photography

My dearest friend invited us to do their engagement photo shoot in the scenic Clarens, Free State, SA. It was a weekend of enjoying all the wurst that the restaurants had to offer, alongside all things craft and the crisp winter breeze.

Now, I can write quite a bit about my “hartsvriendin” that is Lindi. This woman FEELS and experiences with every piece of her being – intensely and with a shrouded ferocity. And it is always inspiring me. She knows what she wants and also knows how to communicate it artistically.

We hounded poor André for days at end about popping the question. I remember there was one night at our church that Jess, Alex, Klippie and myself ganged up on the poor soul – one of many times – to ask when he would be FINALLY asking for Lindi’s hand in marriage.

But André stubbornly stuck to his guns, and rightfully so. We could not hold back our elation when I finally got a message from Lindi, a photo of a flower ring, as an official announcement that we will be celebrating soon!

This could kick all Lindi’s dreams into gear and let her creative soul soar – which is such an inspiring thing to be around. I love dreaming and doing along with Lindi, putting our hearts into words, translating it into a universal language for others to interpret and feel along with us.

So off we went to Clarens! What better place for a creative muse with good food, beautiful crafts and an ooze of artistry and culture. We walked through the streets, smelled eucalyptus trees, admired tiny houses with wooden beams, ate all the wurst, fudge and tasted a few craft beers.

And it is here where I saw the “polished” side of André – he enjoyed the fancy cheese and chilli vinaigrette, dukka and ciabatta, PROPER coffee – and I could see how he let his soon-to-be-wife bloom in an inspiring place. I was just once again reminded why he was perfect for my dearest friend.

As we were making our way to Clarens, planning the shoot and thinking of locations, we drove past a burnt veld (Yes, in SA we stick to veld, field sounds odd). Anyhoe – side note, that is Lindi’s word – it’s as if in unison both Lindi and I said that we should really shoot in such a location.

And as you would have it, in our mission of chasing the sun, our source of light for the photos, our path crossed with another “burnt” location. And this is why I love when our creativity lanes cross. Lindi, my feelings friend, is also a writer and her words can punch me in the gut – always in a good way.

I asked her to write something for this post, for her husband. It’s Afrikaans and it is the perfect thing for me to end off with.

En dis toe dat ek besef; dat elke nuwe dag, deur ‘n skielike uitbarsting van energie en lig, ‘n stukkie van ons storie so mooi sou weerspieël. Dat elke soen ‘n herontdeking van jou menswees sou wees. ‘n Avontuur waarin ek halsoorkop en sonder twyfel wou verdwaal. Dat elke gebrande deel van ons reis slegs voorbereiding sou wees vir die grond, waaruit nuwe lewe sou spruit en groei en blom en waaruit kleur openbaar sou word. En dat elke lomp en onbeplande dans ‘n geleentheid sou wees om mekaar allaggend, uit te balanseer en om saam ‘n ritme te skep waarop ons as ‘n eenheid vooruitstrewend kon beweeg.

PS.   To André.

Thank you for loving my friend the way you do.

We invited Elicia as a guest blogger to share her experience with Providence Creative as well as her idea behind this adventurous couple’s shoot through the streets of historic Kimberley.

You can also view their online gallery here.

The major inspirations for this shoot came out what I love, which is travel, history and architecture. I wanted to feel like a tourist in my city and be proud of where I come from and live. I believe that Kimberley has such a rich history and places to explore. I wanted to show that no matter where you live you can make the most of it.

There were so many places on my list, but as I began to plan reality started to kick in and I had to narrow my list to the must-haves. To my surprise the cathedral I pick – only because of the doors – ended up being my favourite places to shoot.

Being a tourist in my city was more fun than I imagined, even if drive past it so many times, it feels like a whole different adventure when driving on a scooter and holding your lovey like in the movies. That feeling of adventure and discovering places together just makes it so much more special.

I saw scooter or Vespa photos when I was daydreaming of touring in Italy. I saw a vintage scooter in Kimberley and the idea just stuck. This was one of my most creative and most unique ideas that I wanted to keep this for an engagement shoot. However, with everyone having access to the internet I discussed this with Providence because I love their style and I knew they would be able to pull it off and be the first to have this type of shoot. It was excited and nerve-wracking at the same time to do this as a birthday shoot instead.

Nevertheless, when our first shoot at the De Beers headquarters was done it started to get fun to travel on the back of a scooter through the streets and Marike trying to take photos like the paparazzi in the car while we drove. It was one of the most memorable moments to remember.

At one part in the shoot, we were in front of the Alexander McGregor museum and people didn’t know why we were taking photos – so they started taking with their phones.

To my surprise, I loved the St Cyprian’s Cathedral photos the most, just because we could be more silly with each other and it gives that touristy feel. This is where we were a bit more relaxed and ourselves and the gothic architecture gave us a beautiful background with the red bricks.

The city hall was important for me because this is where so many historic events happen and it is one of the few buildings with the original street lamps. It was so much fun going round and round with the scooter till we got our picture-perfect shots. The one photo I love was when we were pretending to dance and the shops behind us one cannot think that this is in Kimberley and more a Moroccan feel to it.

Saying that the Synagogue was our last stop and this was where we laughed off the day. Steri-Stumpies are one of our favourite things to drink together, which was the reason I chose it as a prop. We had to toast like what they do at weddings and we couldn’t stop laughing while we did it. It is such a unique structure, built after a synagogue in Venice – that is in our city and it was one of the places that were a must-have in the shoot. Search what you find interesting about your city and embrace it.

I want to take a moment to explain the photo where I am eating a bar of chocolate. JW’s reaction in that photo was not a made-up one. I didn’t have breakfast yet and I usually have chocolate with me. I wanted to use it as a prop and I got hungry and asked if I could take a quick bite. JW just had that look like “really, chocolate again?”

Time went by so fast, some of the photos we saw later were spontaneous and “in the moment” photos which turned out stunning. When we got the photos I could honestly not stop looking at it. I think it is human to find faults and regrets first, which is to have kept this for an engagement shoot as I have not seen anyone do this yet. However, now I have discovered that making memories with the ones you love should be captured by your photographers. It was so special to see that there are photos taken where we had our own inside jokes with each other and the friends and family that knew it had a good laugh.

I realised that in the end, after looking at architecture and taking on life’s adventure. In the end, the best adventure I have is doing it with someone you love and care about.

Honestly, with all the nerves and planning, it came out better than I ever could imagine. All I can say is that with a good photographer, they won’t just be able to deliver – they will be able to supersede your expectations and shoot it out of the park.