Styled Shoot Photographer: Kelly Daniels

 Kelly Daniels is the third and final (sniff) of the amazing photographer-talents that we had at our Vintage Vineyard Styled shoot at Abingdon Wine Estate in March. Can you tell how I've tried to draw these posts out as long as possible - because after this one I have no more bride and groom photos to show you of husband and I! But for today - allow your eyes to take in ALL the amazing beauty through the lens of

Kelly Daniels - 

I think this is my favourite snap of all - probably because it's one of the ones that is least likely to ever age us. Does that make sense? Anywhoo... I think this pic is absolutely gorgeous! It's definitely a framer. Like, canvas style "framer". Like canvas above our bed framer. (As you can tell, I've plotted the whole thing out already. lol)



Kelly is one of those people who is just instantly likeable. In the first three seconds of meeting her you feel like you've known her for 20 years. And there is nothing better for feeling relaxed in front of the camera on your wedding day, than feeling like you're just hanging out with one of your best friends. And if that isn't enough to convince you - her photographs in all their natural beauty speak exquisitely for themselves -

LOVE this shot!!
(like LUUUUURVE love)

and the one below too - 

Kelly is also has a very natural and easy way of guiding you into poses that are most flattering to your body. (I remember her telling me to bend my arm slightly in the above picture - way more flattering than a stick straight arm!) Her super friendly and easy-going disposition make you feel so relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera  so all she has to really do is finely tweak how you are naturally interacting to play up your most flattering sides - and the results are stunning, natural gorgeous pics!

You can attribute my flawless face (and hair) to Kym and Me Make up -Kym was super good at recommending products specifically for our needs. (She actually recommended a foundation to me which I went out and bought and I absolutely LOVE it! {Estee Lauder Double Wear, FYI} high five Kym - thank you!)



Kelly's easy-going and friendly vibe makes it easy to see why Kelly is such a phenomenal child and baby photographer (take a look at the photos of these kids  to see what I mean... absolutely STUNNING. Geez, I feel like framing them and I don't even KNOW those kids. While I'm on the topic - also have a look at the birth shoot that Kelly did for our other Styled Shooter, Eileen Laubscher.) {NB NOTE TO SELF: Make friends with a photographer so that it's not at all creepy when you ask them to shoot you giving birth}


Our little picnic session in the tent was so much fun and Kelly Captured all the happy energy perfectly!

I'm not sure how it's even possible, but the rich colours of Kelly's editing - make these cakes look even MORE delicious. This picture looks perfectly lickable, wouldn't you say? Go ahead and try it - I won't tell a soul.

  

How gorgeous is this yellow dress from The Love Bucket?!

I honestly felt like some kind of Greecian Goddess in it!

The light in these photographs is incredible. It's like everything has the most amazing glow.



Kelly, thank you so much for taking the time out to shoot some snaps for us - it was an absolute pleasure to meet you and you are so much fun to be around! Warr and I are SO grateful to have such beautiful "wedding" shots and I will definitely be hounding you for some high res pics to blow up onto canvas! Your work is beautiful. Thank you so much!

Other awesome suppliers involved in the shoot - 

Venue: Jane – Abingdon Wine Estate 
Stationers: Liesel & Birgitta – Glee Projects
Dresses:  Stacey – Love Bucket
Tent: Tammy – Midlands Stretch Tents
Make up & Hair: Kym – Kym & me
Cake: Taryn – Smiths Bake shop
Videographer:  Wes – The Shank Tank

Bookmark Kelly's stuff for when you are getting married (or about to give birth) 

her stuff is amazing!! 

TRUST ME.

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Eileen Laubscher - Brightgirl Photography.

I have another incredible photographer to introduce you to today! I have tried to space these posts out a little for many reasons -

1. I don't want you guys to be all "wedding-ed" out - because trust me, there is LOADS more I can still say on the subject, lol.
2. I didn't want to overload you with all the awesomeness all at once. You know, thought I'd give you a bit of time to properly process each amazing photographer and their unique talents
3. These amazing photos have been all SO incredibly precious to me, that I have felt the need to savour each and every tiny little pixel. I didn't want to just share them all in one go! You know, like eating the most decadent chocolate that you just don't want to finish all at once. But Easter is coming up soon... so all the chocolate is allowed...Ha!

So today, for you to feast your eyes on something beautiful - here is another bite - 

Eileen Laubscher - Brightgirl Photography.

HOW amazing is this photo? I absolutely LOVE it!

