Michelle Fey Photography

07/09/2026

This image just received a Silver Distinction at the NZIPP Iris Awards, and it's one of the ones that means the most to me.

It's part of a dementia-themed piece I built with my family, those are my parents, because dementia isn't a distant subject for us, it's our life. My husband's parents both live with it, and if you've walked this road with someone you love, you'll know what I mean when I say we lose them twice: first the person they were, slowly, in pieces, and then eventually, the person themselves.

My son Reuben is in this shot too, wearing his little "grandson" name tag, because that's the layered storytelling I wanted to build into the image. He's always up for playing along with my ideas, no matter how strange the brief sounds, and I love him for it.

Everyone in this photo is okay right now. But making this image was our way of holding that reality gently, naming it, sitting with it, and putting something true into the world instead of looking away from it.

If dementia has touched your family too, you're not alone in it, and we see you.

Has dementia touched your family? I'd love to hear how you've navigated it, drop a comment, I read every one. 💛

01/09/2026

Winter mornings on Te Mata Peak have a way of hiding the world from you, then handing it back one layer at a time.

This one came together as the fog pulled apart below, hills breathing in and out of view, trees standing like the only certain thing left. Nothing about that morning was staged. I just stood there and let it happen.

Proud to share this took Bronze at the 2026 Iris Awards. 🥉

Now testing it on Ilford's newest fine art paper, Pearlescent, there's a sparkle to the surface that photos genuinely can't do justice too. A fresh print run is on its way, and it'll be even better than what you see here.

Watch this space, it'll be ready to grace your walls soon.

31/08/2026

I know there are people who've been waiting to see my award images this year, so I'll start with 3 landscapes that received a Bronze at this year's NZIPP Iris Awards. 🏆

Swipe through, the first is straight out of camera, no tricks, just being in the right place at the right moment. The second is a triple exposure on metallic paper, built up in-camera to capture the layered haze over the Wellington hills. And the third is a double exposure with movement, ICM, to pull that soft, drifting quality out of the Hawke's Bay mist.

Twenty-five years behind the camera, starting out photographing crime scenes for NZ Police, and it's moments like this that remind me why I still chase the light the way I do.

These will make their way to the website soon.

30/08/2026

Thanks for having me! Love listening to this series. Head over to The Breeze for a chance to win some treats! 🤗 I just love Cuteneys Cakes & Desserts - Napier & Hastings

Tag a friend to win!

To celebrate being part of our Hawke’s Bay Women in Business Series, Michelle owner of Michelle Fey Photography is giving away a $100 Cuteneys Cakes & Desserts - Napier & Hastings voucher! ✨

And don’t forget to tune in this morning around 7.40am to hear from Michelle herself!

27/08/2026

Just coming up for air, it has been crazy here behind the scenes, one week I was on the other side of the lens, judging at the NZIPP Iris Awards.

It's a different kind of focus. Hours, working through print after print with fellow judges, weighing composition, technique, and story against a standard I've spent 25+ years trying to meet myself. There's something about judging from the print rather than a screen, it changes how closely you look.

There's a quiet intensity to it (that's me in the first shot, mid-thought, somewhere else entirely) and then the moments where the discussion gets going, hands up, cases being made, a bit of friendly disagreement over what makes an image work.

Being trusted to sit on that panel and judge the work of my peers is genuinely one of the honours of this career. Grateful for the invitation, and for the chance to see so much strong New Zealand photography up close.

And I promise I will share some of mine soon!

Photo credit to the amazing Doug from The Records with Heather & Doug Thank you

17/08/2026

So amazing being down in Chch for everything photography. My images judged, judging others work. So much learning, community, catching up, meeting new friends. I will share my images over the next few days.

02/08/2026

For those that have been asking what is it like....

21/07/2026

You've chosen the piece. You've found the wall. Now it's yours to look after. ✨
A framed fine art print isn't a set-and-forget decoration, it's an investment. Sunlight, humidity, even the way you dust it all play a part in how long it lasts.
New on the blog: how to care for your framed fine art print, so it's still telling its story on your wall in twenty years' time. Link in comments 👇

09/07/2026

Ever looked at a photo and felt like you were looking at a painting instead?
That's Intentional Camera Movement. No compositing, no layering in post, just a single frame, shot in-camera, moved with purpose.
Twenty-five years behind a camera taught me precision. ICM taught me to let go.
New blog post is up, how it works, why I shoot this way, and where in NZ it comes alive. Link in comments 👇

03/07/2026

Fresh off the press.
This one's printing on Ilford archival paper right now, the same process behind every fine art piece I make. No digital manipulation, just the image as it was captured, brought to life on paper built to last generations.
Currently prepping entries for the 2026 NZIPP Iris Awards, results due in August. Fingers crossed 🤞
The fine art collection is always open, prints available unframed or framed, ready to hang.
Shop now - Link in the first comment 👆