BL Medical is a company that works closely with Buddies for Life and the Breast Health Foundation assisting pre and post-op patients with prosthetic bra inserts, and strapping to help with the healing process. Its through the team at Buddies for Life that I met the BL Medical Team and they needed a few photographs of their TUANSE range of wrist, knee and ankle braces. As these products are usually used for sports injuries and help athletes resume sports, we decided to use a lovely young Netball player as our model. Designed with high quality elastic, this range is not only very supportive of injury, but flexible too, and we had loads of fun on the netball courts showing off the strapping. This was certainly a very different type of product shoot for me, but it was really fun working with the team. Here is a peak at a few of our images from their shoot. Bracing and Strapping : BL Medical
0 Comments
Zelna and Hennie are such a special couple to me ... full of life and fun, it was a wonderful experience working with them! They are so much in love, and it comes through so strongly on camera. Their wedding was set to be a very relaxed and vintage affair, and as they love South Africa and all its history we decided the best setting for their engagement shoot was Reefsteamers. This is one place that I love to work at, there are so many awesome places to photograph, and we walked around admiring the hard work that goes into the restoration of the beautiful old ladies. As Hennie is also an avid photographer, he took great pleasure in comparing his Canon to my Nikon, and the afternoon was filled with loads of laughs and jokes. Adding to his delight, I pulled out my vintage Canon Film Camera and the two had a few funny selfie moments, and pretended that they were doing their own photoshoot. This memorable afternoon ended with a spectacular Johannesburg sunset, and then we sat with the Reefsteamers team and waited for Susan, the oldest steam train in the yard to return from her Cullinan trip. Thank you to the Reefsteamers team who allowed us to use the facility and for being so amazing with your historical knowledge. Thank you also to Makeup by Shandre for Zelna's stunning makeup, and lastly to my tireless assistant Michael for all of the help on the day. Hennie and Zelna you are both fabulous, and I really wish you all of the happiness in the world as you deserve it. May your love grow and continue to blossom for many years to come! Here is a peak at Zelna and Hennies fun e-shoot: Love
Chantal xxx Those people who know me, will probably be very surprised at this post. I am not a baby/newborn photographer, its not really my thing, but when a good friend who you have know for ever invites you to meet her 9 day old little package of sugar and spice, its very hard to resist taking the camera with.
Candice and Michael were blessed with the arrival of the tiny but incredibly feisty and beautiful Isabella on the 12th of September. This adorable little girl was such a great model for us, as she slept through all of the photographs, and even pulled some of the cutest faces. Here is a peak at the perfect little Isabella, congratulations again to my lovely friend Candice and her fiancé Michael on the birth of your first child together. Love Chantal XXX Reality TV shows, such as Cake Boss or our local Charlys Cake Angels, have changed the way we see, think and feel about wedding cakes. Especially the way they look and taste. These shows have led to an explosion of different and unique options, sizes, shapes, flavours, colours and decorating techniques – nothing is impossible or too much. As there is just so much choice out there, I have decided to try and give you a few tips to consider when choosing your bakery and wedding cake. The first step, before even meeting with your decorator is to think about what colours you want your wedding to be. For some brides this is easy as they have been planning this day since they were 5, while for others it is a little harder. The best thing to do is to start gathering ideas and inspiration of the things you love. This can be done online (Pinterest is a fantastic tool) or by looking through magazines. If you have a Pinterest board, this will make it a lot easier for your decorator to get a feel of what you like and want for your wedding day. Booking your cake decorator: To avoid disappointment, it is best to book your wedding cake decorate/bakery early. Like most things wedding, all the good decorators get booked months in advance and are therefore quickly fully booked. And specialist bakers will limit the number of cakes they make a week. When you make an appointment to meet with your prospective cake decorators, be sure to bring along your Pinterest board, magazine pictures or any photos that can be used as a guideline. Also bring along a copy of your invite, table centre pieces and/or flowers. Think about the theme and colours you want on your cake: traditional white with splashes of colour or maybe something more fun and unusual. A great thing to bring along is fabric swatches, as they can give the decorator a good idea of the colours, theme and general look and feel of your reception. Keep in mind that, your cake should match the theme of your wedding and can or should be the centre piece of your reception. The size of your Wedding Cake: The size of your cake is traditionally determined by the number of people that will be attending your wedding and when you are planning on serving it. You do not want to be left with three quarters of your cake after your wedding. Therefore, it is important to discuss this with your decorator. In terms of when to cut your cake, it’s a new trend to cut it straight after the ceremony, as this gives your guests something to nibble on while you are having your photos. Another trend is to use your cake as part of your dessert table. Hence, be sure to discuss the number of people and when you are planning to serve your cake with your decorator, so they can advise on the size of cake required for your wedding. Type of Wedding Cake: Tiered cake, cupcakes, mini cakes, cake pops or push pops? A tiered cake