Kia ora my name is Sarah Watkins, nice to meet you! I am Lucalia Photography. I am based in sunny Golden Bay, Aotearoa New Zealand. I photograph weddings in Golden Bay, Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough.

 

I get excited about exploring outdoors; hate having my photo taken and love documenting real weddings. Real is so much more meaningful than staged or posed. Real is beautiful.

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Why am I a documentary wedding photographer? I have very fond memories of my dad and growing up in the house my parents built in the Tasmanian bush. My dad passed away when I was a child and he was obviously not at our wedding. I want to give the gift of preserving every moment of your wedding, and those that were present, to you.

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I started documenting the world around me when a school friend invited me to a photography class, aged 15. I was mesmerised: processing black and white film in the dark and magically watching an image emerge from a white piece of paper. I gained a Bachelor of Fine Arts (graphic design and photography) and a Bachelor of Visual Communication (Honours). I have created photos professionally using digital technology since 2002.

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I'm so lucky to share life with my illustrator husband Ben and two beautiful boys. We love to adventure "together", mostly with Ben and Nicholas 20 metres ahead of Tommo and I as they walk super fast! We moved from Australia to New Zealand in 2018 in search of bigger mountains. Our son Nicholas was born in 2020 and Thomas in 2022.

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I am an Accredited Professional Photographer with the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers. In 2025 I was humbled to be a Finalist in the NZIPP New Zealand Documentary Photographer of the Year.

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Please do contact me if I sound like the photographer for you, I'd love to learn about you both and your wedding plans.

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Photo credits: A Beautiful Photo, Rainer Mcalister, Courtz Ewington Photography, Fred & Hannah, Sarah Watkins, Jackie Lockyer