The best part of being a photographer is taking photos of my own family.  Meet James, my nephew, apple of my eye, and the coolest young man.  I try do photos of him often, as he is growing up so fast.

As soon as my Easter setup was ready, I organized for him to come and visit for a quick shoot.  Having an Aunt as a photographer, he is used to being in front of the camera, although he's not a fan of it.  Capturing these special moments in his life are part of what makes my job so rewarding.

Have a peak at my gorgeous nephew's Easter shoot:

We are offering fun Easter mini-shoots until Easter Friday, so don't miss out on cute pics of your little ones

C
XXX

I met Angelique a few years ago, and the thing that really shines through with her is her beauty.  Not only is she gorgeous on the outside, but she has the most beautiful soul and soft loving nature.  I love working with her and was really excited to do her family shoot just after the birth of her third child, Lincoln.

We decided to do the shoot at Delta Park as it was looking so lovely and it fit with the feel of a family picnic that we were going for.   It was so much fun, the family is so full of love and laughs, and this was amazing to capture as we got so many natural shots.  My favourite part was the interaction between the siblings, Cordell and Mila, especially as Mila was more interested in eating the apples and playing with the proteas.  The funniest thing was, when returning home I discovered every apple left had a little bite taken out of it!

As a couple, Angelique and Warren are so wonderful together, it was such a privilege to capture these memories for them, and I do love that Warrens parents joined us as they are such a big part of the little ones lives.

Have a peak at this beautiful family shoot that we did for this lovely family .... I can't wait to do it again soon!

Love
C
XXX

We have so many milestones in our lives, but turning 21 is one of the biggest.  So being asked to photograph a beautiful Masquerade party for Dom's 21st was really exciting, especially as I had worked with Eva, her mom, before.

Arriving at Grand Central in Melrose Arch, I was pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous decor, these ladies had put so much effort into making this an amazing event.  This evening was so much fun to work at ... it was filled with so many funny stories and you could feel how much everyone loves the birthday girl.

Have a peak at this beautiful 21st birthday party:

Venue: Grand Central - Melrose Arch
Eva & Dom's Makeup:  Makeup by Monique

Thank you Eva, Walter and Dominique for asking me to capture this special day ... it was as always such a pleasure working with you!  To Dom, I wish you every success in your future, you are such a beautiful young lady and deserve nothing but the best in life!

Love
C
XXX

As a pet lover and believer that our furbabies are really part of our family, it was truly wonderful to meet the Delport Family.  They explained to me that their family consisted of 6 kids, all of them with fur, and as they work closely with some of the animal rescue associations, a few of the babies were rescues.

They really wanted a great family portrait, and anyone who has pets will know, this is almost impossible with animals.  So off we went on a gloomy and wet afternoon, to the park the dogs love to play in, and while they worked off some excess energy and got to know me, I managed to get some fun portraits of each of them. 

The afternoon was filled with loads of doggie treats, squeaky toys and slobber, but the dogs had loads of fun.  When it came to the portrait, the challenge was keeping them all together as all they wanted to do was to chase the birds and smell all the delicious smells in the park. We eventually got a few great ones of the whole family, including one in the dogs favourite place .... the car!

This family stole a huge part of my heart,  here is a peak at the family shoot featuring: Zanzibar, Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco, Fats and Montenegro. 

Thank you to this amazing family for allowing me to create these memories for you ... the best was playing with your pups, especially Alpaca who is very shy but came out of her shell and wanted me to throw her ball for her the whole afternoon.

Love
C
XXX

I met Carey before her wedding and I really loved working with her then, so when she contacted me recently, and asked I would do her maternity shoot, I jumped at the opportunity! 

After a week of gorgeous weather .... the morning of our shoot dawned and it was miserable.  Cold, cloudy and drizzling.  Needless to say we were worried about the shoot and chatted about postponing it.  As the day progressed it cleared a bit and made it possible to do the photoshoot but we were not going to have the beautiful soft sunlight we wanted.

So even though the weather didn't co-operate, we had the most beautiful maternity shoot.  Modderfontein Nature Reserve is a place I love to work at as it is so versatile and pretty.  Carey and Arno are just an amazing couple who look so good together and on camera.

