Many people have mixed feelings about studio photography, and wouldn’t know what to expect when they book a shoot. Most people only know they want great photos done of themselves, or with them and their family, but knowing what the results will be, or if they will get to loosen up in front of the camera, is unsure to them.

To quote our father here: Louise Diesel Photography

It is rare to be absolutely blown away by something you had average hopes for……this is definitely the feeling I experienced after viewing the results of a recent photo shoot……Professional, relaxed and Fun are a few words describing my experience at Louise Diesel Photography……Can’t wait for the next annual shoot people…..very well done….

Our shoot with this dad and his teenage daughter was tremendous amounts of fun, as they were open to anything, and tried anything. All it takes for good photos is a little bit of an uninhibited feel, and letting go of some shyness, and tentativeness.  A great part of our job is getting reviews like these, knowing people had certain expectations, and then to amaze them with our studio’s quality.

We guarantee a great shoot for everyone and anyone wanting to have their memories captured in a shoot, and we’ll make sure to bring out your personality some, and show the bond you have with your loved ones.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Fun studio photos

Sharing my very dear friend KC’s photos from her special shoot, is quite extraordinary, mostly because doing these types of shoots, are always challenges in various ways. Portfolio shoots are always done with people who are trained, professional model, many times we get to do them with people who would like great shots done of themselves, but aren’t always aware of what to expect or exactly what to do.

I’ve know KC for years when we spent some time overseas, and I have always seen her trough my artistic eyes, knowing she would make for great photos with her light complexion, an icy eyes. She stunned me out of my boots. To have been able to do this for her, not only made me feel proud to be her friend, it made me humble in this position, knowing how we get to have such a great opportunity to transform people, and literally dragging their inner magic out of them like a piece of rope.

KC is an amazing woman, full of life with such full personality, always laughing from ear to ear, and being true to who she is. I love her whole-heartedly, and I feel very inspired and lifted in a way after her shoot. She was amazing, and our shoot was such quality time spent together. Knowing how tentative she was before her shoot, and how became this vixen who suddenly just made for amazing photos, makes me confident enough in saying – through the skill of our photographers here at LDP, and our love for what we do and our clients, we shall always strive to bring out the very best in each and every one.

Yolandi Jacobsz

Funky modeling photos

We have a saying here at our baby photography studio, and it says that we have the best job in the world because we get to meet all the new babies…

Each and every baby bring their own unique personality to the shoot.  Once they are past that “newborn baby” stage they start getting much more interactive.  They look over at you when you talk to them, they start smiling and making the cutest gurgling noises as though they want to talk to you, so adorable!

I would definitely recommend a 3-4 month baby photoshoot to each and every parent who wants to capture their little one’s milestones as we go along.

Taking cute photos of your baby’s new smile is often very hard to do at home as they smile for a split second and once your camera phone has finally managed to focus that beautiful gummy smile is long gone.  In the studio we use professional Canon equipment which focuses in a flash and take 5-7 frames per second so I can promise you that we will capture more than just one of these beautiful smiles…

Riani Labuschagne & Yolandi Jacobsz

Baby Portraits

We had a Mom visit our studio once, who has three children, and with each of them she did their own special shoot when they reached a certain age. We had amazing fun with this little boy in the studio, because he had such an interactive personality, and did everyone we wanted him to; he smiled and jumped and giggled, and was a pleasure to photograph.

Mom is such a lovely lady, and she had fun as well, enjoying little one’s crazy tricks and obviously used to a boy’s wacky nature. We always try and shoot a family’s shoot, as modern and unique as possible, because you still want to look back at your photos in a few years’ time, and remember an amazing time, not that it was stiff and quite posed. It’s our strive to give our clients good, quality products, with it being shot correctly from moment one, with good colour and contrast, and edited in such a way as well.

Children have this ability to grow way faster than we think, and before we know it, they are taller, have a lot more to say, and they had completely changed from the babies they once were. Enjoying their growing-up, by having a shoot done of their milestones will let you remember their childhood with fondness.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

The real life studio

We encourage people to bring their own personality as much as they would dare, to the studio. Because when you bring with you elements of what and who you are, it makes for great photos, as you are comfortable, and when you’re comfortable in front of the camera, something just lights up inside of you. The camera is your closest friend, it shows everything very faithfully, and when you are tense or putting on a pretentious smile, the camera picks it up, and the audience will notice it as well.

When I recently did a group shoot with a whole bunch of ladies wanting to make a calendar of their images, I encouraged them to bring something that represents them, and what great fun we had, and what amazing captivating images I got.

With a boudoir shoot, which is basically a shoot with lovely underwear or nightclothes, the women are on their nerves in anyway, not knowing what to expect, and it’s quite a big exposure to get undressed in front of the photographer. It’s very much our responsibility to make our subjects as comfortable as possible, having a good knowledge of good lighting and your equipment, and a great deal of charm reassuring your clients that they will receive an amazing product. Bring your personality to the studio, you’ll enjoy it so much, and have great images that shows a bit of who you are.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Boudoir Photography

Toddlers… There are so much I can say, where do I begin?

  They might be really small in stature but they truly make-up for it in personality!  In my mind toddler photoshoots have a lot of balance in them, on the one side you know this is going to be really crazy and funny, but these little people also tend to have temper tantrums and almost always wants their way if not entertained correctly.  It is therefor very inportant that you keep in sync with them to ensure that you don’t tire them out too much and compromise (so that they feel they are getting their way) but you are actually lining up the perfect shot.

In preparation of a tollder photoshoot ask mom and dad to bring along some favourite colourful and noisy toys, they help relax your young subject as well as gets their attention.  And sometimes a little treat for afterwards works wonders.  Prepare yourself for 40 minutes of chaotic ”play, play,play” with your toddler and you will get beautiful images which will last you a lifetime.

We will capture every smile and frown, even that cheeky little frown which usually appears right at the moment you expect something from these little ones

Cute photos of toddlers

Families are the cornerstone of LDP, we thrive on their different energies and personalities, and we see it as a privilege to be able to work with so many people on such a regular basis. But even though the time spent in the studio is relatively short, it’s enough to just form that special bond required for our clients to trust us with their memories. We sometimes have to work very hard to get little kids to smile, and then when they do smile, its worth more than anything.

A smile has this amazing way of showing a great deal of your personality. The camera is so loyal in its ability, that it shows a fake smile immediately and very clearly. One can see when a person is a bit shy, or very self-assured, and a smile even shows a person in love. An anxious, forced smile shows someone isn’t at ease, and when we pick that up, we joke around, jump around, sing and do all sorts of things just to get our clients to show their lighter side.

I still very much enjoy kiddy smiles, because sometimes they still have their milk teeth, or even no teeth, or one missing, and it’s such a special time in their lives. Always know what we do always try, and get nice natural poses out of our families, so that you can have great memories that will last a lifetime.

Yolandi Jacobsz

Family Photography