Snapper's candid phone pics captured in book

TREASURED VISIONS: Masterton photographer Kelly Schlup with a book of her photographs -- all taken on a mobile phone.

Kelly Schlup has gone from "taking photos of everything" as a youngster to taking photos of her kids at the beach on her cellphone and now, to releasing her first published collection.

The Masterton resident published a coffee table book of her first complete photography portfolio last year.

It is available for sale, along with individual prints, from her business Treasured Visions Photography.

Kelly's book, titled simply Kelly Ann Schlup Photography, was a collaboration between herself and Wellington-based designer and illustrator Donna Cross -- known for her illustrations for Margaret Mahy and other New Zealand authors.

The book features a range of her images, both classic portraiture and artistic photography, capturing her children and pets, nature scenes and architectural landmarks around Masterton.

To have her photography published was a thrill for the mum of four, especially considering all her portfolio pieces were taken not with a professional-grade camera, but a humble cellphone.

"In fact, I didn't get a DSLR camera until recently," Kelly said. "Back then, all I had was a Samsung Gallery 3 phone, so I just used that for everything.

"But you don't need a fancy camera to take great photos -- it's about having an eye for the picture and you've either got it, or you don't."

Kelly said she has "always had a passion for photography", and clearly remembers getting her first camera at age five.

"I took photos of everything -- trees, planes, my family.

"I've still got some of those photos."

She continued taking photos as a hobby, but only considered a career in photography "in the last couple of years".

Eventually, she received a diploma from the New Zealand Institute of Photography and, in 2014, began compiling her first professional portfolio, under the name KAS Photography.

Using her cell phone camera and "playing around with the different settings", she captured images of her kids, their school friends, her ragdoll cats, roses in Queen Elizabeth Park, horses, abandoned buildings and stylised landscape shots.

These include images of buildings such as Aratoi and a church in Riversdale viewed from behind a more prominent object in the foreground, such as a flower or a rock.

"I sell a lot of those on canvases.

"That's what I love -- capturing the things that other people might ignore at first."

Last year, she met with Donna Cross who suggested printing her portfolio in coffee table book form.

"I think I probably sent her about a thousand pictures to choose from because I couldn't decide.

"It was exciting -- I realised that I had a skill, and it was time for me to share it with the public."

Kelly launched Treasure Visions Photography last year, and offers a range of services -- children's portraits, family photos, weddings, real estate and artistic.

She is also the regular photographer for the Wairarapa Volunteer Centre, taking photos at various events.