Justin & Gen - God's perfect painting {Wedding, Highway Church}

“Love must be as much a light as it is a flame.” —Henry David Thoreau, author and poet

Justin and I travelled the world together in 2012 for a whole year as part of Global Challenge Expeditions, which is where our story started. It is such an honour and adventure to have served and worshipped the Lord Jesus in 10 different countries....Amazing memories! We have stayed friends since then and it was a few years later that I met Genevieve. And last year I had the privilege of capturing their actual engagement....priceless!

Since the sneak peak, I have been wanting to post Justin & Genevieve's wedding photos so badly! As a wedding photographer you get faced with incredible challenges and one of the biggest challenges is when the wedding doesn't look like the ones you are used to. BUT this allows for some serious out-of-the-box-thinking!

The place, at which we planned to do the couple shoot, didn't allow us to go in late in the afternoon. The wedding ceremony happened at the Church where the ceremony was being held. Most of the decor was done by the couple and their friends, which meant it wasn't completed when I needed to shoot the decor, and it was done outdoors (the light isn't favourable at 12am)...so huge challenges might be un understatement. The amazing thing about all of this is, if the results look this good, either I am super amazing as a photographer or God had intervened. I am good, not wait...I am great at what I do....but I also believe that God intervened.

I prepared myself for a smallish wedding, but in fact it was huge! Genevieve is definitely one of the most beautiful brides I have ever captured. The location I found for the couple shoot, was IMPECCABLE! The decor was great, and the venue was amazing...just loved the outdoor reception area under cool lights and those doors! The car they organised was out-of-this-world...I can go on and on...but all I want to say is..."I am lucky to have such beautiful and cool clients...and they made me look good!"

So, yes, God had intervened...God's perfect painting is and was about two amazing individuals becoming ONE! Their painting is surely not done, and I was privileged to have seen a glimpse of it! 

One of the most adorable moments during the wedding was how the flower girls wanted to be in EVERY picture, and how they couldn't understand that the days was not about them...they wanted to dress Genevieve, they tried putting on her shoes, they wanted to do her hair and make-up...I am glad they didn't do Gen's make-up and hair...but they were super cute. 

Other suppliers who made this day possible!

Venue & Church: Highway Church, Centurion

Make-up: Make up & Microblading by Miriska (this lady is amazing!)

Wedding Gown: Genevieve's mom

Bridesmaid's dresses: Glitter and Glamour Creations

Hair: Genevieve did her own hair

Justin's suit: Oriental Plaza

Flowers: The Flower Market

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

*Teaser! Jorge & Kerry-Ann | Royal Jhb & Kensington | Wedding

“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” —Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

Here is a sneak peak of Jorge & Kerry-Ann's epic wedding. What a lovely celebration with laughs and tears, and they both looked absolutely gorgeous!

In fact...I have never laughed this much at a wedding before! Thank you for the opportunity to witness such joy and I pray that you keep this joy in your marriage and family!

Venue: Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club

Make-up: Courtney Chadwick Make up

2nd shooting: Corinna Tainnan

Vanessa & Fritz | The Bridge, Muldersdrift | E-session

“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” —Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

They are so much in love, and it is so beautiful to see! We officially met at the engagement shoot because Brand's mom actually made first contact with me regarding wedding photos. So for the first few minutes we had to get accustomed to each other, but it was quick for them to relax in front of the camera.

That is why I recommend and love engagement shoots, because couples get to learn how to relax in front of the camera, and to learn how to forget about me and to enjoy the moment...that is when they are spontaneous and that is when they just blossom! Priceless memories!

Brand and Vanessa wanted to their engagement shoot at the venue they are getting married at, and I am glad! I loved it! I have not captured a wedding here before and I am so looking forward to their wedding in May! 

Venue: The Bridge, Muldersdrift

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

Lufuno's purple blessing {1st Birthday}

Having somewhere to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing. Unknown

Isn't she cute? Lufuno wanted to do Smash-the-cake shoot for her daughter's 1st birthday, and the photos are adorable! I had my hands full though, because this little one didn't sit still for one moment, but I had a smile on my face through the entire shoot! We decided to do the shoot at Lufuno's house and with a little help from China Mall, we decorated their garage door and I think the results are amazing!   

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

Canada here we come {Yatish & Bhavna}

“Laughter is the jam on the toast of life. It adds flavor, keeps it from being too dry, and makes it easier to swallow.” —Diane Johnson, Le Divorce

Portrait photography

Portrait, female, girl, woman, face, incredible photo

Bhavna & Yatish will be moving to Canada soon and Bhavna asked if we could do a couple shoot at their beautiful home in Kyalami, and wow...what an amazing shoot it was! They are such beautiful, easy-going and down-to-earth people, yet sophisticated if you look at their super stylish and beautiful home! 

