We are always telling you about our photography from our viewpoint, and I thought I’d share our unique photography experience from our satisfied client’s view…

Have you seen what beautiful works of art pregnancy photos are being turned into these days…?  Have you found yourself looking at someone else’s maternity pictures that is stunning and thought that you would love to have photos like these but you are sure you don’t look that good? Secretly you are slightly intimidated at the prospect of havning a complete stranger look at and take photos of your growing belly.  A felt exactly the same way and this is what she thought of the whole exciting experience:”

I’d never thought of doing pregnancy photos until I came across Louise’s website. The thought of having a complete stranger take photos of my naked belly was just too daunting for me. Against my better judgment I decided to do the photoshoot anyway. I was met by Riani at the gate, whom I think could sense my hesitation and made me feel soo comfortable with myself, my growing belly and the entire experience. My husband was even more anxious than I was, but Riani really capture the essence of who we are & the transformation that was taking place in our lives.I look at the photos now & feel proud to have gone through this experience as Riani capture the essence of my pregnancy. I would strongly recommend that every couple that is expecting to do this not only for themselves but for their children to appreciate in the years to come.”

Are you the proud mother of a very busy little boy (or girl for that matter)  Then you know exactly how hard it is to try and go anywhere with your kids and keep them on their best behaviour.  Don’t worry about it, we have worked with and photographed almost every kind of child you can imagine…  Bouncing all over the studio and being very shy all included.  M has 3 little boys (aged 5 and 5 and 18 months) and this is what she thinks of her pics:”

I take my hat off to Riani on how she handled our boys during the shoot!  She took the most amazing photos, even though our boys were all over the place.  My husband and I would recommend Louise Diesel Photography to anyone.    There quality of service is superb and we all had such a good time!  Thank you Louise and Riani!

Every girl dreams of meeting her dream man and riding into the sunset…  So once you’ve met that special someone and gotten engaged you simply cannot wait to get started on planning your wedding?  Isn’t it so?  But as soon as this early excitement wears off you realize exactly just how muchhow much detailed planning you have to do…  At the end of the day no-one will remember what table decorations you had at your wedding (even though it took you a week to decide and source all the items  on the centerpiece)  This is exactly why it is essential to find a good wedding photographer with whom you feel comfortable with and will be comfortable having them capture every moment and details of your special day.  C and S sent us this lovely testimonial:”

Your wedding is one of the most important days in your life, and there are so many details to worry about to make your day perfect.But thanks to Louise & Riani, my wedding photo’s were one less thing to worry about as they took care of it all. They are so professional and caring, and helped make every moment of my special day come to life! The variety of photographs was amazing and choosing for my album was the hardest part as all the photo’s were stunning.The album turned out to be even more beautiful than I had expected and I am so grateful to Louise Diesel photography for leaving me with the most beautiful, cherished moments of my wedding day! ”

Riani

Its unbelievable to think that Woman at Work has been going for a year!?  We’ve been there photographing these networking functions since they started in December 2008 and it’s truly amazing to have walked this road with Toni & Tanya and see their vision evolve and grow like it has.

The woman at work year-end function was held at the Glenvista Country Club and we had an absolute ball.  No microphone glitches, nothing (I know… unbelievable) The Glenvista Country Club offers an indoor & outdoor function area and they will help you arrange everything.  You can even get married there and have your wedding photos taken on their lovely green golf course…

The charity of choice for the evening is Carita’s Home situated in Brackendowns.  An extract from their website:”Yvonne Deetlefs saw an urgent need for a safe, secure and loving environment for abandoned and abused children. The result was the birth of Caritas Home, May 2001. There are anywhere from 14 to 24 children living at Caritas, all of whom have been placed with us through Social Workers and the Courts.  The outward appearance of our house gives the impression of an ordinary home in the area. This is so that the children can live as normal a life as possible and ensure a “Place of Safety” for the children” 

Yvonne and your team, thank you so so much for everything you do for all of these children.  I’m sure it means more to them than they will ever be able to express!

Edith Venter was the guest speaker for the evening.  Let me tell you she is one remarkable lady!  Even though people judge Edith (without really knowing her) she still addressed all the ladies with an opening about how important it is to never judge  any other person because you never know what they might be going through.  It takes so little effort to tell another woman her hair looks pretty, or you love her dress and I promise you by building up other people you will feel uplifted yourself. 

  Here is a little something Edith read to all of us:”

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape, but …

A woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.
   A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything, but …
A woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.
   A strong woman won’t let anyone get the best of her, but …
A woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.
   A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future, but …
A woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes can also be God’s blessings and capitalizes on them.
   A strong woman walks surefootedly, but …
A woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.
   A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face, but …
A woman of strength wears grace.
   A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey, but …
A woman of strength has faith that in the journey she will become strong.”

