As someone who has a super supportive family I have grown up (and am still growing up) to be the best person I can be.  I can not recall one day which I have not been supported by my family and parents.  I  want to thank all of you for your unwaivering support in my life.  For the simple things but also for the matters of the heart.  For lending an ear when I need someone to listen to me, for letting me know when to to let it go and just for being there.  Without all of you there would be a tremendous hole in my heart.  You all mean the world to me

Love

Riani

The Mackies are one dynamic family, they started Firzt Realty in the South of Johannesburg a few years ago and are involved in various other companies and events.  I’m not quite sure how Sean & Toni Mackrell manage everything

Knowing them and their fun loving kiddies made me decide to make their photoshoot a real lifestyle family photoshoot!  With the older ones dancing the HAKA-HAKA and little Keldon kicking the soccer ball all over my studio…

The secret to getting great photos of kids are to make the photoshoot fun and enjoyable.  Take the spotlight off them by singing, dancing and playing games and they will soon forget all about you and the big camera.  These are the kind of photos we want to capture of children being care-free…

A smile like this one can only be captured in a moment… (ok, ok I might have something to do with it.  I asked to give their mom a real smushy kiss and as you can see it worked fantastically)

Smaller children like Keldon tend to sit still for about a second (okay maybe two if you are lucky) so the trick is to have your studio set-up beforehand and shoot loads of photos during the shoot, and review them afterwards.  Follow these photographic guidelines and a beautiful portrait of your kids are almost guaranteed

Looking at this photo you can see that doing funny poses and everyone jumping on dad etc makes for very natural and relaxed family portraits.

Riani

I have had the most fantastic weekend spent camping with the whole extended family in Rustenburg in Kgaswane Nature Reserve!   But before camping could commence I had some work to do.  

 
My other cousin Bertie and I decided that it was time to go big or go home so we organised with a local Boer to shoot in their cornfields close to where the matric dance was held and boy was it worth it…

We went through to Thabazimbi early on Tuesday morning to make sure that we could spend as much time as possible with Lizelda so that she could get even more comfortable around us to ensure that we can get great photos.

At first I felt terribly guilty to just march into this cornfield and walking on some of the plants, but then I remembered that the Boer gave the thumbs up and as a typical photographer I usually do what it takes to get the shot

Photography is always on my mind, I think the thing which makes these photos is a unique location, the gorgeous matric farewell dress and the perfect couple

When taking professional matric dance photos the trick is to get the couple relaxed and comfortable in front of the lens, so if there is enough light and time try do take the family photos first and snd them away so that you have some privacy with your couple.  Wouldn’t a whole crowd watching you make you nervous?

I loved every moment of photographing these two together and knowing them both just made the whole thing that much more special!  Gerhard & Lizelda baie dankie vir die voorreg om julle te kon afneem, dit was fantasties (al het die koring my bene skoon rooi geskuur… lol)

Riani

Newborn babies are God’s opinion that the world should go on… I mean, just look at this little face

A newborn baby makes you realize that you can love someone more than you love yourself.   That you will give everything you have and then some more to make sure they are protected and well-cared for.

There is absolutely nothing in this world which can prepare you for the surge of love when you hold your little baby in your arms for the first time.  We aim to portray this love in your newbrn baby photoshoot.  The tender way your strong broad shouldered husban looks down at his newborn baby girl, or the tender kiss on the forehead.  These precious moments slip by in a flurry of coping and getting to know your little one, so book your newborn baby photoshoot today.

Riani

Toddlers are half joy and half guerilla warfare.  They are super cute most of the time but this cuteness can turn into a feisty little monster.  I wanted to share some great quotes on the joys of having a toddler:

“Why do we need funny quotes about toddlers? Because being able to laugh about the experience of bringing up a child is a skill as important as changing your first dirty nappy.” – Anon

“Insanity is hereditary: You can get it from your children.” – Sam Levinson
“One year, I’d completely lost my bearings trying to follow potty training instruction from a psychiatric expert. I was stuck on step one, which stated without irony: ‘Before you begin, remove all stubbornness from the child’.”  – Mary Kay Blakely
“There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.” ~ Chinese Proverb

“You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around – and why his parents will always wave back.” ~William D. Tammeus

“A toddler believes that if you love a person, you stay with that person 100 percent of the time. ” – Lawrence Balter

“Routine physical punishment such as spanking teaches a toddler that might makes right and that it is fine to hit when one is stronger and can get away with it. ” – Alicia F Lieberman

“The fundamental job of a toddler is to rule the universe. ” – Lawrence Kutner

“Do not, on a rainy day, ask your child what he feels like doing, because I assure you that what he feels like doing, you won’t feel like watching. ” – Fran Lebowitz

Photographing food is probably one of the hardest things you can ask a photographer to do.  Ice-cream and ice-cubes melt, salad and meats dry out and many more…

That’s why we as professional food photographers have learnt that you do a mock set-up of your plate and fiddle with the professional lighting until you have got it exactly right, and only then do you bringin your delicious plate of food and start photographing.

We specialise in food photography, be it for a front cover of a magazine or the insides of a glossy new cookbook.  We love to share our passion for food through our creative food photography!

Riani

Since we are so privileged to meet and photograph so many little babies I thought I’d share a few quotes which are on the lighter side of life

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous – it is to decide to have your heart walk outside of your boddy forever” – Elizabeth Stone

“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands” – Milton Berle

“I don’t know why they say – you have a baby – the baby has you” –  Gallagher

“People wjo say they sleep like a babies, doesn’t have one” – Leo J Burke

“A father is someone who carries pictures where his money used to be” – Anonymous

“You can learn many things from childern, how much patience you have for instance” – Franklin P Jones