We chatted about the shoot and I asked them what kind of photos they were looking for. They just said relaxed and fun. Then I asked them what kind of things they love to do. What do they like. What makes them, “them”? For me that is one of the most important things when I do a couple shoot. It needs to be “them”! At first Nik was very concerned…”What do we like??” he asked, but then he got really excited and said “strawberries! She loves buying strawberries at the market.” So that’s exactly what we did, we bought some strawberries at the market and incorporated it into their shoot :)

And for me it was perfect, it gave the shoot a very European feel and I love it!!

For Photographers: You’ll see I edited some of these photos (and others from Germany) in a old school Polaroid kinda look…I’m currently working on a Polaroid combo Presets for LR, so keep an eye out for the launch of KIKI, where we will have a whole photography resource section. Exciting stuff coming…it’s just taking a bit longer than I hoped for :) But coming, that’s for sure!!

I started downloading the pics as soon as I got back in the hotel. I was so excited to see the results, that I started selecting, editing and I couldn’t stop myself (currently 2:10 am :) So here is a little taste of what you can expect…

Tomorrow we’re leaving for the wedding and probably wouldn’t have internet access, as it’s out in the countryside. So see you next week. xox

Here are a few pages with my photos and the cover shot…*happy dance*!!

A big thank you to Yolandé and her team for the professional manner in which they handeled my images and for the amazing service! You guys are going to go a long way!

I met Adii a few years ago and since then iaan and I have become friends with him and his beautiful fiance Jeanne. I’ve done a few shoots for Adii as well as his company WooThemes, but when he asked me to shoot his wedding I was super excited! Adii and Jeanne are two every down to earth individuals. They love a great dinner and spending time together. When we planned their engagement shoot I suggested a kitchen and something fun. So the whole shoot was done around the idea of making a smoothie together. So simple, but so much fun and so much opportunity to get some gorgeous images of the two of them.

When I do engagement shoots or any other shoots I love to see the couple’s personality being reflected in the photos. That’s what it’s all about. Capturing “them” on a photo. I want to capture those little laughs and expressions. The ones you see in your partner daily. No cheesy grins or camera smiles…the real you.

I have to thank Adii for booking this awesome venue through Amazing Spaces. Working in a place with good light and great interior is always a bonus! Another big thank you to Sanmarie for doing some fabulous hair and makeup for Jeanne.

After the smoothies we had a bit more fun :) Here are my favorites of the day…

Big thank you to all these people for contributing to my workshop:

Venue: Stonewall wine Estate
Hair & Make-up: Joletta Keane
Flowers: Leipzig Floral Design
Bike: A friend of Andrea
Paparazzi shots of us: Lizelle Lotter

Also big thank you to Karen & Hannelien from Miracles Photography, Amanda Boonzaier, Anel Smit, Heidi Hutton, Roelien Visser,Heleen Van Rensburg & Alison Wade for attending my workshop! Was lovely meeting all of you! x

I received a message from Edmund. An email I’ve been waiting for! Let me explain…Iaan and I were standing in a line at WPPI to grab a sandwich and behind us stood two friendly guys. One of them was Edmud Prieto. We stated chatting, handed out business cards and every now and then we’d walk past them at the conference. After WPPI iaan and I visited Henry Chen in Los Angeles. And being the geeks we are, iaan and I tweeted about being in LA.

(Now let me first pause here. If you’re not on twitter yet, or you’re not using it, I suggest you seriously open an account! And not only open it, but use it actively! You never know who you might meet up with!)

That day I received a message from Edmund. He lived only 30min away and asked me and iaan if we’d like to do a shoot. One the one side I was super nervous and on the other side I was doing my little happy dance! Yes! We were in.

iaan and I hit the streets to grab something decent to wear, because after 3 weeks of traveling I don’t think anything I had in my bag would have worked :) Being on the other side is so strange. I’m usually the one staring through the viewfinder and there I found myself being stared at. Now I can say: “I understand.” If you’re a photographer I suggest you get friends to photograph you every once in a while. It helps you to see the other side. To experience the awkward feeling and to feel the anticipation to see the shots. It makes you stalk someones blog every single day until you see the shots and then you smile when you see them. And then, when you look at them, you don’t think only of that day, but you look at the photos and you see all the good things you’ve experienced with that person. You realize how it makes you feel and how loved you are. Last week was my and iaan’s 8 year anniversary and I can’t think of any better present than these photos. Edmund thanks for making me see the other side. For realizing what a privileged job I have. To help people see LOVE.

Since then Kaycee has been following my work and claims to be one of my biggest fans. When she heard I was coming to the USA she booked a couple shoot with me in New York.

We met in the lobby of our hotel and it was like I knew her. So strange when you finally meet someone you’ve been in contact with for some time, but never physically met before. Kaycee couldn’t stop laughing and made me feel at ease straight away. We headed to Times Square to take a few pics and then headed downtown with the subway. After the shoot we ended up in Starbucks talking about Lightroom, editing, marketing and everything else, over a cup of steaming Vanilla Latte’s :)

I can’t believe Kaycee has only been shooting weddings for about a year. Her work is soooo beautiful! You have to check out her blog!

Was great meeting you Kaycee! I hope you enjoy the photos…

Was great meeting you guys! x

On the day the wind was howling and the girl’s hair was all over the show, but non the less, I still got some fun shots :)

For Photographers: I used a new preset to edit these shots. I wanted to add an arty look to the photos, but I’m not a fan of sepia, so I created a new “Sepia Love” preset :) Will be for sale soon…Will you be interested in purchasing presets for LR? Let me know what you think…