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

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

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

Lara And Family

Ok, so its time to get this blog going again :) My lack lustre in posting has only been stunted by the ever growing amount of work I have had and prioritising clients photos before the blog - so for that I am grateful - but I have so much still to share that I best get going :)

This post is of a regular client and a small family shoot we did in the Rondebosch park one evening. We had so many options for shots and fairly little time - but everyone was game for letting me tell them what to do, where to go and sometimes how to do it ;) 

Granny was down in Cape Town and the kids just loved her. I even managed to get the whole family on a roundabout - thanks guys, so cool :)

Anyway it was a fun filled evening and fun was had by all. Here are a few of the day.

Enjoy.

Matti!

The Redfern Family shoot: Aka Nancy and her boys ;)

My awesomely amazing fantastical family of Si, Nanc, Cam, Ben and the newest addition, Daniel. With Daniels arrival at the end of last year, a little family shoot with some shots of bubs was in order. With that in mind I've split this blog post in two parts - firstly some fun family pics of Nancy and her boys and then a little session of just Daniel to come soon!!

We had such fun that day - apparently even just moving the curtains to line up the shot became a game - haha. Also heard were: "Matt why do you have umbrella's inside?" "What's this do matt?" "I want to hold Daniel (aka Happy duck)".

Needless to say it was treasured moments and I love them all to bits!! Thanks guys for a great morning. Si and Nanc you guys rock!!

Big love to all.
Cheers for now.

Matti

Jamie and Doug's Couple Shoot @ Bushmans River

I always look forward to having a little Bushmans River shoot at the end of the year. This was no exception. The weather unfortunately had other ideas and laid out one or two postponements before we finally got down to the river and the beach. The river, alas, was slightly off its game but the couple, love and giggles were not :)

Jamie and Doug were out from America for a holiday and got hold of me early on in the year to arrange something while they were out - and it was a great way to end off our holidays with a bit of fun on the beach and in the wind. Jamie was full of bubbles and giggles and made taking photos a total treat :)

Once we hit the beach for some last photos, the clouds and sun really made for an awesome setting. The wind electrified things a bit but just added to the fun!!!

After that, a great big breakfast on the river sealed an epic morning. Thanks to Jamie and Doug and I look forward to seeing you guys again soon.

Cheers for now.
Matti

Robyn & Amy - Coming up next.

COMING UP NEXT....

Robyn & Amy: A Mother and Daughter shoot

Stay tuned.

Full post now available at: http://mclaganphotography.blogspot.com/2013/04/robyn-amy-mother-and-daughter-shoot.html

Annali's "Its a boy" baby shower

 

 

Good friends, laughter, fun, love, bubbles, chit chats and deliciously good looking food was the order of the afternoon at Annali's baby shower get together. Annali's friends took advantage of a visit, down from London, to meet the bump and celebrate the impending birth :) I was able to join for a brief time and capture some of the moments shared.

 

Thanks to Lara for her hospitality ( and not to mention the food, yum - see: www.thymetodine.co.za) and Annie for organising and looking after me so well as usual. To Annali who has just had her little bundle of joy, congratulation and I wish you all the best for the future - look forward to the next shoot ;)

 

Anyway, its back to work I go... look out for more coming soon.

 

Cheers,

Matti



A colourful Kalk Bay Family shoot

At the end of this yellow brick road was one of the coolest, most fun-loving families I've had the privilege of shooting. I used to work with Candice, who approached me for a shoot, and I shouldn't have been surprised at how awesome her family are. I asked them to pick a location that they thought best portrayed them and was special in some way. The colourful and vibrant streets of Kalk bay were a simply perfect way to bring out how I saw them and just how inviting they are.

Thanks to all for a great afternoon - thanks for finding the umbrella bag and saving my light stand as if it was your own (see pic below, you'll know which one) :) Love it!

