How gorgeous is Marlette’s engagement ring?

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My internet has been down since Sunday, so I’m uploading these pics at gym (ah, free wifi, that’s why I joined). So text is pending for now!

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It all started with the shoes. Somewhere in the middle of last year – no wait, 2010, holy crap! – my friend Cat sent me a cellphone photo of some shoes she’d just seen in a shop. Red-sequinned they were, with black stripey heels, and knowing my obsession with The Wizard of Oz and ruby slippers (I even wore a pair of red shoes on my wedding day), she knew I’d love them.

She was right. After she told me the price-tag, I knew they had to be imported, so I went and Googled, and found them almost immediately. And that was my introduction to the kickass-ness that is Iron First Shoes. I’m not even a shoe girl, and I hardly ever wear heels, but hot damn, I wanted everything on that website. I couldn’t get the ruby slippers out of my head, so a few weeks later I popped into the shop Cat had been in to see them in person.

Well. The only pair left was the display pair, and they were one size too small for me. But they were On Sale. ON SALE. For one fifth of the original price! So in order to justify the purchase,  I decided I would buy them to use in a shoot one day. Photographing them’s just as good as wearing them, right? In fact, better, because it’d be more comfy.

So I bought the shoes – and another pair which actually do fit me, and were also on sale (score!) [see them in the couple shoot I did last year] – and left the store resolving to do a shoot based around them. Which I planned in the back of my head for ages, trying to get past the craziness that was last year and the first portion of this year, and then trying to find a dress, and a venue, and props, and a male model…

Finally we put it all together; I shot it last month, and here it is. My models were Cat and Louis, who are both in bands – Cat is the lead singer in a Rock ‘n Roll Band, and Louis is the drummer for TWO bands! They even brought along a few props to play with. The dress was made by Carla from Estienne Carla Photography, who is not only a crazy talented photographer, but an epic dress designer (Carla, you ROCK!!), and the makeup was done by the most fabulous makeup artist, Sam Scaife of Lashline, whom I love and adore! The coke can bouquet was made by an awesome guy named Christopher, who sits on the pavement outside the Woolworth’s on First Avenue Linden, selling his crafts, and the shoes were MINE. All mine.

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Aaand…onto Part 2! Which includes some pics from my last two weddings of the year, which are as yet unblogged.

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Here’s to a prosperous and fantastic 2012! I hope mine and yours are both filled with as much gorgeousness as this!

These are some of my favourites I’ve taken this year…enjoy!

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Christmas came and went in a blur (is it only slow for children, perhaps?) and new year is about to be upon us. So I thought I’d take some time and say thank you to everyone who featured some of my work this year!

English Wedding featured Bianca & Michael’s gorgeous sunny wedding:

The Boho Wedding Blog featured Lauren & Ross‘ homemade, nature-filled wedding:

The Wedding Community selected one of Marina and Jan-Hendrik’s wedding photos as their picture of the day:

Comely Day featured Chiara and David’s kick-ass engagement session:

Cap Classique featured Karen and Tom’s vintage engagement pics:

Moment Junkie featured TWO of my photos, which is a huge honour:

The Yum:

And The Ring Check:

And finally, the biggest feature of the year – Taryn & Marc’s vintage protea wedding in top UK bridal magazine, Wedding Magazine. Read all about it here!

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Angie and Maurice have a great love story – they were together years ago, and it didn’t work out. But lo and behold, they met up again, and they just KNEW. This time it was right. I’m a firm believer in timing being right for things to happen, and this year I’ve had that proved to me by not only Angie and Maurice, but also by Silja and Rob, whose wedding story you can read here. Sometimes the best part of being a wedding and couple photographer is being inspired by your clients!

Angie and Maurice were so sweet together, and so full of fun! We really lucked out with the weather, too – I was worried it would storm in the afternoon as it has done so often lately, but though the stormclouds did in fact roll up, they stayed nicely on one side of the sky for us to get some dark, cloudy photos,  while the other direction was bathed in soft golden light. Yum.

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This is probably the most overdue photoshoot in the history of ever. It’s certainly the most belated one I’ve ever done! Leandre and Erich are the cute couple in my blog header with their reflection in the giant puddle of water, with Leandre wearing my cute black and white gumboots. Their wedding was in April 2010, which is when that picture was taken. Prior to that, they were supposed to have an engagement shoot done. Well…we tried. That late March/early April period was one of the rainiest times I can remember as a photographer, and we had to postpone their shoot not once, not twice, but three times. Eventually it got too close to the wedding, and they decided to do a “day-after” shoot instead. Great, no problem. Except then it rained again, and then it was winter, and then real life took over and we couldn’t find a weekend we could all manage…finally we set a date for May this year, and when I left my house the weather was fine, and as I arrived at Leandre and Erich’s, BAM! – torrential downpour. The rain just loves these two. So eventually we got around to reorganising, and we shot on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago. The stormclouds threatened, but we prevailed and got the shots. Half an hour after I got home, the storm hit. Craziness.

