Johannesburg Wedding Photographer

Wedding Photography is a subject so vast and so varied, I could write for hours on the subject. Just google the term ‘wedding photography’ and you get over 6 million results!!! Being a professional wedding photographer, many people seem to think that I am an expert on Johannesburg Wedding Photography. However, the subject of wedding photography is a really, really subjective one, so it would be wise to be careful who you take advice from.

Let’s take wedding budgets as an example – budgeting for wedding photography is a cause for huge debate. Google that and you get 403 000 results!! Many people spend years planning their wedding day, right down to the finest details (after all, most of us plan to only do this once in a lifetime – so we want it to be perfect) and budgets are normally huge considering everything that goes into making a ‘perfect wedding’….. from the wedding dress, to the colour of the table cloths, to the wedding venue, to the flowers, to the music, to the food, the rings, the first song, to the wedding favours and on and on and on….

If I think back to my own wedding, I think my husband was so relieved once our wedding was finally over because he was so tired of hearing about all the details (I planned it for nearly a year and that’s all my friends & I spoke about for a whole year!!! He always used to say: ‘Why are you asking for my opinion? You aren’t interested in what I have to say anyway!’)

So considering all of that, I just don’t understand why so many people budget so little for their wedding photographs??? Some even forget to budget for a wedding photographer at all! Okay, I admit I am biased (after all I am a professional wedding photographer….) but once all is said and done, photographs are all you have left of your wedding day (and possibly a video).

You spend a lifetime planning your wedding, probably a lifetime of savings too, so you want to have more than memories to show for your special day – and that’s where you photos come in. So my advice to you (and I said this was subjective) is to budget a decent amount for a professional wedding photographer.

It could be the single most important thing that you do because at the end of it all, no-one really remembers the cake or what the song was for the first dance (I don’t think my husband even remembers ours…. no, just kidding!!) but you get the point, so your wedding photos will become one of your most prized possessions for years to come. So considering Johannesburg wedding photography and all that it entails, expert or no expert, one thing I can guarantee is that a good photographer will capture those special moments in a way that will allow you to relive your special day again and again and again – and that is priceless!!

As a Johannesburg wedding photographer, I am so exited that spring is in the air. Not only is the weather better but so is the scenery and the amount of day light we have. On a recent wedding the service ran late (the best man forgot the wedding rings can you believe it….) and we actually ran out of day light. Such a pity because I much prefer natural light for wedding photography.

The scenery in spring is just so beautiful, the luscious green grass and the budding trees and flowers just add to the beauty of the bride and groom. When the spring rains come it also cleans the rivers, and running water is always great to photograph.

The wedding venues in Muldersdrift also just sprout to life after the first rains. And the rose gardens set the perfect stage for the bride and groom’s first wedding photos. As you can see I just love spring and all that it brings. New beginnings, fresh starts, and beautiful oppurtunities for photography….

Spring just makes being a wedding photographer more exciting.The brial couple are just so much more comfortable in spring as the bride is not shivering because she is cold. And there is nothinng like a summer highveld sunset…..

Johannesburg wedding photography for a professional wedding photographer like myself is a lot of fun.Joburgers really know how to celebrate in true jozi spirit.

I have been fortunate enough to do many Gauteng weddings from muldersdrift to Alberton to Soweto and one thing I have to say is Johanneburg people know how to party. 

There is something about a wedding that gets everyone going, the married couples reminisce about their wedding day and the young couples dream of when their wedding day will come. As far as photography goes every wedding is unique.

Every bride and groom expects different things from their photographer. Some couples want the traditional photos while others want the funky new age wedding photography style. That’s why as a professional international photographer, I prefer to meet the bride and groom-to-be beforehand, so we can get to know each other. A good photographer gets the shots the bridal couple want, not the shots the photographer wants.

The wedding guests also play a role in the outcome of the photographs. What I like about the recent weddings I have done is that the bridal couples have wanted fun candid pictures and the guests have obliged. I have posted a few of the wedding party pictures that rarely get displayed, but which I feel make up a large part of the wedding day and all it’s wonderful memories!!!

I am the first to admit that I really don’t like flash – but at a wedding, your flash will become your best friend and if used correctly, will give you beautiful images. If you are going to be photographing weddings often, I would recommend that you buy the most expensive, most advanced and most powerful flash that you can afford. It will save you so much time in the end and as a professional photographer, time is money. It is also advisable to have a diffuser cap on your flash.

Flash is good for several reasons:

(1) flash can freeze action – this is ideal when the bride and groom walk out of the chapel and you want to capture the confetti shots

(2) perfect for the first dance as it has a known light strength so it is controlled and constant

(3) it can be used to correct colour – so it can be very useful for those sunset shots (if you expose for the bride’s face without overexposing the sunset, you won’t have any colour casts on th ebride’s face, but will still have the beautiful sunset in the background)

(4) it is important to understand that flash will expose for a specific distance so when doing those group table photos that everyone wants at a wedding, you need to ask everyone to move and get close together or your lighting will not be even

(5) Bouncing flash can be very useful if you have a white ceiling – this allows you to spread the light more evenly and gives a nice soft light. Watch out though for bouncing on thatch as this will give a colour cast and that is the last thing you want when photographing a wedding – especially the bride!!!

All in all, weddings can be tricky to photograph, but with a bit of experience and a good flash you will be a professional wedding photographer in no time!!!

Every now and then I feel so privileged to do what I do. Photographing Marisa and Jorge was one of those times… and the photos show it!

In fact, it wasn’t even Marisa’s idea to do a maternity photo shoot – it was Jorge’s idea. He convinced her to come for the preggie shoot and you could just see how proud he was of her and their baby-to-be…..

He made her feel so beautiful when I was photographing her and was completely at ease behind the camera himself.

You could see he was in love and loving this part of his life. You could feel the love between them and their unborn baby and it was an absolute pleasure to photograph!

That’s what I love about my job – I have always loved maternity photoshoots but to photograph a couple that is so in love is just a cherry on the top!

One of the things I love about photographing weddings is watching the nervous bride transform into an absolutely stunning princess ready to meet her prince in shining armour…. (okay I am a hopeless romantic and needless to say, my hubby isn’t so I need to get my romance from somewhere – maybe that’s why I love weddings so much?!!)

But it’s really quite fun being able to capture the whole process of getting ready – the bride and her bridesmaids as well as the mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the groom versus the groom and his bunch of friends – you get to be part of incredible moments of emotion and love, as well as unbelievable humour (guess that’s from the nerves or maybe the champagne??) and sometimes overhear a few words of wisdom too…

But it makes it extra special when the beautiful bride that you are photographing is about to become your sister-in-law and you just know that she adores your brother and that he adores her and that they make each other very,very happy! It’s one of those special moments in your life when you just know that there is a bigger plan out there than we can ever comprehend and it fills me with such joy!

Anyway, photographing my brother’s wedding was great fun (especially since I had too much champagne) and was a real honour (even though I didn’t get to be in any of the photos – boohoo) and I just think that Alexis made the most beautiful bride and I just know that she makes a beautiful wife too…. I think my brother should count his lucky stars……

To JJ and Lex – I love you guys!!! Mwah!!!