Enjoy the trip :)

Matti

Taryn rocking the bump @clifton

I absolutely loved this shoot of my beautiful pregnant cousin @ Clifton Beach. Taryn and Rob were staying in a little Clifton beach front apartment at the time of the shoot and what better location than one's front doorstep. That and the fact that there were over 100 stairs to the road above, and only a few weeks from birth, too much walking just wasn't so much of fun :)

The weather was simply awesome but the water as always was an ice block, so all shots in the sea were taken quickly and just at the right moment. We started off easily with some simple chilled shots but once Taryn and Rob realised this whole photo thing wasn't that  bad ;) they quickly pulled out the poses and smiles for the camera. The happiness of expectant parents was as truly evident as the sun was bright and shiny!!

We had plenty of fun on the beach before taking a few shots back at the apartment. For some background, Rob and Taryn didn't find out the sex of their baby at the time and affectionately referred to it as 'Biscotti'. In addition Rob works for Vida é Café and we decided to add a little touch of the coffee to the biscotti for some fun shots - a pretty good matching I'd say :)

Anyway, we had a great time and thanks to Rob and T for all their energy, patience and coolness. This is definitely one of my favourite shoots of 2012 and deserves a long hard look. <3 it! I hope you do to.

Ciao for now.
Matti

Devon.

My first encounter with Devon was a little before he was born :) Some may remember him as just a bump in his mommy's tummy - see http://mclaganphotography.blogspot.com/2012/11/claires-home-made-bump-shoot.html for a quick recap :)

Devon is as cute as he looks and at just 12 days old he melted most hearts. He had certainly captivated his mom and dad who were as proud as could be. We had a great evening and Devon came out to play and stare boldly into my lens... his eyes, baby wiggles and stretches making many an 'ooh' and 'ahhhh' moment.

I can't believe its taken me so long to share these pics with you and looking back at them brought a smile to face - hopefully you'll be sharing the love.

Thanks to Claire and Riley for being as awesome as ever and sharing their excitement with us. You guys have been blessed :)

Now go and enjoy the photos...

Cheers for now,
Matti

Ambers Matric Dance portraits

What seems like a long time ago, I had the opportunity to take some pre matric dance photo's of Amber. The evening was surreal and brought memories flooding back from my matric days and the fun that came from the big night!! Oh to be young again...

The excitement was palpable, there were many laughs, much love and plenty of colour to fit the occasion. The weather was slightly on the miserable side but this wasn't going to stop anyone - least of all Amber who was ready to party no matter what. Given her spirit and energetic personality, I'm pretty sure she stole the night :)

Here are a few from the evening - Thanks to Tracy for organising and Amber for being up for anything - I hope you love ;)

Altius et Latius.
Matti

Dani and Xander Engagement Shoot

It's 2013 and we're back in action! The McLagan Photography workshop has been busy, busy, busy and it's time to share some of the past months action with you. So, what better way to kick off the new year than with one of my favourite shoots of 2012 - Dani and Xander's engagement shoot at Noordhoek Beach.

 Location, Location, Location. Heard that one before? Well it's true... but in this case it was Dani & Xander, Location, Location, Location. I'd been eyeing a spot on this beach for ages and finally got the chance when Dani said they were all for a beach vibe setting. The location did not disappoint but add a dash of Dani and Xander spice and we had a whole new kettle of awesomeness to work with. They were fun, spontaneous, energetic, full of love and up for pretty much anything - all I had to do was point and shoot!

By the end of the session, you'd swear we'd been friends for ages. As the sun set behind us, it was the perfect end to a great weekend. Thanks so much guys, I cannot wait for the wedding - it's going to be a rock star event!

Before you get to the photos, just one last word (if you are still reading) from me - I recently said that some people put far too many photos in a blog post and you race through them to the end - ironically I'm guilty as charged in this post. There were just too many great photos not to share them all. I do hope you stick with it and make it all the way to the end - it's worth it!

Keep your eyes posted for more to come soon. Until then...
Cheers

Matti

Lovely Lara Smith and Family

Ahhhhh man, if this isn't one of the cutest happiest kids out there :) Rich and Nina you guys have created a fabulous little bundle of joy!! Love her!

