Emma @ 6 months - A playful family shoot

More affectionately known to her Mom and Dad as 'Peanut' - little Emma was loving her time with the camera :) 

Outfit - tick. Pretty headband - tick. Play area - tick. Camera Man - Tick. Lets go!!

We could have done the entire shoot just on the bed - the light was perfect, the colours soft and the family was so besotted with their child - the love made it even better.

Thanks to Liesl, Chris and Emma - It was a great morning and we look forward to seeing you again and hopefully another play date as Emma grows!

So enjoy the post and dream of being young and free :)

Cheers.

Matti

The Lategan Family Shoot Feat. Lillie-Anna

The Lategan's are a dear and special family to me... and this shoot was precipitated by the visit of the newest niece, Lillie-Anna, all the way from overseas. We couldn't have asked or scripted a better setting or light than we found in Durbanville that afternoon. I love the golden hour as much as any other photographer and it just brought out all the love and fun of this family. 

Lillie-Anna was just too adorable for words and she was the focus of attention for the afternoon - many hugs and kisses from granny and grandpa, and even from her youngest uncle :)

All round a fabulous evening - thanks to everyone for making it special and I hope you can treasure these memories forever. Thanks to Vink and Candi for organising, you guys are rockstars!

So for now, just soak up that sun and enjoy!

Cheers

Matti

Christine and Caz Engagement Shoot Sneak peak @ Noordhoek Beach

I just had to share one from Sunday evening's shoot at Noordhoek beach. Cape Town summer arrived with a bang and created the perfect backdrop for our lovely couple.

#LivingtheDream

Keep loving, living and doing everything else to make those moments count!

Jenna, Garth and the Bump @ Groot Constantia.

Possibly my favourite shoot of 2013 so far... Jenna and the Bump :) <3

Nestled in the valleys and comforts of Groot Constantia, we couldn't have asked for a more awesome setting and weather. I met Jenna and Garth when she was about 8 months pregnant and soon to pop. They were such a pleasure to photograph - so sweet, kind and fun. They pretended for a while that they were camera shy but let's all be honest - you don't take such inspiring photos without a little bit of camera love ;)

They didn't know the sex of the baby before it was born and so we had a lot of fun with the blackboard and many a laugh over who thought it was going to be a girl and who was adamant it was a boy!!! If you don't know how it turned out, stay tuned for their newborn shoot and all shall be revealed... mysterious I know :)

By the end of it we had lost track of all time (time flies when you having fun) and we even got treated to a little juice and muffin break - all in a day's work. I really do have a tough time on location!!

Anyhoo, I was really proud of these photo's and how they came out. Everything came together in a bunch of fantasticness. Much thanks must go to Garth and Jenna for making it all so easy and to my all amazing Claire, for holding, carrying, getting wet, directing and making sure the convo never died.

#LivingTheDream.

Matti

Mr. & Mrs Smith's Wedding at Rhebokskloof

What seems like a lifetime ago already, Dani & Xander got Married at the beautiful Rhebokskloof [www.rhebokskloof.co.za/] estate in Paarl. It was a blistering summers day and for all the dutch folk who made it out to SA, the city was putting on it's best display. Pity my car-aircon was not working - but thank heavens for my resourceful wife who packed me an extra shirt ;)

I took photo's for their engagement shoot a few months before and ever since then had been as excited as a kid on Xmas day to do their photos :) We started with Xander and the guys who had a real tough time with some cold beers and cool swimming pool - not much of an excuse needed then to have some pool shots!!

When we reached the bride the vibe was slightly different - amazingly air conditioned old Victorian room, cold champagne and an array of snacks to eat. Oh wait, let's not forget a bevvy of crazy, cool and energetic bridesmaids. It was a room filled with fun and laughter and Dani's day was everything she could have asked for.

The rest of the day ran according to schedule - from the car the bride arrived in to the canapes and drinks. The venue did not disappoint for awesome photo shoot locations and when I saw the avenue of trees, the vines and a field of horses, I was smiling from ear to ear. The dashing couple was the cherry on the top!!!

It was a long but rewarding day and everyone made sure we were always looked after. Thanks to Dani and Xander for everything - we wish you all the best for the future!

