In July I met with my August bride and groom for a quick mini-engagement shoot at Midmar Dam. It was awesome getting to know Lesli and Justin before I captured their most special day at the beginning of August! Here are a few moments from the afternoon we spent together.
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I love Cranford Country Lodge & Wedding Venue - both for photographing as well as for their impeccable hospitality. The staff are always so accommodating and literally bend over backwards to make sure their brides and grooms get the wedding they deserve. This feeling resounded as I captured the wedding of Alex Hainsworth to Everett Koopman last month. For a bride or groom bundled with nerves, a calming surety can be found in the one fact that everything on the part of the venue is going to run smoothly.
Alex & Everett's most magical day was unlike any other for me. This was my first wedding I photographed knowingly preggers. I think I was nearing the end of my first trimester at the time and although I had overcome first-trimester symptoms for the most part, by the end of the day I was dog-tired. To the extent that as I sat in the car whilst Row drove us home, I fell asleep before even reaching Cranford's entrance gate. Aside from that, pregnancy brings with it a whole wave of emotions and at times during the course of the day I found myself choking my own tears back. I'm pretty sentimental and I probably would have been the same pregnant or not but this wedding was truly special nevertheless. If there is one thing I will never forget, it's the calmness of Gerty on her wedding day. That could be a song title: "The calmness of Gerty". There was just nothing on this earth that could have wavered her wedding day calmness. Not a single thing. If there were any butterflies flying out of formation, it was nothing anyone picked up on. This day was all about saying "I do" and finally being married to the man of her dreams - her calm and sweet smile was contagious.
Gerty and Ian were married on their family farm in Colenso. The weather was seemingly dismal with one major shower but only to clear for the most perfect outdoor wedding setting. It was my first experience of a pastor requesting that I don't take photographs during the ceremony up until the rings on fingers part - but I snuck around the outskirts and hid behind trees to get the photographs I could without being a distraction. If anyone noticed it was totally worth it. Please feel free to send well wishes to the bride and groom in the comments below. There's something so incredibly special about being involved in someone's wedding and being made to feel like you're part of the family. The Uppinks and the Jansen Van Vuurens were impeccable hosts and were undeniably unafraid of expressing their emotions freely; from the deepest sobs of a father giving his daughter away to her amazing husband, to the sheer joy friends and family shared in Teri and Greg's union. Nobody kept a single tear or giggle hidden! Their wedding is one I will always remember, not only for the rain, but for the love I was able to witness between them too.
So if there is one thing I learned over this passed week, it's the term phablet. Like most, I googled it and discovered it's definition: 'a class of mobile device designed to straddle both smartphone and tablet technology'. All I have to go on is the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and I feel it's the phabbest phablet by far - it's in a league of it's own. Features I Love! By way of completing the #MissionSamsung Blogger Challenge challenge I will address some of the features of the phone that I cannot get enough of. First things first, something I have already touched on, the seamless multitasking. Seamless Multi-tasking The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes fully equipped with the will to please and accommodate you in anyway it can. It's multi-window feature allows for seamless multitasking between multiple applications that can be opened in either full-screen view, split-screen view or pop-up screens. Lightning Quick Battery Charge & Ultra Power Saving Mode A special feature for the folk who are continually on the go and in a hurry to get from place to place, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has got you covered. Aside from coming with a 2 amp charger, the Note 4 also has a "fast charge" feature on the phone which when enabled charges the Note 4 from 0 to 50% in half an hour. If you can't squeeze a charge in, the Note 4 also has "Ultra Power Saving Mode". This is a handy feature for me. It basically switches your display to black and white and defaults your phone to some of its most basic feature: calls, messaging, internet and whatsapp. There is also the option of an additional two apps that you can add to this "active" list - as can be expected mine was set on Facebook and Twitter for the duration of the mission. As I am writing this my battery power is sitting on 63% and with Ultra Power Saving Mode enabled, the standby time of the phablet is 9.6 days. UV Sensor Galaxy Note 4 is the first mobile phone with a built-in UV (ultraviolet radiation) sensor. It’s part of the S Health system, and is designed to warn users if they’re getting too much sun by measuring the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. There are five UV index levels: Low, Moderate, High, Very High and Extreme, and users will be presented with different precautions based on the level of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. The UV sensor is activated when you hold the phone at some degree angle while under the sun. How many microphones? The Note 4 boasts three microphones which can interpret sound from 8 different directions. Strutting a brand new Voice Recording app, the phablet offers 4 different recording scenarios: Normal, Interview, Meeting and Voice Memo mode. Each scenario is specifically designed to obtain the best possible audio input quality. You can also select the direction from which you want the recording to focus giving you the absolute best quality sound recording you can get with a phone.
