We just appeared in a segment on the national lifestyle magazine programme “Top Billing” on SABC 3. Riani and I photographed South African Female Artist of the year “Lira” and Top Billing filmed it all. It was an absolute blast and Riani and I loved it. Lira and her mother and baby sister were so wonderful to work with – they have an incredible bond and really enjoy each other’s company. It’s always such a pleasure to photograph families that are so close as it makes it so easy to photograph those special images… you know the ones that capture a giggle between 2 sisters or the look of love and understanding between mother and daughter or the naughty pose of a young woman not wanting to grow up completely….. It’s what makes our job so special and is the reason we love what we do!

But it dawned on me tonight that it takes a lot of people to make the special things in our lives a reality….. I was thinking about how far we have come as a photographic studio, feeling quite proud of myself, quite puffed up after appearing on national television, when I realised that I didn’t make this happen, at least not on my own anyway….. and so this blog is dedicated to all the special people in my life who have helped me to do what I love and to do it successfully. It is a blog of gratitude…..

First if all, I need to thank my father John. Because he was the one who taught me to take photographs when I was a very young girl. As a mother of 3 children of my own, I now realise how much patience he had and how much he loved teaching me because he never worried about me using his expensive Pentax or Nikon (whatever the best camera’s were at the time) and he always encouraged me. He would praise me for a job well done (even of the photographs weren’t that great) and then he would suggest ways to improve the composition or the lighting the next time and so I developed a good eye for composition at a very early age. Because of him, I developed confidence and certainty that I could do anything I choose and for that I will always be grateful.

Then I have to thank my mom. Because she was never very good at taking photographs (which meant I got to take more – my dad would rather ask me even though I was very little because my mom would always end up cutting someone’s head off LOL) but that’s not the reason I am grateful. I am grateful to my mom because there is nothing more important in her life than her family. Her family is her wealth and because of that, I learnt to value family too. As a result, we both had an incredible passion for family photographs so guess where my inspiration came from….

When I had children of my own, I decided to study photography formally so that I could take even better portraits of my children. I had no intention of ever doing it professionally, I just loved taking photographs…… So the next person I need to thank is my husband Ryan who encouraged me to follow my passion and looked after the children while I did course after course after course…. I just loved it and eventually Ryan encouraged me to start taking photographs professionally. He has been my biggest supporter ever since and is now very instrumental in marketing the business online (not to mention looking after the children on weekends when I am photographing families or weddings or functions) Some of the school mom’s call him super dad because he arrives at the kiddies parties with 3 children and has a great time. I also need to thank my children for understanding that mom is working and doing what she loves even though she misses special family time on many weekends. I am grateful for their support and love the fact that they are so proud of me. It really means a lot.

Again, I need to thank my dad as he was instrumental in establishing and marketing our website – he is an international expert on Search Engine Optimization and online marketing and was able to get our site ranked on the top pages of Google in a very short time. This accelerated our growth along with all the support and referrals from friends. To all my friends and family that offered to be our guinea pigs when we first started shooting in studio, I am eternally grateful. And even more so for all the referrals and connections that you all send my way.Without you all,Louise Diesel Photography would still be a dream rather than a reality.

Next I need to thank Riani – our young, dynamic professional photographer who is so inspired by what she does that you can;t help being inspired yourself when you are around her. She is a package of dynamite and an incredible asset to our business. She loves what she does and it comes through in every image that she photographs. She connects with people in such a special way, that clients love dealing with her and return again and again. It’s not just about the photographs, it’s also about the experience and Riani ensures that you walk away from one of our photo shoots with incredible photographs as well as a special and memorable experience. It’s what makes us unique as professional photographers – our work is all about inspiration and feeling…..

I would also like to thank Kerry for ensuring that all our accounts are up to date and that we actually get paid for all our hard work and Althea for organising all our collections and deliveries and Nelson for all our design and marketing materials and everyone else at CFT Labels (our design and printing company) You are an incredible source of support and I am truly grateful to all of you.

To my friends that have stood by me and encouraged me and supported me (and challenged me) I am very grateful – you are all very special and my life is richer because of all of you.

And of course, I would like to thank all of our clients. Without you we would not have a business. But more than that, we would not have experienced all the love and laughter and tears and drama and inspiration, the honour of photographing your wedding celebrations, or your children’s birthday parties or your precious newborn. We fall in love with our subjects and find it an absolute honour to be a part of a special moment in your loves. Our lives are forever changed because of our interactions with all of you. We see a little of ourselves in all of you and discover new ways of experiencing love and that is why we love what we do.

Finally, I would like to thank myself. For believing in myself, for working hard, for realising that I could not have done this alone and for creating a vision for my life that is inspiring, challenging, rewarding and fulfilling. Watch out world, we are just beginning…..

Thank You – I am truly grateful!!!