Ainsley May Photography

Name: Ainsley May Photography
Address: Tauranga, NZ
Telephone: 0277572110

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Ainsley May Photography

Wife, Mum, photographer
🍁
Capturing moments of connection, embracing chaos, creating photos that make you feel something.
🌿
Families, couples & animals

I'm here for the chaos, the awkwardness, the head-thrown-back crinkly-eyed laughter. The real moments. Sandy feet, grass-stained knees, squishy cheeks, missing teeth, that toy your kiddo refuses to let go of. I love to capture couples, families and animals, and my goal is to work with you to create a bespoke session that reflects who you are right now. I want you to look back at your photos and r

emember a fun day filled with love and connection. So if you or someone you know is looking for a fun filled session resulting in beautiful memories, please get in touch to see if we are a good fit.

18/05/2026

Something I've learned lately:
Hallways are underrated.

I used to think that hallways were the worst place to take photos. So dark and shadowy. Not even a room, just a walkway to get somewhere.

But life is lived in hallways. Kids love playing in hallways (and leaving toys there to try to break someone's ankle, but that's another story). Hallways often display important family photos or art.

And I've learned to love the contrast of light and shadow.

It doesn't matter what part of the house it is: If memories are made there, then it's the perfect location for photos.

(And no, my boys don't generally wear coordinated vintage-y outfits and play with only wooden toys. This shoot was slightly contrived 😅)

25/04/2026

A moment for the sandy toes 👣

I think the summer weather is officially gone now! But how stunning are these clear autumn days ☀️

And a little reminder: any time of year is perfect for a photo shoot! Dress up warmly and have fun together at the beach, go puddle jumping in your rain gear, or stay home for a cosy and comfortable shoot indoors. Your family is beautiful whatever the weather! 🍂

23/04/2026

Please bear with me as I return to 2012 and post some pretty pictures with a pretentious quote underneath 😉

"'Look, do you see that poem?' she said suddenly, pointing.
'Where?' Jane and Diana stared, as if expecting to see Runic rhymes on the birch trees.
'There...down in the brook...that old green, mossy log with the water flowing over it in those smooth ripples that look as if they'd been combed, and that single shaft of sunshine falling right athwart it, far down into the pool. Oh, it's the most beautiful poem I ever saw.'"
-L.M.Montgomery (Anne of Avonlea)

I love, love photographing the everyday, mundane moments. But I'm also always looking for the little poems within those moments. I'm not a writer, so I do my best to capture them with my camera.

Please enjoy this poem about my boys playing under the oak trees on a lazy, sunny Sunday afternoon.

26/03/2026

Did you know...

You don't have to have photos taken within any specific timeframe, or to celebrate any particular milestone!

The internet tells us that there are specific times parents should have professional photos taken:

Maternity

Newborn

First birthday

Etc.

But last I checked, we love spending time with our kids and watching them grow every day, not just on specific days?

You can get photos taken literally whenever you want. If you just can't fathom letting a stranger into your home during those first ten days, six weeks, even the first year... Your little one will constantly grow and change and delight you in different ways.

In my opinion? The best time to have a photoshoot is when you're in the right headspace for it!

This little beauty was around 2 months old for her "newborn" photos. And I can assure you, these moments were no less special than when she was a few days old.

19/03/2026

A while ago a lovely family reached out to me. They were visiting New Zealand and wanted to remember their time here with a photo shoot, specifically showcasing our beautiful greens.

Ask me to show off my home in vivid colour and I will always say yes!

And when they mentioned one of my absolute favourite spots to spend time with my own kids, I knew it would be a stunning shoot.

The evening light was perfect, the greens of the flax and trees were vibrant, the tui were singing, the family was gorgeous...

I'm always grateful for opportunities to capture love and connection and nature like this.

🧡💜💚

12/03/2026

Guys! The leaves are starting to change!

I don't love winter, but there's just something about Autumn... Crunchy leaves, crisp cool air, digging out the friendly warm clothes you haven't seen for a few months...

If you've been thinking you'd love some photos in the Autumn colours, now is the time to consider booking!

I'll always recommend that you have your photo shoot in a location that's familiar to you, but I can also recommend locations with beautiful leaves.

Feel free to dm me or follow the link in my bio if you'd like to discuss a shoot!

🍂🍁🍄

19/02/2026

You probably haven't even noticed, but my last few posts have been a little different.

I've slowly come to the decision that I'm no longer willing to share my kids' faces publicly online. And I can't make that commitment without also applying it to my clients' kids.

Honestly, with my tiny following, there is probably no harm in sharing kids faces, but the internet is getting more and more crazy and it's not a risk I'm willing to take anymore.

I'll still share some photos of partial facial features or out-of-focus features (with parental permission) but not full, front-on, recognisable faces.

I'll still give clients full control over deciding what, if any, photos are shared from their shoot, but won't share kids faces even with permission.

And of course there will be no change to the photos you receive as a client! My shooting style always results in at least a few photos where faces aren't visible. You don't necessarily need to see anyone's face to see the emotion of a moment. ❤️

28/01/2026

The Towel Wash

Recently I've been inspired by the community of to photograph the most mundane daily activities (and even to sometimes show up in the photos myself).

Will I ever miss hanging out endless washing in the baking sun? Probably not. But I'm 100% sure that I'll miss the messy little bodies that contribute more than their fair share of clothes to be washed.

Finding the beauty in these little moments helps me to remember that I do chores for my family because I love them, not just because I have to. What a privilege it is to have kids to feed and food to spill and towels to clean it up.

P.s. if anyone is wondering, it rained 10 minutes after I took these photos 🇳🇿

06/01/2026

I'm constantly amazed by children. They have such unfathomable energy and constantly active imaginations.

I'd love to still have that kind of energy, and I'd love it if using my imagination didn't feel like work.

So let's celebrate it in our kiddos. Let's not ask them to sit still for photos. Let's let them do what comes naturally, and embrace the ensuing chaos.

04/01/2026

When I was a teenager, social media started taking over our lives. At the same time, taking photos became less about capturing a moment, and more about getting that perfect image to share online.

But here's the thing: We can fight back against the obsession with perfection, the comparison with other peoples highlight reels, the artificiality and insincerity.

We can take photos just for ourselves.

We can take photos just for our kids to look back at when they're grown.

We can take photos just so our future grandkids can see how we lived and loved in 2026.

We can take photos that won't even make sense to anyone but our own family.

We can have a professional photo shoot and not share a single photo online.

We can have photos taken just because we love this time in our lives and we know we'll want to look back and remember it.

We can have photos taken that are full of imperfections, mess and truth. They'll also be full of love and connection.

Of course, if you love your photos, you'll probably want to share them with friends and family, and that's great.
But: You. Don't. Have. To.

Let's fight back against the obsession with "perfection" by celebrating the ordinary. Let's think about ~why~ we're doing this. Let's stop taking photos that strangers on the internet can be jealous of, and start documenting the things we actually want to remember.

The best part? You don't even have to do your makeup or put the dishes away if you don't want to!

Address

Tauranga

Telephone

0277572110

Website

https://unscriptedphotographers.com/b/q9CpmgnQ8dNVYR

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