Ok, so this shoot feels like an age ago but, better late than never, I'm happy to finally be sharing it with you. I had offered Nina's playschool a voucher as part of their annual raffle for a free family shoot - alas it was not used by the winner(????) so I offered it to Nina and Rich for some updated pics of Lara - who has grown up so much since I first took pics of her about a year ago!!

We met at Kirstenbosch Gardens where the family had set up a little picnic spot in the corner. Lara had the open plains to run around in and plenty of snacks and drinks to replenish herself on (it's tough work all this fun). Favourites of the day were definitely Ghostpops and strawberries. A seemingly odd pairing... but not when you're kid - anything goes!!! It also made sense, obviously, to get the all the Ghostpops out of the packet to be enjoyed all at the same time!! :)

My favourite moment / game of the day was after Lara had done a little run around with dad or mom or the ducks, and she would come running back to the blanket, lie down and gently but firmly say - " Mommy lie" - and so she would. "Daddy lie" and he would oblige. Then after a quick succession of giggles, she would hop up and make a run for it... man so cute!!!

It was a beautiful afternoon at Kirstenbosch and thanks to the Smith family for the treats, fun and catch up!!! We'll definitely be doing it again soon.

Enjoy and see you again soon,
Matti

Claire's home made Bump Shoot

It's not often you get to do an entire shoot in somebody's back garden and feel like you're in a secluded corner of Kirstenbosch. With Claire and Riley, however, a whole new world of possibilities was presented. So much so that it took me a while to decide on a spot to start with... under the massive tree maybe with the light shining just in the right spot over the opposite bushes? Or what about amongst the flowers around the corner? Wait... no, by the pool and the white flowery bush? The little secret garden by the back gate to the park? They were all awesome - #lovetheoptions. Ultimately I think we did probably use most of them as the evening progressed and the sun set through the trees.

It did really feel like a trip to the park and Riley and the dog running around the tree really topped it off :) Claire was glowing just as much as the setting sun and although there were some unsure nervous moments, she really didn't have to do much to look fabulous. I think you will all agree that everyone looked the part - even little Devon (the bump to be at the time) made sure he put his chest out and sat in just the right position, so that he could be seen as much as possible!!

There were lots of laughs, fun and love in the secret garden and It was such a great way to end the weekend. Thanks to all, including Rocky (the dog), for putting on their best smiles and for making it so relaxed. Thanks as well to my lovely wife for all her help as usual and making sure everyone is not short of conversation :)

Enjoy the Bump and watch out for pics from little Devon who arrived just two weeks ago.

Cheers for now,
Matti

Isla Greta McLagan - a little angel!

Please welcome Isla Greta McLagan :) To the clan McLagan another one is born... Mom and Dad besotted, Mac the dog overly excited and Grand Parents couldn't be happier. McLagan Photography and all the other McLagans are and will be totally infatuated with this little gorgeous bundle of joy :)

The McLagans are historically male dominated, that sounds terrible, but from an all boy original family, girls have been a dime a dozen over the years. Treasured so that each time a new one arrives there is a little dance of joy ;) So welcome Isla, and rest assured you will have many McLagan men to watch over you!!

Us McLagans are Scottish by decent and Drew and Tina decided to stay in tradition with the name Isla. Isla, a Scottish river, also comes from the word 'island' - and Isla, they say no man is an island, you however my girl are your own magical Island!! Yes I can be dramatic too :)

Ok so enough of the history lesson and so on... I'm so excited to share these photos with you :) Just the cutest little girl and a fabulously good looking family. We had such a good morning - Isla was intrigued and relaxed, totally loving the white fluffly blanket and her ballerina outfit! While Drew wasn't keen on too many tutu shots, he'll have to admit that she pulled it off like a superstar. We even had the blue jeans out, just to bring things back to the more fashionable!!