always has a wow factor and really forms a centre piece at your reception. However, cupcakes, mini cakes or cake pops are just as pretty and much easier to serve. Something to keep in mind is that people can easily take home their cupcake, meaning you are not left with additional cakes. However, with a slice of cake, unless you provide boxes, they are not easy to take home. Wedding Cake Flavours: Wedding cakes are no longer just plain fruit cakes; they now can come in whatever flavour you desire, whether it is vanilla sponge or red velvet. The options and choices are limitless. Therefore, it is best to decide between yourself and your fiancé what flavours you like and which you don’t like. This will make your choice a little easier. However, if you can’t choose, select a few flavours and ask your decorator if you can do a cake tasting. Often a cake tasting is an additional cost but it is worth it, as you want a delicious moist cake that you and your guests will enjoy on the day. Overall look of your Wedding Cake: Buttercream icing is delicious, but doesn’t give a beautiful smooth finish to a cake like fondant does. Also, fondant allows your cake decorator to be creative with your decorations and make beautiful trimmings for and on your cake, such as sugar flowers, piping and painting. Another trendy icing option is chocolate ganache, which is very rich and gives an almost smooth finish to your cake. If you like the look of fondant but not the taste, speak to your decorator about the possibility of icing your cake with buttercream or chocolate ganache and then covering it with fondant. This will mean that it looks great and tastes great too. Just remember elaborate decorations, sugar flowers, trimmings, etc will add to the cost of your cake. An easy way to make your cake look fun and unique is to include cake toppers. A relatively inexpensive option is to purchase cute porcelain or plastic bride and groom toppers. Alternatively, you can order monogram letters. Otherwise, speak to your decorator about making sugar flowers or gum paste figurines to top your cake. These are edible but can also be kept for years. Paying for a Wedding Cake: Cake prices are usually based on the size of the cake, i.e. number of servings and the intricate, time consuming little details that need to be added to the cake. Be prepared to pay a deposit to secure your booking, as you are unlikely to find a decorator that will even start your cake without a deposit. The balance is usually payable 2 – 3 weeks before your wedding date. It is important to find out if your cake decorator will deliver and set up your cake on the day. As well as, what the additional cost would be or if it is included in the cake cost. Finally, keep in mind that you will need a cake stand for the day of the wedding. A lot of cake decorators hire them out. You would need to find out if that is possible and what the cost would be. There are many hidden or forgotten costs when choosing a wedding cake, so be sure to ask all these questions and more upfront. Last thing to remember is "let them eat cake" and enjoy your wedding day! A big THANK YOU needs to go to L’il Delights (www.lil-delights.com) for helping me gather and put all this info together, and for the increase in dress size as I am often used as the taste tester of all sorts of deliciousness! When Erin contacted me to photograph her wedding I was super excited as this is a very interesting couple. Erin is really outgoing, talented and drop dead gorgeous! She is a TV and radio presenter, a DJ, singer, song writer, musician and a bass player. Add to that a lady who loves her Harley and it makes for a fabulous combination.
She grew up in Detroit and has that awesome American accent, but met the love of her life Stephanus (a South African) in Oman. This fun quirky couple decided to settle in Johannesburg and had a small and intimate ceremony at Ascot Mews in Alberton. It was attended by Stephanus's close friends, a very sweet couple and Erin's parents via Skype, as they live in the US. All I can say about this couple is they are awesome, from the selfies taken during the couple shoot to the pulling out of their tongues at each other it was a short but super fun wedding to photograph. After the couple shoot all Erin wanted to do was eat ribs in her fabulous Vera Wang gown. To Erin and Fanie, I wish you loads more fun times together, quirky moments and lots of love shared between the two of you. What a priviledge to have met you and to have photographed your wedding! I first met Carrie and Greg at the Oakfield Farm Expo at the beginning of the year, and we had an instant connection. They are such a beautiful young couple, and I just love them to bits! I am super excited for their Wedding in December. It was a beautiful afternoon, with heavy threatening clouds when Chris and I met Carrie and Greg at the Meyersdal Nature Estate in Johannesburg South for their E-shoot. While we prayed for the rain to stay away, we bundu bashed a bit and found the perfect spot for the shoot. The wildlife watched us from a distance and we were even treated with a rainbow for a few minutes. I just love this shoot, it is difficult to believe that we were in the middle of the city as it is such a beautiful and nature filled place. Carrie told me a few things about their love story, and I just have to share ... it shows how they were just destined to be together, a perfect ginger pair! Our story begins at Alberton High School. We were both in the same school year, but never attended the same classes. I definitely noticed him though and coincidentally one of my friends even suggested that he could be my future husband. Following from graduating from matric, our lives took different paths and we lost contact. Fast forward six years and we found ourselves befriending each other on Facebook. Our story could make a great case study for social media love stories! |
AuthorQuirky and often described as rather eccentric, I am a lover of all things beautiful. Capturing special moments and making my clients look and feel beautiful is what makes me happy! Archives
April 2017
Categories
All
|