Jessica & Henry got married at the most beautiful little church in Alberton on the 10th of April. It was one of the times where we were photographing close to home and it made the

whole wedding even more special as we photographed at places which I drive past regularly. It’s strange how we miss beauty that is amongst us every day. We get so used to seeing something (or someone) every single day that we forget to notice the great things. This is the most challenging aspect of being a photographer, looking at scenery like it is the first time

you have seen it and photographing it in a way other people have never seen it. The lovely bride “J” was looking slightly nervous when I met her at the salon having her wedding make-up done and then something really cool happened. The wedding march played on the radio…!!! Can you believe it?! After that she was relaxed and mentioned that she is ready. Getting

ready was a breeze along with shooting photos of the lovely bride and her bridesmaids before her wedding. I will never forget their church ceremony, when they sang the “Onse Vader” I got Goosebumps and just had to hold back the tears. (Typical woman I know but I know that these powerful emotions are the things that we are able to feel and therefor capture

perfectly) Being a professional wedding photographer it was up to me to find the ideal location for wedding photography and so we went to the famaous “Meyer Plaas” in Alberton to have photos taken in the fields and in at their historic house. The wedding was beautiful and filled with so much love and it will always stay in my mind. Henry & Jessica ek hoop julle is altyd so verlief en geseend!
Riani

Food can sometimes be a tricky subject to photograph.  Ice Cream melts (which means you have 2-3 minutes to perfect your lighting) and steaming bowls of food cool down in 5 minutes so what do you do?  Firstly here two quotes that I think very much apply to the art of food photography:

“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography”

George Eastman (founder of Kodak)

“It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary.”

David Bailey

First off you need to know light.  We are surrounded by light but we never learn to fully appreciate it.  Take time in the late afternoon to absorb the wonderfully soft amber light just before the sun dips behind the horizon.  Carefully study the way light wraps around a loved one’s face early in the morning.  This even applies to when you have your lunch, out it down on the counter and study the way the light and shadows enhance and hide certain features.  By doing this you will already be halfway to a better photograph of food.  When you are setting up your shot, take an object which has a similar shape and size as the food you are photographing and try to get your lighting 99.9% correct before you even think of placing your plate of food in front of the lens.

Basically you need to make a normal plate of food look good enough to eat (literally)  Take a little bit of time to examine the colours and textures of the food while your food stylist prepares it.  And lastly, a very important tip when photographing food is to visualize the shot which you are looking to create.  Without this vision you will be lucky if you get anything good enough to show off…

Riani

Brokers in general have hectic schedules, so when you get commissioned to do corporate photography of brokers at a big company at AON Benfield you’ve really got to know your stuff.  They book out one of their biggest boardrooms for an afternoon (well four afternoons in this case) and we fit each broker into a 15 minute slot and that’s what you have got to

work with.  This was basically the kind of corporate photoshoot where the company has asked that we photograph their brokers (each individual needs 10 great photos) and you have to keep in mind that not all people like to be in front of the lens.  The hard work is to connect with every individual in such a way that they feel comfortable enough to laugh and smile…  Corporate photoshoots are always done on location so you have to go prepared.  Flashes, spare batteries memory cards & all.  I really think the boardroom was a fantastic space to

shoot in and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have professional corporate photographs taken of their company.  If you are interested and want to get more information on our professional corporate photography please contact us on info@louisedieselphotography.co.za or give us a call on 011 869 7759.

Riani

“Sinzinani Day Spa & Beauty Salon is an urban sanctuary, nestled between the Klipriversberg mountain range, set inside a true African bush setting at Thaba Ya Batswana, South of Johannesburg.” – Taken from their website

If you are looking for that “out of Africa”, in the City pampering experience, then come and discover the place where relaxation and stress reduction are the ways of life…

I have spent a day at Sinzinani day spa and man oh man, did we have a good time.  Their therapists are highly-qualified and very professional and best of all the day is all about rejuvenating your body and mind.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Taking commercial photos for a spa can be quite tricky as there isn’t always natural light available and this forces you to make your exposures longer and use professional

photography equipment like a tripod and a Canon 5D mkii (which we love to use).  Firstly we had to get our model to settle in comfortably (if you don’t feel comfortable, the photo won’t look comfortable).  Then make sure you get the shots which the client requires from you but don’t forget to do a few creative spa shots either.

Commercial photography involves a lot of planning before you can even consider taking the actual photo.  Make sure that you have a sit-down meeting with your client to discuss their vision and needs for this commercial photoshoot.  What is possible and how do they want to use the specific commercial photograph.

Lastly, push your boundaries and have fun!

Riani

As Professional Wedding Photographer in Johannesburg we have had the pleasure of photographing gorgeous brides and elegant weddings at wedding venues like Avianto and

Toadbury Hall.  Each and every wedding venue offers their own personal style and look.  The wedding venue Avainto (which is situated in Muldersdrift)  is one of my favourite wedding venues because you can totally immerse yourself in the venue.  It’s got the feel of an Italian village without being corny.  Wedding photographers like us just love shooting at this venue

as there is an abundance of first class scenery which can make your wedding photos even more beautiful than you ever imagined… (and their food is simply fantastic   )

Riani

What do all four of these people have in common…?  They are all models with awesome modelling portfolio’s.  Having professional modelling photos done by a professional

photographer can make all the difference.  It shows that you are willing to put time and effort into your career.  You don’t always to have to use the same model photographer seeing

that they all have their own style and way of shooting your model portfolio.  Choose outfits that suit your “look” and make the most out of your photoshoot.  Tell the photographer

about your style and who you want to be, it always help if you have an idea of it.  Then lastly, just go for it.  It’s okay to be shy for the first 5 minutes of your modelling shoot but then you must own it to become a true top model!

Riani

“Babies are such a sweet and nice way to start people.” – Anon

Always kiss your children goodnight – even if they’re already asleep.
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. ”
James Matthew Barrie