Kate Keep Photography

Name: Kate Keep Photography
Address: Wellington, NZ
Telephone: +64273307221

Home
New Zealand
Wellington
Kate Keep Photography

Wellington based Family Photographer that specialises in Film Photography, with a timeless, documentary aesthetic. My packages are available NZ wide.

Fine-art images that you'll be proud to hang on your wall.

01/06/2026

You don't have to pose.
I tell my clients this all the time. Lots of them don't like posed photos.

But I also don't leave you to figure it out on your own.

As a Wellington family photographer shooting on film, I work with how your family actually is, not how you think you're supposed to look. When I photograph your family, my role is to be a guide. Sometimes I'm a tourist and watch a scene naturally unfold. Sometimes I ask you to move. Sometimes I ask you to look.

If you tell me you don't want any posed looking and smiling photos then we don't do them.

The moments you want captured are already happening without me having to pose you if we set the environment up right.

This is what documentary-style looks like. It's you being you. If you're avoiding family photos because you hate feeling awkward in front of the camera, this approach might be exactly what you need.

Winter sessions booking now. Link in bio.
Does this sound like someone you know? Send this to them ✌️

31/05/2026

Building something that’s in line with your values, your secret sauce and what you love about humanity is the coolest thing ever. It’s also so fricking hard. Small business owners are a different breed, I have so much respect for anyone daring to give it a real crack.

My attempt to not write war & peace. If you wanna hear more sign up for my newsletter.

If you asked me in the street “hows the business going?” I would say something like “good, but busy, but good. I’m so grateful”. But what I could actually say is...

- There is no greater thing than envisioning something that doesn’t exist, telling people about it, getting blank stares, creating it and people going “ohhh that’s what you meant!”. Manifesting creative intention is an endless source of passion and fuel for me, I’m so lucky to call this work.

- There's nowhere to hide. You are confronted with your whole messy self on a daily basis. I’m a really bloody good employee and leader when I work for someone else, but working for myself? I’ve had to dig deep into my why often and face some very uncomfortable truths.

- It’s super lonely sometimes. It’s nice to not have to compromise with others and lead everything, but it can be a lonely time building on your own so I’m looking at ways of expanding in year 2.

- When I feel like something is too big, scary or outside of my skillset (imposter) then I get excited. I know it’s something that’s asking more of me and will one day be a normal thing.

- Rejection is par for the course. Ghosting is the worst. Rejection I can take, I'm not cheap and not always the right option, it’s the ghosting that’s pretty hard to deal with.

- You wear all of the hats and some you suck at wearing. When you’re building from scratch, there’s a lot of things that need setting up. Screaming at the computer doesn't help.

Some weeks are balanced, some I work 80 hours, some I’m winning and some I ask why on earth did I decide to do this. It’s an absolute rollercoaster that is eerily similar to parenting.

What I get to gift families is ultimately a piece of my heart, and for that Im forever grateful.

26/05/2026

David Bowie was a collector of culture. The ultimate observer. The master of bringing so many worlds together and turning it into a story. Someone who chose to be uncomfortable almost all of his life for the sake of art. Someone who recognised art is a type of madness, and if you choose to pursue it then you must work to your vision, not how others expect you to.
An artist in the truest form.
I draw inspiration from him often, and while it's great to look to photography GOATS to push out boundaries we cannot forget that inspiration can be found just about anywhere.

25/05/2026

Laela pulling Christian through the streets like she couldn't wait another second. This elopement was epic!

Full album coming soon. 🖼️

24/05/2026

This ones a little controversial. If you're worried about your kids behaviour for family photos, my focus and work will actually be with you.

My sessions that fell apart have done because parents have tried to force things to happen, and probably expected too much. They also lacked preparation and customisation to the family I'm working with (my bad).

Kids play up in front of the camera when they being told to do something they don't want to do, wear something they don't want to wear, be in an environment they're not comfortable in. The more they're pushed, the worse it gets.

I work with your family to make sure it's actually going to work for you, and give you guidance on how we can mitigate tension and let the session be fun. The more chaotic the better actually.

Not all photographers work in this way, some dictate every detail and direction to get the shot. Both approaches can work, but not for everyone.

