Entries from April 2010 ↓

This week I am featuring Schantel van der Merwe of Kiekie Photography.

Schantel has done and will do weddings all over South Africa, has worked in London, and she has a studio in Springs. She has several galleries on her website, and a fairly new blog where you can get to know her a little better. You can also find her on Facebook.

How do you describe your photographic style? I am a natural light photographer. I love lifestyle and natural but artistic shots. I pay attention to small detail.

How did you get into photography? I studied information design and specialised in Photography. A friend asked me to photograph her wedding whilst I was still studying; I said yes and loved it. I never stopped after that and the bookings came flooding in.

How long have you been photographing weddings? 5 Years

What has been the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer so far? I was commissioned to do a wedding in the Cape at a prestige wine estate. It was so beautiful. But lately I have been doing a lot of portfolios for actresses and models.

Which are your five favourite wedding photographs, and why? Generally all these shots are my favourites because I felt I really captured the moment and my clients personality, and they all look so in love.

Refilwe’s shot was awesome because of the colour, it was as if it was glowing.

Maritza and Jacques’ shot on the grass was one of my favourites because they where in this soft flowing grass, they looked soooo in love.

Refilwe and Thabo’s shot together was stunning because it captured the moment and that is what made it so special.

The shot of Nadia and Ryan looked so vintage and because they love photo’s we had to take one with the vintage camera.

The shot of Carmen & Simon and their entourage was so awesome, it was destined to be one of my favourites.

How do you market yourself? Most of my work is word of mouth, but I use my blog a lot, and Twitter and Facebook also helps a lot.

What type of camera do you use? I use the Canon 5 D

What would you love to add to your equipment? There are sooo many things I would love to add, but at this stage I would love the Canon 50mm 1.2 lens. I am currently using the 1.4

How important is a tool like Photoshop in your work, and do you retouch at all? Photoshop is very important and yes I do do retouching, there is no need for a bride to have red eyes because she was emotional or maybe have little make-up smudge, so I will always take it away, they deserve to look their best.

Which are your favourite “outrageous” photographs and why? This is just one…

If you could be invisible- with your camera- for a day, you would… behind the scenes of one of Annie Leibovitz’s fashion shoots. She is my hero fashion photographer, and I use a lot of ideas in my wedding photos that are derived from fashion photos.

What advice do you have for photographers who are just starting out? Do as much shooting as possible, learn from other photographers and do research often.

Where would you love to go for a wedding shoot? Las Vegas

Is there anything you’re learning to do? I learn everyday, about photography and my business, you will never know everything and there will always be someone better than you.

What will you be up to in 2010? I’m currently in the process of expanding my studio to a venue where I would have a coffee shop and surroundings to do a lot of outdoor shoots, it is sooooooo beautiful. Keep your fingers crossed for me. And I would also like to start doing workshops to help other photographers.

There seems to be a little confusion out there- never mind stunned indignation when quoted a price for these divine little cakes!

These are not cupcakes as such, and whilst they do look exquisitely divine in a tower for a wedding, they will cost you easily TWICE the price of a cupcake because they’re quite literally mini cakes! They are soooo much more work than a cupcake, so don’t be surprised when you are given an estimate of R40 to R50 per mini cake.

Railway lines!

Mark my words, its big in the US at the moment, and it looks great. It’ll be the “next big thing” in SA as well. If not for wedding day photographs, the “day after” and TTD shoots definitely.

This week’s photographer interview is with Drikus le Roux. He is based in the Cape and can shoot weddings in the Eastern and Western Cape. His website gallery is constantly updated so do go and have a look, and he also has a Facebook page.

How do you describe your photographic style? A free flow of moments and laughs. I take a lot of shots at weddings, I laugh a lot and I make everyone around me laugh…a lot! I pose them not to capture the pose, but to capture their expressions after they think I’ve taken the shot. In a way I think my personality has definitely had an influence on my style and it’s something that I’ve developed and worked at for 5 years in studio.

How did you get into photography? I’ve always had a love for photography, but after school I studied IT and realised that I don’t want to spend my days in front of a computer screen. (Digital had not gone as mainstream as it is now, so film was still used by almost all but the high-end fashion and advertising photographers.) After my IT degree I enrolled and received my National Diploma in Photography from CPUT. I started working in studio photographing babies, kids, teens, parents, grandparents, cats, dogs and even the occasional pet snake and rabbit. This has taken me to international destinations as well and I’ve also won awards for my portrait photography. So in the end I do spend a lot of time in front of my computer screen, but at least photography is giving me something better to look at than diagnosing network issues in a data centre!

How long have you been photographing weddings? I shot my first wedding in 2004. That shoot is hidden far away where no one can ever find it! It was not until the beginning of 2009 that I really started putting all my attention and focus into weddings. I had the privilege to work with an amazing photographer in the Caribbean, and she opened my eyes and showed me how much fun wedding photography is. I fell in love with it and now I can’t see myself doing anything else!

What is the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer so far? I would have to say above everything it is the appreciation and thanks that I receive from my couples (and other service providers)…especially when you’re not expecting it. It really makes this job so rewarding and gets me up in the morning and go that little bit extra for them!

Which are you five favourite wedding photographs, and why?