One of their favourite spots in the house is on the lounge suite in front of the TV, where Yatish watches a game of soccer or where they enjoy family time watching a series or movie with their little dog! Just love the fact how Yatish took off his shoes when we took photos on the lounge suite...just awesome to relax in front of the camera!

I actually didn't plan to shoot so much indoors but a sudden thunderstorm caught us off-guard. I am glad because I got to capture them in so many memorable spots in their home! 

Enjoy the photos and may you be blessed in your adventures in Canada!  

Will you be my Valentine? {Helpmekaar's Valentine Dance}

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. Charles M. Schulz

So this will be a first for me. I have done Matric Farewell's before, but not Valentine's Dance photos...I mean the event wasn't a huge thing when I was young...I guess times are changing! 

Marisa, whose daughter Miné is in Grade 9, asked me to take photos of Miné and her date and her friends at their house! I had a semi-fashion shoot in mind and therefor chose the tennis court with 2 flashes firing, one from the front another from behind! 

Its amazing when you dress up, do a little make-up and then do proper photos how someone can for a brief moment in their young lives look like grown-ups! I mean these guys and gals are 14 and they look exquisite! 

Julle het regtig amazing gelyk en ek love die vriendskap wat julle wys! Julle het gelag en grappies gemaak en dit was 'n fees om tyd saam met julle te kon spandeer! Geniet die fotos julle!  

Please leave a comment at the end!

*Teaser. Duane & Tanya e-session {Bryanston Pine Forest}

“True love stories never have endings.” —Richard Bach, American writer 

Here is a sneakpeak of Duane & Tanya's e-session at the amazing Bryanston Pine Forest! 

Enjoy!

Magical wedding at Glenburn Lodge and Spa {Stefan & Ele}

“I would find you in any lifetime.” —Kanye West, musician 

The first wedding for 2017 is a stunner! Stefan and Elé's wedding at Glenburn Lodge and Spa was elegant, beautiful and so special! 

From the first moment I met with Stefan and Elé we had a special connection. They are such down-to-earth and easy-going people, yet sophisticated when you look at the exquisite wedding they pulled off! Wow, I had so much to work with and capture, so much beauty everywhere! 

Their love story started at Oppi-Koppi in 2013, and funny enough Elé needed a lift home. Elé were acquainted to Stefan's brother at the time so he arranged for Stefan to take Elé home, and due to a 7 hour trip they got acquainted. Yeah...traffic works in your favor sometimes...so the rest was history! It was 3 years later that Stefan did the honor of asking Elé as his bride on Mount Ricky in Switzerland. This man has style!  

Late last year we had a crazy beautiful e-session at Toadbury Hall, and I knew I was in for a treat at their wedding, and they did not disappoint! Their photos are beautiful, and I always say that it is easy to photograph beautiful people...you guys make me look good!

All the best and lots of blessings for your lives going forward! 

Other suppliers involved who made this day possible:

Wedding Gown: Provonias     Music and DJ: PartyMix     Flowers: Rustic and Roses ZA

Make up: Tish Jooste     Wedding Suit: TailorMe     Wedding shoes: Olivelli

Bridesmaids dresses: YDE     Elé Ring: Custom made, Liz Laubscher    

Stefan ring: American Swiss     Tiffany chairs: Affinity Events      Video: White Motion Films

Decor: Eclectic Swazi     Draping and Fairy Lights: FF Decor

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

Love is the bridge | Brand & Vanessa's E-session | The Bridge Muldersdrift

Love is the bridge between you and everything - Rumi

Here is a sneak peak of Brand & Vanessa's e-session at the beautiful Bridge Venue in Muldersdrift! 

Teaser* Will you be my Valentine? {Helpmekaar's Valentine Dance}

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. Charles M. Schulz

So this will be a first for me. I have done Matric Farewell's before, but not Valentine's Dance photos...I mean the event wasn't a huge thing when I was young...I guess times are changing! 

Marisa, whose daughter Miné is in Grade 9, asked me to take photos of Miné and her date and her friends at their house! I had a semi-fashion shoot in mind and therefor chose the tennis court with 2 flashes firing, one from the front another from behind! 

Its amazing when you dress up, do a little make-up and then do proper photos how someone can for a brief moment in their young lives look like grown-ups! I mean these guys and gals are 14 and they look exquisite! 

Enjoy the sneak peak and please leave a comment at the end!