I have actually admired Eileen's photography for a long time - in fact, I contacted her when I first started looking for wedding photographers to shoot our wedding because I loved her style (but then some Australian bride swooped in - THANKS A LOT AUSTRALIA.) Warning: Eileen gets booked up fast - so GET IN THERE QUICKLY. And it is not difficult at all to see why...

 

There is something so incredibly romantic about Eileen's photography - especially these gorgeous snaps with such a shallow depth of field - it makes you feel like Eileen has captured a completely private and beautiful moment - and there are SO many of those private moments that you want to treasure on your wedding day - and Eileen will do just that. You wouldn't ever think that there were tons of people buzzing around in the above picture - Eileen's photos take a beautiful moment as it happens and transforms it into something magical.

 
The "rustic-vintage" wedding stationery was created by Glee Projects - go take a peek at the rest of their work!
  I know that you can't even see Warren's face in this picture - but doesn't he look SO handsome?!? like, SO handsome. How did you do that Eileen? (HIRE EILEEN, SHE WILL MAKE YOUR GROOM LOOK SO DAMN HANDSOME JUST BY. HIS. HANDS)

You guys, I just want to say that this gorgeous tree-lined avenue at Abingdon Wine Estate, looks verrrrrry similar to the tree-lined avenue of Michaelhouse, where we (didn't) have the most beautiful wedding photos. But actually, that tree looks exactly the same as the Michaelhouse tree.

So basically these are actually our actual wedding photos.

ONE TIMES HAPPY GIRL!!!!
Thank you Eileen!

This fab little tent that Keri and I are sitting under - is from Midlands Stretch Tents - if you are planning on having an outdoor wedding or even canapés on the lawns with the dodgy Midlands Weather - then this is totally your answer! (even for protection from the sun). Plus, the bedouin tent vibe looks WAY more classy than the average marquee.


I love how rich all the colours look in Eileen's photos! They almost have a kind of sundrop-glow. Also - those cakes from Smith's Cake Shop- they were pretty rich too (and dreamy-delicious)!



Why I would hire Eileen Laubscher to shoot my wedding:Not only do her photographs have the most incredible romantic and "private moment" feel, but her editing gives the photos such rich colour and the most gorgeous glow. Another absolute bonus of having Eileen as your wedding photographer is that she gives excellent direction. It's not really something you ever actually consider when booking a wedding photographer - but it should honestly form part of your decision because it makes ALL the difference. You will never be left wondering where to look or what to do with your stray arm or standing awkwardly not knowing what to do with your awkward face. Eileen takes control of the shoot and provides very easy, fun and specific directions for you (and your man) to follow and the results - as you can see, are spectacular.

Thank you so much Eileen- your work is incredible 

and have made this "bride" so incredibly happy!

Other awesome suppliers involved in the shoot - go give them some love!

Venue: Jane – Abingdon Wine Estate 
Stationers: Liesel & Birgitta – Glee Projects
Dresses:  Stacey – Love Bucket
Tent: Tammy – Midlands Stretch Tents
Make up & Hair: Kym – Kym & me
Cake: Taryn – Smiths Bake shop
Videographer:  Wes – The Shank Tank

* * * * *

As you may remember my goal to have "the most photographed dress in THE WHOLE WORLD" is totally happening... I am busy chatting with three amazeballs photographers! Stay tuned!

The MOST exciting thing!

A little while ago - when we were back in SA - I posted about "THE MOST EXCITING THING" For those of you who follow me on Instagram (or Twitter) you may have had a sneaky clue as to what we were up to. {And if you read Midlands Musings (you should be) - Keri posted a little teaser here.}

A few months ago, Tammy from Midlands Stretch Tents got in touch with me about a styled shoot they were thinking of doing in March, in the Natal Midlands at Abingdon Wine Estate. After reading about our horrific wedding-photo-debacle (have you heard about our wedding photo catastrophe? I feel like I mention it weekly on this blog - it's cool. I'm allowed.) Anyway, Tammy had read about our story and contacted me to ask if Warren and I would like to be part of their styled wedding shoot - and get some "wedding photos" from not only one, but THREE amazing photographers. (more on them to come!)

Let me just say, that I JUMPED at the opportunity. In fact, I actually had to reign myself in from not replying within the nano-second and making myself look like a gigantic creep. We were only in the Midlands for one or two full days - which coincidentally happened to be in March. The (one) day that Warr and I were available - also just happened to be the day that worked for everyone else. Can you say, THANK YOU MAGICAL UNIVERSE? Tammy asked if I had any friends who were recently married that would like to be part of the shoot too and I quickly directed her to Keri - Keri and Andy were married the month before us, and I knew it would be SO much fun to do a shoot with her!

