Portraits of Jo

Jo has led an inspiring life, woven with vibrant threads that create the rich tapestry of her story. Just like the beautiful fabrics she’s collected from around the world, her journey is diverse and colourful. She spent significant time traveling through Central America in her youth and has tales of mining for opals, living on the shores of Lake Atitlán, and discovering embroidered treasures from local Mayan women. Like a magpie drawn to shiny things, Jo has a love for gemstones and became a jewellery designer who seeks materials from far and wide to craft her exquisite pieces.

She is a creative spirit with an eye for beauty who also creates it. She’s a spiritual seeker, a businesswoman, a mother, and a treasured member of her community. I find her truly fascinating. When we first discussed her portrait session, I knew I wanted to capture an image that reflected her travels as well as the quirky aspects of her personality. Jo isn’t one for flimsy high heels; she’s more of a dusty boots and barefoot gal. She mentioned feeling awkward in front of the camera and that she hates it—something I’ve heard many times before. But honestly, she was a dream to photograph, and I think the results reflect her vibrant essence!

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Cape St Francis Holiday Family Portrait Sessions

Cape St Francis Holiday Family Portrait Sessions

Every summer, my parents would bundle us four kids into the Caravelle Combi, along with a box of Elvis Presley and Air Supply cassettes, and off we’d go on the long journey from Durban to Cape St Francis for our annual holiday. The 14-hour drive always felt endless, especially for my folks, who had to put up with us fighting in the backseat and asking, “How much longer?” But after what seemed like a lifetime, the smell of the Fynbos would drift through the air, and all that frustration would fade into excitement.

We spent three weeks each year down in Seal Point, and those family holidays created the strong bonds we share today. Days were spent surfing the beach break, hunting for pumpkin shells in the rock pools, or exploring the wild side when the wind picked up. On foul-weather days, we’d head to J Bay to buy clothes at the factory shops and eat waffles at the Wimpy. Those are some of my favourite childhood memories.

I often wish I had an iconic photograph to hang in my house—something that would take me back to that time, to the essence of those holidays. My parents did take photos, and my mom lovingly made us all albums. But hiring a professional photographer wasn’t really a thing back then, and I doubt one even existed in sleepy Seals at the time.

Mom and Dad and one of my sisters have moved to Cape St Francis, and I bought a plot there during lockdown, so the area remains close to my heart. My focus has always been to relax and reconnect with family, friends, and the place itself when I visit. This year, however, I decided to offer family portrait sessions for the first time. The location is perfect for it—the scenery is breathtaking, and it’s a peaceful, safe place to shoot. Unfortunately, I can’t share everything I captured, as some clients requested that their images not be published online, but the experience of creating in such a stunning location was truly special.

For the first time ever, I’ll be offering five family portrait sessions over the high season, from 26th December to 7th January. I already have two families pencilled in, so if you’re interested, please get in touch soon! This is the perfect opportunity for those who would like to create a special piece of photographic art to hang on your walls—a reminder of the good times and the strong bonds that tie you together.

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Best of Weddings 2022

Best of Weddings 2022

2022 has been one of my most favourite years of all time but there have also been some difficult lessons to learn. In summary I would say that my words for the year were: self exploration, growth, gratitude and unexpected gifts. I photographed weddings everywhere from Cape Town to Kwa Mashu to Zambia to Kefalonia in Greece and landed up working in both sets of catastrophic floods that happened in KZN. I didn’t enter any photography competitions and I took a bit of a back seat on social media, but I did get to the other side of a creative block and went to Dahab for two months and dived to 40 meters on one breath. Making this blogpost reminded me of how lucky I have been to experience so many different cultures from behind my lens. I’m so deeply grateful to the clients who have entrusted me to capture these memories for them. A huge thanks also to the assistants and service providers who have helped me make these images possible. We certainly have had some adventures together! Welcome to my Best of Weddings 2022.

There are going to be some very big changes coming to my life and business in 2023 – so watch this space!

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Photo Library for Eurolab

Photo Library for Eurolab

The world is changing quickly. Nowadays people will generally google you and your company before they decide to work with you. The way that you represent your brand online is therefore hugely influential in determining the volume and type of clients you attract.  Having good quality photography that allows your brand personality to shine through in an authentic way is therefore imperative to marketing now.

I’ve been taking on a number of corporate and commercial photography  projects over the last couple of years and I think the reason why my clients keep coming back is because I worked as a wedding photographer for 12 years.

One of the skills that my long career in wedding photography taught me is that I’m able to work with people who aren’t models. Being able to capture the best sides of normal humans that aren’t used to posing for the camera whilst making them feel comfortable is something that comes with experience. Weddings are fast paced and we often have to make magic in very tricky lighting circumstances without enormous costly set ups. Wedding photography also taught me how to tell stories with my camera and create a feeling without having an art director involved. This creates a rather unique skill set for a photographer.

I was recently hired by Eurolab to create a photo library of images, they are the largest Oncology Generic Company in South Africa. They specifically focus on new treatments and technologies for patients in South Africa and have won many international awards in the endeavors for excellence. The images that we created will be used on their new website, for press, conferences, in presentations and across all media platforms. I took individual portraits of the management and CEO’s, along with many group shots of the various teams. I photographed the scientists in the laboratories and also did interior and exterior images of the offices which have been beautifully designed by Third Edition Design

I so enjoyed working with everyone on this project and must give a shout out to the CEO Lynne Du Toit who is a truly inspiration woman  and was recently named the International Pharma CEO of  the year.

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