Winter Wonderland – The UK in snow

Winter Wonderland – The UK in snow

When the temperature in Durban drops below 18 degrees everyone rushes for their polar fleeces and complains about the cold on Facebook. I am no different, our KZN bodies are accustomed to beach weather after all!

In February 2013 my fiance and I went over to the UK to visit his lovely parents and they took us on a winter wonderland trip around Northern England. We don’t have snow, swans or big snow capped mountains here in Umdloti and I found it all so magical and enchanting. We started off where they live in Manchester and then headed to the Lake District. Thanks so much Wilma, Keith and Stu for a trip I will never forget. So looking forward to the next one!!!

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Advice from a Make Up Artist – Lindsay Nixon

Advice from a Make Up Artist – Lindsay Nixon

I just love working with Lindsay. She seems to swish a few brushes about and then BAM … Absolute Beauty. Not only is she a wonderful presence to have around on a wedding day, she is fast and flawless with a capital F. Thanks so much for taking the time to give my readers some advice on bridal make up.

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Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I have 20 years experience in the fashion Industry and work as a make up artist and hair stylist in the Advertising, Commercial, Fashion and Wedding Industries.

How did you land up in this profession?

I have always had a great love for make up, hair and photography, and after Matric studied photography at Natal Technikon and then went on to own and run a modeling agency and later be a partner in ‘Ruff Tung’ a fashion design company before eventually studying make up and making it my career. I do feel as though all the things I have done have got me to the point where I am now, loving being a make up and hair artist!

What do you love most about working on a wedding?

I love creating beautiful things! And a wedding is most girls dream day, where everything is made to that girls “most’ beautiful and creative ideas and I can’t wait to see what the brides come up with, always so gorgeous and elegant!

Who is your ideal client?

A bride who on the day says there is nothing more she can do but enjoy herself.

What advice would you give to a bride when choosing a look for her wedding day?

Keeping it simple and elegant always works, ‘when in doubt leave it out!’

Do you have any tips for brides who plan on having loads of bridesmaids?

He he that’s a controversial topic! All I can say is having fewer ladies to worry about on your big day is going to keep the stress away! It should mostly be about the bride!

Do you think a trial is important?

A trial is imperative and I mostly won’t do a bride unless she has a trial [obviously there are circumstances when this cannot be avoided] however for your peace of mind and mine its good to know that you are happy and can get excited that you know you are going to be gorgeous and not stressed because you are not sure!

Any wedding make up no no’s?

I think it should be more about the eyes than the lips, a red lip is gorgeous but takes commitment and trying to keep it perfect for so many hours is hard work.

What are the latest trends out there when it comes to bridal make-up?

Definitely keeping it more natural and bringing out the essence of the bride rather than painting her face.

What advice would you give to a bride to ensure that her skin is in the best condition possible before the big day?

If she is not on a good beauty regime she should make sure she starts at least 6 months before [make up hates dry skin] and regular facials are a must! Have your last facial a week before the wedding however to avoid breakout disasters.

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What was the "break-through" point for you in your business?

What was the "break-through" point for you in your business?

First off I never book more than a year in advance. I love wedding photography but I don’t like having my life mapped out for more than a year. I like there to be a bit of possibility for spontaneity! I also find it problematic to book for more than a year from a costing point of view.  Life seems to get more expensive every year and if you book yourself out 2 or 3 years in advance how can one calculate finances properly?

So far as a tipping point is concerned, I guess it all really started when I made my mind up to be a wedding photographer and to produce work which was of an international standard. This was in 2010. Before that I was shooting weddings here and there but I was mainly working as an artist, teaching and shooting all sorts of things. I certainly wasn’t running a business and was quite unfocused if I think back to that time.

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Once I made my mind up things happened pretty fast.

Social Media has been a really amazing tool for my business. I am also a strong believer in “The harder you work, the luckier you seem to get!” I have invested an enormous amount of time and energy into my work and I think this shows. I also think I came into the wedding photography market when people started searching for more creative portraiture and documentary work. Producing work that stands out from the crowd is important and I do try to keep pushing myself to be better and produce more WOW images.

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Do you ask the bride and groom to set aside a certain amount of time on their wedding day for a creative shoot?

Do you ask the bride and groom to set aside a certain amount of time on their wedding day for a creative shoot?

Yes, yes, yes! I am not really a routine or schedule person in my personal life but when it comes to weddings it is really important to plan a schedule so that everyone knows what, where and when. This really prevents a lot of stress. Obviously there are times where things run late and the schedule doesn’t get adhered to, and as a photographer one must just adapt.

I always ask my clients before the wedding date what is important to them i.e. creative portraits, documentary pics or both? If they really love creative portraiture then I explain to them that this takes time and that they cannot expect miracles in 15 minutes of bad light.  If people want great portraits they need to invest some time into the process. We always have a look at what time the sun sets and then work the schedule backwards from there.

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How do you get such fun dancing shots?

How do you get such fun dancing shots?

I know there are a lot of photographers who leave the reception straight after the first dance. I am at a wedding for a minimum of 10 hours and have been known to shoot for 14 hours!! I love photographing dancing at the reception. This is the time when people have forgotten all about me and are just having fun!

The trick with getting great dancing shots is having eyes like a hawk and watching where the action is! Don’t be timid, if you see someone going for gold get in there and shoot! Lie on the dance floor, stand on chairs … get a different point of view.  Learn how to use your flash properly so you can balance ambient and flash light. I never use my flash at more than half power because of flash duration issues. If you use your flash at half power or lower it should freeze movement. Make sure that you have lots of batteries on you so you can swop if you run out of juice.  The same goes for memory cards. You don’t want to miss any action while running back to your bag!

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