Ben’s brief history.
Benjamin Amaral is a photographer & filmmaker originally from Canada, based in New Zealand with citizenships and family from both countries. In Canada he worked as a freelance photographer and filmmaker working with businesses creating enticing promotional material, with couples capturing their wedding day, with families and individuals taking their portrait and highlighting accommodations for real estate agents, family Inns and neighbourhoods.
From the time Ben was able to walk, cameras fascinated him and dominated his interest. Since then it’s been his passion and obsession. With a deep desire to capture the beauty that life holds and a strong rooted connection with the natural world, he finds ways to capture and tell the story of his subjects through the light that they shine.
Ben was lucky enough to have attended a high school which really lit the match for media. This school specialized in media production which gave him the early insight into the art professionally and solidified his desire to pursue it. Throughout those adolescent years he won film festival awards which followed him into post-secondary education where he studied Television Broadcasting and Filmmaking and upon graduation was awarded the Affinity Editor Of The Year award.
Fast-forward to the present, Ben lives in his new home of New Zealand, perfecting the craft of capturing the pristine land and subjects within. With a strong desire to work among the tourism industry and with the natural world, Agricultural Tourism relit that very match he felt so many years ago. A perfect combination of storytelling and promotion of the life nature provides and our relationship with it, it’s his drive and the ocean he’s diving deep into.
It’s rare you’ll find Ben without his camera on him but if you do, he’s looking for new ways to connect with the land through camping, hiking, fishing and rock climbing, often photographing and documenting the experiences as they unfold. Although be warned, he has a strong influence and track record of convincing the people around him to purchase a camera and take on the craft too.
Photography • Filmmaking • Outdoors
Canadian/Kiwi based in New Zealand, constantly high on life.
@benjamin.amaral
A few words from clientele.
Sarah Gaffney
“Ben was absolutely outstanding to work with! From our initial meetings discussing exactly what we were looking for, to the finished product and a couple of edits after that - he was such a pleasure and is so talented. I highly recommend his services!”
Watters Financial
“Ben makes the photo session fun and has such a talent for creativity. The quality of his work is top notch. Ben I would highly highly recommend. I have used his services twice now and each time THIRLLED !!!”
-Trevor Watters
Caroline & Mike
“Thank you Ben for capturing all the magic of our wedding day on video! Our wedding film is beautiful, and something we look forward to watching in the years to come. Ben has such a positive and welcoming energy; highly recommend working with him!”
The Quig Family
“Ben was open to all my crazy idea for poses and for the second year in a row he delivered big time!!! Awesome value and tons of photos to choose from!”
Pascal Garant
“Ben is absolutely wonderful to work with. When we started working together, I was terrified to be in-front of the camera and quite awkward. During filming Ben creates an environment that makes me comfortable to express myself fully and do my thing. His support and camera skills have dramatically increased my comfort being in both videos and photos! Highly recommend!!”
Nathalie Campeau
Ben was such a blessing to work with. It truly shows how much he cares and wants to provide the best service and product on your special day. Our wedding video was everything we could have dreamed of. Ben was very attentive and included every single detail we wished for in our wedding video. He was so fun to hang out with on our wedding day. Ben is extremely professional, talented and creative. I highly recommend him if you’re looking for a videographer/photographer for a special event! :)
Thanks a million Ben!!
Kevin Musto
I highly recommend Ben's service.
I got my headshots done by him, and they came out looking great.
He's very easy to work with, and he always does the utmost to make sure you're satisfied.
Nate & Mia
“Getting photos done for my girlfriend and I was an amazing experience with Ben. Not only was he very professional from start to finish, he definitely knew what he was doing. Ben knew exactly how to position us so that we got the best photos possible. And not to mention, the finished photos themselves were amazing! If you are looking for a great Ottawa-based photographer, Ben is one!”
- Nate
“Had a very fun and comfortable experience with Ben right off the bat. He’s incredibly talented and and is very good at fulfilling his clients wants in terms of photographs! Will always be my go to recommendation for a photographer in the area. “
-Mia
Ben was such a wonderful spirit to work with- he's sincere, flexible, warm & amiable! He's evidently a natural at what he does!
He took the time to understand what we wanted from our photoshoot, was very responsive & made the entire process from booking to the photoshoot very easy for us. Sometimes, photoshoots can feel awkward and forced, but our experience working with Ben was truly the exact opposite! :)
Highly recommend Ben and his services!