Below, I have a little teaser for you - The video trailer from The Shank Tank. You didn't hear this from me but this video is possibly even better than the video we had on our actual wedding day. These guys know exactly what they are doing - and they are so awesome at just being part of the day and unobtrusive to what is going on - But, their work speaks for itself - take a look:


Vintage Vineyard Styled Wedding Shoot from The Shank Tank on Vimeo.

The Shank Tank is also one part of The Love Bucket enterprise - run by Stacey - who supplied us with the most gorgeous vintage dresses. (Although, I couldn't resist jumping back into my own dress for a snap or two with warr and I as we were on our day!) I will be posting a few snaps of the amazing vintage yellow lace dress she put me in for the second part of the shoot!

Over the next couple of days, I want to share some of the gorgeous snaps that we have received - I have been blow away with how incredible they all are - and I cannot WAIT to share them all - but they definitely need their own posts each!

For now take a peek at the other services providers who made this day so incredible -

Photographers:  Kelly - Kelly Daniels Photography, Eileen - (BrightGirl Photography), Casey - (PhotoCase Photography)

Venue: Jane - Abingdon Wine Estate

Stationers: Liesel & Birgitta - Glee Projects

Dresses:  Stacey - Love Bucket

Tent: Tammy - Midlands Stretch Tents

Make up & Hair: Kym - Kym & me

Cake: Taryn - Smiths Bake shop

I will be posting some photographer snaps in this coming week - so stay tuned for some gorgeous eye candy!

Thank you so SO much to everyone involved - it was SO much fun to work with you all! We are so grateful to have some "wedding pictures!" xx

The Photo Hunt - PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR ALL THE FUN!

Our next event for The Photo Hunt is fast approaching (SAVE THE DATE: 1 MARCH 2014!) and we are so excited for all the fun to come! For those of you who don't know - The Photo Hunt is a awesome new networking event for bloggers, photographers and general creatives who are keen to get together for an afternoon of fast paced fun!

The idea is simple: you and your team mates are given one of The Photo Hunt task lists and you then rush around snapping pics off the list NINJA STYLE before the time runs up!

Once we've hit the "TIME UP!" we all reconvene for some some picture sharing and mingling! It's a great way to socialise with like-minded souls! Who knows - you may even -



Apart from getting to meet a whole bunch of rad creative/fun/fabulous individuals, thinking like a creative ninja, honing your picture snapping, being inspired by the awesomeness of other attendees and getting your adrenal glands pumping - the majority of the attendees at The Photo Hunt are bloggers - which means a whole new stash of blogs to add to your blogroll!

Just like our last event - you have the option to sign up as an individual (where we'll team you up with some happy new faces) - or you can round up three of your mates to make a Team of 4 for an afternoon of epic fun! (You and your team may or may not delve into a sneaky beverage or two! It's up to you!)

The main thing to know is that you will be having so much fun mixing with friends old and new that you will hardly even notice that your brain is EXPLODING WITH CREATIVITY.

And isn't that just the most glorious thing?!

HOOORAY!! Inspiration for all!

This time we have a 

And a brand new mission to make this event UBER FANTASTIC!

* * * * * *

So, to summarise, The Photo Hunt is AWESOME -

• You'll meet a bunch of creative fun people!
• You get to spend your afternoon getting creative and thinking out the box
• You'll meet new bloggers and find new blogs to add to your blogroll!
•  We have a brand new location to explore!
• Epic new task lists waiting for you!
• New prizes, new sponsors and new surprises!
• A whole host of "TEAM SPIRIT huzzahs!"

And... almost no-one dies:

But don't take my word for it - take a peek at what some of our previous attendees had to say.

* * * *

Space is limited so get ready to SNAP them up!

....tickets coming soon....

A picture paints a thousand words...

I had something else in mind that I wanted to post today - but the honest truth is, I have so much other stuff I'm trying to get done - that I don't have the time to give it the justice that it deserves. (Side note: also in the process of sifting through foodie wedding snaps that I promised - it's quite a slow process trying to find pictures that I can use - anywhoo).

I wasn't even going to post anything today but, I was just trying to delete some crap off my computer - (because I have actually lost sight of my desktop which makes it very difficult to try and find the file I need to work on) - As I was moving some things off, I came across this photo and thought WOW! That picture has SO many little stories in it! So I thought I would just quickly share them with you - because, you know what they say... a picture paints a thousand words.

The Picture:

The Scene:
This shot was taken in my lounge when I was living in South Korea - teaching english. I was there for 3 and a half years - and it is still one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. (Actually one of my sponsors this month - Skype English Now - was founded by an American guy I met in Soko - he is still teaching english via skype classes - I think it's an awesome idea!)

