Our Team

Penny Evans

Photographer
Director

 Penny studied at Massey University and has been a professional photographer since 2001.  She has photographed over 150 weddings during her 13 years in wedding photography. Excellent imagery comes as standard and her hands-on approach to her work means she will see you personally all the way from pre-wedding planning through to the delivery of your hand bound album.

Her years of experience have given her a knack for organising groups of people in a relaxed and unobtrusive way, and her artistry and talent allow her to capture all the perfect detail, colour and character of your special day in a way that will add to the memories of your wedding, not just preserve them.

When not photographing, Penny enjoys getting her hands dirty in her small patch of dirt at home.

Simon Elwell

Photographer
Director

Simon has been a professional camera monkey since 1994 and has photographed over 15000 portrait sessions during his 18 years in studio portraiture. His experience in the studio is second to none, combining his natural fun style, with his unique ability to relate to people of all ages. He is truly gifted with the most timid of children and and is a master at gaining the confidence of even the most challenging child. Where many photographers may give up, Simon excels.

Simon is continually pulling what's left of his hair out with all the studio’s IT and website development, but spends most of his evenings practising for performances with his African percussion group Kubatana. He teaches African drumming to a small class of pupils on behalf of Community Music Junction.

Kate Cooke

Photographer
Technician

Kate is our latest and greatest addition and is extremely exited to be part of the Inspire family.
Kate studied at Otago School of Fine Arts and graduated in 2004 with a BFA majoring in photography and went on to work in the photographic industry photographing babies, weddings, portraiture and street style reportage.

Image making has always been at Kate's core and she seeks to capture personality and a sense of identity in all her subjects. When not photographing, Kate's other interests include visual arts, nature, mountains and when the opportunity arises, will head off for some snow boarding at the local ski field .

Ruth's love of photography has seen her work in many photographic roles over the years, from working in a photo lab, to photographing weddings & events.

Ruth studied at Massey University, graduating with a BDes, Majoring in Photography. She has always had a passion for people and portraits and capturing special moments for families treasure.
Ruth's overriding theme behind all her work is a deep appreciation for life and the people she meets along the way, and in doing this she tries to capture the moments, where, just for a second, it all falls into place.

"While i am waiting for my film to come back from the lab i spend my free time baking for friends, or sharpening my creative eye and tech skills, and, luckily for an active relaxer like me, there is always something to learn." - Ruth

Assistants
We have some amazing photographers, assistants and technicians who help us with all aspects of our business.
These include Emmy & Jessica.