When AONZ Fine Wine wanted imagery that captured the character of their wines, they brought me in to shoot on location at Smith & Sheth, their wine bar in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay.

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The Brief

The brief was to visually connect each wine back to where it actually came from. Rather than standard bottle shots on a plain background, the idea was to bring a piece of the vineyard into the frame itself, so the imagery told a real story about place, not just product.

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The Approach

For the hero shots, we sourced rocks and stone straight from the vineyards each wine was grown in, and used them as the backdrop and setting for the bottles. It meant every image carried something genuine and specific to that wine's origin, rather than a generic studio look.

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Alongside these themed shots, we photographed bottles on location around the bar and dining tables at Smith & Sheth, capturing the wine in its natural setting. We also built out a broader library of imagery through the day: wine being poured, glasses being tasted, the small in-between moments that bring a wine bar to life and give AONZ a well of imagery to draw on well beyond this one shoot.

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The Outcome

The result was a versatile set of images built around AONZ's actual wines and their origins, useful across packaging, social media, website and marketing. It's the kind of work that rewards a bit of creative problem solving on the day rather than a standard setup, and it's exactly the kind of project I enjoy most.

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Looking for a photographer to bring your brand or product to life in Hawke's Bay? Let's talk. I work with wineries, hospitality brands and producers who want their imagery to say something real about who they are.

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Services Provided:
Product Photography
Bottle and Beverage Photography
Location Based Lifestyle Imagery
Food and Wine Photography

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Location:

Smith & Sheth Wine Bar, Havelock North, Hawke's Bay, NZ