2011 has come and nearly gone and instead of going through a bunch of new years resolutions I thought I would share a few random things I learnt this year along with some non matrimonial fun photos!
I just cannot believe that 2011 is nearly over!! Has anyone else out there noticed how ridiculously fast this year has gone??? It’s been a huge year for me on so many levels. I broke down with burn out at the beginning of the year, picked myself back up again. I stopped drinking alcohol for 9 months which gave birth to the fact that I am no longer a smoker. I stopped biting my nails. I traveled to Madagascar and Hong Kong. I got engaged with Stu. And I worked. I worked alot.
Looking through a years worth of images is quite a reflective process. Going through all of these I am floored by just how lucky I am to do a job that I love so very much. More so, I realise how incredibly lucky I am to have such awesome clients. I wouldn’t have been able to make these pictures without wonderful clients!!!
2012 promises to be a cracker. We start the year off with a wedding in the Karoo which I am really excited about, then we are back at Netherwood which is one of my favorite venues. After that we head up to Clarens to photograph the wedding of a Springbok rugby player and his lovely lady and then we jet off to India for a wedding in Goa (yaaaaaaay!!!) And that is all before the mid February! How exciting!
Thanks to everyone for everything and thanks to my friends and family for not disowning me due to my workaholic tendencies!!! (that’s the problem with doing a job you love … sometimes its hard to stop doing it!!!)
When I asked Mo and Len about their marriage they told me that they do everything together. They live together, love together, work together and play together. ”We live along side each other and next to each other always”. I just love how the first image of them on the bike could symbolise the two of them whizzing through life, side by side …. moving as one but still as two individuals on one common vessel.
If you aren’t a photographer then this blog post really isn’t for you and you should probably just hop out of here. If you are a photographer and a lighting guru the same applies. If however, you are a photographer who needs to brush up on his or her technical ability to produce and mould light to create awesome pics and up your game, then this blog post is especially for you!
Black and white images have an emotive artsy quality to them which I cannot get enough of … here are 5 from the last wedding I shall ever shoot in 2011. Mary and Gary I am glad it was yours!!
Fearless Photographers is an international organisation which is dedicated to kickaas wedding photography, the type of wedding photography that is honest and takes your breath away. It’s dedicated to real moments, real emotion, great technical ability, and well seen photos. I decided to join them not so long ago as I am just completely blown away and inspired by the level of work that Fearless Photographers produce. Every couple of months they have a competition and the winners are given “Fearless awards”. I got 2 Fearless awards the first time I entered, which you can see here, and this time I got one. The judges received 2500 entries and only 183 were given awards. The level of photography is mind blowing to me so it really is a huge honor. You can see the rest of the amazing photos which were given awards on The Fearless Site. Thanks to Theresa and Rego as I couldn’t have taken this pic without you.
I knew that Sarah and Andrew’s wedding was going to be special from the get go, in fact it was so special it made the New York Times! No kidding!
When Sarah first emailed to ask if I would shoot their wedding at Giants Castle in the Drakensberg, she told me that it was my travel pics which had sold her on me. I knew right from then that we were a good fit. Then I got to know more about them and it seemed we were all destined for each other (photographically speaking that is!) Sarah is Cuban American and Andrew is from Natal, South Africa. They met in a backpackers in Argentina, fell in love and made their relationship work by moving out to Tawain to teach English.
As I was photographing Sarah I noticed the words in the speech she was writing “thanks to Mom and Dad for making me into a person who isn’t afraid to move across the world to marry the love of my life.”
I think that line pretty much sums it all up and I will let the photos do the talking from here on in.
Thanks guys for picking me.
PS: There were Cubans, Mexicans and South Africans at one wedding … it was one heck of a party!!!!!!!
I like to do engagement shoots which are themed around the couples in them. Nicola is a horsey girl and both her and Pete are super stylish and love to dress up. It seemed obvious from the start that we would have to involve her beautiful chestnut thoroughbred, Demi. Then she mentioned something about a little miniature horse called Wonderboy, and I was sold. The shoot just had to be at the stables and the miniature horse just had to make an appearance!
Nicola is a big fan of arty photos and themed fashion shoots so I called on the ridiculously talented Drew Christie of Evolve salon and brilliant make up artist Lyndsay Nixon and we put our heads together to come up with a Vintage Farmyard Themed shoot with an artsy twist. I just love working with Drew and Lindsay, if you are looking for a hairdresser or make up artist … these two are so bloody brilliant! I also want to mention that Grant Davidson of Herr clothing designed and made the neck piece, scarf, pants and amazing jacket Pete is wearing. Oh I am too lucky to have some talented people in my world!!
Now I want a miniature horse more than ever!!!!!!!!!
Brendt and I met in Noosa, Australia way back when the year 2000 was just a young pup. We have hiked in the Himalayan mountains together, survived getting ill in India together, we’ve partied like rockstars in London and lived together in a West Hamsptead apartment reputedly own by George Michael. Whilst we were in India Brendt did a shiatsu course and I guess this sparked his interest in Eastern medicinal practice as it wasn’t too very long after that, that he returned to Austraila to study to become a Chinese Doctor. Upon the completion of his degree he decided he needed to do his Masters in Chinese Medicine in Tawain (!) and therefore also had to learn Madarin. He is that kind of guy!!!!!
12 years past and even though we have always kept in contact via the wonderful world of the internet, we hadn’t seen each other. My going to Hong Kong changed all of that, and it was if not one moment of our physical separation had ever existed. Brendt is truly one of my most favorite people on this earth. He radiates an inner light which draws people to him like moths. He inspires me to be a better person and be kinder to myself in the process and I love him more than words could ever say.
I was so excited to meet Brendts new partner Saysana as I had never heard him so enamoured over anyone before. After only an hour of knowing Says I knew why! He is a remarkable man with the heart of an angel and the presence of a prince ……. and I am just so very glad they have found each other.
Here are some portraits of these two very very special people. Love you both!
Shane and Laurie are soul mates. That is for sure! They seem to have a deep understanding between each other which goes beyond words and yet they are affectionate as newly in love teenagers, even after 10 years!!! If I could describe them in a sentence I would say they are “very laid back and extremely devoted”. They are both South African but have lived and worked all over the world ….. they currently reside in Hong Kong on a little island called Lamma. The third photo here shows the view from their front garden! Not too shabby for the big city huh??
Shane and Laurie are without a doubt two of the mellowist and down to earth people that I know. For their engagement shoot, they didn’t want anything fancy so I just recorded our time together in Hong Kong.The next time we meet will be at their wedding in Goa, India. Jeez I am excited for that. Shane and Laurie, I adore you guys!!!! Please go and have a foot massage and dim sum for me !!!
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