Wayne and Dominique’s wedding took place exactly a week after the previous one I posted, in the same general area near Kruger National Park.
Throughout winter, I debated whether to stay in the area between weddings or return home and make the long drive back. In the end, I decided to camp in the town of Sabie for the week. I imagined myself tying flies by the tent during the day, catching trout in the late afternoons, hiking in the mornings, and reading books on my Kindle at night, accompanied by the sound of owls and a bubbling stream.
Sounds idyllic, right?
Well, by day three, the charm had worn off. I missed my family, felt guilty for being away, the fishing was terrible, and it was unbearably hot during the day but freezing at night, making sleep almost impossible. My meals left a lot to be desired, and to top it off, my tent had a leak—so when an evening rainstorm rolled in, all my clothes got soaked. At that point, I felt my time would have been better spent behind a computer. Yes, it was that bad.
Then came the wedding of Dominique and Wayne. They booked me a room at the Khaya Ndlovu Manor House near Hoedspruit, where the celebrations were held. Heaven—at last! A proper shower and fresh bed sheets never felt so good.
Now, onto the wedding itself. Long-time followers might remember a post I shared almost two years ago. Well, it finally happened: after 10 years of photographing weddings, someone incorporated one of my favourite love songs into their big day. I was almost as thrilled as the couple! My standout moment of the day was capturing Wayne and Dominique’s first kiss as husband and wife, with Dominique’s father in the background wiping away a tear.
The couple also opted for a post-wedding portrait session the following morning. That meant a 4:30am wake-up call for Dominique and her makeup artist. I was sceptical about whether it would go ahead, especially when I was woken up by a thunderstorm in the early hours. I half-expected a message calling it off. But despite the second guessing and a chilly drive in search of the perfect spot, everything came together beautifully.
In the end, I knew I had captured some incredible images. With a sense of relief, I pointed the Volvo towards home and spent the seven-hour drive humming Peter Gabriel the entire way.