Anyway…here is the long overdue engagement AKA 18-month-anniversary shoot of Mr and Mrs Ehlers.

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Rae and Tota were married in late September at St John’s school (one of the most beautiful schools I’ve ever seen in this country!), and held their reception at the always awesome Turbine Hall in Newtown. Unfortunately we ran out of time (and light) to do the couple shoot part of the day, so Part 2 will be coming up as soon as that happens! Rae & Tota are such an incredibly photogenic couple, so I know for a fact that we are going to get some gorgeous pics and have a blast doing it!

I had such a ball on their wedding day. Rae & Tota spent the whole day alternating between fits of laughter, smiles of happiness and tears of joy, and that, of course, is perfection for photos! The bridal party were incredibly fun, having a blast at every moment, from the getting ready to the choreographed entry dance into the reception. The stunning decor was done by Jonathan from Lovely on Loveday, and I was in detail photo heaven, as I usually am with gorgeous flowers and candlebras and pretty stationery!

On with the photos (Part 1):

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Jan-Hendrik and Marina only booked me a few weeks ago to shoot their wedding, as a result of some unforeseen photographer circumstances, but I am so, so glad they did! As soon as Jan-Hendrik showed me the invitation he’d designed himself, I was sold. Creative, sweet, and so in love – that’s my kind of couple.

When I arrived on the day I was thrilled somewhat out of proportion to see that Marina had the same lilies in her bouquet that I’d had at my wedding three years ago – that’s the first time that’s happened! And she also wore cute ballet pumps, just as I did. So it was all pretty much meant to be.

Leopard Lodge was fantastic as usual, the light was phenomenal, and though we didn’t get to see any giraffe (or leopards, come to think), we did have an awesome time on the couple shoot, along with the very fun bridal party. Marina looked amazing in her champagne-coloured dress and birdcage veil (swoon), so I went a little crazy with photos of her. You’ll see.

 Gastronomical pro-portions? Jan-Hendrik, you rock. That is so my sense of humour.

Silly string? Well, that’s a first for me. Usually the guys just yell stuff at the groom!

 Awesome! Guys, thank you so much for letting me and Anabela (my second shooter) be part of your fabulous day!

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These two lovelies were married at Leopard Lodge last Saturday. How much do we love Marina’s dress? So Much.

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I do.

RIP Steve Jobs.

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Mischa and Patricia were married last week Friday at Maryvale Catholic church, with the reception held at the always gorgeous Shepstone Gardens. Their stylish, unique green and purple decor had me excited from the first moment, because I guessed it was just the start of a stylish and unique day – and I wasn’t wrong! From the amazing candybar (seriously, the best I’ve ever seen) to the chefs cooking post-ceremony snacks on the lawns in the late-afternoon sunlight, to the breathtaking purple and white cake, right down to Patricia and Mischa themselves, everything was lovely, simple, elegant and relaxed. Just the way I like it

My fab assistant for the day was Andre Sonnekus – thanks so much, Andre! It’s always fun with you.

Patricia had three pairs of shoes, but these Vivienne Westwoods – THE wedding shoes of the moment – made me shriek with excitement!

Something about this photo is awesome – it looks like Patricia is walking along in her own person confetti bubble.

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One from Shepstone Gardens on Friday:

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I was sooo excited when Christina from Wedding Magazine contacted me a few months ago about featuring Taryn and Marc’s wedding in one of their summer editions! I was even hopeful that I could pick up a copy while I was in the UK on my Eurotrip. However, my good friend Murphy, of Murphy’s Law fame, ensured that the magazine found its way onto shelves in London three days after I left to come home to SA, and of course, it only turned up here over a month later!

Anyway, here it finally is! I could not be more excited, eeeek!

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I’ve been incredibly slow at blogging more of my trip to Europe, but here’s the next installment, Prague. You can see my photos from Venice here.

Prague is a-freakin-mazing, and has the best skyline of all the cities we went to. Also the best building, which is the cathedral inside the castle. It’s unbelievable.

All the underground stations in Prague look like this, in different colours. So awesome.

So this is that cathedral I was on about….

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Bianca and Michael’s wedding was held at Avianto last week Sunday.  Every little thing about this wedding was lovely -  the bird theme carried throughout from the groomsmen boutonnieres to the cake toppers, Bianca’s showstopping dress, the family getting involved and doing the decor, the cute little signs for the bridal party, and of course, the loveliness of Bianca and Michael themselves. Bianca chopped off her hair the day before the wedding as a surprise for Michael, who prefers shorter hair, and it looked incredible! I think he was suitably impressed

Firstly, a BLACK wedding ring? Wow. And secondly, I was having some fun with these ring shots! I thought they looked totally cute on these cheese wedges.

Bianca, you’re a stunner.

How cute!

So, these two can DANCE.

And, there was a line-dance!