*Teaser. Justin & Gen - God's perfect painting {Wedding, Highway Church}

“Love must be as much a light as it is a flame.” —Henry David Thoreau, author and poet

Here's a sneak peak of Justin & Genevieve's wedding from Saturday!

They had a simple yet stylish wedding with friends and family at their Church.

Wow, what a day to remember!  

Tyron & Simone {Hotagterklip, Struisbaai}

Family is not an important thing. It's everything. Michael J. Fox

I hosted a competition over the December holidays for a family shoot in Struisbaai, and Simone was the winner! I wanted to do a beach shoot but we had to hide from the wind! 

Tyron and Simone are such simple and loving people, and their daughter is just too cute! 

I had an amazing session with them, and the little fisherman's houses at Hotagterklip are such an amazing location for photos! This place also has sentimental value because some of my own wedding pictures where done in front of this very house!  

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

Pienaar family {L'Aghulas beach session}

But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD. Jos24:15b

The Pienaar family is a beautiful, God-fearing family and the love of the Lord oozes out of them! I know Leona and Francois personally, and it was an absolute privilege photographing them while they were on holiday in Struisbaai over the December holidays.

Ek het dit so baie geniet om hulle af te neem en die lig op die strand is net ongelooflik! 

Venue: Beach between Struisbaai and Cape L'Aghulas

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!   

Erasmus family {Struisbaai beach mini-session}

What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family! Mother Theresa

I had loads of fun doing this very early morning mini family shoot on the beach at Struisbaai! I was hoping for early morning sunshine but we had a different sight to behold...the sun made magic through the clouds...

And I really enjoyed the Erasmus family! They are such loving and gracious people, and lots of fun!

Dankie Adele en Pieter! Julle is 'n mooi gesin en julel straal baie liefde uit! Ek het dit geniet om julle af te neem!

Enjoy the pictures and do not hesitate to comment at the end!

Venue: Struisbay main beach

A burgundy country wedding | Renanda Trout Farm Dullstroom

When love is not madness, it is not love.  ~Pedro Calderon de la Barca

What a year 2016 has been, and what a wedding to end 2016 with! This one is going to be remembered for years to come.

The day was filled with excitement, tears and a lot of beauty. Desmond and Madelize got married on the wedding venue Madelize's parents had built on their trout family farm, Renanda Trout and Leisure Farm, and what a beauty! They chose to have the ceremony at the foot of the trout dam, and the reception was held in the shed or barn they had built for functions and weddings. There is also a little barn next to the watch tower which they used to serve the champagne and sushi, and the views over the countryside from there is impeccable! The wedding was full of DIY elements, and the whole family helped out where they could. Madelize did most of the planning with some help from Desmond. I must say it didn't look like a DIY wedding.

Madelize had the most amazing wedding dress from Lady Marmalade. The dress was off-white with long sleeves and the touch of lace and toile finished the design off with elegance and style! She looked incredible, no wonder Desmond teared up when he saw her walking down the grass aisle!

I immediately fell in love with who Desmond and Madelize are as a couple when we first met. They are detailed, personal (and this was evident at this tearful wedding) and elegant. I just loved the engagement shoot we did for the guest book I prepared. We went to Gold Reef City Theme Park (Click here) and their elegance and style can also be seen in the way they dressed in 50s theme...they went all out. I just loved it! 

Their love story started as a blind date (yeah right, no one ever believes or expect that a blind date can turn into true love) and they dated for 3 years before Desmond popped the question in the French Alps (wow, this man has got style)!  

They had the most amazing chemistry in front of the camera and this paired with the most incredible golden hour sunlight created some magic, which they will savour for the rest of their lives! Dullstroom has late sunsets, which made them very late for the reception, but it meant the golden hour sunlight also lasted longer than expected!

We had crazy cool night shots because of the mist we had at night, but there was a brief moment where the mist disappeared and we could do a sparkler fun shot with the stars! Amazing!

Other suppliers:

The flowers they got from Ludwigs Roses, the menu design was done by Madelize on Illustrator, their make-up and hair was done by Trevor Conn (Dullstroom, - Tete a Tete), a friend did the catering and the groom's suits were from Markhams.

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a message at the end!

Andre & Lizbe's blissful wedding {Idlewild Country Estate}

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Cor 13:4

This was the most tearful and memorable wedding, and also a very pretty one! Andre & Lizbe looked amazing and they are such cool cats when it comes to pictures...which made her somewhat late...which is not much of a problem because most brides are late for the ceremony. The problem was we were scared of a massive thunderstorm which was predicted and happened...but luckily on the farm next door. I could literally see the huge clouds emptying itself behind the ceremony. The ceremony was held under a tent on the lawn in front of the venue, Idlewild Country Estate. It was my first time at this venue, and I am absolutely in LOVE! What a beautiful and stylish venue!

