Emily Raftery is an Auckland-based photographer whose work serves as an intimate study of lineage, place, and the quiet poetry of the everyday. Drawing from a blend of English, Irish and Māori (Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou) heritage, she is currently on a journey of reconnection, documenting the intersections where people meet both the natural world (te taiao) and their most private, intimate spaces.

Her practice is rooted in a "barefoot" sensibility. The sensory clarity of the coast and the transformative silence found beneath the ocean's surface. Eschewing traditional landscapes for more personal "scenes of everyday life”. She treats both her subjects and te taiao with a considered, gentle reverence. Guided by the authenticity of women who move with grace and mana, Emily seeks to uncover beauty in the overlooked. Whether documenting the evolution of womanhood, often in the sanctuary of their own room, or the mundane rituals of a morning brew, she captures the imperfect perfection of life in motion, transforming the ordinary into a lasting visual archive.

"My work is a slow, unfolding learning process, a way to map my own growth through the people and environments I document. By leaning into the subtle and the gentle, I hope to honour our deep connection to this land and the water that surrounds us. It is a practice of gratitude, a gentle reminder to pause, protect what we love, and find art in the simple, authentic rhythm of being."

– Emily Raftery