Besides of course the day of your wedding, having a baby can be one of the most memorable days of your life and one that will not require the hassles of trying to find good photographers, but will, however, come with its own set of challenges that will be important for you to address once you know you are going to have a child. The first thing people will ask you is whether or not it is a boy or a girl, and this will probably make you wonder, that is, if you want to know what gender the baby will be before it is born, as many couples decide to wait and just let it be a surprise, but otherwise thoughts will probably race through your head about what colors you will want the baby’s clothes and their room to be. You can go with the traditional colors of pink and blue if you want to, but you may also want to consider painting the room another color so that you don’t have to make gender so rigid or important to impose on your child. When going out and buying baby things, you will probably want to remember that many of the things you may purchase for your baby will most likely not be needed after a while, and buying too many of these things early on may be a waste of money so that you cannot buy or pay for something that he or she really may need in the future, so you should most certainly consider hand me down items from your older brother or sister or cousins or whoever if they are available to you and you can also get cheap toys at thrift shops that your child will have just as much fun playing with as other things that may be new or may be more expensive.

This may be the same idea for a lot of the baby clothes you will buy, because they will not fit well after a while,so make sure your child can grow into them, especially since some baby clothing items that may be enticingly cute will be expensive and will be a poor deal for the amount of time and use that your child gets out of them while they use them. That is not to say that there is anything at all wrong with splurging on your kid every once in a while, but the cost of having a child through the years is enormous and remember that they will want to go to college and have medical bills later on.

Being pregnant is something which at the end you wish was over and when baby’s born you sometimes wish they were still in your tummy.  Once your little one is born it feels like your whole life and your day revolves around them.  Pregnancy is a very special time in your life, you are growing new life which is just such a complex process which your not really even aware of except that your belly is growing. Cells are dividing chich allows human beings to be the amazing creatures they are.Pregnant women are exceptionally beautiful and I love the way their expressions soften when they talk about their unborn children.  And even though you can see that they’re really uncomfortable with this big belly which they now have to carry around, you get the feeling that they really don’t mind as long as their little one is perfect.I feel honoured every time I get commissioned to photograph someone’s pregnancy.  I love to share in this experience and to portray the special bond the awaiting parents share

Riani

It doesn’t matter if you get married at The Michelangelo Hotel in the heart of Sandton (which is very well designed architecturally) or if you get married at a small country venue called Sha-Mani country lodge and wedding venue close to Alberton, or even if you get married at a peaceful venue 20 mins drive from Glenvista called Thornebirds wedding venue and conference venue.  The thing which makes a wedding special is the bride and groom, two people who have found love and who is going to make a promise to each other in front of their friends and families, and in front of God to spend the rest of their lives together looking after each other.On your wedding day you become accountable for your actions to someone else.  Weddings takes months to organise and prepare for (not to mention a lot of money) it is therefor crucial that you take the time and look for a wedding photographer wtih whom you feel comfortable with and will be able to capture your precious memories in a way that is appealing to you.Make sure that your wedding photographer is credible, with a proper portfolio and website.  Ensure that the wedding photography contract and terms and conditions protect you as the couple as well as the photographer.  Also take the time to discuss everything with your prospective photographer and ensure that the person you are meeting with is the person who will actually be taking your photos.So all in all a wedding is about much more than the flowers, the venue and the dress.  I always say to my clients remember:” The only thing that really matters on your wedding day is that you get married” And if it rains on your wedding day, you will have a long and prosperous wedding… (and if you don’t want it to rain I’ve heard a myth that you should put a broom in the tree and a fork in the ground) 

Riani

The art of photographing kids is found at the core of your patience.  Kids love to play and explore the world around them, so when photographing kids, take this into consideration.  Don’t just press the shutter button, wait for the perfect moment, the special expression or even the mischievious glint in their eye which will make it all worth it!  Find something new that will keep them interested like a metal cog and screw for instance I took the time on Sunday to take a few photos of my brother’s youngest son Wian, who turns 2 in two months!  Now let me tell you this little boy is busier than a worker ant.  There just isn’t enough time in a regular day to do everything this little man wants to do. This is the first time EVER Wian sat still and posed for a few photos and it is all because I kept him interested.  When you take photographs of kids know that it will take a lot of time and patience.  Play with them and mess around. Always remember to keep eye contact with your subject.  Yes, I know it’s hard to keep eye contact and compose your shot and if you are still battling with this find yourself an accomplice like the toddler’s mom to standby and pull funny faces with the child for instance (like above) Kids (especially toddlers) tend to mimic our behaviour, so talk to them, make funny noises and pull faces and ask them to do the same.  You might just be very surprised with the outcome   Whatever you are thinking of doing make sure it will appeal to your subject’s nature. And if it turns out that your little model is just a little too big for their shoes, take the shot anyway as this is part of truly capturing their nature!

Riani

Hi, my name is Riani Labuschagne.  I’m a photographer and have been in the industry for 4 years.  I eat sleep and breathe photography and beautiful lighting.  My need to see and take beautiful photographs are the same as every human’s need to breathe.  I know it sounds dramatic, but I am a very visual person.  When a friend tells me a story I love hearing all about the detail because this slowly but surely sketches the picture in my mind.  I am constantly registering the changes in the light (when the sun shifts behind a cloud etc) and registering people’s facial expressions.  I sometimes even go so far as to see a man or woman in the shopping centre and immediately put them into a location, with lighting to match and seeing the final outcome of the shoot.

So I use my knowledge of the camera and creative eye to create beautiful portraits of you and your family, new baby or even your dog.  I absolutely love photography and am homoured to photograph each and every clients pride and joy!

Riani 

“The magic of photography is metaphysical. What you see in the photograph isn’t what you saw at the time. The real skill of photography is organized visual lying.”

Terence Donovan

“A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective”

Irving Penn

“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography”

George Eastman

“It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary.”

David Bailey

“I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody’s face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways.”

Duane Michals

Unlike some other lucky people I didn’t know that I was going to be a photographer  one day.  It was a real slow build up and now there is nothing else in the world I wold rather be.  I wanted to be a veterinarian all my life and then I wanted to be a psychologist.  I got my first digital camera in std8 and took a real great pic with it in st9 in the Drakensberg.In my matric year I always took my mom’s camera to school with me cos I thought I would be able to get cool photos because everyone usually freaks out in their final year.  All my friends told me that I should become a photographer  and I was like:” Is there even a profession like ‘being a photographer’?From there it kinda grew in me.  My sister-in-law then brought home the number for a college that teaches photography and the next thing I knew I was enrolled as a photography student at the National College of Photography.  And I have never looke back.  I specialise in people photography and portraits.  I absolutely love photos which portrays fun bantering and sibling rivalry in families because we all know what it’s like.   This is one of the traits of a family unit.  So welcome to my world where I use my skill, expertise and creative intuition to create memories to las you a lifetime!!

Riani