Kristy Butterfield ~ AKA The Wildstyler, AKA The Wildstyler Photography
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A little about me
Hey! I'm Kristy, thanks for stopping by. If you have stumbled upon this page, you are probably in the midst of planning the most amazing, magical, special, day of your life. It's exciting and daunting all at the same time. Having gone through it all myself, I have a few words of wisdom. The first is to figure out what your priorities for the day are. For my husband and I, it was photos. We figured if we were paying thousands of dollars for a wedding, we wanted amazing photos to remember it by. Funnily enough, flowers were at the bottom of the list! In hindsight, that was probably an oversight but hey. Getting married in the middle of a pandemic was also probably not the best idea, but it makes for a great story!
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I am based in Levin, NZ but photograph anywhere. On any given day I'm usually in the garden preparing flower beds, making floral arrangements, doing photoshoots or down at the local Levin Performing Arts Theatre.
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Bio
The year was 1986. I was 8. I had just got my first camera. It was immediately love at first click. Our poor cat was usually the subject of my photoshoots, and he looked rather fetching in his crown on his sparkly cushion.
The year was 1986. I was 8. I had just got my first camera. It was immediately love at first click. Our poor cat was usually the subject of my photoshoots, and he looked rather fetching in his crown on his sparkly cushion.
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Or, there was the time I photographed the snail, pulling along my tiny strawberry shortcake in a matchbox chariot... obvious photography skills from day one, haha.
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Fast forward 10 years...
1996 - College days saw a shift in my photography to people and places. We couldn't afford a flash camera for my photography class, so I made do with a faulty old Nikon film camera that was purchased second hand. I learnt a valuable lesson back then. I learnt that the camera is only as good as the person holding it. My camera may have been faulty and awful, but I still managed to get some great pictures from it, and in fact, had to up-my-game to make sure what I did with composition, lighting etc, overshadowed the faults with the camera.
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My favourite photography memory of those days was when my boyfriend at the time took me to an old abandoned hospital. The eeriness of the whole place and the destruction mixed in with little pockets of floral beauty, sparked something in my soul and, years later, this spark was reignited in my various recent photoshoots in derelict places. These can be viewed on my Instagram page, thewildstyler.photography
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Fast forward many more moons...
The year is 2020, and we are in the beginning's of a pandemic. Times in lockdown are spend in the garden, growing things as a distraction from the crazy worldly events and also as a therapy for my inner being. I picked up a camera for the first time in years, and began photographing dahlias. My passion for photography came flooding back. People started taking notice of my pictures, commenting, wanting more. Then wanting prints. Photography was always a passion but I didn't even consider it to be anything other than a hobby, but soon, I was getting messages every week asking if I did other photography - weddings, events, boudoir. It was then that I just started saying yes to everything! And, I have never looked back.
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Wedding photography
When it comes to wedding photography, I'm not very traditional. I love to push the boundaries and show beauty in all things. I love capturing raw emotion. Honest and candid moments are where I shine. I want to tell your beautiful love story through photo. I want the essence of the people I am photographing to shine through. If you aren't usually comfortable in front of the camera, I will guide you through subtle poses that make you feel confident and not awkward, we will definitely have fun during the process. I love edgy, moody, bold, dark and romantic photography. The photos below just give you a scope of what is possible with The Wildstyler Photography. At the end of the day though, this is your day and your vision is first and foremost.
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For more on The Wildstyler visit the About page here
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Contact
The best way to get in touch is through the form or through Facebook or Instagram. I usually miss calls due to photoshoots and musical rehearsals so online is best to start out. After that, we can schedule calls or meet for coffee to discuss any questions you might have, if in person suits you better.
The best way to get in touch is through the form or through Facebook or Instagram. I usually miss calls due to photoshoots and musical rehearsals so online is best to start out. After that, we can schedule calls or meet for coffee to discuss any questions you might have, if in person suits you better.
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What others are saying about The Wildstyler Photography
"We had Kristy as our photographer at our wedding. She makes you feel at ease and makes the whole experience fun and happy - no stress in sight! When we got our photos back - OMG! She got photos of moments that I didn't know you could even capture in a photo! She creates pure MAGIC with her camera! I would recommend her a million times over". ~ Pip & Tony, 2023
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"Kristy's photography at our wedding was beyond magical! She captured every emotion and detail with such artistry. Her photography style really brought our special day to life. We couldn't be happier with the stunning memories she created for us". ~ Glen & Kelly, 2023
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