So if your kids wont cooperate - great, you're exactly who I want to talk to.

Family sessions booking now for the winter months. I promise, the chaos is welcome here. Link in bio.

18/05/2026

I used to think my clients were awkward. Turns out, it was just me.

One of the big things that puts people off being in photos is they think they don't photograph well. There's a sliding scale to this from being a bit fussy about angles, all the way to not being home when I turn up to photograph their family.

Most of our past experiences of photos are relatively uncomfortable. Trained to smile to the camera, often interrupting us doing something like building a block tower as kids, or to hug a family member we didn't really like. So like everything, a lot of this aversion to the camera is deep rooted in our childhoods.

We're conditioned into thinking it sucks, and we'll look awkward (unphotogenic).

Sessions with me are an antithesis of that.

But to be real, they haven't always been. In my early years, I had a camera I knew how to use and thought that's basically all it takes. I'm documentary style after all! I'd take the photos, and if people felt stiff or uncomfortable, I'd quietly think, "they're just not natural in front of the camera." But this is so wrong as it's taken me YEARS of practise, working with people to figure it out.

So a question I always ask clients is "are you guys professional models?", with the answer being 100% of the time no. Why would I expect you to know what to do when I turn the camera on you? Being a professional photographer means it's my responsibility to get those photos you want, that feel just like you on a good day.

It's not your job to show up knowing what to do, it's mine. Trust me with your awkwardness and I'll take care of the rest.

17/05/2026

Why do people book a film wedding photographer? (photos aside)

Weddings come with a lot of inherited rules. Most couples spend their whole day trying to meet them. I'm the photographer who tells you to ignore them, break the rules and do whatever the f%^$ you want!

I'm booking 2026 and 2027 for a small number of couples each season. Send this to the couple who needs to hear it or DM me if that's you 💛

14/05/2026

I have always resonated with the word chaos. My Mum called me Katey chaos most of my life and even made a sign to put it on my bedroom door as a kid. Life to me has always felt chaotic, just on a sliding spectrum depending on what was going on. Fast & slow - but it's always there.

I've always had an underlying urgency that I can't shake. For so long I thought it was the world and my external surroundings, and maybe partly it was. But as I've gotten older I realise how much that chaos is happening inside me. I used to think it was bad. I would describe myself as a "mess", "everything is a cluster f%$k right now", "once I get through x things will calm down", "how are people living their lives when the world is so chaotic?!"

When things get hard, I speed up and make things harder for myself. But I've come to realise it's powerful. I can now channel my chaos into art, action and using it to anchor others when their seas are rough. I think that's why I love it when families show up in their chaos. It's real, it's raw, and I feel at home. I can cut through it and find the beauty, removing the pressure from the people I work with and carrying it as part of my own.

So when people meet me and say I'm calm it still surprises me. Because I'm the most chaotic person I know. But I guess when I see your chaos, it doesn't phase me, I just welcome it into my own. And that translates to people as I see them, and takes the pressure away.

Everyone has their own version of chaos, and I welcome it. It makes it way more interesting.

11/05/2026

When you're waiting to lose the baby weight before booking photos.

Everything you own doesn't fit quite right. You might be waiting for your body to feel like yours again. Waiting to feel comfortable or ready.

But while you're waiting, your baby is changing every single day.

That newborn scrunch disappears fast. The way they curl into your chest is different at 6 months than it was at 2. The fuzz on their cheeks and shoulders goes away. Them fitting into your forearms is a distant memory.

One day you'll look back and see your body for what it was - what it carried. What it did.

If nothing fits, chuck on a t-shirt and some baggy jeans, wear your dressing-gown if getting dressed up is hard. You don't have to look a certain way to be in photos.

This season is fleeting. Document it anyway.

Newborn and family sessions booking now. Limited availability through winter. Link in bio.

Address

Wellington

Telephone

+64273307221

Website

http://katekeepphoto.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kate Keep Photography posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Kate Keep Photography:

Shortcuts

Featured

Evan Davies Photography new
54B McMaster Street

Want your business to be the top-listed Photography Service in Wellington?