The Mouse House Refurb Part 4

The Mouse House Refurb Part 4

by | Jan 16, 2018 | Personal

It’s been a while since I have done a Mouse House post! To be frank we moved in and all revamping came to a grinding hault! We were so tired and rather traumatised by the whole building business that we needed a break. I also needed to put my head down and get back to work. Slowly but surely we are picking up the paint brushes and hammers and things are back on track. But for now … Here’s the bathroom story!

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The ablution facilities of the Mouse House were stuck in the 70’s and frankly a bit gross! It had a separate toilet, shower room and a room with a bath and a loo. It felt pokey, old fashioned and not somewhere where one would want to spend much time. I am a huge fan of bathing and wanted something light and airy to soak in after a long day of wedding shooting, a bathroom fit for a mermaid!

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We had to do alot of bashing and crashing to make one spacious bathroom with a shower, bath and toilet and then a separate guest toilet as there is nothing more annoying than needing to go to the loo whilst someone is taking a long shower.

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There were days where I felt like we would never see the end of this!!! We thought the refurb would to take 4/5 months but it landed up taking 9 months!

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The bathroom felt like an extremely hard space to design but I absolutely love it now. It is a small area and being on a budget meant that we had to be clever with finishings. Riaan and I have rather different taste which didn’t help the design process but we knew we wanted something that worked with the house but was also modern, something that was light and airy and also mermaidish! (Ok so the last point was more my requirement than his!) The choices out there are endless which can be confusing and I am sure I spent 90000 hours looking at tiles and taps! (my god there are so many awful tiles out there!) The poor guys at Richmond Plumbing must have been so over me at the end of it. I can highly recommend them by the way. They were a huge help and very understanding!

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One of the things I most love about our post renovation Mouse House is the corner unit in the bathroom. Despite searching high and low I couldn’t find a unit that could fit into this space. Riaan cleverly suggested buying a normal rectangular free standing cupboard and then cutting it into a triangle and doing the same with a piece of marble for the top. I wasn’t too sure about this idea at first but it worked a treat! I found the unit at A E Write second hand antique dealers on Mahutma Ghandi Road. The marble was a real pain in the butt to source as no one wanted to sell me such a small piece! I searched Durban for days but eventually found a smaller off cut of marble which looks like ice when you look at it up close! It is perfect! The mirror belonged to my Gran and works rather well with the space I thought! You will also notice the copper towel rails made by Riaan.

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We chose black slate tile for the floor because I love it and used Johnsons old school 150×150 porcelain tiles with a few funky design interventions for the walls to fit in with the old school vibe of the house. Way cheaper than subway tiles and more authentic to this house. The shower and the side of the bath were treated to some gorgeous blue terrazzo mosaic from Union tiles which we have also used in the kitchen. (that’s my mermaid vibes right there!) You might also notice the wooden door frames and windows were all sanded right down to the original wood and treated. We also stripped the door handles down to copper. Both were an absolute mission at the time but they worked out really well.

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I originally wanted a free standing bath but our plumber Mike suggested going and lying in all of the baths before making a decision. The bath I chose is literally the most comfy bath I have ever laid in and can fit two people in rather easily, it was also a heck of alot cheaper!

To soften the overall look of everything our wonderful carpenter Tim made some floating shelves and window sills from old bits of wood that were left over from the refurb. Most of the pot plants were slipped and potted by me!

One of the heroes of our refurb was Mike from Mavericks Plumbing. In an ocean of inefficiency and unprofessionalism that can be the building industry Mike was fantastic and such a great person to work with. I will talk more about Tim Fish when I tell you more about our kitchen but Tim our carpenter is also a peach! I can also highly recommended our tiler Prem Gokool from Ushaka Tiling. It wasn’t an easy tiling job and the guys really went above and beyond! Thanks so much to all of you for a job well done. We are hugely grateful!

Plumbing: Mike Mavericks Plumbing 082 925 3920

Tiles: Union Tiles Ballito +27 32 9460384

Corner Unit: A E Write 

Plumbing Accessories: Richmond Plumbing +27 32 9400170

Glass Shower: Owen from Shower Line 082 900 9342

Waterproofing : Brett Dally 082 850 9540

Marble : Goldie 084 409 21 82

Shelves/ Sills : Tim Fish

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Best of Wedding Photography 2017

Best of Wedding Photography 2017

by | Jan 3, 2018 | Best Of

Someone must have sped up the clocks last year. I feel as though it is still June 2017 and yet here I sit on the 3rd of January 2018 about to hit “publish” on my yearly Best of Weddings blog post!

