I am doing Master Planning with Dr John Demartini next week and I am really excited. It’s a 3 day course deidcated to planning your life – your goals, your dreams, your vision for yourself and the world and the legacy you choose to leave behind.

As a trained Demartini facilitator and inspired Demartini student, I find myself constantly driven to grow to newer heights, to dream bigger dreams, to expand my consciousness and to increase me services to the world.

John Demartini gave me the permission to believe in myself and expect nothing less than a magnificent life. One filled with challenges yes (and support too) – but an inspired life with a vision beyond myself that I believe in so passionately that I will embrace both pain and pleasure in pursuit of a higher purpose.

What I know for sure is that you you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I also know that when you put pen to paper and acyually write your goals down, the universe conspires with you to make those dreams a reality. I am absolutely energised for next week and can’t wait to start dreaming and develping a plan to makes those dreams a reality. It will be challenging no doubt but inspiring and invigorating too….

I know that my friends who did this course a year ago are truly inspired and clear about who they are and what they want to acheive in their lives and beyond – I hope that I will gain the same insights next week….

For those of you wanting to learn more about your own values and setting goals that are aligned with your true values, or learning how to become a master of your own destiny, or about the divine order in the universe, or the Demartini Method (Registered) then please contact me regarding a consult.

May you live a magnificent and inspired life !!!!

Louise Diesel

It was that time of the week again – Wednesday – which is Demi’s favourite day of the week because we go to see Tommy and all our friends at Top Tots!!! And today was even more special than usual because Dad came with us to Top Tots!!! That meant that I could relax and take some photographs of the class while Demi and dad had fun!!! As a photographer, I sometimes get frustrated when I know that I could be capturing some really special pics if I had my camera out, but then I would not be able to help Dems with her class and would miss out on that special bonding time with her…. so today was just perfect!!!!

It was really cute to watch them doing the class together and I felt really blessed to have Ryan there as they don’t often get dads coming to the classes. Demi was just in her element and thought she was the star of the class. They do such fun things at Top Tots like playing with the monkeys on the parachute and bouncing on the balls and playing musical instruments. Demi loves all those fun activities much more than the more focused eye-hand co-ordination exercises or the creative work where she needs to sit still for a while. She especially loves to say hello to Tommy and sing to all the songs. She prefers to stand in the middle of the room and sing and dance as opposed to sitting on my lap like all the other babies do…..

It’s so cute now, when the music comes on, all the little children start doing the actions to the songs and singing and dancing – it really is adorable. One of the activities today was eating raisins (sweet) and then lemons (sour) to learn about tastes – but Demi has obviously tasted lemons before (no doubt from her angel brothers) so she refused to taste it today (lol)

It really is a special time together and I also love Wednesdays now – Top Tots is a wonderful way to spend fun quality time with your babies – and of course gives me wonderful opportunities to photograph my baby doing her thing….. (once a photographer… always a photographer!!!!)

Thank you dad for coming to play with us at Top Tots toady and letting mom take all these beautiful photos of us – we love you so much!! You are an amazing dad and we are so grateful to have you in our lives – WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH DAD!!!!

Hugs and kisses – Mwah!!!

When you are taking your model out to a location to photograph, bear in mind that you have a lot more freedom in posing them.  You can have them sitting on a balcony or beam, leaning against a wall or you can even photograph them peeking through an old window.

The possibilities are endless….  Take the time before your modelling shoot to get into the’zone’.  By this I mean getting into the right frame of mind.  Look through magazines with high-end fashion photographs, Look at the way the models are posed, even how they pose the professional model’s hands etc.

Have the model lean her back against a wall, peeking around a corner or even spreading her arms against the wall, remember you are probably shooting on digital so use this technology to review each image fleetingly, and always shoot from a few different angles.

Let’s start with the hands, never let your model’s hands just dangle down, this makes them look like funny extensions of the body.  Always try and find something for the model’s hands to do, like holding onto a piece of clothing( like a scarf) or “hanging” onto a broken window pane….

There are many different ways you can make use of walls to enhance your pose.  Look for a brightly coloured wall, which maybe matches or contrasts your subjects outfit, or maybe a wall with peeling paint which adds great texture to any photo. You can have your professional model lean against a wall with their back, or even put their hands on the wall and lean their face on their hands, the possibilities are endless….  Always try a shot or two shooting along the wall rather than straight at it.

Doorways are also great ‘props’.  You can pose your model so that they’re leaning against the doorjamb with their back, if it’s a female model you can also try poses where she rests her back against the doorframe and raises her one hand above her head to make the pose more interesting.

Another great architectural design for professional location modelling portfolios are stairs.  Stairs make a great background and are especially ideal when your posing more than two models in your shot.  They create a pattern and symmetry in your photographs.

If you are still nervous about having a location modelling photoshoot with a client, get a few of your friends together, use them as your models and find an old building to take some photos in.

Enjoy!

Riani

I read this quote on a St John’s newsletter this evening and I thought it was lovely…

We get to photograph a lot of boys and each child is so special and unique and it amazes me to think that one day these rough and tough yet innocent little boys are going to grow up to be strong independent men – it just makes me so grateful for the miracle of life and for the joy of little boys (and of course little girls too….)

Why God Made Little Boys:
GOD MADE A WORLD OUT OF HIS DREAMS,
Of magic mountains, oceans and streams,
Prairies and plains and wooded land.
Then paused and thought, “I need someone to stand,
On top of the mountains, to conquer the seas,
Explore the plains and climb the trees.
Someone to start out small and grow,
Sturdy and strong like a tree” and so
He created boys, full of spirit and fun
To explore and conquer, to romp and run
With dirty faces, and banged up chins
With courageous hearts and boyish grins.
And when He had completed the task He’d begun,
He surely said, “That’s a job well done.”

