Tim must have noticed my hesitation when we scouted the venue before the wedding. I could easily spot locations for the more traditional shots, but finding something different felt like a challenge. As it turned out, the unexpected often leads to the best experiences—this ended up being one of my favourite weddings of the season. We drove back to Johannesburg in high spirits.
It was also great running into familiar faces—Phillip and Liezl from Anderland. Phillip had his hair tied back, and Liezl somehow looks younger than ever, so I didn’t even recognise them at first. Always good to catch up. It’s a shame Phillip has been “cured” of his fly-fishing habits—otherwise, a Vaal River trip would have been in order.
Today’s selection is just a handful of images I edited while downloading the full set—not a complete, chronological look at the day. I love photographing receptions, so naturally, most of my favourites come from there.
Leandra and PR got something absolutely right at their wedding: their first dance. Instead of dimming the lights completely or leaving them all on—both of which can result in flat-looking photos—they had the disco lights going and the smoke machine at full blast. This makes for far more dynamic images. Too often, couples reserve those effects for the party, but honestly, throw them on for your first dance! And make sure your DJ has a proper smoke machine—you’re worth it.
PR and Leandra, I hope you enjoy the photographs. It was a privilege to be part of your day.
This is probably my favourite image of the evening. I’m not sure the relation here, but PR and Leandra obviously have great affection towards these two kids. Besides the boy’s expression, I love the line that is formed from PR and the girl, to Leandra, down to the boy, and then the elbow that points to the boy, almost accenting him, as if saying, “look here”.
The funniest thing about this image is the guys in the background. I just had to post it.
