Riani has an amazing way with little little babies. By being in a symbiotic, working relationship with someone else, you get to see many of their ways of working, and you get the opportunity to grow and learn so much. Every person has their strengths and developmental areas, and if you work together, the one feeds off of each other. Here by us, we are a well-oiled machine who does everything we can to make our studio successful, and through how we get to deal with our amazing client-base, we grow every day.

It’s always interesting to sit in and watch how she assures parents, and handles little baby to get good shots. Babies, just like grown people, have their own unique personalities and traits from day one, and some are more sensitive, and much less fazed by things that others. Each baby, and each family, is treated individually, and all babies are treated in such a way that suits them. We get to see intuitively which of them likes handling less and who cares very little if you change them or feed them. We wouldn’t want the shooting experience to be negative for them, so we always make sure to get them settled, and do whatever we can do accommodate parents, and little one.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Amazing newborn baby photography

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

Certain different cultural- or religious groups have different ceremonies, functions or practices that are important to them, and a special event in a person of Catholic faith’s life, is when they get to have their first Holy Communion at their church. Kids grow so fast, and this is one of those moments, where you as a parent suddenly realize how quickly they are growing older, when they already get to be part of their first Communion, and understand the meaning behind it a bit more.

Most special events, require good photographs, and there would be no-one more equipped that a professional studio, to capture those kinds of photos, so that the day can be remembered with fondness. With such events like these, it’s held n a church, many of which don’t have a big amount of natural light that flows in, therefore we use good external flashes with our cameras to have everyone be carefully lit and well exposed.

We always try and get all the details and make sure we capture the event from start to finish. We try and accommodate our clients as far as we can, and go the extra mile even if not always expected of us, we believe in not just good service but great service and believe that our clients can trust us with their memories, it is after all what we live and breathe.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Professionally photographed first Holy-Communion celebration 

It’s a great privilege to photograph an aspiring model, and you can see that person has the right stuff. Riani likes to use the expression poetry and motion, and this shoot, certainly was pure poetry. A photographer shouldn’t just have the ability to shoot well, and use light strategically, but also be able to guide your model in such a way, that their shape and form makes for interesting images. You are the master of the light, and the model absorbs that light to highlight certain features, or show of their silhouette. Light is such a wonderful medium, and when it gets to collide with a subject who just knows how to works the camera, the photographer has to do very little, just shoot what’s happening in front of them.

This girl has the making of a star, and she understands posing very well. We had such fun, and she enjoyed the shoot so much, it truly showed. She only wanted to have great photos done, but is now thinking of pursuing certain forms of modeling as she kind of shocked herself in this shoot. It was her very first, and I always wish for models like these. Very sure of themselves, and who they are, and just embracing the shoot, making the best of every shot. We had tremendous fun, and so could you. Come and amaze yourself by having a portfolio shoot done at LDP, our studio, will make sure to give you an amazing product.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

artistic modeling portfolio

Photographing families will never get old, for the simple reason that each family is differently, and have their own way of doing things. We have such great families visiting us, and each family has their own groove and it’s hard not to sometimes become a part of their banter and jokes.

Families are the cornerstone of our studio, and we get to build great trusting bonds with people who put their image and ultimately some great memories of theirs in our hands, and it’s our photos of them that will show who they are, how they have grown and changed, and parents get to see their children change from small helpless babies, into young adults. We have the best fun with all our families, and sometimes get them to do the craziest of things.

Our studio has the policy of giving you high-quality products, but that doesn’t mean they only have to be posed, stiff images, we love to do a bit more interactive posing with our families, get them to open up a bit, and enjoy the shoot as much as we do. It’s the best idea to treat your family and yourself to one of our fun shoots, it’s an occasion you’ll never forget and it will make for images you can treasure for many years to come.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

The real life studio photography

Bringing doggies with to your shoot, makes for such interesting images, as dogs have much love to give,        they just slobber you with their beautiful kisses. They also run around like crazy, and it’s a crazy time in the studio to get those little four-legged creatures to sit still for a few photos.

We enjoy them so much though, and have had many different kinds of dogs brought to the studio, and each time we get to see the bond they share with their owners, and because they are part of your family, they must certainly get to have awesome photos taking of them.

A unique shoot, depends on how our clients went all out and brought stuff to make their shoot extra special. Doggies are the ultimate, fantastic addition, and if you have great dogs who are as much a  part of your family as your children, or of you don’t have children yet, be just LIKE your own children, come and bring them around for a fun photo shoot, we’ll make sure to make them look extra glamorous.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Doggie photography