The Pup:
This pup is "Chung-me" (which means "Rose" in Korean) - she belonged to two of my very good Canadian friends, Justin and Kristi - who had returned to Canada between their contracts and asked me to look after their little pup for a few months. It was the first time I had ever looked after a puppy by myself and it was honestly quite terrifying. I got over my fear after the first week and then we bonded. She's too cute!

The Art Cushion on the right
In South Korea, I lived and worked right opposite the most awesome little Art Village. It was so much fun to wander around all the galleries on the weekends - and was a great spot for lomo snapping! Another of my Canadian friends, Anige, bought me that art cushion from Heyri - the art village, because she said it reminded her of me! Gotta love those Canadians!

The Artwork
Lying on the coffee table is some of the artwork that I created for a bespoke recipe book that I was commissioned to make for a friend Vanessa. Her boyfriend secretly contacted me and asked me to cartoon some of their favourite recipes that he could put together in a book for her as an anniversary gift. It was such a fun project to work on! I will be sharing more of my portfolio stuff when my new website is up and running! Can't wait!

The red/pink Cushion on the left
I bought this cushion cover from a little indian restaurant in Seoul. Seoul introduced me to "real" Indian food and my tummy has been thankful ever since. I bought similar cushions for friends when I went traveling in Bali.

The blue scarf/blanket/throw
I wanted to make myself a scarf. Like a big chunky one - for the winter snow months. I actually really love knitting - but I am pretty crap at it. (If you follow my instagram account, you will know that I have recently tried to teach myself to "crochet". I have knitted myself a square and by "square" I mean triangle.) So anyway, I started knitting this scarf and then, I just couldn't stop.

Firstly because i was "gettin-into-mah-knittin-groove" and really enjoying it. But mainly because I didn't know how to. SO, I just kept going until I had this ginormous blue-blanket-thing and the wool ran out. Sometimes I wore it as a scarf (wrapped three times around my head and half way up to my eyeballs), and sometimes I used it as a blanket on my couch.

It was super multi-functional.

and extra warm.

And that's my two cents for today.

x

gathered. A story of collection.

I have a story to tell you today.

The other day I went for a run around the Wimbledon Common - as I was heading home from the run, alongside the busy through-road, my shoelace came undone. I bent down to tie it back up - when i spotted the most gorgeous little thing nestled in a pile of dirty mud and leaves. i picked it up. (obviously)  - and because I was completely enamoured with it, I excitedly rooted about searching for more. At this point, I was so completely excitable about the gorgeous tiniest little thing that I had forgotten about my undone shoelace and was now fully searching through mud, dirt and soggy leaves on the pavement - while the 5 o clock rush hour was stopped at the traffic light up ahead and starting to stare at me through their Bentley windows. (Wimbledon Village, Daarling). So there I was, shoelace undone, fingers in the dirt - proclaiming loudly (to myself) "WOW! AN ACORN! IT'S SO CUTE! OOH! A FEATHER!! LOOK!! A FEATHER!"

Proper six year old style.

I couldn't help but think how very cute all these little objects would look gathered together in a photo - all so cute and tiny. So my muddy little fingers carried them all the way back home where I set them in a pile on the side table.

Husband came home that evening and sees my beautiful little pile (ok, to be fair, at this stage it was more a pile of muddish leaves and extra dirt).

Husband: What is this?
Self: IT'S THE THINGS!! LOOK!!! CUTE THINGS!!
Husband: *no reaction*
Self: IT'S SOME LOVELY TREASURES!! I GATHERED THEM ON MY TRAVELS! LOOK!! THEY ARE SO CUTE!! LOOK!
Husband: *no reaction*
Self: (wondering: why is he not getting this?)
Husband: Um... that's... nice.
Self: (seriously! why is he not so enamoured with my treasures? what is wrong with him? * looks over to pile of mud-things* )

And then he spots it:

Husband: whaaa.... IT'S. AN. APPLE!
Self: I know.
Husband: A TINY BABY CUTEST APPLE!! IT'S SO TINY!! THE TINIEST BABIEST APPLE!! and a TINY BABY STALK!!
Self: I know.
Husband: LOOK AT IT! it's SO CUTE!
Self: I know... I gathered it on my travels! Look at the acorns! They are the same size as the apple! And the feathers!! OOH!! the FEATHERS! They are BIGGER THAN THE APPLE!!!
Husband: Wow. good work.
Self: I know, The Bentleys were looking at me very strangely - but I'd say it was worth it.

  

I also spotted a used elastic band - which I very nearly picked up - but I had to stop myself, because well, I'm not six.

BUT OOOH!

Imagine I'd found a nest!