A few years ago (two or three, I can't remember exactly) I was a judge for the Miss Winelands Teen pageant here in Paarl. I don't know how or why I got roped into this position but it was quite an experience! Even though I have not had any involvement with the pageant since then I have followed the competition on Facebook and that is where I first saw this beautiful lady.

All of the girls entering this year are absolutely beautiful, but when I saw Kim I just knew I had to do a shoot with her! We ended up working together for the first time on a recent styled bridal shoot I did (that I still have to blog!) and I really enjoyed working with her so much that we started talking about a shoot there and then!

It was at that very shoot where I met Olga-Maré (who happened to be the model who posed with Kim in the same scene!) and she quickly showed me some of the pieces she designed and made while studying fashion design and it just all came together. This shoot was mostly so we could showcase Olga-Maré's amazing designs as well as try something different - Cecilia does incredible bridal makeup, but I wanted her to 'think out of the wedding box' for a change and I wanted to try out some different lighting techniques.

So, after much back and forth (we just couldn't settle on a date as we're all so busy this time of year!) we met at the Stellenbosch University's wonderful Botanical Gardens this weekend and these are the result!

MODEL: Kim de Vries

PHOTOGRAPHY AND RETOUCHING: Grethe Rosseaux

MAKEUP, HAIR AND STYLING: Cecilia Eloff (The Exquisite Look)

WARDROBE: Olga-Maré Möller

I don't even know where to start with these photos, that's how important this shoot is to me. What started as just another one of my exciting beach-shoot adventures became more and more significant with every photo I edited. 

For those of you who know me will know that the past few months I've been incredibly conflicted about my work. Even though I worked hard at every single shoot, it always felt terribly average to me. (There were one or two exceptions though, like my recent shoot in the Helderberg Nature Reserve a month or so ago, but I was convinced at the time that it was luck.) It always somehow felt like my work was missing something and no matter how hard I worked, I just couldn't even find that something missing, let alone fix the problem.

This shoot finally pushed me into the right direction.

During this year's off-season I took to doing a lot more model shoots so I can hone my skills for the up-coming wedding season. I am proud to say that it looks like it's paying off.

As many of you Capetonians know, it's been pouring the whole of last week (it's even raining as I'm typing up this blog!) so I've been stalking the weather sites rather obsessively to double check that Sunday would indeed offer us the partially cloudy conditions that we were wishing for. If there's one thing I hate doing it's cancelling a shoot and this one has been in the works for weeks! 

Come Sunday and we were indeed blessed with gorgeous weather! Riaan and I met Kat and Chanté at Llandudno beach where we set up and once we were joined by our buddy Randall we got down to business. 

Kat has entered the Miss ZigZag contest (check out her profile here - go vote for her!) and I am really rooting for her to win - the current Miss ZigZag is none other than the gorgeous Bia whom I shot with not so long ago!

Once again, I got absolutely soaked and had to make my barefooted way through a maze of tiny, nearly invisible bluebottles but in the end it was all worth it! We were packing up when the most amazing golden sunset light came through the clouds (that we were not expecting!) and we rushed to do another outfit - well played, guys!

MODEL: Kathrijn Mikaila

MAKE-UP, HAIR AND STYLING: Chanté Hagen

PHOTOGRAPHY AND RETOUCHING: Grethe Rosseaux 

PARTNERS IN CRIME: Riaan Swanepoel and Randall Spruit

I had such a blast shooting with Anja and Irmgard yesterday! 

Not only was it pouring with rain yesterday (I love winter!) I had a great stylist on board to collab with; Anja knows her way around style - she is, after all, the Anja Wintour behind Glitz and Grammar! 

The inspiration for the shoot came right out of the 20's, and having just read The Help (I highly recommend it to your readers out there!) I just completely threw myself into the shoot. 

For a first-timer in front of a lens, I think Irmgard did really well! 

Thank you ladies, 'twas a delight!

I could not believe how far this shoot pushed me out of my comfort zone - in a great way! 
This was such a deviation from what I normally do as I do not specialise in maternity or newborn shoots at all, but I've known Lian since high school and I simply knew that she would not let this shoot follow conventions.

Our talented stylist/make-up artist Yolandi and I met at Chris and Lian's home at the beautiful Boschenmeer Wine Estate just outside Paarl and it was there where the magic took place over a quite a few cups of tea!

I just love that little Leelah (it's a girl!) will be raised with the beauty of literature to the likes of A.A.Milne, Beatrix Potter and Tolkien and that she will be exposed to the beautiful arts of ballet and classical music from a very early age. 

Lian and I were both the book-and-music geeks in school and I am glad that she will be experiencing the magic of books and art in the same way we did when we were young!

Chris and Lian, I wish you all the best with Leelah - I am sure she will bring endless sunshine and happiness in your lives. It was only a pleasure and honour to photograph you two while you await her arrival!

xxx


Shot at: Boschenmeer Golf Estate 
Makeup, hair and styling: Yolandi du Toit