Gareth and Andrea are getting married in March next year, so we met up one afternoon at the common in Noordhoek for their engagement shoot! I simple love this area…..it’s quiet, scenic and so enveloped by nature! There are few dogs about, walking their 2 legged humans and few horse riders, but for the most part, we were on our own!

We decided to include my mystery ruin location as part of our engagement shoot! Gareth and Andrea were really creative here – they created a cool vintage feel with their hat and bow tie/ floral dress transformation, which really suited this location! Did you guys have a secret dressing room in you boot!?
Gareth proposed to Andrea in hat and bow tie, so he’s an old romantic…a true gentleman!

I really look forward to photographing their wedding next year!!!

I had to great pleasure of photographing Darren and Megan’s engagement in Noordhoek. Megan suggested an unknown ruin location in the area for their photo’s, so in my quest to find this mystery locations for Megan, I stumbled upon and admired what truly seemed like an ancient ruin ….fallen empire!

Since the city is mapped out with roads and buildings everywhere, we urban adventurers turn our sights to relics and ruins of the recent past – finding beauty in urban decay! This location has become a favourite of mine – and I’m on a quest to find abandoned places of the modern world, as they are small pieces of history in suspension and makes for great photo locations – simple, natural and beautifully textured!

I look forward to the wedding in Simon’s Town,next year!!!

I met up with Leo and Sharna on the expansive stretch of beautiful white sand and dark blue ocean on the Atlantic seaboard in Noordhoek for their engagement shoot.

I know there’s nothing quite like the wind in your hair, when cantering along an endless, pristine beach with picturesque views of Chapman’s Peak, but when shooting in these wind in your hair conditions,my beautiful models and my equipment  are being sand blasted by nature, so it becomes very challenging to all parties involved!

Other than the cool effect the wind had on Sharna’s hair, I was  pleasantly surprised at the results of these images, because Leo and Sharna appear to be in a calm and tranquil space! It’s definitely love that prevails against the forces of nature!

I love how the midnight blue slowly gets brighter and colours seep into the sky!

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” –Ben Franklin, famously

“Put no trust in the benefits to accrue from early rising, as set forth by the infatuated Franklin …” – Mark Twain

Last week I had a great opportunity to photograph Keith and Jolene at Llandudno beach! The pay off for waking up at 4:30 is simply the experiencing of greeting daylight’s charms!

Philadelphia is the most beautiful and historic little doll house town in the Western Cape. The town has managed to sustain its ” village in the middle of nowhere” quality, mainly because appearantly most of the land still belongs to the church. This charming little village is surrounded by farm land and  is the equivalent of  five unpavel streets and about  6 houses in total. It’s amazing that it has escaped Capetonians attentions for so long!

In short Phila is a vibey little nucleus of quirky shops, studios and eateries – a few accommodation options, a growing number of creatively inclined residents, an extraordinarily large police station, a sense of space, a church and a school.

Grant and Lorinda discovered a beautiful historic venue in town,  called Die Malle Meul, which is close to the town square. It use to be a working flour mill and has been lovingly resored to protect and maintain it’s historical value.

The there is Die Blik Huis – a pink little tin roofed cape cottage house, which once homed a well known local artist, Pieter van der Westhuizen, who’s work is on display at Die Malle Meul, once owned by the local artist. Lorinda spent the morning getting ready at Die Blik Huis – a beautifully renovated little cottage! Simply beautiful!

The Pepper Tree House complex around the corner from,well everything, use to be the stables and barn that housed horses. Today it’s a pottery studio and art gallery.

If you’re not planning on getting married in a quaint little village, which you should, at least take a drive out to Philadelphia Die Malle Meul – they offers a traditional Sunday Buffet lunch!  I’m determined to revisit Philadelphia and turn it into my every other  Sunday ritual!

Kalkbay is one of my most favourite places in Cape Town – it’s quirky and vibrant , with cool little antique shops and vintage treasures everywhere  and the best ice cream shop in the world called the The Ice Cafe -must have two scoops with a non guilty conscience to embrace the wonderful flavours!

We started our little morning shoot on the beach, near Cape to Cuba – this Cuban style restaurant is simple amazing and I love the catholic iconic art pieces, chandeliers and Frida portraits and the food is really good! REALY GOOD!

I digress! After greeting daylight we walked to the harbour and a few little shops.

Heath and Juanita were great models and my inspiration to keep filming my patient subjects in this exquisite little bay village had lead us to take photo’s into the late morning hours – so we had to simple draw the line and stop:( Enough is enough, right?

I might have a slight compulsion to   squeeze my camera’s shutter  or a lack of motor planning to my finger tips to inhibite squeesing actions when it’s time to wrap up!

We grabbed a quick coffee at Olympia Cafe -  the best bakery in the city  - it really is the best!

Jenny and James can be described as ligand and receptor, if you can describe love in terms of neuro peptides! They are a perfect match. I say this, because I know Jenny  Buckle and in my opinion they simply fit together! I also say this because Jenny is the program director of a company called REACH. This is an organisation focussed on treating chidren with ASD, following a biomedical and scientific behavioural approach. Her work and insights into austism and the relevance of gut dysbiosis and treatment through diet, have positively and dramatically altered the lives of children with ASD.

“The prevalence of autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder with multi-organ involvement, is increasing. Once considered the worst of all developmental disorders, research is showing that autism is treatable and early identification and appropriate management can improve the quality of life of these individuals and their families.”

http://www.autismistreatable.co.za/index.html

They wanted to celebrate their union with close friends and family at this magnificant art deco home in Big Bay and I was fortunate to be a part of their special day.