2017 was a crazy year for me and I will tell you why. When that calendar ticked over from 2016 to January 2017 (just a nano second ago!), I was still recovering from a bicycle injury which involved a broken collarbone and a horrible case of post-concussion syndrome. With the help of my dear assistant Lizzy I managed to shoot a number of weddings with said injury and the next moment I blinked I found myself in the heart of the Karoo on the 1st of May celebrating turning 40! In the middle of all this we refurbished an old 1970’s house which I have nicknamed The Mouse House. This was meant to take around 4 months but landed up taking 9 months. I think everyone close to me was very relieved when we finally officially moved in mid-2017. It was a traumatic time, not only for us but also for our loved ones who had to hear us talk obsessively about tiles, taps and building contractors! Once we had moved in I put my work head firmly back on, and before I even knew it I had launched the Unstuck Yourself Creative Photography Workshop that I have been dreaming up since my trip to Bali in 2014. So far I have presented this workshop in Joburg and Cape Town and have another two sold out dates coming up in Durban. I also spoke at two “Be Inspired” wedding photography conferences up in Jozi. All this busyness has meant that we still haven’t unpacked all the boxes or hung up a single picture! On the flip side, I have photographed some very special weddings and done a truck load of smaller shoots too!

I don’t quite understand 2017. It’s been an emotional year. It’s been a year of being totally shaken up and yet it’s also been a year of seeing some of my dreams come to actuality. 2017 has without a doubt been the most taxing, and ironically fulfilling, years that I have experienced in my 40 years on this planet.

One thing I am very sure of is that gratitude brings blessings. I am so darned grateful to have moved into The Mouse House and to see the fruits of our blood, sweat and tears! I am also extremely grateful for the beautiful people that come into the view of my lens. This gratitude that I have seems to bring more equally inspiring clients into my life! And because of that, I will continue to thank 2017. I have worked with such lovely people this year yet again. Thanks to all of you for entrusting me to eternalise your memories! Thanks also to the lovely people who have attended my workshops and talks, and all the suppliers who have helped me along the way. I feel very lucky to get to work with such gems!

Enormous thanks to Lizzy who has assisted me for the past four years and has stood by me through thick and thin! Love you girl! Thanks also to Chanelle Segerius Bruce who has been helped me so much not only as a business coach but also a friend. Last but not least thanks to my family and friends, and especially to Riaan for holding me when I needed it and celebrating when those times came!

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Rainy Evening Engagement Shoot – Shani + Ash

Rainy Evening Engagement Shoot – Shani + Ash

by | Nov 30, 2017 | Engagement

I have been wanting to do an evening shoot after the rain for some time now. I love the way the street lights are reflected in the puddles and the beautiful glow that happens as light is backscattered into the night. I mentioned this to Shani whilst we were chatting about possible themes and locations for their shoot and she loved the idea but they were flying into Durban especially for their engagement shoot so this was not something that we could specifically plan for. As the shoot day drew closer we watched the weather and saw that we might be lucky with a post rain shoot, what we didn’t expect however was torrential downpours and an “armageddonish” storm!

On the day of the shoot the weather report changed from drizzle to storm. Where most photographers would have canceled I thought – Let’s go for it and see what happens. How bad can it really be????? It rained, it blew, it gave us all goosies and drenched us to the bones but we got something out of the ordinary! Sometimes magic happens in adverse situations and enormous challenges! I think this applies to life in general and not just rainy shoots!!!

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Unstuck Yourself Creative Photography Workshop in Cape Town

Unstuck Yourself Creative Photography Workshop in Cape Town

by | Nov 28, 2017 | For Photographers, Workshops

Are you a wedding or portrait photographer who is feeling stuck in a rut and bored of your own work?

Do difficult shooting situations and tricky lighting scare you?

Are you feeling burnt out and over your job?

Do you suffer from creative anxiety?

Do you want to find clients that resonate with you?

Do you want to put your prices up so that you can have a life and spend time with your family?

Do you want to start 2018 feeling inspired, fired up and ready to play again?

If so my Unstuck Yourself Workshop may be the workshop for you!

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Studying Fine Art taught me how to come up with ideas, formulate visual language, re-inspire myself through research, think outside of the box and create images with meaning. This education has most definitely helped my career as a wedding and portrait photographer. I love teaching and have put together a workshop that is unlike the typical photography workshops that one finds on the market in South Africa today.

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This workshop which I have called The Unstuck Yourself Workshop is aimed at wedding and portrait photographers who have found themselves feeling burnt out, anxious and uninspired! There are no models or styled shoots at this workshop and the classes are kept small. Instead of photographing table decor, we spend time learning how to play with light, and gather inspiration so that making images becomes fun again!

The next Unstuck Yourself Workshop will be happening in Durban on the 31st of January and if you would like to book drop me an email on jacki@jackibruniquel.com .The workshop runs between 10am and 8pm and costs R4500 for the day. Classes are kept small, I already have a wait list and the workshops sell out fast so don’t delay!

