We recently went to the Drakensberg for Christmas and I have always wanted to photograph the Kosmos flowers which grow so freely next to the open country roads.  So this time I decided that there is no better time than now…  But I didn’t just want any ordinary photos of these beautiful flowers, oh no I wanted to try and capture something unique. 

I had my parents escort me so that I could play around and experiment with all different types of shots with them keeping an eye on me (when looking through a viewfinder of a camera I find the whole world disappears and all you focus on is the shot – so now you know why I needed them there)

Trying everything from lying on my back and shooting up all along the stem of these cute little flowers and even shaking them around a little to create some movement.  And this is what I ended up with.  Not 100% what I was looking for but I can already picture 3 little arty kosmos canvasses on my wall

The secret is to never lose the inner child within you, always keep playing…

Riani Labuschagne

Professional Photography

We all have dreams of what we would like to become one day, and as everyone are different and unique, so are these dreams and aspirations. If you perhaps have the dream to become a model one day, the very first place to start is by getting a portfolio made of yourself. Models have to have the ability to take good direction, because people like photographers and art-directors, have a very clear idea of how they would want their shot to look, and if you’re able to mould into that vision, you will be successful in it. A modeling, or portfolio shoot, is tremendous amounts of fun, and even more so for me, because I get to play around with the medium that is the foundation our profession is based on – light. Photographers get as excited about light as small children would about Christmas presents.

In about all of my modeling shoots, my subjects surprise themselves, which I feel a privilege to be part of the moment, and I can see the end-product in my mind, knowing what I want to achieve with the shot, and the look I want with it. I would encourage anyone wanting to get good photos done of themselves to come for a shoot by Louise Diesel Photography, you would be pleasantly surprised and awed with your amazing product.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Lauschagne

Model photographer

Babies are the cutest little people, and it’s wonderful that they actually don’t get born already talking and walking, but gets to crawl first, and gurgle, and make all of these noises to express themselves. Some babies are a bit more serious, but then you get some like this baby – all smiles, and very very friendly.

This year alone, we have done over 400 shoots, many of which families and babies, so get to work with kids from all ages up, going through a sorts of different phases and know what things work to get baby to smile. We just ask all our clients to trust us as professionals, because we are grateful for you to have picked our studio to capture your memories, and that we will get you kiddies to smile, even if we get close to standing on our heads.

A shoot can be a very fun experience, or quite intimidating for small kids because the backdrop is already this big white space that they don’t know what to make off, and then we ask them to smile on it as well. But still know that we use your time in the studio well, and make sure we do the photos with the kids first as they get stimulated very fast, and only give us a few minutes, then they’re done. We always try and not force them into more, as it will only result in crying faces, which isn’t what they Gram’s want to see when you give them photos of the kids for Christmas.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labsuchagne

Fun baby photos

It’s that time of the year again and as always I can’t believe how fast this year has just flown by…   What does Christmas signify to you, to me it’s a time of gratitude.  To say thank you for all the blessings which we have received during the year, to say thank you for friends and family and so forth.  The list is endless.

This Christmas of 2011 I am most looking forward to spending this very special day with my whole family (meaning all 12 of us, mom and dad, siblings,their better halves, kiddies, grandma and even my dogs)   So make some time today to sit and reminisce with your loved ones about the highlights of this past year and give thanks for each and every challenge that crossed your path, and if you look carefully you will see how these “opportunities disguised as challenge” made you grow.

To my crazy funny and VERY loving family, I adore you all! J

Riani Labuschagne

Holiday Season brings around that feeling, of quote almost the year is coming to an end, and a whole new chapter in everybody’s lives will start. It means new school years, new planning for business and what to focus on the year ahead, and new birthdays where everyone get to celebrate another year of memories. But before we greet the New Year, we remember the year gone past, and the Holiday Season is upon us, whether celebrating Hanukah, or Christmas or perhaps an Islamic New Year.

You get to think and be thankful for all your loved ones, and one great way to keep them close to your heart, is to have some amazing canvases made through our Holiday Season Special. When you buy two additional canvasses you get the third one for FREE. If they are of different sizes the smallest of the three would be accounted for the discount. It would make for great gifts and would make sure grandparents have their beloved grandchildren in a special place in their homes.

We pride ourselves in giving our clients good quality products, where we do our shootings with professional equipment, and do post-production work skillfully, to make sure you receive bright, vivid colours, and canvasses that will last a long time of the necessary care is taken to keep them in great displaying shape. We look forward to be of service to you all this Holiday Season, as we know what great joys it brings families to have their loved ones so close.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Holiday Season Specials

A boudoir shoot, is such an amazing shoot we like to do, for various reason. It firstly gets us to delve into this artistic side of us which we actually like to explore as much as we get the chance. It’s also such a technical shoot, because the photographer moves and shift’s the light constantly, to basically – what looks awesome in the shot. Everyone is differently built and has different features, and we use the medium that defies this profession – light, to make all the most stunning features, pop in the image.

It’s the most amazing tool, and we get as excited about it, as kids’ do at Christmas time, because we get to create, as every photographer is inherently the artist, and to create and make magic happen, even if through our little camera machines, is a joy we get to experience, and which can’t be explained to others, it’s that passion that gets to burn like fire.

A boudoir shoot makes some of the best abilities we have come forward, as we strive to make the woman brave enough to had come for the shoot, as comfortable as possible, and it makes us use our equipment, to create images that will take her breath away, and ultimately absolutely the loved one she did the shoot for in the first place.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

 Sexy boudoir photography

For very few people, we would know exactly what to buy as a gift for them. People have such different tastes and interests and it’s quite hard to tell what would be something that would be viable to them. A photo shoot as gift, is something that would work for absolutely anyone, no matter how their family is put together or what it consist out of.

We have the great privilege to work with an amazingly wide variety of people, each family different, each model unique, and they always enjoy the shoot tremendously. So a photo shoot gift voucher is the perfect gift, and a great idea, as everyone would want to have great photos of themselves taken, and have the chance to have fun in a professional photo studio.

We always take great care, to make sure everyone that visits our studio, know that we are professionals, using professional high-end cameras and equipment, and we use skill to technically create great images – but apart for everything, we connect with our clients, and they always feel like family to us. Treat yourself, or a loved one or friend, to a shoot at Louise Diesel Photography, The Real Life Studio, it’s the perfect gift, and will create a lifetime of memories.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Ideal Christmas presents