It seems I’m always posting blogs late at night these days, we’re deep into summer madness, trying to keep up with the latest weddings. A lot of the other wedding photographers in our circle are also still up, I can see them on Skype. I’m kind of half listening to the new Black Keys on my earphones – V is asleep, it’s an early morning for her tomorrow.

We were at Summer Place this weekend for Bronwen and Andries’ wedding, two people who I couldn’t imagine more in love (and two of the nicest people you’re likely to meet). You know it’s easy to get jaded in this industry, another wedding, another bride in a beautiful white dress, but looking at these two smiling at each other, sneaking crafty looks and kisses on the staircase, your heart can’t help smiling. So now, late at night, my new lava lamp keeping me company, editing those images and seeing the sneaky glances, I’m smiling again to myself, very grateful to have been able to capture those moments. The cats are still looking at me strangely.

I did get vendor details this week:

Dress: Gideon
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Getting Ready: Le Chatelat Boutique Guest House – stunning venue
Ceremony: St Martins in the Veld – can’t actually explain how beautiful the light is in this 100 year old church.
Reception: Summer Place – our co-ordinator was Simon who was on the ball and really accommodating.
Decor: Lorraine at Papillo Designs, rapidly becoming one of our favorite decor/wedding coordination people. Just a rockstar really.
DJ: The man, the myth, the legend, DJ Luis Almeida
Videographers: Andre from Freeman Productions – professional and unobtrusive, a pleasure to work with as always.

pretty good huh?

ok, some pics, but before that, there are more pics of Bronwen and Andries’ super stylish Summer Place wedding. If you were a guest or know them, you’re welcome to tag yourself in or leave them a message.

There are more pics of Bronwen and Andries’ super stylish Summer Place wedding. If you were a guest or know them, you’re welcome to tag yourself in or leave them a message.

• Summer Place Wedding – Bronwen + Andries
• Studio closed
• Rainy Summer
• Rain Rain and No End In Sight
• Joanne & Adrian – the couple session

I’m terrible at keeping secrets. I can’t imagine how Paulo managed to not tell anyone about the helicopter that he had chartered for the wedding. No-one knew, not the groomsmen, not the bridesmaids, not the bride. I almost spilled the beans at one point. Don’t tell me to keep a secret, think of a hyperactive eight year old, I pretty much have a similar capacity for keeping quiet. I didn’t say a word.

All I can say is that Kate was surprised. The wedding rocked like the 80′s and Kate and Paulo brought serious rockstar swagger (and movie star good looks) to their photoshoot. The reception was at Thaba Ya Batswana, and kind of reminded me a lot of the purple lighting design I’ve been seeing from the New York photographers. We were joined by the videographers from DVI so we didn’t have to stress about the moody lighting, which is always nice. Just a rocking relaxed day with two of the nicest people, who made the day just too easy. Thank you.

btw I did have to smile to myself when it came out that Paulo went to Benoni High and spent a lot of time not studying. I did a lot of not studying at Benoni High myself. Lots of good memories.

Portraits: Rand Airport
Reception: Thaba Ya Batswana
Ceremony: Our Lady Of Lebanon (which is one of the nicest churches we’ve photographed at)
Videographers: DVI

more photos from Kate and Paulo’s rocking Thaba Ya Batswana wedding can be found on our facebook page – if you know them you’re welcome to tag yourself in or leave them a message.

more photos from Kate and Paulo’s rocking Thaba Ya Batswana wedding can be found on our facebook page – if you know them you’re welcome to tag yourself in or leave them a message.

• Nicole and Donavan at Thaba
• Thaba Ya Batswana – Daisy + Ricardo
• End of the 2010 Season
• Nadine and Phil at Amazingwe
• Testimonials

I haven’t been sleeping much lately, I think it’s the weather. It’s keeping the cats indoors at night and they tend to chase each other around the house loudly. That and the fact that I don’t sleep much most of the time anyway. So it’s almost dawn and I’m staring at the mac’s screen again, trying to figure out what to say about last Saturday’s wedding. I’m drawing a blank, I’m not sure any words, or photos can convey the sense of community and family that characterized this wedding. Just a huge outpouring of love for Irma and Jan. We’re talking an entire hall decorated and set up with blue china, and memorabilia, we’re talking a bicycle made especially for the day, 37 flowergirls in identical outfits, over a 1000 people arriving for the service. A sermon by Irma’s dad that even with my very slow Afrikaans to English translating brain … let’s just say that at this point I was thinking V and I should probably move to Randfontein …

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone, who made an effort to make us feel welcome, those that made an effort to speak to us in English, those that listened to our terrible Afrikaans, to both the Van Rensburgs and the Nels. We really appreciated everything and had a blast hanging out with you. Next time at our place?

There are more pics on our Facebook page, you’re welcome to tag yourself in or leave Jan and Irma a message.

There are more pics on our Facebook page, you’re welcome to tag yourself in or leave Jan and Irma a message.

• Studio closed
• New Site
• Tough
• I knew the bride when she used to rock and roll
• Black Coffee and Red Apples

Late Friday night, Saturday morning. It’s still hot, too hot to sleep, too hot to have another cup of coffee. All the cards have been downloaded to the Drobo, there’s nothing on the telly that you wouldn’t regret committing an hour to watching. I don’t want to turn on the air cooler in case it wakes V up.