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If you would like to find out more about the workshop click here for an outline of how the day is structured and what will be covered, but in a nutshell ……

  • I will encourage you to find your own style and show you practical ways to do this.
  • I give you homework exercises designed to kick-start the creativity process.
  • I encourage students to dig deep and figure out what makes you tick.
  • We will play with both natural and artificial light.
  • I teach practical solutions to shooting in difficult situations.
  • I will help you make friends with your flash.
  • I will give you practical tools to deal with creative anxiety
  • I will teach you how to think outside of the box
  • I will show you how to take your images from drab to fab
  • This workshop will revive, recharge and get rid of any fear surrounding your work.
  • Once you have done the workshop you will have tools to be more creative and authentic in the way that you approach your work so that you will be able to put your prices up and live a more balanced life.

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The last Unstuck Yourself workshop was held at Cathy Layzelle’s painting studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. It is a marvelously creative space overlooking the mountains and the city. I wanted to pick up a paintbrush and start making stuff the first time I walked in there hence me wanting to give photographers a different experience in a space that wouldn’t typically be used for a photography workshop.

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The day started off with lectures where I told my story and then attendees shared some of their homework exercises.

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Later we went out into the harsh mid day sun and had some fun playing with light!

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This is when I first introduced students to my easy way of approaching flash and looking at light.

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Lunch was a delicious, nutritious homemade vegetarian feast made with love by the amazing Tamlyn Martin.

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Tam made up some heavenly salads and quiches and we had a great chat around the table.

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In the afternoon/evening we had a long practical session where I photographed attendees in tricky lighting situations or boring areas, which one would typically avoid as a photographer.

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The idea behind this was to encourage photographers to play more, remove any fear surrounding flash photography and turn tricky shooting conditions into creative possibilities!

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The evening was wrapped up with some cheese and wine. We all shared at this point and it was so great to learn from all the other attendees!

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Here’s a photo which I took of some of the Cape Town attendees plus a testimonial about their experience.

Heather

“The Unstuck Yourself Workshop really helped me to think outside of the box!”

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Wendy

“Jax is very warm and open and hearing her story helped put things into perspective for me and has given me some food for thought on how I can create more balance in my life so I can start enjoying my job again. I found the workshop really inspiring and would most certainly recommend this to other photographers.”

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Janine

“Going to this workshop is a bit like going to church whether you’re religious or not, there’s a message in there for you.

Thank you for the inspiration I needed to be brave and bold!”

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Trudy

“This workshop was for me a life changing experience which is something I never expected.”

Rezainne

“One of the main things that I learnt at the Unstuck yourself workshop is that if you shoot like everyone else you are always going to be competing on price! I also loved learning about creative ways to use light.
Thank you to Jacki for imparting your knowledge and a wonderful, different workshop.”

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Charlene

“What I loved most about Jacki’s approach to this workshop was the homework that she gave us leading up to the day. These exercises really force you to ask yourself the difficult questions that definitely help kick-start the process unstucking yourself.
I left with a re-ignited fire, thank you Jacki!
I highly would recommend this workshop.”

Here’s a link to the Jozi Unstuck Yourself workshop where you can find more pics and more testimonials

The next Unstuck Yourself Workshop will be happening in Durban on the 31st of January and if you would like to book, drop me an email on jacki@jackibruniquel.com . Classes are kept small, I already have a wait list and the workshops sell out fast so don’t delay! 

HUGE THANKS TO CHARLENE SCHREUDER FOR THE BEAUTIFUL IMAGES THAT YOU SEE HERE. ALSO TO LIZ AND CHARNE FOR WORKING YOUR BUTTS OFF! THANKS TO ANGIE FROM MY PRETTY VINTAGE FOR HELPING ME SET UP. THANKS TO CATHY FOR ALLOWING US INTO YOUR BEAUTIFUL SPACE FOR THE DAY. THANKS TO MY LOVELY SIS LISA AND TY FOR LOANING US MANY BITS AND PIECES. THANKS TO PIERRE FOR LOANING ME THE VIDEO PROJECTOR. LAST BUT NOT LEAST THANKS TO TAM FOR THE AMAZING FOOD! THESE WORKSHOPS TAKE ALOT TO GET OFF THE GROUND AND I COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU ALL!

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Unstuck Yourself Workshop Johannesburg 2017

Unstuck Yourself Workshop Johannesburg 2017

by | Oct 17, 2017 | For Photographers, Workshops

So many wedding and portraits photographers are scared of their flash and panic when faced with tricky lighting situations. Often these same photographers can get stuck in a rut making safe images, which has them dreading making work, and serving clients who don’t resonate with them. Creative anxiety can also often be a huge problem and can debilitate new ideas and motivation.

If you are one of these photographers well then the next few lines are for you!

