Muriwai draws and captivates people for many reasons – surfing, exploring the dunes, horse trekking and in this case, wild love stories. Ella and Cam, beautiful wild west coast locals, ventured barefoot to Maori Bay to capture and share their love story.
With their mutual love of adventuring, the west coast made for the perfect location. The slipping light, steeled waves and ironclad sand created an intimate atmosphere that was raw and organic.
Utterly at ease, Ella and Cam danced on the shore, filling their dreamy shoot with tender, deep life. Soft, creamy linen hues, ashen sand and Maori Bay’s volcanic edges encased them and reflected the aroha beaming from Ella & Cam. Braving the steeled waves, they went for a dip to seal another day shared together.
Intimate, cherished moments captured by Grace of State of Grace Photography.
“A warm wind from a distant shore, so that’s where we’re headed, towards the light, that shone in her eyes…” – Atticus
Tell us a little about yourselves, and how long have you been together?
Hello, Ella and Cam here! We are parents to our beautiful boy Zion, and have been together for 4 years now. We live on a little hidden away beach in Auckland, where we have built our veggie garden beside the sea, and go for daily swims. Cam is super creative, he loves bringing his big visions to life – he runs his own hemp food business and has a background in photography and private cheffing as well as other endeavours. Ella is intuitive and passionate, she is a childbirth educator, who dabbles in photography and songwriting. Our son Zion is almost two, and brings so much joy, laughter and love into our lives!
The love story: how did you meet?
Well, like many young couples these days, we were initially connected online by mutual friends – and then I (Ella) invited Cam to a fundraiser event organised by my brother. Cam showed up, and was immediately asked to be the photographer for the event, so I didn’t get to speak to him the whole time! Then, just as I was about to get in the elevator to go home, he found me, and we ended up talking for ages! Safe to say I missed many chances to get on the elevator. After that night, he sent me a message inviting me on an extravagant date where he was going to take me somewhere beautiful on the West Coast and cook me lunch – I forgot to reply for a day or so, and he must have thought his offer was a bit too much too soon, because he followed up his message with “Or we could just go get a coffee?” Haha! So, I made sure to actually respond in time, and accepted the offer of his big beautiful date idea, we had the most amazing time, and we have been together ever since!
How did you choose your shoot location?
Well, we were lucky enough to be connected with Grace from State Of Grace Photography, and when she suggested one of the beautiful beaches on the West Coast we couldn’t resist because we obviously have a lot of good memories in that part of the world, and also we definitely feel our most natural and comfortable with our bare feet on the sand! Maori Bay is such a magical place with its black sands and wild waves!
What was the style and vibe of the shoot?
We were wearing neutral gold/cream and white tones, to fit in with the colours of the beautiful natural surroundings. The vibe of the shoot in our experience was lighthearted with moments of intimacy, and Grace really turned the moments she captured into such dreamy, warm photographs that feel romantic and joyful.
What does love mean to you?
To us, love is the essence of life! To love someone is a great honour, a delicious, magical joy, and it also is a conscious decision. Our love is alive and always flowing within our connection, and yet we also need to intentionally practice choosing love in the hard moments. Love is opening our hearts, again and again.
Looking for a photographer to capture your wild love story? Head over to the Wild Hearts Vendor Collection here to browse our exclusive selection of engagement, wedding and elopement photographers.
If you loved this wild love story, check out Vanessa and Jamie’s love story captured by Charlotte Kiri Photography, here.
