Kia ora! I’m Sophie Merkens – a freelance photographer, published author, food stylist, and recipe developer. At the heart of everything I do is storytelling, with food as the thread that ties it all together.

I specialise in documentary-style photography, capturing raw, authentic moments using natural light. My passion lies in weaving local and uplifting stories through imagery and creativity.

For me, it’s all about connection – food, people, and place. Whether it’s harvesting from the garden, foraging in the bush, beekeeping for golden honey, or charring smoky vegetables over an open flame, I find joy in capturing the essence of these experiences.

A little backstory… I was born in Devonport, Auckland, and grew up in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Cook Islands – a pretty dreamy childhood! As a teenager, I spent time living in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I fell in love with cooking and travel. After finishing a Bachelor of Visual Arts majoring in photography, I hit the road: backpacking through Latin America, cycling across Southeast Asia, Europe and Central Asia, and soaking up food stories everywhere I went. Along the way, I worked as a baker in Denmark, lived in a cave in the Canary Islands, and published my adventures in magazines.

Food has always been at the core of my experiences, whether it was making tortillas with family in Mexico, learning about goat cheese from farmers in Gran Canaria, or sharing fermented horse milk with a semi-nomadic family in Kyrgyzstan.

These days… I’m based in Piha, Aotearoa, where I continue to focus on storytelling. From my book Grow – Wāhine Finding Connection Through Food to styling and photographing recipes for cookbooks like Ripe Recipes – Thought for Food and Plant-Based Goodness, I love sharing stories about food and the people behind it.