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

Babies give us such joy, because when they get to that stage just before they get their actual teeth, but they already have some personality, they tend to give you these gummy smiles, and it’s something that only makes your heart melt. Little kids rule the world, and they will only smile if they feel like it. So many people show us photos of these babies at homes giving the biggest smiles, and when they are in the studio, they tend to be out of their comfort zone some, and the smiles do not come so easily. We do everything but about stand on our head to get them to smile, and we get great results with our shoots, as these are natural smiles, and special moments of baby.

They really grow very fast, it’s from the one stage to the next, and one should capture these little milestones of theirs, and what better to do that than to have professional photographs of baby. We understand that your kid might not quite know what is going on, with strangers trying to get them to smile, but we really entertain them with all sorts of sports.

Bring your baby for a shoot by us, you’ll have images you’ll treasure forever.

Yolandi Jacobsz

Baby Photography

Environmental Portraiture as described on Wikipedia: ”

An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings. The term is most frequently used of a genre of photography.

By photographing a person in their natural surroundings, it is thought that you will be able to better illuminate their character, and therefore portray the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features. It is also thought that by photographing a person in their natural surroundings, the subject will be more at ease, and so be more conducive to expressing themselves, as opposed to in a studio, which can be a rather intimidating and artificial experience”

The first environmental portrait was taken in one of the many townships of Port-Elizabeth where I was granted the privilege of exploring my surroundings with Sitah, who works within their community outreach programs.  This photo was taken at a “nursery school”.  Now you must remember that these kids don’t speak or understand English or Afrikaans and I don’t speak their native language, so their teacher along with Sitah tried everything to just get these little ones to just be themselves in front of my camera (which they have probably never seen one either)  We changed tactics and I asked the teacher to get the kiddies to sing a song, and do you know what they sang?  Jesus loves me, yes I know… Still gives me Goosebumps to this day.

My second environmental portrait as seen above was on a “field trip” in Mozambique when I was still a student at the National College of Photography.  We (the students) decided that we would go doen to Mozambique for the long weekend (long weekend being three days only, crazy I know)  We slept at a guesthouse in SA and went through the border into Maputo the for a whole day spent there to photograph and explore.  Now you must understand that Maputo (and most of Mozambique) isn’t a rich province – even though it is a very popular holiday destination. So everywhere you go, you find street vendors and people asking for money, and this old woman agreed that I could take a photo of her…  I can still remember that this shot was taken on Kodak CN400 black and white film and it was my first film that I had to process myself in the darkroom.  I was so nervous because I just knew there were beautiful images on there which could eassily be ruined by my inexperience.  Luckily it was just a stop underprocessed quickly sorted with slight Photoshop work.

The third environmental portrait was taken on the same day (same location) as the first shot.  I remember being dead-tired after spending the day learning from these people that you don’t need a lot to be happy and it is a lesson I will keep with me always …

Riani Labuschagne

Professional Photographer

One never knows how much troubles you have, until you see what someone else has been through. Recently, we were at our monthly Woman at Work function – we are their official photographers, and we get to photograph their events every month which they hold at different venues and where they have a different guest speaker every month. Recently, we listened to Jess Foord’s story – rape survivor from Kwazulu Natal, who was gang-raped by 4 men in 2008.

Yes has a lovely personality and, she really looks at peace with what has happened. After the ordeal she decided to take her story all over the country, and started the Jess Foord foundation, – a non-profit organization that helps many rape victims and they also do all in their power to prevent it from happening. She is such a lovely young woman who recently got married to her dream-guy, who understood her situation from day one.

Jess taught us, that no matter how far or hard you fall, there is always a way to get up, and it’s important to take such a step. If you take the time to look around, you’ll see the support and love around you, and know that somehow, you’ll definitely get through your hard situation.

Yolandi Jacobsz

Professional event Photography

Families will always be near and dear to us, especially if they have smaller children, because children have this amazing ability to grow at a rapid rate, and each time we get to see them again when they visit our studio, they are taller with some personality. Each and every family is different and that’s what we love about them. Some have very funny, joking dads, other have a very sweet mom, others a grandma whom you can see her grandchildren, are her world.

With the many compliments and good responses we get from families who have had a great time in the studio, we pride ourselves in being a very successful studio, that present people with great products that we know were shot well with good lighting and professional equipment, and that our clients know will represent exactly who they are.

It’s all about having fun in the studio, and making the most of our time, because an hour, maybe two at most, isn’t a long time to form a strong bond with someone, and still our families walk out of here, feeling they have connected with us, and us with them. Having a fun family shoot at Louise Diesel Photography, is a great idea, because not only will it feel like a playdate, but it will insure memories to hold on to for a lifetime.

Yolandi Jacobsz

Fun family photography

I have known Bianca le Grange since 2009, it’s just a spirit and personality you can miss, anywhere. She has this very lively energy that comes from within that she always carries with her, and she’s very comfortable with who she is.

It was some time in the making, but she finally released her new album recently, and our studio were approached to take her photos, as she has worked with me before, and we hit it off instantaneously. Bianca has a natural sensuality to her which makes for great photos, it’s as if something forceful is behind the look she gives you, and she’s very good with using the camera.

Bianca is very proud of her roots, as am I as her friend, and she has had quite a journey to be where she is today. She is a tremendously hard worker, and she always puts all her efforts into her work and her art.

Yolandi Jacobsz

Modelling Photography