I know what it is like to feel totally burnt out and uninspired but with my Fine Art background, introspection and lots of reading I manage to push through the dark patches! 3 years ago I went on a trip to Bali to figure out what do with my life and my career. When I left South Africa I was battling with adrenal burnout and a broken heart. I had the 2 most wonderful life changing months in this magical land. By giving myself the space and time to think and dream I came home inspired and filled with a new lease on life. I realized whilst I was there that I wanted to help other people reach their potential and I dreamed up a workshop where I would teach other photographers to move from a place of “stuckness” and in to a place of creativity and self expression. My first “Unstuck Yourself Workshop” happened on a beautiful farm on the outskirts of Johannesburg last week. Not everyone can go to Bali for a shake up but you can take a day out of life to inspire yourself!

My aim for this workshop is to help you move past any fear you have surrounding your work and give you confidence to turn tricky situations into creative possibilities! I want to help you speak with your own visual language and create images that you are proud of! I have one spot open for the next workshop in Cape Town on the 1st of November.

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But back to the Jozi workshop. I wanted to create a workshop that was different from anything that is out there. It was held on a farm rather than a fancy hotel, there were no models or styled tables but there was plenty of “Unstucking” inspiration and learning to be had!

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It was such a fantastic day with a really great group of beautiful people. We started the morning in a creative environment with a coffee and then moved into lectures with lots of time for Q&A and feedback.

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I told my story and shared some of the ways in which I stay motivated and inspired.

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We also looked at practical ways of improving your work, finding your own visual language, thinking out of the box and finding clients who you love. I gave attendees a bunch of other tips that I have learnt along the way.

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At noon we went out in to the mid day, unflattering light to take some portraits and it was here that I first began to teach how easy it can be to use flash! I so loved seeing all the pennies drop!

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We then had a delicious vegetarian lunch and went back for more lectures.

From 3pm until dark we went to all the ugly parts of the venue that no one would ever consider shooting in and I made portraits of everyone who attended. The idea behind this is to give people practical solutions to use when faced with tricky situations so that people don’t panic and freak out when things don’t go to plan or aren’t so pretty. I also spent quite a bit of time talking about light, light adaptors and using external lights in simple easy to understand ways.

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Here is the lovely Judith Belle shot in the middle of the day in ugly, harsh lighting! And below her pic is what she had to say about the experience.

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“Jacki, I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your workshop.
With a title like Unstuck Yourself I’m sure that it resonates with so many creatives – and that is what your workshop did. Tuesday’s conversations and practical’s made my head spin and my brain buzz… in the good way that we don’t allow ourselves to feel often enough.
I feel like I want to be better, I want to see the light, I want to work a scene and I want to be mindful of what I create and put out to the world. And in no way do I want to copy or be like anyone else, I want to do all these things but with my own voice.
I love people who see the light, and you Jacki, you’re a master at seeing light and it was a privilege to learn from you.”

Here’s the gorgeous Thabang who I photographed in a dark corner of a untidy bedroom. And what follows is what she had to say about her day.

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“The workshop was fun and very informative. I got to meet some other awesome photographers. Jacki tackled the business side in detail. How to price your packages to suit you. She also showed us some interesting tricks with lights and flash. Flash freaks me put but she made it seem super easy. I learnt that in order to be great photographer you’ve got to always seek inspiration, take time out for yourself, put in the work and try out new things. At the end of the session we had cheese and wine and got to bond.

The workshop and all it entailed helped me find the reset button. It opens up your mind.”

Here’s special Laura who I photographed at sunset and used her pretty face to demonstrate how to use fill in flash with various lighting adaptors.

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“Phenomenal and beyond inspiring, I left with so many new and creative ideas, my brain is actually struggling to process it all. She is also one of the nicest and kindest people you’ll ever meet.”

This is our token hot guy Shezaad who I photographed him in a extremely messy dark garage! His words follow …..

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“I think the most beneficial part of the Unstuck Yourself workshop was learning to shoot more than just pretty pictures and to make work with more meaning. The workshop covered everything that Jax promised to cover in the write up and I am no longer scared of my flash in fact I’ve realised I could get more creative with it.

I loved that we didn’t shoot models at a fancy hotel. Quiet honestly I’ve avoided workshops like that for that very reason. I don’t want to attend a workshop and come out with the exact same images as the next guy or girl.

The workshop was 100% worth it. I learnt so much, met such amazing photographer’s and was totally inspired by the end of the day!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us, Jax.”

Huge thanks to everyone who came along. Thanks for trusting me, thanks for your open hearts, enthusiasm and for making a dream come true!

I need to thank my good friends Germaine and Ivan for having us take over your home for the day and for having us to stay. Your place really is a piece of paradise!!!! Love you so much! Thanks to Tashy my assistant passed for helping, for taking these pics and for being so awesome. Thanks to my assistant now Lizzy Loo for working like a trojan to make this day happen. You really are something special!!! I can’t tell you how much I love you all. I am truly so grateful!

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