I know I made quite a few brides unhappy when I decided to take this September off weddings to push my boundaries and work on personal projects. I was beginning to  feel like my work was stagnating so instead of sitting around talking about all the things I would like to do, I made the time to do them. It’s not that I don’t enjoy shooting weddings, they are just so time consuming that they seem to take over every free second of my life and it’s therefore easy to become a bit lazy and fall into ruts. If you are really busy and working all the time  its often easier to take the safe route rather than being a bit fearless and going for gold! I think it is vital to take time out to throw yourself out of your comfort zone and to learn, study and grow. I had originally planned to work on some fine art projects but I decided to do something different and push myself technically which is always scary as I am not naturally a technical person. So I am going balls to the wall and playing with lighting, working on conceptual shoots and collaborating with stylists.

Do you feel like you are stuck in a rut, do you spend time talking about doing things rather then doing them, is your work starting to bore you, do you feel a bit lost????? Well then I encourage you to take the first step and JUST DO IT!!! No excuses. Once you start shooting for yourself its bloody amazing how your internal energy shifts. I know not everyone has the luxury of taking a month off to do this sort of thing. I have worked hard for this and sacrificed alot to do this but I know that this time will bring great things for me and my little business. If you cannot take time off … what about just doing that project that you keep talking about? It feels good , I promise!

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Rain clouds and germs threatened Kristy and Quincy’s big day, which is enough to stress out any bride. This Joburg couple were to be married at the tropical Zimbali Lodge and when I met with them a few days before the wedding things seemed a bit dismal. Not only did the weather forcast predict heavy rain but both Quincy and I were dosing up with medicine to get rid of a rather nasty strain of flu.

The big day came and I forgot all about feeling fluey, Quincy’s  sniffeling was replaced with a wedding radiance and the rain clouds looked ominous but never actually delivered the goods! They were a dream couple to work with, full of fun and up for anything, even braving the extremely windy beach. The day came and went and then they jetted off to Bali (which is one of my most favorite places in the world). I know that Kristy is feeling a tiny titch of post wedding, post honeymoon back to reality blues (it happens) so I am hoping that these pics will lift her spirits! Thanks for picking me guys!!!

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Ok ok so I said I wasn’t going to do anymore sneak peaks but the Hodson family might be one of my biggest blog supporters (besides my Mom of course) and Kerry was sick on her wedding day. I felt it was therefore only right to treat them to a little  glimpse of Kerry and Wade’s big day which happened at Under the Marula yesterday! Enjoy your time in the Berg guys and thanks for picking me!

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So with Google Analytics I can see what keywords people use when arriving at my site. It seems ALOT of you have typed in Jacki Bruniquel Equipment, Jacki Bruniquel Lenses, Jacki Bruniquel Wide Angle lens. So I decided to do this quick blog post on my equipment. I am a Nikon girl and I have shot Nikon since moving over to digital. Here goes …..

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I met Sandy and Nate quite some time back when I photographed Geoff and Yvette’s wedding up in the Drakensberg. I remember asking Sandy if they would be getting married any time soon and she just smiled and shrugged. It wasn’t too long afterward that I got word that they had got engaged and was really delighted when they asked me to be their photographer. I knew that if their wedding was anything like Geoff and Yvette’s it would be one heck of a party ……. Joburg people sure know how to rock!! The original plan was to get married in the Natal Midlands but this soon changed to Intundla Bush Lodge outside of the Pretoria area. They flew Tash and I up to capture their big day and what a wonderful day it was. I just adore this couple, any couple who is willing to climb a tree for me gets my vote. I don’t want to say too much more , I think the pics can do the talking.

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We recently went to Madagascar for 3 weeks and it was such an amazing experience! It already feels so far away but editing these images brought up so many memories and emotions. I will be posting a wonderful write up my Mom did about our trip soon. I speak in pictures not in words so here is my Madagascan story!

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Photographers seem to spend more time in front of a computer than behind the lens since the advent of digital photography (unless you have a team of retouchers behind you of course). This is particularly the case with wedding photographers. Being stuck in front of a computer, generally alone, isn’t much fun and can be quite lonely. I am lucky as I share a space with my wonderful assistant Tash and my brother in law Tyrone Bradley and we bounce ideas around all the time. Still … its so great to connect with other photographers. Hanging out with other creatives is inspiring and sharing allows one to grow. I have always been in awe of Christine Meintjes business savy and loved the Kiki concept. Christine and her husband Iaan have the developed the Kiki website which they call a “playground for photographers”. They have a live internet streaming once a week where they share their business and photography ideas which they call Kiki TV.One of their aims is to bring photographers together around South Africa and they have set up networks for photographers on Facebook as well as organising meetups. I rounded up the troops in Durbs and we had a wonderful high tea at the St James on Venice. It was great to see friends and meet new people too. The aim is to meet up every 2 months and I have some exciting things up my sleeve for the next couple of meet ups.

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At at a time when I was really low I picked up a random book sitting on the shelf at a friend’s house. It was one of those self-help jobs with a hideous cover (you know the ones)

It said something to the effect of “if you carry on doing things the way you always have, expect to receive the same as you always have”

This moved me.

A lot.

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I have kind of sort of vowed to stop doing sneak peaks of weddings as they take time and I am trying to improve my work flow. I just couldn’t resist this quick post from Kristy and Quincy’s wedding which I shot yesterday at Zimbali though. When i woke up in the morning, the last thing I felt like doing was working as I have the tail end of a nasty flu, but these two were so wonderful to photograph that I soon forgot all about it! I feel really lucky to get such great clients! Enjoy Bali guys (SO JEALOUS!!!)

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I have been very honored by having an article written on me and my work in the latest Get It Mag. Not only is there an article but I also on the cover EEEK. A huge thanks goes to my extremely talented brother in law Tyrone Bradley for taking the pics, to my favorite make up artist Charelle and to Leah for coming to visit me and writing the piece. I have typed out the article for my friends overseas and far away.

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