This was SUCH a fun family photoshoot! I met the Buchanan family this afternoon at Delta Park for a family Lifestyle photoshoot, and their son Matthew is such a cute little one year old boy that made me smile so much.  As you do with one year olds, the photoshoot went at his pace and we did what he wanted to do… today this meant hardly any seated photos and a LOT of him being walked.

And very excitingly… he took one independant step today on the grassy slopes Another first for him was the fun he had at the playground… he was enthralled by the bright jungle gyms and the other kids screaming and running around.   He’s just dying to get going with his walking, and I’m sure it’ll be a few days and he’ll be properly independant.  Too cute!

I just LOVE it when kids start walking and their hands are up in the air for balance

The planes flying past were very distracting for him… and perfect for photo posing LOL!

Standing….

… look I took a step…

… oh no…

A “buuurrr” (plane)

It was a fun afternoon I’ve put these and a few more on Facebook too… leave the family a message in the comment section here… or on Facebook

I was thrilled to get asked to take photos at the South African launch of Virgin Galactic this week.  The event was held at Turbine Hall in Newtown, Johannesburg.  It was fascinating to be amongst the first South Africans to hear about Virgin Galactic… and by the end of the evening I was wondering if anyone had actually bought a ticket because all the Virgin companies had put up prizes for the first person to book a ticket that evening.

If you haven’t seen it before, I found this on the Virgin Galactic Youtube channel, and I’m virtually positive this was the last video we watched last night

If I had a spare $200k lying around, I’d buy a ticket… in fact, I’ve now added this to my bucket list!

I took the boys to work with me on Monday, and we went to Sandton City… supposedly quickly… to collect a photobook (most gorgeous boudoir book with leather binding that’ll be delivered tomorrow to my client).  While we were there, I took the boys to see the Mandela statue in the square… because they couldn’t remember it… it’s not like we schlepp to Sandton as a family regularly

Well, they spotted a child playing in the water fountain and had to join in.  As you can see Connor was very soon very wet… so our quick trip turned into a shopping spree as I tried to buy him new undies and a new t-shirt so that he could get dry!

Just a lot of innocent fun…

I drove out to Cullinan (a small diamond mining town East of Pretoria) yesterday for an engagement shoot with a difference  Part of the engagement shoot was styled as Steampunk!!  I just love Ross and Bonita’s spunkiness, and I cannot WAIT for their wedding that’s going to take place later this year.

I’ve known Bonita for a while… as @battica on Twitter, and she’s also a contributor on GirlGuides… so I’ve chatted to her a few times at various tweetups and geek functions.  And I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her and Ross as a couple… they “fit like a glove” KWIM?   We started with spunky outfits, before switching to some Steam Punk and then it was pure geek gear

As for Cullinan… not sure why I’ve never ventured there before, but what a stunning little town!! From the train station to the little coffee shops and mining machinery (which was perfect for the Steampunk) and the veld… it was just perfect for what we were trying to do.

 What an awesome afternoon!! I had a ball!

Mike and Ginny’s wedding yesterday was absolutely gorgeous!!  There were orchids, candles, incredible food, lots of laughter and time spent with friends and family.   Their plan was to spend an evening at home having dinner with friends and family… and that’s exactly what they did… with style

Because they wanted to spend as much time after the ceremony with their friends, instead of having a couple shoot after the ceremony, we did a “First Look” shoot before.  It was just incredible!! I LOVE first look shoots!! If it’s a new concept for you, basically the bride meets the groom before the ceremony.  It’s just a moment for them without onlookers (apart from photographers)… it’s such an amazing moment to witness, so full of emotion.  And by doing this, the bride and groom are normally more relaxed at the start of the ceremony because they’ve already spent time with each other.

Vendors
Church: St Martin’s-in-the-veld
Officiant: David Reynders from God First Church
Reception:  At their home
Dress: Vesselina Pentcheva
Make-up: Manuela
Event Planning and Coordination: Otto de Jager Events
Food: Fresh
Cake: A friend of the family
Second Shooter: Jacqui Beytel

There are more photos in an album on Facebook.  If you were at the wedding, you’ll be able to tag yourself in the images when you “like” the Facebook page.  And leave a comment here or on Facebook for the couple