Love is in the Air - Marzanne and Michael

This recent wedding I co-photographed for my favourite wedding photographer, has a love story behind it as spectacular as the couple themselves! They kindly agreed to to tell it in their own words for me (While on Honeymoon in the Maldives!!):

Marzanne:

I started working as a corporate flight attendant in Nigeria in 2008. One day, about a month after I started working for the company, our Chief Pilot and another other captain were discussing that the company urgently had to employ one more pilot. I’m sure they were just fooling around, but the Chief Pilot gave me two CV’s and asked which one I thought the company should employ. I looked at the CV’s which only contained the names and employment history; no photos, no ages, NADA! As I didn’t know what to look for on a pilot’s CV I just went for the one who’s name I liked best. So, I jokingly picked the one who’s name sounded best and said to Glen (our Chief Pilot then) to first ask for a photo of the one I picked... one can never be too sure with these Americans.... A few days after this conversation I went on leave so I never found out who we did employ...

Michael:

In 2008 I was out of work, the recession was starting, and the only work I could find was in AFRICA! I had a telephonic interview with a company in NIGERIA and they asked for a picture. This was unusual for me, as it is uncommon in the states. Little did I know, it was at the request of my future wife!!

I was soooo nervous. As someone who has only read about Africa in NatGeo, my expectations were something different than reality. I met the most beautiful woman I have ever met!! Her personality is un-deniable. Anyone that has ever met her will agree. Beauty, brains, personality,...she has it all. We spoke, confided and formed a friendship that I have never had before...She is my best friend and the person that I will spend the rest of my life with!! ;-)

Marzanne:

Our new pilot, Michael, started working with us towards the end of 2008. It was only later, after Mike and I have formed a strong friendship that I discovered that Glen asked him for a photo! This was my pick!! Mike and I were friends and confidants for a long period before we got romantically involved with each other. It was worth the wait! Soon after we got together (2 months to be exact) we were on a flight from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth to visit my sister. At top of decent he pulled out the most beautiful engagement ring and asked me to be his wife! What a fitting engagement for a couple who work at 47,000 feet in the air, who get to travel the world at each other’s sides and experience life at a different angle. I knew then that life couldn’t get better!

Michael:

Now that Marzanne and I are married, we are hoping to start a family steeped in S. African and American traditions. I love Africa and I love my wife!!!

The wedding ceremony and reception was at the The Plantation, Sardinia Bay, Port Elizabeth.

See Marzanne and Michael's wedding album here.

Fire Chief Ethan on Duty!

All the shoots I do are special to me... and some are just special to everyone! We spent a Saturday morning at the South End Fire Station in Port Elizabeth with Anoesjka, Riaan and their little Fire Chief Ethan. And I'm sure the adults had more fun than Ethan!

When Anoesjka contacted me to book a shoot the initial idea was just to get some nice "Fireman" shots of Ethan to use for his birthdayparty invitations in December. We agreed that it would be lovely to have the backdrop of the Firestation and Anoesjka took a chance and contacted the Fire Department in South End.

They were absolutely delighted to have us and this very special shoot was planned.

Our three hosts Fireman Jacobs, Whittaker and Padayachee made sure that Ethan had great fun inspecting them, the trucks and he even hitched a ride in two of the firetrucks.

The package for this shoot forms part of my Easter Special which is a 30 Minute Location Photoshoot for R250. You receive 3 A4 Prints and 30 edited, high resolution digital photographs on disk. In this case Anoesjka had the full set printed twice for each set of grandparents... and I'm sure they loved it.

While I will be coming up with themes for these shoots throughout the month of April, please feel free to contact me with your own ideas. Photos that tell your story are not supposed to be stiff and posed, the photograph must tell the observer who you are, what your loves are and how you have have fun!! Visit my contact page to get my contact details.

View the entire Fire Chief Ethan shoot here

How to get great kiddies pics!

