Helen Oakes Photographer PhotographerHi, I’m Helen a photographer and digital creator. I live in the South Island of New Zealand. I’m a lover of photography, hiking, coffee, skiing and aviation.

I’ve been a professional photographer since 2007 and I predominantly shoot sports, outdoors, dating photos and commercial!  It’s great being behind the camera but I love post processing photos too, it’s where all the magic happens!

I love shooting outdoors and adventure sports. You will find me shooting the iconic Coast to Coast, Le Race, Marathons and Adventure Races. Being in the elements is something I’m used to and I don’t mind if the rain comes in, this is all part of getting amongst the weather while shooting outside.

I also have a digital creation side where I make time-saving resources for photographers and entrepreneurs, including digital backdrops and templates to speed up your workflow.

My creative side also enable me to create NZ art prints which are a combination of my photographs blended with my presets or actions and textures. Some have a retro feel and some are more vintage or pastel looking. I love making these prints. 

After many hours playing around on the computer I decided to make my own Lightroom presets, Photoshop actions and textures. I was driven to make my own presets as I wanted a unique style, synonymous to my brand. I could never quite find a style that spoke of me so I made my own.

I love using presets as they produce a different look on each photo. What works with one image may not work on another. There are so many presets to choose from to get the look you are after, so experimentation is the key. My presets will also save you time and cut your workflow time down considerably.

These presets work well on portraits and landscapes and they can be tweaked to your individual taste. Use with one click or play around a little for the look you want. The presets are just a starting point to turn your photos into stunning images.

My PS actions and textures will also give your images a pop and make them stand out.  The textures work well with most photos and they add a bit of life and substance to an image.  Depending on the blending mode you choose, the choices are limitless.  You can stack the textures, erase them back and just blend them in all different ways.

I hope you like my products as much as I enjoy making them.

Please CONTACT me if you have any questions or queries, I’d be happy to help out.