Seventeen Canons and one Nikon ,-) along with their respective owners, arrived in the early hours at the Moon and Sixpence, ready for RE.INVENT III.

This was the last RE.INVENT, so we aimed for a bigger and better photography workshop and that it definitely was - a veritable explosion of information, with lots to digest and re-assess.
 
I have honestly always believed that the success of a photography business constantly rides on how well a photographer does two things:  produce good images and run the venture passionately.

I, too, have learnt some invaluable bits in this particular regard, so I'll also be revising a few things on this side.

I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!

Upwards and onwards....{ Insert secret wave } ,-)

Many people choose to have their wedding in spring or early summer, which on the one hand means warm weather, but you also have the risk of downpours during the summer months. That being said, I am not sure why so few people choose marriage in winter? 

Yes, agreed, the days are somewhat cooler and the nights are often particularly chilly, so I suppose, on that basis alone, we're more inclined to hibernation than jollification.   However, winter is, as it happens, a beautiful time of the year in South Africa. There are rainless, clear blue skies with a wonderful soft iridescent light that sits lower on the horizon, casting those magical velvety silhouettes, and beautiful backlighting, nothing beats the lovely winter light.

Which now brings me onto my next post, which was a winter wedding - that of Angie's and Sergio's.

I knew, when I first met this couple at their engagement session, that their ceremony would be a special one.  This is quite simply because Angie and Sergio must be one of the sweetest individuals we have ever been fortunate enough to photograph.

This wedding was everything I expected it to be and represented everything that Angie and Sergio are: classy, elegant, fun, attractive and basically amazing in every way.

Your day was a slice of perfection. Thank you very much, Angie and Sergio.  Stella and I felt extremely lucky not only to witness it, but, to be a part of it, too.

Loved the wedding cake topper.

This flowegirl cake combo is becoming a small obsession of mine ;-)

That beautiful winter light...YUM 

Loosely translated, the Afrikaans word kuier, in English, translates to the word visit, but it means much more than just that.

In fact, kuier is more about a gathering of family and friends; usually around a fire, with icy cold beers, good food and wholesome conversation.

Actually, kuier is the type of experience that leaves you with a warm smile on your face, when you reminisce on the day and makes you realise that you should kuier more often.  Well, that is exactly how we felt when leaving Bernice's and Nic's wedding.

I know I mention it all the time, but, Bernice's and Nic's wedding was just so extraordinary. They opted to have their intimate ceremony out on a deck, overlooking the Roodeplaat Dam.

There were fire urns, couches on the lawn, blankets, cold beers, hospitable guests and lots of delicious food. 

Whilst a wedding is not normally part of a kuier, I reckon Bernice and Nic may have just upgraded kuier to a new level.

It's miserably cold on this side of the world and I have three little midgets nagging me as to when we will be making our pizza, so I am going to make the post short and let the images speak for themselves.

A BIG thank you to Nic and Bernice - I, personally, would have skipped Roxette for such a special kuier! ;-)

This is the reaction Bernice received from Nic's sister when she walked down the aisle.

A fluffy little guest propped up by this little girl so that he too could get a glimpse of the ceremony.

I absolutely love this one above, probably my favourite image to date.

When I awoke on the morning of Kath's and Carl's wedding day I almost shed tears, as there was a horrible misty drizzle - the type of rainfall that is usually confined to the UK, or Cape Town.   It was a continuous downpour of small measly drops, with no peak, no ebb, no thunder.   You know, the kind of rain you'll resign yourself to the fact that it will linger the entire day. I kept checking the skies in the hope that it would clear, but, to no avail.  Cloudy and overcast is OK - but please no rain.

As I arrived at Kath's home, her bridesmaids were doing exactly that; continuously scanning the gloomy heavens and providing Kath with optimistic forecasts, such as how a certain teeny-weeny gap of lighter raincloud was a definite sign that it would clear. It seems that all our hoping actually paid off, because just following the ceremony, the rainfall stopped and we had beautiful, fluffy clouds right on cue.  Perfect!

What a blast and what a bash!  There are so many amazing moments to share, so here's a small selection of my personal favourites.

Oh, actually, before I commit this post, I simply have to disclose something, which may even be helpful for other photographers who may read this blog.  Years back, through some obscure website, I read that when a couple kiss, the female, almost 90% of the time, tilts her head to the RIGHT, so ever since then, I've always applied this statistic at each of my weddings.  Please do not ask me where, or from which blog/website, I obtained this handy hint, as I can not even remember my children's' names at the best of times.

 
Anyway, during the ceremony, as I am anticipating "The Kiss", you will find me tilting my head to the right, in an attempt to mimic the brides position and work out the best possible point I should be at to capture the moment.

Well, I am about to reveal an important detail about Carl and Kath (enter drum roll),.... they do not fall into that 90% group, since Kath tilts her head to the LEFT. As you can imagine, this quirk entertained us throughout our portrait shoot, so there wasn't any need to say smile (or cheese), as I think Kath and Carl laughed throughout the entire exercise.

Before my ramblings come to a close, I have to say a HUGE thank you to Carl and Kath, for being so much fun to hang around with and allowing us to be part of this very special day.

Flowers by Fields of Colour

The groom usually throws on a suit and is ready to go. I found the next series quite amusing as you do not just throw on a white dress...It is quiet a process.

First you need to find an entrance route.

Then you need to navigate your way through with out smudging your make-up.

Bride coming through........made it! 

   Then there is the puffery of the layers and finding the button to pin up the dress.

Followed by buttoning the dress and the application of the veil, which may cause some discomfort.

...and finally the looks of approval.

Kath's dad just before she walked down the aisle.

I am the type of person that will walk into someone's home and meticulously view all the photos on display.  Rude?  Maybe?   But, I really do love looking at photographs.

There is something sacred and meaningful about them.  Looking at photos from the 80s with all the dodgy haircuts; the holiday by the sea; looking at the scattered toys in the background; recognising a few being the exact same ones we had when we were small; looking at the outfits, the expressions on faces and remembering things you never want to forget.

I felt just like that upon entering Una's and Matt's wedding, as there were loads of pictures in the reception area.  Images of great-grandmothers and grandfathers, giving us an insight into their background, how much the kids have changed and grown and how these two families are now unifying, with a new chapter ahead of them - that of Una and Matt.

Think bright flowers.   Think of a groom playing the saxophone .  Think down-to-earth and genuine. Una's and Matt's wedding was awesome in every sense.

 
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share your day with you and to have had the privilege of documenting it.

A neighbour put together these beautiful flower arrangements, are they not just too gorgeous with all those colours?

My first pair of Jimmy Choo's!

Matt and Una chose to read their own wedding vows.

Little guests doing what they do naturally best.