So for now, let the photos share the story of their day and don't forget to leave your comments at the end - I'd love to hear from you :)

Cheers,

Matti

Kelly & Bart's Wedding at Knorhoek

Kelly and Bart... where to start. And no I'm not trying to turn this into a rhyming game :) I've known Kelly and her family for years - and after working together in 2006 at the green dot, I didn't really see her again until last year. She moved to Australia where she met and fell in love with Bart and eventually moved to Amsterdam together, where they live now. When I first met Bart, it was while discussing wedding packages and sifting through an album of photo's - a pretty standard meeting, small catch up and intro of the groom to be. We met a few more times, really liked him but had yet to really spend time with them. I had subsequently heard about the crazy bunch of friends that would all be flying in for the wedding, and stories that came with them. One didn't think too much of it until the wedding weekend arrived - but crazy was one way to describe it, awesome another and a magical love and laughter filled day of amazing friends and family was pretty much what it boiled down to. The colourful socks matched their effervescent personalities and I knew it was going to be a great day! Kelly was resplendent in her white gown as bride and everyone came together just perfectly.

The dark clouds threatened on the mountains nearby Knorhoek but ultimately never revealed themselves. I'm not sure anyone even had time to stop and worry about it. The day went without a hitch, the energy and atmosphere made my job effortless and into the night the fun went. It was not until all the formalities were over and the dance floor opened that the Dutch really came out to play. We stuck around a little after the photos finished and it felt like we had been part of the fun all day.

Many many thanks to everyone involved. To Kel and Bart for looking after us and making sure we had everything we needed. Too all the awesome Dutch friends we met and made - thanks for so much fun and laughter.

So now with all that in mind it was truly hard to show only a select bunch of photos, so while the post is long, make sure you get to the end and feel the magic!!

Until we meet again.

Matti

Sian & Simon Got Married at Zorgvliet

Sian and Simon got married earlier this year at Zorgvliet in Cape Town. Sian was originally from Zim, studied in SA and then jet-setted off to London where she had been living for a while. Here she met and fell in love with Simon :) Cape Town and their wedding would be the last stop en route to new beginnings in Australia.... so only appropriate then for a proudly South African wedding ;)

Most of the wedding party came from London and made a full trip of it with plenty of pre wedding festivities in the week leading up. Cape Town, as only it could do, brought some amazing and terrible weather to the table. On the morning of the wedding, driving over Helshoogte, we struggled to see 5m through the fog. Once this lifted, the heavens opened and the rain belted down. Cape Town, in all respects, was letting us down. The rain continued throughout the morning and early afternoon... but eventually everyone would make it to the church in time. Besides a few soaked boots, everyone was still in high spirits.

Then something truly amazing happened... after a beautiful ceremony and the saying of I do, within in minutes of the church erupting in celebration, the clouds parted and the sun came out... from arriving in the pouring rain, they would walk out into the sunshine!!! The sun lasted throughout the family photos, couples shoot and pre drinks. Once everyone was safely inside the reception it let out a small flood before holding off for the rest of the night... :)

It was a fabulous day in the end - the love and happiness, friendship and family could not be dulled by anything. Huge thanks must go to Sian and Simon for being so calm and collected and just as great thanks to the lovely ladies who ran the formalities on the day and making sure everything ran smoothly, we were hydrated and had as many back up photo plans as we needed!!

Right, so enough from me.... let the photos tell the story of a fabulous wedding. To Sian and Simon.... Cheers!

Rahma Baby Bump Shoot - Ready to Pop.

So earlier this year I did a bump and newborn shoot for Rahma as a gift to her from an old work colleague. I tend be slightly weary of the "gift shoot" - purely because you never know if the final client will like how you do things or even your photos... but there were no worries to be had here, as we found when we arrived. You've never met a sweeter, prettier little girl with the roundest bump ever :) Everyone was happy and relaxed.

It turned out to be one of the more comfortable and easier shoots - everyone was so kind and nice, offering us tea and juice - it made a great start to the weekend.

Thanks to Nisreen for organising everything and Rahma and bump for a lovely morning. We met again soon thereafter for the newborn shoot- Rohaan wasn't waiting for anyone to let her see the world - so stay tuned for more to come from the newborn shoot!!

For now, enjoy the pics... see you all soon.
Cheers
Matti