And I truly found this inspirational.  Read these words again and just think about it for a while…  Edith Venter is a graceful lady, and even though she is standing on a podium she speaks to you like she is sitting across from you in your sitting room having a galss of wine or cup of tea.  She makes you feel like you’ve known each other for years and years. 

Truly a very different person to what the media portrays…

This is one year end function with great photos. Every woman at work networking get-together is such a great function because there is always constant laughter.  Basically ladies, business women, mothers and friends coming together to network and have a great time!

Riani

On your matric farewell you feel like a prince or princess.  This is one of the school events where you can put it all out there.  I remember people didn’t recognise me at my matric farewell because I am usually casual in jeans & takkies.

I have photographed Niven once when he to his sister’s matric dance with her, and this is the second time around for his girlfriend’s (Shanel) matric farewell.  And may I say he looked dashing both times!

Can you believe that this goregous dress which Shanel is wearing is actaully her ‘backup’ dress.  The designer messed her dress up and so she had to go to the Oriental Plaza on the day of the matric farewell and find the perfect dress.  WOW, well done Shanel!  I didn’t even realize this is a backup dress as it is gorgeous

Niven had also told them to keep this pink waistcoat for him just in case…  Now that’s good planning (or maybe he jinxed them) I’m not quite sure.  Well all of the troubles aside you guys make the perfect couple, laughing and sensing each others every move…

One of the latest trends is to have your matric dance pictures taken in a photographic studio, this way you can have your photos taken at 6:00 because there is always enough light and you don’t have to stress about rain.  The choice is yours, we offer professional matric farewell photography and would love to photograph your special day!

Riani

Shepstone Gardens is a beautiful wedding venue situated in the heart of Johannesburg.  When you drive past it in the street you can never imagine the true beauty which lies inside the stone walls.

This Johannesburg wedding venue also has it’s own unique story.  Ken’s father has a passion for gardening (which you will see once you go and have a look at these heavenly gardens)  So one day Ken proposed to his father why don’t they turn it into a wedding venue?  And voila!

When I went through to go and take a look before the wedding day I remember walking up the stairs and telling Ken how beautiful his venue is.  And he was saying but I haven’t even seen it yet.  I just had the feeling like I was walking into a movie.  You don’t get many places like Shepstone Gardens in South-Africa and that’s what makes this a unique wedding venue.

Sharon & Anton is living proof that you can really find your soul mate over the internet.  Yes, they met in a chatroom and decided to then meet face to face and here they are a few years down the line saying I DO

They are completely smitten…  You can almost feel the energy when you are in their company. WOW!  I love to just watch the way they communicate.  You know that song:” You say it best.., when you say nothing at all…”  It makes me think of them.

Sharon & Anton, thank you for making me feel like part of the family!  I truly enjoyed your gorgeous wedding day and all the best for the future!

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

Louise and I had the absolute pleasure of photographing Lionel & Katarzyna’s wedding which was held at the incredible wedding venue Avianto situated in Muldersdrift.  Let me tell you, Avianto is everything it’s made out to be and MUCH more….

Katarzyna is from Poland and Lionel has been working there for a while and that is where they met and fell in love…   Kasia looked absolutely gorgeous in her slightly off-white dress and her bouquet of Red Roses just rounded everything off.  This girl is not only gorgeous but she has a a personality to match.  Very sincere and bubbly, and her sense of humour….

Take a minute and think about the soppiest Romantic Comedy that you have ever watched, then you have an idea of how in love Lionel & Kasia is…  You can actually see it in their eyes, it was so beautiful

Look, having a couple who is so in love with each other makes for very intimate wedding photos, but having a that couple and a beautiful tuscan venue with that is just a dream come true for any photographer.  I had to keep myself in check because I just wanted to photograph these two lovebirds in every corner of the venue.  Creative juices was flowing as strong as the Niagra falls…

Let me take a minute and tell you all about Lionel & Katarzyna’s special day.  I got to the venue early to have a look at all the beautiful locations this South-African wedding venue has to offer.  (I wanted to steer away from the “classic Avianto” wedding photos and create something unique)  I then took a stroll through “The Village” and went to meet the lovely bride for the first time (Seeing that this was an international wedding and Kasia is from Poland)  We just “clicked” and that was that, it felt like we were old friends.  Kasia has such an open personality and she exuded happiness.

The groom was late as he and the bride’s father was involved in a slight crash (just a dent and a scrape or two on the car)  When they finally arrived we heard that the pastor was also running a little bit late so in the end the wedding was just over an hour behind schedule.  None the less they tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony which led to the mother of the bride and the bride sharing a tear of joy afterwards.