Here is a peak at their maternity shoot:

Congratulations to you both on the arrival of your beautiful little girl, Chloe.  Thank you for entrusting me with your precious memories and I hope that you have many more together.

Love
C
XX

Its always a great time for family photos, and the addition of a gorgeous baby boy makes it even more special.

Sherri really wanted photos with her family and had asked her boys for one as a gift, and as they love their mom to bits, they decided to give her one for her birthday.  We used a very special location, their family home,  it is the most amazing garden I have ever seen and was perfect for capturing their special memories.

This really was a fun afternoon, and Sandy, the family dog decided she needed to be included in some of the photos.  She even sat very still and looked at the camera which was the cutest thing ever!

Here is a peak at the beautiful Manners Family's photo shoot:

Thank you Sherri and family for choosing me to capture these special memories!
Love
Chantal
XXX

Meet Lexi and Toby, two friendly, energetic and mischievous Beagles who are loved by their wonderful mom, Roberta.  They were the lucky winners of a Pet photoshoot I had given to Beagle Rescue for a fund raising and training event.

I really loved meeting these two furbabies, they we really inquisitive about what I was doing and what treats I may have had hiding in my camera bag.  If you dont know Beagles, or are not an owner of one you won't realise just how they dont like sitting still for long.  Roberta really wanted just one awesome one of them both sitting with her and looking at the camera.  No matter how many treats, toys or squeakers we used this was a challenge that took a while and we were exhausted by the time we finally got the perfect photo.

Lexi and Toby are amazing pups and I was so lucky to have had them to work with.  I loved their energy and most of all loved how they adore their mom.

Here is a peak at the gorgeous Furbabies, Lexi & Toby:

Thank you Roberta for welcoming me into your home and allowing me to create lasting memories for you and your lovely Lexi and Toby!

Love
Chantal
XXX

Kirsty and Clayton are just an amazing couple and we really enjoyed having them as neighbors, even though it was for a short time.   So when they announced that they were expecting a beautiful bundle of joy, we were so happy for them and delighted when they asked us to do their maternity shoot.

We spent a really special afternoon with this couple at Rietvlei farm ... the soft light was just perfect and romantic and the setting was so beautiful for the shoot.  Kirsty and Clayton had brought some of the decor from Tannith's room and a few props that we had fun incorporating into the photos.

Here is a peak at the beautiful maternity shoot we did with this lovely couple:

Thank you Kirsty and Clayton for giving us the opportunity to capture this special time in your lives ... we wish you both and Tannith many happy memories together! 

Love
Chantal
xxx

Life has a funny way of bringing certain people into your life .... the ones that make profound differences and often its when you really need them that they are suddenly there.

This is how Desiree and I met, she came to me for a shoot and we before we had finished it we were firm friends.  So when she messaged me and asked for a really fun and relaxed family shoot, how could I refuse?  

We met early one morning at Horwoods Farm, and it didnt start too well as little Christopher was a bit grumpy and not in the mood for photos.  We ended up playing more than working, and it was then that little Christopher gave us the gorgeous smiles we were looking for!

Have a peak at this really fun and chilled family shoot:

We just love the relaxed feel of this shoot ... it fits so well with this family!  Thank you to Desiree and Brian for trusting me to capture these special moments

Love
Chantal
XXX

Sally and her mom were both diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the same time, and while going through treatment, her dad looked after them both.  For those who know what it is like having a loved one going through Chemo, you will understand how much of a strain it put on Mr Roberts, but he loved his ladies so much he sacrificed a lot to help them.

It was also during this time that Sally met Noel, the love of her life, and he also helped these beautiful women deal with the many treatments and Doctors appointments they needed to go to.

Sadly Sally passed away late last year, but before she did she embraced life.  She traveled, did things she had always wanted to do and really loved every minute.  This post may seem sad, but to me its not.  Its a loving memory of a beautiful lady who touched my life in a big way in the short time that I knew her.  Its a celebration of her life, and her beautiful family who I admire, respect and love a lot.

Here is a peak at a few of the fun photos we did of this amazing family ...

In loving memory of Sally Roberts, a beautiful woman in every way, your story touched many lives in such a good way.  Gone but not forgotten.

Love
Chantal
XXX