Le Cordeur Progress

I just love photographing and seeing this family grow.  From Andrew & Heike’s windy wedding, to Indya’s birth and now the next pregnancy.  Already these shots below are outdated as Mr Luca has made his grand entrance into the family earlier this month.  Congratz guys!  Hopefully I’ll be able to meet the wee guy soon.

Here is Heike’s thoughts after the shoot:  ”I don’t think people would believe me if I told them how busy Indya was that day and that she gave you milliseconds to get shots – not even to mention Dash (Pt-the dog)!”  Luckily milliseconds were enough!  Enjoy this awesome season’s memories. ]]> http://peartree.co.za/blog/2012/05/absolute-natural-family-portraiture/feed/ 5 http://peartree.co.za/blog/2012/05/lesotho-landscape-wedding-photography/ http://peartree.co.za/blog/2012/05/lesotho-landscape-wedding-photography/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 08:42:36 +0000 Wil Punt http://peartree.co.za/blog/?p=12188 captivated close to clarens]]> NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

These guys know how to throw a wedding!  Most people started arriving from Tuesday onwards for this almost week long wedding between Fouriesburg en Clarens, right on the Lesotho-South African border.  Linwood Guest Farm is a special wedding venue in the Free State and I especially loved the surrounding landscapes.  We live in such a beautiful diverse country!  The Pretty Blog’s Nicola did a superb job with the flowers. The Creator did even better with the massive moon over Lesotho landscapes on the night.  Thanks for the special touch Lord!

Thank you of course to Deon and Maria for trusting me with something so dear to you.  I will surely return to this area for more feasts for the eye soon.

I’m sitting here at OR Thambo International.  I’m off to Kenya very soon.  But I managed to quickly prepare a few shots from yesterday’s wedding for you.  The East Free State is an absolute jewel I will surely be back for more visual stimulation!  Deon & Maria managed to pull an phenomenal event off that I feel privileged to have been part of.  Thanks guys.  Enjoy the taster for now.  More shots to follow after Kenya.

For some weddings it’s just better to write less in order to post the photos sooner.  Lovely, fun, real, graceful and vibrant.  Just a wonderful day at Morgansvlei in Tulbagh with wonderful people.  And of course a famous horse called Blaze!  Enjoy!

Thank you to Marisa for her last faithful assisting.  Thanks for being able to count on you, always willing and great work.

It has been a while since I have shot a wedding in the Durbanville area.  I was astound to see the beauty of the landscape again and just marveled at what our amazing country has to offer around every corner.  How I love South Africa!

And how I loved this perfectly planned wedding.  JP & Yolandé did a really awesome job to put this spectacular event together.  There were signs, specific presents, bill boards, a dog cake,  band, medals, beautiful flowers & decor by Moondrops, newspapers, a movie … the list goes on.  Even sweets and tissues for the church!   But my personal favourites – the calamari … or Cala-Marie named after JP’s lovely parents and the SpringMielies named after Oom Mielies – Yolandé’s dad.  They thought about absolutely everything and chose a place close to home to live out their dream wedding.  I can highly recommend Bon Amis Restaurant where the ceremony took place.  Maybe I was just hungry, but the food and atmosphere were out of this world.

The pleasure was all mine guys – thanks for being such a fun couple to photograph.  Hope you enjoy these. ]]> http://peartree.co.za/blog/2012/04/weddings-durbanville-photography/feed/ 14 http://peartree.co.za/blog/2012/04/lanzerac-weddings-stellenbosch/ http://peartree.co.za/blog/2012/04/lanzerac-weddings-stellenbosch/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:05:04 +0000 Wil Punt http://peartree.co.za/blog/?p=11938 no pressure shoot]]> NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Gert & Cecile decided not to have an official photographer on the day of their wedding at Lanzerac.   I only met them at this awesome venue 3 weeks after for the following joyous shoot.  I hope and am sure you will be satisfied with these early morning shots.   Blessings to the two of you!

Wolwedans | Namibrand Nature Reserve

When Cheuk and Mary googled desert weddings from their home in Hong Kong, they didn’t even know a country called Namibia existed!  They surely know about it now … and the rest is history.