Author unknown

It was Demi-Leigh’s christening on Sunday and what a special day it was!!! It is so fantastic working with professional photographers as Riani came to photograph the ceremony and she got some lovely pics of Demi and the family. It was a lovely ceremony, but a bit long for the chidlren (I made the mistake of taking them to the 10am mass first so they were really hot and tired by the time the actual baptism service began) But Demi had tons of fun (especially when she went outside for a break with dad and climbed int o the water fountain!!!)

Demi-Leigh looked so beautiful in her little white christening dress and lace stockings. I even bought alittle white elastic with butterflies and bows on for her head but she would not keep it on. We did manage to get a few photos of her with it on while I held her hands…. Her brothers, Mikey and Jamie, also looked cute in their jeans and England tops and had lots of fun helping grandad film the christening ceremony. Father Michael held the service and granny was Demi’s Godparent – such a blessing…..

There were 9 babies christened on Sunday and it was beautiful! It really is a special day and I am so glad that we manged to get some stunning christening photos. Riani ended up photographing the baptism of all the other babies as the families saw her photographing us and then asked her to take some professional pics of them too – bonus!!

After the service, we all came back to our house for lunch and fun in the sun! It was a beautiful day in every sense of the word and I had tears of gratitude for all the blessings in my life!!!

Thank you God….

PS – If you have a special event planned that you would like us to capture, such as a christening or baptism, wedding, birthday party or any celebration, please contact us and we can discuss your requirements – we will be discreet and will make sure that your precious moments are captured forever

Belamie & Alain are getting married in Mozambique  (how romantic?!) and unfortunately their mozambiquan wedding venue can only accomodate a select few wedding guests like moms, dads and other close family. 

They decided on having a spiritual ceremony for extended family and friends and their chosen wedding venue was St Andrew’s school for girls situated in Edenvale Johannesburg.  The school is built in a traditional Victorian style and features older buildings (very well maintained) and well established gardens with rolling lawns and  enormous oak trees.

On arrival I was told that the start of the ceremony included each and every guest choosing a hat from a table covered in a array of  hats including a circus hat, pirate hat, cowboy hat and too many others to remember.

Belamie is a free-spirited woman, not necessarily like a hippie but just very spiritual and in tune with the earth and other people.  They really make a great pair, Alain is so in love and it’s always great being able to capture this kind of connection between a couple.

The ceremony consisted of dancing, not like race but just basically moving your body gently on the rythm of the music with a spiritual leader telling everyone how they should be moving….

like everybody slowly lift your arms up into the air, keep it there for a few seconds and then slowly bring them back down and this symbolises utilising the power of the earth to strengthen the bond between the couple and guide them in their upcoming marriage.

The ‘bridal couple’ stood in the middle of this big circle of friends in order to receive all these blessings.  In the middle of this ceremony Belamie and Alain had the chance to make a small speech to one another, about how much the other person means to them, how they met, what they’re expecting from the marriage and how much they cherish each other… you know the rest

After the ceremony they had a lovely picnic lunch and everyone enjoyed just socialising in paradise under umbrellas on soft picnic blankets.

It’s a real pleasure to photograph such a laid back bride and groom, it makes my job as a professional wedding photographer in Johannesburg so much easier and fun.  Having a relaxed couple really helps inspire me to create more beautiful and creative wedding imagery.

This unconventional wedding ceremony ended up giving me Goosebumps,  it was such a spiritual experience and will remain with me forever…

Riani

Canon SD880 IS Camera Review, Camera Review Canon SD880, Canon SD880 Ultra Compact Camera Review

I was nervous when I started the process of trying to buy a new Camera because there are so many to choose from and the rate of improvement seems almost to be almost monthly.

Although I do not consider myself an expert I have been using a camera for many years and am used to good quality SLR products. My intent with this camera was a compromise as I have found that I have lost many an opportunity to take that perfect shot simply because I did not have my camera with me when I needed it. I therefore wanted something that I could get into the habit of having with me at all times and still take noteworthy pictures and produce large format prints. A good full range zoom from wide angle to nailing more distant scenes along with a good macro function for close-ups and the ability to take a reasonable picture in difficult lighting situations are therefore all pre-requisites for a ‘take everywhere’ camera. The ability to capture the odd video sequence, a function only recently available with the latest compact cameras being a handy and very desirable function.

I have to say that not only am I knocked out with the cameras performance in the above areas. I also found that the Canon Ultra SD880 is delightfully easy to use in both a point and snap mode as well as when setting a more complex shot. The macro mode taking remarkably clear and focused shots, in one case taking a picture of an eye that was so magnified and clear that features not visible without a strong magnifying lens were apparent. With the addition of a 16Gb memory card and a spare battery I can take literally thousands of quality pictures and up to four hours of video whilst out and about.

Most cameras come by default supplied with just a small amount of memory, given the low cost of SD memory cards it is relatively inexpensive and well worth while to buy an additional card. SD cards are now readily available at up to 16Gb which will hold up to 12,000 high quality pictures.

Negatives:
Not much, I would have liked a jack for an external microphone.
There does not seem to be a wide screen Video mode, though there is for still photos.

Summary:
By the time I bought an extra battery, 16Gb memory card, leather belt clip case and a table top tripod I had still spent less than $300.00. I therefore think that this camera was a great deal.

Timothy Harpers
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