Have you ever struggled to get a good photograph of an uncooperative child until one of you is in tears? Getting great pictures of kids isn’t as hard as you may think. The key is to make kids comfortable with their environment - places, people and activities – so that they relax and respond favorably. A few simple guidelines can give you great shots.

Photograph your Daily Life

Portrait photos are lovely, but your life is what you live every day. Take pictures of your little ones during their daily routine – doing homework, eating dinner, reading at bedtime. These will create more meaningful memories than stiff shots of them with perfectly tidy hair.

Capture the Action

If you have a sports setting on your camera (one that takes many photos in rapid succession while the shutter is pressed), use it! You increase your chances of getting a great action shot. If your child is moving relative to the background, track their progress as they go.

Get Down on Their Level

Standing up while photographing kids makes their bodies look small and distorted. Crouch down for more realistic proportions. Or get underneath them for photos that make them look big and important. Experiment with different angles and positions. Try taking photos from the side or behind for a fresh look.

Fill the Photo Frame

Zoom in to eliminate the visual clutter of the background. Reducing the depth of field blurs the background while keeping the subject in focus. These techniques add drama to your photo by making the child’s face a strong focal point. If your little one is looking at the camera, make sure that their eyes are most sharply focused.

Take Pictures at the Playground

Don’t underestimate the wonderful opportunities for interesting perspectives, colorful backgrounds and unusual lighting available at your local playground. Not to mention that your child will be having fun and therefore may be a more cooperative subject!

Capture memories

Parents, grandparents, siblings, friends; capture memories by taking photos of children with the important people in their lives. Photograph them engaged in their favorite joint activities - reading, playing video games, and eating pizza, for example. If possible, ask the subjects to pose so that their faces are close together

Be Sneaky

For the most natural photos, don’t let your child know that you’re taking their picture. You can accomplish this by snapping when they are facing away from you, or by standing back and using a telephoto lens. This can help you get wonderful shot of kids who dislike being photographed.

Timing is Everything

Photographers call the first or last hours of daylight the golden hour because during that time light is soft and has a warm hue, making it flattering to most skin tones. During the middle of the day, the sun is overhead and bright, resulting in harsh shadows and washed-out complexions.

Source: www.suite101.com

Tim and Shelly

Shelly met Tim whilst working in the UK. Romance blossomed and after a romatic proposal they were married in South Africa at the rustic venue of La Domaine near Port Elizabeth. The weather had us all worried but the rain waited until after the ceremony and all the photographs before gently blessing this lovely couple.

Instead of confetti the guests surrounded the newly married couple in bubbles, which not only delighted the children of all ages present, but also made for stunning photographs. View more photographs here.

Melinda and Francois

Melinda and Francois met through friends and got engaged on one of Port Elizabeth's romantic landmarks - the Shark Rock Pier, where they also went for their first official date. Melinda knew that something big was going to happen as she became suspicious when they went out for dinner (and a walk on the pier) in the middle of the week and as Francois heart was beating so fast and so loud that Melinda could hear it! He claims that it wasn't nerves....

Below is the shortfilm of their engagement shoot that I did.



With cupcakes from sweetsomethings this was the yummiest engagement shoot ever. View the full shoot here.

Pictography supports the PE CVC Spay Campaign

I have five dacshunds. My vet's bill is, at any given time, higher than my human family's medical bill. I am fortunate tha I can afford the veterinary care my pets need but there is many people out there who cannot afford much needed veterinary care for their beloved pets. Seeing animals suffer breaks my heart and thats why I adopted the PE Community Veterninary Clinic Spay Campaign as my Pet Project for the year. (No pun intended...)

Here's how you can contribute. I offer a 30 minute Pet Shoot for R250 of which R150 will be donated towards the CVC Spay campaign. You receive a disk with 30 edited photos as well as a A3 wall calendar with a collage of the photos. Extra calendars may be purchased at R100 per calendar, which will also be donated toward the campaign.