The S Pen Something of great significance is the improved sensitivity of the S Pen which allows for a smoother fluidity and more natural and accurate handwriting. Noteably different to the Galaxy Note 3's styllus is the new Smart Select feature which lets you choose contents from any application, screen, and text which also let's you share these selected snippets across various platforms. I have never used a phone with a styllus feature and I have to say that my most favourite passed time this week has been doodling up a storm. I have not stopped! That camera (my favourite) - and - that display! So much can be said of the incredible display the Galaxy Note 4 has to offer. It offers a 5.7 inch Super AMOLED display with quad HD resolution. If you're in the print or graphic design industry you may also appreciate the whopping 515dpi display which is clearer, more accurate in terms of colour and a better display than most smart phones, phablets and tablets. Paired with a new and improved rear camera, your pictures (and videos) are exquisite from shutter release through to print. The camera resolution has been bumped up from it's predecessor's 13MP to a juicy 16MP which is ahead of most point and shoot digital cameras. The aperture (lens opening) is a lovely F1.9 meaning it let's in a massive 60% more light than the Note 3. If you're a photographer you would appreciate the nice wide aperture more than anything else this camera has to offer... It means performance in low light is incredible, and it makes being creative with an on phone camera easier. The Selective Focus function in camera plays with depth of field which is made possible by this wide aperture. Along with the 'Selective Focus' mode, the rear camera also has Panorama mode, Virtual Tour, Surround shot and Rear Selfie mode with the option of downloading a few extra modes. If you flip over to the front facing camera, some great improvements can be noted as well. The front facing camera has a resolution of 3.7MP and for the narcissist in all of us, another selfie mode, as well as the wide-angle selfie mode allowing you to photograph large groups, including yourself in the frame, with ease. I may have touched on a few of the features of this phone a bit more in-depth than most would have bothered but it's all for the simple fact that I don't want you to miss out on hearing all about the phone, my experience using the phone and of course why I think people should consider it an option if they're due for an upgrade soon. I value my photographs and since this is a photography blog the camera on this phone is it's highest accolade for me.
I am often broached with the topic of a good point and shoot to buy and I think I am of the mindset now that my answer will be something along these lines, "are you thinking of getting a new phone too, there's this awesome phablet I know of that has a superb camera that competes easily with most point and shoot cameras"... There are other tremendous features and I just can't get enough of the versatility you have in the way of multi-tasking and organising your life in general. I am sad to see the little gadget head back to Samsung & Epic Communications Headquarters as I feel it would be much better appreciated in my hands. I promise I will take good care of it guys! The mission has been a blast and I am happy to report that my next upgrade will definitely be the Galaxy Note 4 if I don't already own it! Good morning. Along with 9 other bloggers, I have taken on the #MissionSamsung Blogger Challenge of blogging about this round's gadget: the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. As a way of testing its multi-tasking ability, and mine, I am currently lying in bed (waking up), sipping on some coffee whilst writing this little blog post straight off the Note 4. Why or how am multi-tasking off the Note 4? Well writing a blog requires multiple windows being open, even if I was doing this on a computer. By doing this straight off the Note 4 though, I get to lie in a little longer, enjoy my coffee, and write a blog post complete with pictures, screenshots, hyperlinks, doodles, etc all before getting ready for work. It's incredible being able to be so versatile. Opening and closing programmes and apps has never been easier... you can work across multiple platforms at the same time and feel confident that you won't lose any of your work that's open in the background. You can work in two programmes at once as well with the split-screen view. And you can minimise your current screen so that its a pop up with background apps behind it. It's like real life organising and planning on paper and in files - but all in one place: this awesome phablet.
Towards the end of last year I competed in Mission 4 of the #MissionSamsung Blogger Challenge with the awesome Samsung K Zoom and the crazy cool Samsung Level Over-Ear Headphones. I am lucky enough to have been invited to participate in the next challenge with the ridiculously sweet Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Can you ever? I am quite possibly the luckiest girl in the world with all this gadgetry exposure and I feel rather privileged to be asked to partake in another round of #MissionSamsung blogger fun.
My new toy arrived today and it took a sum total of 3 seconds to get my SIM out of my usual phone and jammed into the Galaxy Note 4. My manager at the office is probably a grassy shade of green right now. He's an organiser - painstakingly pours his heart and soul into excel spreadsheets and graphs - I can see why he's so jealous! Never mind him though. I cannot wait to get stuck into this challenge. Stay tuned for more #MissionSamsung loving! Just short of a month ago I was lucky enough to photograph Christy & Rickert's wedding at The Bend in Fort Nottingham, Kwazulu Natal. It was to be my last wedding of 2014, and in all honesty, it was also the absolute best. Christy and Rickert are made for each other and every single moment shared with them is sincerely filled with so much love and happiness.
If there is one thing I take away from each wedding I photograph, it's the feeling of new friendships being formed... Not only between the families involved, but between myself and the wedding party as well, specifically the bride and groom. It is such an honour, always, to share in these very intimate and special moments and I always feel like I should thank you and not the other way around. My wonderful friend, photography assistant, and second shooter Kristie Greene worked with me again... The duo is becoming more and more comfortable. Thanks again Kristie for all your hard work! It's so appreciated! Please feel free to leave this beautiful couple a message of love, happiness, hope and endearment if you wish. |
WEDDING DAY PORTFOLIOHere is where I share some of the beautiful weddings I have had the honour of capturing. Archives
February 2017
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