at the Auckland Athletics Championships which I was meant to compete in. That’s when I became hooked and that event became the raw beginning phase of where I am today, becoming contracted to be the team photographer for Athletics New Zealand, seeing me sent all around the country covering their major events as well as having the incredible opportunity to have covering the team at two World Championships and one Commonwealth Games. Looking back now, having an extensive sporting background my entire life, allows me now to be able to read and understand sport and athletes, no matter the sporting discipline itself, as I have learnt through experience the core aspects of sport are the same. This helps me not only cover sporting events by being able to naturally anticipate but being able to work well and connect with athletes to create staged imagery for editorial or commercial use. I am continuing with sport in my free time as not only I enjoy it, but to help relate to the athletes, sports and assignments I work with. Now I am a pole vaulter, which helps keep me fit and strong enough to trek with heavy camera gear all day. Also to climb the odd tree on set to get a different angle, or able to carry my lighting gear from my car that is ages away. It is a physical job after all!

Aside from sport I thoroughly enjoy working with people. The best thing about my job is I get to meet so many amazing people in a variety of fields! I did benefit from my university days when I tried to make my assignments away from sport as much as I could as I was able to learn skills that would help me in a variety of photographic fields later on. I do love a mixture of work as it keeps me on my toes and keeps variety in my work and pushes my creativity. There are many aspects that are just so fulfilling as a photographer. From capturing the winning moment in sport, to that perfect action shot and seeing the athlete you are working with looked stoked. To be part of the party in a wedding or a 21st or an awards evening, getting amongst the guests and making friends. To be able to experience and see a variety of amazing workplaces and businesses in action, to see others so passionate about what they do on the daily and get an insight of their vision to help capture the essence of their purpose in a brand. And finally, the sheer joy on people’s faces, when they have to get workplace photographs taken and swear they aren’t ‘photogenic’ to see they actually like their pictures! 

Finally, on set, I like to be professional but relaxed as I feel it brings out the best in people. I want people to feel relaxed around me when I work, as often large cameras can be seriously daunting so I want them to feel at ease and to enjoy the process as much as I do! We are all humans here. 

If this sounds like you, feel free to contact me about any photographic enquiries. If you can’t see the type of work on my website you want, don’t hesitate to email me regardless as I will confess, I am not the greatest at updating my website. And if I can’t help you, I can point you in the right direction of other professional photographers in my network. I am available to travel so even if you aren’t based in Auckland or even New Zealand don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Partnerships: Canon New Zealand Ambassador.

Past Clients Include: Athletics New Zealand, Nike New Zealand, AUT Millennium, Sustainable Business Council, Training Peaks, Two Birds Talking - Sydney, Toyota New Zealand, Tennis New Zealand, Canoe Racing New Zealand, Sport New Zealand, Aktive Sport and Recreation, Dropbox AU+NZ, King’s School, Rotorua Marathon, Petal Gifts, Parafed Auckland, Tempojournal, Photosport, Bike the Bridge NZ, Sports Lab, Athletics Auckland, Race09, Insurance Advisernet NZ, SPUR NZ, UCS Spirit USA, ESSX USA and various other incredible companies and individuals I have worked with over the years.

Qualifications: Bachelor of Design (Graphic Design); Auckland University of Technology 2014. Post Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies (Digital and Social Media); Auckland University of Technology 2016.