Follow me to the amazing Wolwedans on the edge of the Namibrand Nature Reserve for a wedding as vast as the sanddunes, stylish as the lodge and magical as the fairy circles.

iHesitated to share these iPhone shots.  All of then iTook and iEdited quickly on my iPhone before iBoard and iTook-off on my plane.  But eventually iDecided to share some of the ones iLike.  iHope you will like it too and the story iWrote-up about it.  Here iGo.

I left a very cold and wet Cape Town on the last flight out the Sunday night before the wedding.  Above the clouds this is what welcomed me.

The 2 hour flight felt too long.  I was tired from the wedding I did the day before and the struggle to back it up and get some tasters on the web whilst spending time with fam and packing.  I should have rested more on the flight.  The next two days happened just too quickly.  Very early the next morning I set off to Wolwedans.  It is a 6 hour drive from Windhoek to there and I arrived just in time to be shown my tent and drop my bags.  What a place!

The view made me want to lie on the deck the whole day!  It was however time to take control of my mind, ask for strength and shift into a creative gear.  You can be the judge if I managed.  Post soon to come.

I stayed the next night at Sesriem on my way back.  My aim was to shoot Dooievlei, but I had too little time to reach it having shot the previous evening and that whole morning as well.   I was very disappointed about this, but realised I succeeded in what I came to Nam for and just had to plan a next trip with my family and friends to visit this mindblowing place again.  I gathered myself and went for drive which resulted in these landscape shots.

Slept that night in my tent at Sesriem.  I woke up at 0340 having thought I heard something.  I looked around but saw nothing and I fell back to sleep again.  The next morning however, this is what I found.  Can you spot my problem?

Yes. Just to the right of the tent under the sink.  Can you see it?  Only 1 sandal left!  hehe!  Mr Jackals was having an early morning chew on my Teva Sandal in his hole somewhere.  That’s OK, but it was the only pair of footwear I brought with me to Nam!  After searching the veld for too long (and getting strange looks from my neighbours), I had to set off to catch my flight back to SA.

The plan was to have a legendary Apple strudel and Filter coffee at Moose McGregor’s Desert Bakery in Solitaire.

I had a great chat with Moose the legend baker from the desert.  On the outlook he’s got everything – world reknown status, a perfect reputation and an awesome product.  But speaking to Moose for a while longer, you meet a 55 year old man who has been slaving away working for others for 20 years; supporting his sister and mother from his small salary that doesn’t even allow him to travel to Windhoek (except when he has to renew his car licence every year); he and his faithful friend Titus have not had a raise in 3 years according to Moose.  And now Solitaire has been bought over by a Texan Oil Tycoon who will become his new boss.  Hopefully there is new hope for Moose and (not even) his desert bakery with the new change.  I believe he deserves the break.

A toast to the baker of Solitaire with his traditional beer mug full of English tea (non iphone shot).

Just as I wanted to leave, I saw I had a flat tyre.  As a friendly man fixed it for me at the petrol station without petrol (for 5 days and counting when I was there), I tried to capture a bit of the soul of the place called Solitaire.

As you can imagine, by this time I was quite late for my flight and had to cover more than 300kms of mostly dirt road in 3 hours to make my plane back.  From the shot below you can see I did make it … and barefoot of course all the way back to Cape Town!

Everyone spoke Afrikaans to me … middag middag boet – how’s the plaas doing … with a smirk on their faces.

I didn’t mind.

I didn’t just loose my sandal in Namibia.  Also a part of my heart.  See you soon again land of open spaces.

I feel privileged to share the wedding captured on her beauty for you next … keep a look out for Cheuk and Mary’s Desert Wedding coming soon.

Sharing a few random landscape shots taken on a walk the afternoon after my Wolwedans wedding last week.

Richard and Jeanne have travelled and worked all over the world.  There experiences brought some fun & refreshing elements to their wedding at Vrede en Lust..  Look out for the French flag bridesmaids’ dresses; the guys’ funky socks; old English vows that makes a French lady  stumble; sporums, sgian dubh and Gordon tartan; old classics; perfect light; love that stood the test of a lifetime; modern Indian dancing and more.  And the of course, hidden away, is Richard’s dad and the young blond!  Very funny!

Thanks guys for a year of planning, an amazing day and an absolute pleasure getting to know the two of you with your friends and family.  Keep in touch for the future and all the best for your married life together.

Thank you to Lara Schoeman for fun on our last assisting together!  Thanks for all the help and input.  Enjoy Kenya!