Recent awards and accolades – 2013

Recent awards and accolades – 2013

It always feels a bit weird for me to talk about awards on my blog as it feels like I am boasting when the truth is I am always amazed at the recognition I have received. I tend to be in a constant competition with myself urging myself to make better images rather than looking at other peoples work. 2013 was a pretty good year for recognition that’s for sure. Thanks to my couples who put up with me and my crazy ideas, I wouldn’t be collecting awards if it weren’t for my clients!

Whilst we were in Mauritius I found out I had won the Admired in Africa Photographer of the year award. Not long afterward I opened an email to say that the image I had entered into the the Wedding friends One Shot competition had won!!! This competition was judged by the public at the Photo and Film Expo which is South Africa’s largest photographic expo. Shoow!

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Then I found out I got an international Fearless award which is always a biggy for me as every time they hold a competition the competition just get’s tougher! There are so many absolutely phenomenal photographers in this organisation. Have a click on their site .You wont be disappointed!

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Lastly but certainly not least I was included on a list of the Top 100 Wedding Photographers in the world. This really blew my mind!

Thanks again from the bottom of my heart to all the wonderful clients who have trusted my vision and particularly to Tash my assistant who is just the best!

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Best Wedding Pics of 2013

Best Wedding Pics of 2013

2013 brought with it some wonderful things to be grateful for but also some incredibly difficult challenges. Huge thanks to everyone for the support over the past year. Thanks also to all my clients … I feel blessed to have walked along a path filled with interesting people who have hired me to explore and create. Lastly thanks to all the service providers who we have worked alongside. I hope the year of the horse will be as noble and magnificent as the real life creatures! Let’s go 2014!

Here are some of my favorite wedding images from 2013!

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Ode to the wedding shoe – My approach to visual communication.

Ode to the wedding shoe – My approach to visual communication.

People often ask me how I come up with such different photos every time I shoot a wedding. Sometimes it’s an easy process and the creative ideas just flow out of me, other times it’s hard and I really have to work at it. It would probably be far simpler and less time consuming to keep churning out the same old imagery on every client, but that is not who I am or what I stand for. I have the spirit of an artist and it is therefore important for me to tell stories with images and to create something unique and different for every client. I like to think that this is one of the reasons that people book me!

So let’s take something rather “boring” and analyze how I approach it.

How about shoes?

I have to say right now that I am not a shoe girl. Yes I have a pair of Meow Boots from Irregular Choice but I am not one of those girls who could think of nothing better than shoe shopping on a Saturday afternoon. I do however see that photographing the wedding shoe is a way of communicating a story.

I always ask my clients if they would like me to photograph their wedding details. Some people couldn’t care less about shoes let alone a photo of their shoes, others have spent years dreaming up which pair of Jimmy Choos they will wear on their wedding day! Every client is different.

The choice of shoes a bride will wear on her wedding day will tell us about something about her. The girl who walks down the aisle barefoot will be very different to the girl with the sparkly slippers.

When photographing details like shoes I use the theme of the wedding to inform where and how I shoot. I want the shoe shot to tell the viewer something about the day of the wedding and the person that wears them. For me, each image I photograph is another link in the overall story.

Here are a few shoe shots so you can see what I mean  ……….

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Umdloti couple shoot – Lauren + Tom

Umdloti couple shoot – Lauren + Tom

Lauren and Tom celebrated their two year wedding anniversary yesterday. To remember this very special time in their lives they organised a couple session with me. The idea was to do a very sweet and simple shoot on the beach in their home town of Umdloti. Unfortunately the weather had other plans and as we got to the beach a gale force wind started up of epic proportions. I am not afraid of bad weather when it comes to photography but in this case it just wasn’t working so I had to come up with plan B. And my plan B was to look toward the light ……

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Did you take a ladder with you to get that shot?

Did you take a ladder with you to get that shot?

I saw your latest blog post (AMAZING) and I’ve just got to ask: did you take a ladder with you on the bridal party shoot? Or were you just lucky enough that there were something for you to stand on?

Sorry, I’m just curious

Again, well done with taking amazing photos every single time. Your work amazes me so much.

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I always push myself to create images that I haven’t been done before when shooting a wedding. Sometimes this takes planning and sometimes this happens spontaneously!

I arrived at Netherwood the day before Chantel and Brett’s big day and noticed the two different colour fields whilst doing a location scout. I also noticed that the sun was going down behind the two different fields and realized that I would need a point of elevation in order to reduce flare and truly get a sense of the fields and the different textures. I liked the idea of putting girls on one side boys on the other … It was really just a quirky take on men and women being in different “worlds”. Nothing too serious though, just a bit of fun.

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In order to make the shot happen I needed a tall ladder and so I asked the wonderful folk at Netherwood if I could borrow one. I then asked a very obliging boyfriend of one of the bridesmaids to help us transport and carry the ladder on the day.

It was a mission! But in the end I got a different angle and a different photo.

Hope that answers your question, thanks for the kind words and for getting in touch!!!

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