Alternatively you can book a  60 minute Family Pet Shoot of R650 of which R400 will be donated towards the campaign. You receive a disk with 50 to 60 edited pics on and 2 A3 wall calendars. R400 means a dog or cat spayed, and more than one less homeless puppy or kitten that will end up in a drain, getting run over by a car or dying of starvation or illness

The Nash Pack

Malcolm, Lusaun and Daniel was generous enought to share their two gorgeous huskies Blade and Nushka and malamuth Mika for my first shoot for poster pets for a community veterinary campaign. After some stops and starts due to logistical problems (such as the garden services not arriving to cut the grass before the shoot) we had a fun 30 minutes of snapping pics, dishing out treats and lots of cuddles.

Huskies and Malamuths are really perfect family dogs and quite good models too. After they got over their obsession of wanting to lick the camera the close up shots were quite easy. The shoot ended in tears because Daniel wanted to "smile" some more!

Should you be interested in a similar shoot in support of this campaign which enables a group of dedicated vets' to provide free veterinary care and sterilisation services to the animals in communities that cannot afford veterinary care for their animals please contact me for a booking. The shoots costs R250,00 for 30 minutes and you receive 30 edited pics on disk as well as a A3 2011 wall calender with a collage of the photos. A R100 will be donated from each shoot towards this campaign.

See the rest of the shoot here.

How to Choose a Wedding Photographer

Wedding pictures are a cherished keepsake, passed down through generations, and the only commemoration of the thousands of hours and rands spent to plan the most important day of your life. Other than the choice of a spouse, the choice of the wedding photographer is the most important wedding-related decision you will make, and is not to be taken lightly. Following these steps can help you select the best photographer to document your fairytale wedding

Decide what style of wedding photography you prefer. Are you looking for a traditional approach with mostly posed images? Or do you prefer lots of spontaneous shots in which the subject may not even know he or she is being photographed? (photojournalistic) Do you like the glamour approach of fashion photography? Would you prefer a photographer who combines all of these styles (a freestyle or eclectic wedding photographer)?

Decide what level of service you want from your wedding photographer. Perhaps you only need photographs of your ceremony so having just 1-3 hours of photography may be enough for you. Other couples may prefer a complete package that may include a pre-wedding engagement sessions, rehearsal dinner photographs, and a fun trash-the-dress shoot after the wedding.

Decide how many images you would like from your wedding celebration(s). Some photographers may provide you with under 100 images to remember your wedding day by. Higher-end photographers often capture thousands of images (generally from 1,000 to 3,000) for you to keep forever.

Figure out how much time and expertise you have to process your images yourself. Many brides who choose photographers that only give them a disc of their images (no album, prints or other items) find that they lack the time, software or knowledge to create their own albums, properly edit the photos (crop, color correct, etc.). Often, years later, these couples just have a stack of dusty, cheaply processed proof photos or photos on a disc that are not being lovingly displayed as a reminder of the wedding day.

Determine your Budget. Photographer fees, prints, albums, etc. generally come to approximately 12% of the entire wedding budget. This will allow you to quickly discard candidates which you cannot afford. Speak to your photographer of choice, he or she will in all likelihood be able to design a package that suits your needs and your budget.

Make appointments and meet with your photographer of choice. Go to these meetings with your spouse-to-be if possible. Look at samples of their work, get a brochure with details about wedding packages and ask questions. Notice how polite they are. Ask yourself, “Is this someone I will want to be around when I am stressed, exhausted, dehydrated, overheated, and ready to faint in those uncomfortable shoes?” A good wedding photographer is not only armed with a camera that is not going to let you or them down, but also wet wipes, rescue remedy and lots of tissues!

Call your chosen photographer and ask them to pencil you in on their calendar until you can come back to sign the contract. Make an appointment to sign the contract.

Confirm, confirm, confirm! This is the golden rule of wedding planning. Remember: your wedding is more important to you and your spouse-to-be than to anyone else. As such, you must confirm appointments, plans, reservations, etc., several times—Once at contract signing, a second time 3-6 months before the event, and again 1-2 weeks before, at which time last minute details, changes, and requests can be worked out.

(Sources: www.wikihow.com)