Being female South-African photographers we incorporate interactive posing during our couple photoshoot.  We introduce a very relaxed pose and then just go with the flow (which was super easy with this bride and groom)  Needless to say their wedding photos are stunning and they’re reception was so small and intimate with only about 20 guests all sharing the same table.

It was just amazing!  Katarzyna & Lionel, all the best for the future!  I can see that you are truly blessed to share such an amazing connection! Riani

Did you know yesterday was the first wednesday of the month of August?  Which also means that it was Woman at Work   Let me tell you monthly events like this makes me realize just how fast time is flying and I’m sure all the other ladies will agree.  It feels like you go to an event, then go to work the next day and the next and you get so caught up in the fast pace of life that all of a sudden it’s time for Woman at Work again. 

Anyways, I’ve been involved with Woman at Work from the very first function in December which was held at Rietvlei Zoo Farm till last night’s function at The Oppenheimer at Gold Reef City Casino & Theme Park.  It started out as a normal work assignment, going to a function and creatively capturing everything till now where I’ve got to the point where I really enjoy it so much and spend a lot of time meeting and networking with lots of other business women from The South   Every month these networking events are even bigger and better.  Women today don’t make time for themselves, they spend everyday getting their kids ready for school (not to mention all their extra mural activities) and then going to work and Working themselves over the wall. Where they then return home to look after and care for their family.  Bring your girlfriends with you to this event and just spend some quality time with yourself and other women….  On to the event, I can’t find the right words to describe how wonderfully the Oppenheimer hall was decorated.  I walked inside with all my display items and literally stopped right in the doorway to admire the gorgeous pink and white drapings (with fairylights and all) on the ceiling and walls…. Absolutely amazing!!  Thank you Zefnie, you got some true talent   The theme for the evening was pretty in pink (as we are celebrating womens day this month) so the whole room was filled with ladies wearing every other shade of pink  (I’m not really a fan of pink, and I even wore a bit of pink   

Woman at Work basically creates a platform for ladies in the South of Johannesburg to network with other like-minded business women.  This network of women then support other Woman at work members and so we build up everyone’s company by using ladies within this network to support and provide different services. 

The charity for this month was once again TLC (The Love of Christ Ministries)  They take in and look after orphaned and abandoned kids.  They have little ones ranging from newborn to 16 years old.  They house 75 children and have 25 volunteers.  That’s one hundred meals 3 times a day (a few more for the smaller babies)  Can you imagine to cook for a 100 every time you prepare something to eat?  They do truly amazing work and they always need help  

 ”I… am a Fairy Godmother”  This is how Donna Mccallum started her talk last night. She is such a passionate and lighthearted lady.  Don’t mistake her for the kind of godmother who just swishes her wand and viola all your problems are solved, no no no.  Sorry to break it to you but there is no such a thing as a quick fix.   Donna is the kind of godmother who is passionate about helping you find direction in your life and then manifesting your goals.  Every lady attending this function got a magic wand and had to interactively listen to Donna and share their dreams and “things that make your soul blossom” with the person sitting next to you.  She guided us through this whole process and just by doing a few simple exercises got everyone’s passions reignited.  Let me share an example of Donna’s with you.  “I want to go on an overseas trip and have finally saved up enough money.  I now go to Toni my travel agent and tell her that I want to go on an overseas holiday and I want her to book it for me.  Toni now say that that’s great, where would you like to go?  And I reply:’  You are the expert and I want you to book my trip for me.  Toni replies:” But where would you like to go”  And I reply:’ Anywhere, you tell me.  You are the expert and I trust you’  So Toni goes ahead and book’s my holiday for me.  On the first day of my overseas holiday I am super excited as I board the plane   After I get off the plane I realize that my holiday destination is…. Kazaksthan  (yip, you heard right.  Toni has a wicked sense of humour)  Now if I imagined my holiday with white sandy beaches, warm lightblue seawater lapping at my feet and gorgeous bronzed men playing volleyball next to me I am definitely not impressed  with… Kazaksthan.  So immediately I start looking for someone to blame and who comes to mind… Toni.  This might be a funny little story but there is a lot of truth behind it.  What Donna was trying to say that YOU and ONLY YOU are responsible for the way your life turns out.  Your life is like a storybook and you are the author.  Only you can decide what will happen to the main character (makes sense doesn’t it?)  So take charge rather than staying in the same old rut of being the poor little victim of your circumstances.  Lastly, ALWAYS be grateful for everything you have.  A house, a job, food on the table, your family, your good health etc etc etc.  Ladies, Toni, Tanya, Donna, this was a very enlightening evening which I (and I’m sure many others) truly enjoyed!

Riani