Chantal was just a rocking bride and up for anything. It had been threatening to rain the whole day of her wedding and by the time we were doing the couple shots the wind had picked up and the temperature had already dropped quite a bit…it was freezing! But as soon as I told her to give me more attitude in the shot she just dropped the complaints about the cold wind and started giving it. {This girl has loads of facial expressions!} Love the colour tones in the image and the little bit of sky at the top.

Caroline, Dave and myself were taking a bit of a break during their couple shoot. I was changing a flash card when I looked up and saw them stealing a kiss. Awesome moment! Love the way the curl detail of the iron matches the curls of her hair!

Monique was just the perfect bride {haven’t even started editing her shoot as I only did it on Saturday} but I remembered this shot. Love the contrast between the bottom and top half of the image…the way she is sitting compared to the elegant expression and delicate hand under the chin.

Any wedding photographer’s dream couple! A morning wedding and the rest of the day until sunset is dedicated to eating and 4 {yes, four!} hours of couple shooting time! Love the way the blue door in the background picks up Liese’s blue eye make-up. It was one of those moments in a shoot when {in your mind, and sometimes when you forget that you’re around people} you do a happy dance, because you know you just got something special.

The beauty of a 4 hour couple shoot is that you have so much time to explore so many options and loads of locations. We found this wall of wood in a drive-way when we were walking down the street. Great warmth in the reds and yellows of the wood.

How do you market yourself? When I started out with weddings I went a bit over the top with marketing and advertising on websites etc. In the end it really didn’t give me what I wanted. My last bookings have come either from Facebook, Twitter or just word of mouth. I always end up talking to a lot of the guests at weddings and because they’ve seen the way you work and they’re having fun while I’m taking their photographs I do get a lot of referrals from weddings that I’ve shot. I’ve also recently joined a business breakfast club. I do think that interaction with your potential clients is the best as they’re hiring you for your experience as well as personality.

What type of camera do you use? I’m a Canon shooter and I’m using the 7D at the moment.

What would you love to add to your equipment? Lenses, lenses, lenses!!! You can never have enough lenses, well at least I can’t! I would love to have a set of PocketWizards as well, but as the 7D has a built-in transmitter I’m currently happy using the camera to trigger my off camera flashes. Another handy piece of equipment that I would love (and going to order soon!) is a Boda bag. I used one in the Caribbean and got so used to having this handy bag on my hip that I feel completely lost without it now. They’re comfortable, can carry spare batteries, flash cards and 2^nd camera with a 70-200mm lens with ease and most importantly it doesn’t put too much strain when shooting a 8 hour wedding!

How important is a tool like Photoshop in your work, and do you retouch at all? I have a love/hate relationship with Photoshop. Primarily I use Lightroom as it really speeds up my editing and adjustments of my images. I will take images into Photoshop when I need to specifically retouch something in an image that I can’t edit in Lightroom, otherwise I hardly open Photoshop anymore for wedding photography.

Which are your five favourite creative / artistic / different photographs and why?

I love doing panoramic shots, taking sometimes up to 25 images and then digitally stitching them together. Isabel asked me to do a shoot with her before she headed out of the country and I thought of no better person to be a guinea pig for adding a person into one of these. This one is made up of 7 images stitched together. As she was heading out to the Emirates {and probably not going to need her favourite ‘wellies’ and umbrella for a while, we thought they’d be great props.

I sometimes get moments where I’ll just let my camera free and let it take 20 – 30 shots in rapid succession. You never know what you’re going to end up with, but by keeping your subject moving and entertained you might just get that smile that hides away.

One of my favourite ‘bump’ shots. The lighting that came through the window was awesome and I just told Bibette to freeze while I grabbed the shot, just took out a bit of colour in post processing and added a bit of vignetting as most of the shadow on the wall was there already.

After I took this shot of Althea & Jürgen I just knew that I had enough images to create something great for them. Love the way their lips are smiling the same.

Another of Monique’s wedding photos. Even though you can’t see her arms {just the tops of her forearms and hands} I love the way they mimic the shape of the roof as well as the diagonal way that her legs are placed. Triangle’s are fantastic shapes in images!

If you could be invisible – with your camera – for a day, you would… Sit in front in a cinema and photograph the expressions of the audience as they’re watching films. Have you ever turned around in a darkened cinema and just looked at people (ok, I know that sounds a bit stalkerish), but do yourself a favour and do it next time…it’s fascinating!

What advice do you have for photographers who are just starting out? Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Try a different angle, there’s always a new angle to everything! Shoot lots! And in case of an emergency, stay calm…you did make a backup, right?

Where would you love to go for a wedding shoot? When I read this question now the first thing that came to my mind was shooting a wedding in Africa with Massai people and huts and bare landscape. I love that rustic vintage feel, mixed with warm fires and African landscape…bliss!

Is there anything you’re learning to do? I never stop learning. I listen to a lot of podcasts and find them useful for learning about Lightroom, marketing, weddings and photography tips. At the moment I’m learning how to do some killer slideshows!

What will you be up to in 2010? Shooting weddings, doing my first bridal show, working on a revamp of my blog (even though I think it’s only going to launch much later in the year). Generally, just keeping this dream a reality!

Why does everyone ask me this if I mention something in relation to mine and my fiancé’s wedding?

I am excited.

Really I am.

Just because I’m not squealing and jumping up and down and clapping my hands when I speak about it, doesn’t mean I’m not excited about my wedding.