I’m still cruising on adrenaline from today’s wedding at Red Ivory. Christelle and Jonathan, two of the nicest people you’re likely to meet. A gathering of friends and family who came together to see them get married after a nine year engagement. Just being themselves, having a blast, always smiling, Christelle doing little dances she was so excited. That kind of excitement is infectious. Then there was Jonathan who reduced pretty much everyone to tears with his groom’s speech.

Hours later, traveling home on that very dark highway, I’m mentally going through the images, ticking off the one’s I liked for the blog. One keeps jumping out, it’s of Christelle’s sisters helping her get ready, the look on their faces says everything.

We were joined at Red Ivory by DJ and lighting maestro – DJ Paul and saxophonist Rike Coetzer.

You can see more images from their rocking Red Ivory wedding on our facebook page. If you know the couple you’re welcome to leave them a message or tag yourself in.

You can see more images from their rocking Red Ivory wedding on our facebook page. If you know the couple you’re welcome to leave them a message or tag yourself in.

• Red Ivory Lodge Wedding – Cara and Clive
• Red Ivory Lodge Wedding – Sally-Ann and Henry
• Red Ivory Lodge – Melissa and Mark
• Red Ivory Lodge Wedding – Chantel & Rossouw
• Red Ivory Lodge Wedding – Isadore + Riaan

Saw this quote being thrown around in a Google+ mud slinging match this morning.

“The fact is that relatively few photographers ever master their medium. Instead they allow the medium to master them and go on an endless squirrel cage chase from new lens to new paper to new developer to new gadget, never staying with one piece of equipment long enough to learn its full capacities, becoming lost in a maze of technical information that is of little or no use since they don’t know what to do with it.” – Edward Weston

We had to study Mr Westons’ work at university, was never a big fan, but the quote really resonates for me.

• Robert Frank’s Unsentimental Journey
• RE.INVENT III {workshop}
• The Photographer’s Eye
• Fans
• TUT talk

Monday afternoon in Jo’burg and it’s sweltering, even the mad fluffy one looks like he may need a swim. The summer is going to be hot. The kind of hot where the edges of the viewfinder feel a bit wobbly and the glue that holds the rubber grips on the camera starts to go soft. These are the days where we kind of pray for a bit of cloud cover, maybe even a bit of rain to cool things down out here on the highveld.

I’m just wrapping up the Facebook edit on Esmari and Eugene’s wedding, I’m just smiling to myself, Jay-Z on the speakers, you can’t help smiling when you’re looking at images where everyone is having such a blast.

I only really have two things to say:
One, thank you guys, it was a real joy to photograph the two of you. I’m not sure what the ring bearer was on about, but from looking at the pics, I suspect he wanted his rings back.
Two, why is it that the life of the party is always a pilot? Don’t I suffer enough with my fear of flying :^)

You can view more from Esmari and Eugene’s Country Club wedding on our Facebook page, if you were a guest feel free to tag yourself in or leave them a message.

You can view more from Esmari and Eugene’s Country Club wedding on our Facebook page, if you were a guest feel free to tag yourself in or leave them a message.

If you’ve come to my workshops, or heard me speak, you’d have heard me say that there isn’t such a thing as wedding photography. It’s something that the magazines and blogs define for brides and they in turn request that from their photographer who shoots it, and then it becomes the standard. So this weekend as I watched Esmari being laced into her dress, I wondered who thought that the best way to showcase a wedding dress which is designed for someone’s body, was to put in on a hanger and hang it somewhere interesting.

• Johannesburg Country Club – Deidre and Barry
• Deborah and Michele at the Johannesburg Country Club
• Ursula and John at The Johannesburg Country Club
• Pretoria Country Club wedding – Emily and Luis
• Claire and Dale at the Johannesburg Country Club

It’s monday, our daily dose of Joburg rain is coming down outside, driving the cats indoors. They aren’t looking impressed. I’ve been in front of this screen for the last ten hours or so, my eyes are starting to go a bit funny, and the white noise of the rain coming down is lulling me to sleep, so I’m going to make this one quick.

We were at The Westcliff this weekend, for Samantha and Sean’s wedding. The Westcliff, especially Jacaranda Hill, always makes think of the kind of weddings that they would have had in the roaring twenties, all dressed in slick white, hats and fascinators. Rolls Royces in the driveway and string quartets playing on the lawns. Add the whole Johannesburg in Spring aspect to it – I’m talking serious Jacaranda’s in bloom all over the place, the smell of approaching rain, and it’s one of those weddings that just seems in it’s own space in time.

Dress: Pronovias
Suits: Fabiani
Ceremony: Rosebank Catholic Church
Reception: The Westcliff
Rolls: Spirit of Ecstacy (Ferdi is a really nice guy)

You can view more from Samantha and Sean’s Westcliff wedding on our Facebook page, if you were a guest feel free to tag yourself in or leave them a message.

You can view more from Samantha and Sean’s Westcliff wedding on our Facebook page, if you were a guest feel free to tag yourself in or leave them a message.

• Westcliff Album
• Ruth and David at The Westcliff – Part I
• Roger and Greg at The Westcliff
• The Westcliff – Dom and Alroy
• The Westcliff Wedding – Dunjsha and Alex