Ok so before I carry on waffling away... you guys are a super awesome family and I was honoured to be able to take some photos for you... I can't wait to see you guys more often and watch little Isla grow.

Now enjoy the trip to Isla Island, I hope you like :)

Until the next time,

Matti

 

Photo of the Day: Reflection

    Just reflect... thats all :)

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

Jacob Martin @12 days.

Jacob Martin was born on the 20th of August 2012 at 7:59am, 4 weeks prem, weighing 2,36kg and measuring 46cm in length. I first met Jacob at just 12 days old... which would, technically, have made him minus 16 days. He was sooo tiny and fragile.... but so cute. Mom and Dad are totally in love!!!

Our afternoon was not short of ideas and props, ladders and goodies. Including an abdundance of toasty treats and good conversation. I've known Andrew (Dad) since pre-school and we both met Claire (Mom) at varsity.... and I still claim having a little hand in bringing the two together ;) Nevertheless they are both great old friends and I was super stoked for the arrival of their little guy and to be asked to take some pics for them.

 

Jacob was super chilled most of the afternoon - he even had the hand under chin pose to prove it. Towards the end of a long day however he let out a few small groans to let us know he was done and he rounded off his appreciation on the last shot, with a glorious fountain straight onto mom's face - a sight that put everyone into total hysterics thereafter! Other incidents included poop on dad and near miss for me (props not so lucky) :)

 

All in all an awesome afternoon, the weather and light were perfect - definitely one to be remembered. Oh, and some pictures I hope will be memories forever!!

 

Thanks to Andrew and Claire for being so comfortable, easy going and hospitable... I look forward to doing it all again soon :) You guys rock!!

 

I am super proud of these photos, so there are lots to get through, but take the time - I think you'll love!!!

Cheers for now,

Matti

Marcia's Great Big Family Shoot

So its been a while since i did this shoot.... which is testatment to how far behind I am with my blog :) nevertheless all good things come to those who wait :)

Marcia and Celine got hold of me months ago about doing a family shoot for them. Marcia was down from London and the majority of family was all together - right from Celine's newborn twins to their folks who will be married for 50 years this November - crazy cool :)

It was a pretty chilly winter afternoon, so we were confined to the indoors, and the house was abuzz with activity ;) We did the formals, a mini family shoot for marcia and a few more of the crowd as we went a long. I particularly love the model family by the fire... and not to mention some of the cutest kids eva!!!

A wonderful afternoon - thanks to everyone involved for tearing away from the cricket and listening to me try and herd them around :)

Cheers for now,
Matti

The Smashette Family Shoot @Lonehill Park

Ashleigh, more affectionately known as Smash (too many stories to tell here ;)), found out via fb that I would be in jhb for a weekend. She was all over it like peanut butter on toast... yes its almost breakfast and I'm hungry ;) Anyway I digress... and after very little pleading needed I was as keen as a bean.

We decided on Lonehill Park as the location, at the time basically cause it was close enough for all of us to get to but ultimately turned out to be such a hidden little gem. And I have to give a big shout out to the JHB winter weather Gods... 24, blue skies, no wind!!!

Smash, Taylor and Paige are truly one of the most gorgeous family's ever. I loved loved loved doing this shoot and I hope that I have done them justice. Paige was our little model of the day... pulling out poses left right and centre and being able to turn it on and off at the blink of an eye. Taylor had her own special way with the camera, more subtle, but just as beautiful. Smash said to me that she didn't really want any photos of herself... and I wasn't quite sure why.... ok so we all don't like photos of ourselves... but I stand by my original statement and Im sure all will agree that you are just Smashing!! Last but not least was "Granny" - and really only by technical terms as she is just as stunning as the rest of the family :)

All in all - beautiful people, beautiful setting, some champagne to ease the nerves, fun, sun, laughter and love - a recipe for awesomeness!! Thanks to everyone for a superb afternoon and bubbly post shoot sundowner... Cant wait to do it again!!

Big love.

Matti