Lizbe is my wife's cousin, which makes them all kinda family and though we are not very close, we are quite close to Lizbe's mom, Lizma. Hence me being the wedding photographer...I also know Andre from a while back when we attended the same church, and I have also met Lizbe's dad, Ben, at my a mining indaba which my father-in-law hosts in Johannesburg. Ben has been a speaker at the indaba for the past 2 years and I have been the event photographer for every event. Only recently did my wife tell me that I have been photographing Lizbe's dad during his talks...it's a small world!

My hat goes of to Lizma and my mother-in-law.  They bought the flowers at the Mall @ Reds flower shop and also some from the garden, and prepped all the flower arrangements in Andre's mom's garage. They did the styling of the venue just spectacularly! Lizma even arranged to bake the cake at Vingerlek Tuisnywerheid in Doringkloof and decorated the cake herself! Amazing!

Other suppliers:

Andre's ring: Unbreakable Man

Lizbe's wedding dress and make-up and hair: Jomari and her team from Mimie

DJ and sound: Up a Tone Events

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

An urban love affair | Ryan & Dawn's Urban E-session

"Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold." -Zelda Fitzgerald

Dawn & Ryan entered the competition I hosted at the Oakfield Bridal Expo this year and won, so they qualified for a 50% discount...but I was super lucky to get such good looking people as clients!

They are such great people to be around with and the chemistry they have with the camera and with each other was special.

The were fun, yet stylish at the same time, and I enjoyed capturing them against the Urban setting of the Maboneng Precinct, which is very much a contrast to their wedding venue, The Orchard Wedding Venue, KZN! It's a long stretch till their wedding, but I can't wait for their wedding in September next year! 

We ended the shoot at the Origin Coffee in Maboneng, and I must say there isn't coffee that tastes better than theirs! Amazing!

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

These two are blessed | Wilmarie & Wilhelm | Maternity Session

She named him Samuel saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” 1 Sam 1:20

Wilhelm and Wilmarie are dear friends and Juanita and I love them dearly! I also do not know of two people who love Jesus more passionately and trust with absolute trust in Him like they do. They have taught me humility and perseverance, and while trying and trying to have children, and spending time on their knees for many years, the Lord granted their request to have children....and He gave them twins! Unbelievable...or wait believable! 

I did their beautiful maternity session at the amazing Hertford Country Hotel, which is one of my favourite venues to shoot at! We also had a little bit of rain during the shoot, but as with most storms the most amazing sunset followed! 

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

Desmond & Madelize | Dullstroom | Wedding Celebration

What a weekend and wedding! I knew since Rentia, Madelize's mom, phoned me the first time, to my first meet-up with Desmond and Madelize, to our incredible engagement shoot at Gold Reef City's Theme Park that the wedding was going to be epic! The past weekend was full of tears and absolute splendor!

Madelize's parents built a wedding venue on their farm just outside of Dullstroom and what a beauty! 

Venue: Renanda Trout and Leisure Farm

I cant wait to post the full blog post.  Please enjoy the sneak peak!  

A dash of gold at Toadbury {Stefan & Ele's e-session}

"A bell’s no bell ’til you ring it, a song’s not a song ’til you sing it, Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay, Love isn’t love ’til you give it away." - Oscar Hammerstein II

How did I get so lucky....! I promise, this is not a styled shoot and they are not models. Elé is such a beauty!

We met up at Woolworths Cafe at Nicolway, and I immediately just fell in love with who they are as a couple. They are such down to earth people, fun to be around with, and yet super stylish. When I asked that they bring a bottle of champagne for the shoot, they brought a Moët. Impressive taste. Elé's ForeverNew dress was out of this world and her make-up, done by MAC, Sandton, was just perfect!

Wow, I loved doing this shoot and I can't wait for the wedding in January 2017! 

The venue, Toadbury Hall, is one of those pinch-yourself-is-this-real venues, and I am so glad we did the shoot there. I chose to set up in the Rose Chapel with items from my house (yes, my wife decorates our house with Rose Gold (beautiful hey?), and she chose the theme for me for this shoot to fit Elé's dress). I bought a Petit Rouge chandelier stencil (IzzitArt) and the beautiful flowers from the Fourways Flower Market, and I used the chandelier to spraypaint chandeliers in Rose Gold on a pallet (or actually my wife did) and I just loved how this all complimented Elé's beautiful dress!

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!