DENISE & HERSCHEL: ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

THE DATE: 13TH FEBRUARY 2010
THE VENUE: LAGOON BEACH, MILNERTON

Just a few sneak peeks from the engagement shoot we did with Denise & Herschel at Lagoon Beach. It’s evident that all the worries she had about her make-up being okay for the beach lighting were in vain – the pics came out beautifully and she’s going to make a stunning bride!

We had the couple pose on the pier with the majestic Table Mountain as a backdrop – getting some great silhouette shots. They were naturally affectionate and happy to carry out any poses we suggested, including having them dance on the shoreline, Herschel with a rose between his teeth!

A freak surge in the tide left the couple knee deep in sea water, but this did little to diminish their good humour and it made for an interesting shot!

RENE & RUAN: WEDDING

THE DATE:       23RD JANUARY 2010
THE VENUE:     ZEVENWACHT WINE ESTATE, STELLENBOSCH

Three of the main elements that come into play when shooting a wedding are: the weather, the venue and the couple. We were lucky with Rene and Ruan’s wedding in these respects – the sun shone endlessly with not a cloud in the sky; we knew the venue inside and out from shooting previous weddings there and from the first meeting the couple struck us as carefree and fun loving and we knew we were guaranteed to get some good shots! We were right!

We captured some great moments on camera – after the intimate ceremony we began the challenging task of coordinating the group photos. The vivacious bridesmaids graciously posed as suggested but it proved a bit harder to organise the cheeky groomsmen who needed persuading that at least one or two formal photos were customary for a wedding such as this!

We stole the couple away for an hour for their private shoot and were excited to find that they weren’t averse to doing whatever was needed to get some fun photos. Rene’s dress dragged on gravel between the vines and collected a few twigs as they strolled among the ripening grapes. They risked splinters on the seesaw and dodged wobbly slats on the pier, trusting that their photographers wouldn’t push them to such lengths unless the photos would be worth it. It was thirsty work and we thought it only fair to allow the couple a quiet moment together to sip champagne on the lawn and prepare themselves for the attention from the lively gaggle of family and friends that awaited them at the reception hall.

Rene and Ruan, both motorbike fundies with boundless energy, opted to spice up the traditional wedding formalities with a few variations from the norm, which came as a welcome surprise to us photographers as well as the guests. The father-daughter dance started off as a traditional slow dance which was cut short almost immediately when it broke into an Elvis rock song with choreography to match. They even had the bridal party join in to show off their synchronised moves.

We also captured some terrific action shots of Ruan animatedly feeding a giant piece of wedding cake to his new bride. To the amusement of all who were watching, Rene, as payback, teased him by twirling the garter on her finger while he rummaged under her dress looking for it with no success. After the congo line had weaved its way between the tables for the second time, and we felt satisfied with the shots of the day, shots of a different kind were being lined up along the bar and we took this as our cue to pack up the cameras and leave the party to carry on into the night.