Now that’s my kind of bride. Bits come off your dress? Whatever! Throw them aside and keep dancing!

I just love this last one…for a second it’s just a big puffy white cloud until you see what’s happening.

Bianca and Michael, thank you so much for such an incredible day! And thanks to my second shooter for the day, Juanette from Deanna Photography.

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Lyndall and Brook. What a sweet, genuinely loving couple. Lyndall’s family are originally from South Africa, but they moved to the UK years ago. And it was on a trip to Australia that Lyndall’s brother met Brook, on a cruise around Sydney Harbour. Since Lyndall had already told him to find a good-looking Australian guy for her, it was fate. They became Facebook friends, and that was the beginning of, well, the beginning.

This was also the first LDS wedding I’ve ever photographed – or, in this case, NOT photographed, since I wasn’t allowed inside the temple. So perhaps I should say it was the first wedding I’ve photographed where I wasn’t actually at the wedding itself However, Lyndall and Brook had a ring ceremony at the Westcliff after we left the temple, so that the rest of their guests could witness that…and the first kiss. They then had a lunchtime reception, finally ending off the day with the couple photos! Never let it be said that weddings are all the same. This one certainly wasn’t. Also, as it turns out, Lyndall and her sister Camilla and I all went to the same Primary School, so I had a good old chat with their mother about that! Small world indeed.

My second shooter for the day was Corinna Tannian.

Brook’s first look at his bride, as she arrives at the gate of the temple:

And back to the Westcliff:

I’m really enjoying this ray of sun shining down on Lyndall…as if she didn’t look ethereal enough! Le sigh.

Since they were already married, Lyndall and Brook were pelted with confetti as they arrived AND as they left! Which I totally loved…it’s awesome fun, and you get double use out of your petals!

Each table at the reception was named after a place or something else that had personal meaning to Lyndall and Brook as a couple. There was even a table called “skype”, which played a big part in their relationship when they were living in different places.

Lyndall’s 95-year-old grandfather made a heartfelt speech.

And Brook’s brother made a very emotional one:

And the bouquet toss…of which there were two. The first one fell short, and the second one, well…here it comes:

And there it goes!

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Lyndall & Brook were married yesterday and held their reception at the Westcliff. Just one pic for now!

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Robert and Silja were married the weekend before last. Because of some last minute emergencies, they booked me only ten days before their wedding, but I was thrilled to be there and be a part of their incredibly special union. Rob and Silja have a very special love story, which Silja explained to me when she booked me, and which made it even more emotional for them…and for me.

In Silja’s words:
“Robert and I have known each other for almost 20 years, were never married. We have a daughter together who was born in 1995. When Anaïs was 3 we separated (our gap years as we now call them) and through a true miracle found back to each other 10 years later. I believe if we had stayed together then we would not be together today. We both needed to grow and mature; we never stopped loving each other, though, and it is a blessing to have our family reunited.

We have been through challenging times since getting back together in late 2007. Robert had a horrendous car accident (fell asleep behind the wheel and drove into the back of a bus), which he survived only because of his guardian angel’s protection. He broke almost every bone in his face, lost teeth and a part of his lip and underwent 3 operations. But he was brave and strong and has made a remarkable recovery.”

Isn’t that wonderful? I love the idea of finding your way back to your love after many years apart.

Now onto the photos…

The next two are just priceless, to me anyway:  Silja’s reaction on realising that her 16-year-old daughter Anais just caught the bouquet!

Thank you for a great day, Rob & Silja. You are wonderful, and your family and friends are fantastic. I wish you a lifetime of happiness, now that you’re finally together for always.

-Kat

PS – my second shooter was the wonderful Juanatte Van Schalkwyk of Deanna Photography.

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Just working on my first wedding of the season, and I thought I’d stick up a preview before I finish the full blog post.

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If you’ve been looking closely at my blog over the past week, or if you follow me on facebook or twitter and you were paying attention, you’ll notice that I’ve moved everything over to a new address – http://katforsyth.com. It’s simpler and easier to type, and it makes moving a lot easier too. Which is happening…and not Cape Town anymore, either. More on that story later

So please update your RSS feeds, bookmarks and anywhere else you might have saved my site, because it’s all Katforsyth.com from now on!

Also, I promise to show you some more of my Europe trip soon! Here’s a frame from one of the prettiest cities I’ve been to.

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Just before Christmas last year I second shot for Lindy Leeming at the ever-awesome Shepstone Gardens. However, at the time I had so many weddings of my own going on, that blogging the photos from an assisting job kind of fell onto the backburner  – until now, when I suddenly remembered that I’d never blogged them, and that hey, I actually have time now!

Because I was second shooting, I went to photograph the guys getting ready, which was a fun change as I’m always with the bride on my own weddings.

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This winter, my husband and I decided to take a trip around Europe. I’d only been to England before, and he’d only been to Europe on a somewhat rushed Contiki tour in 2004 (right before we met!),  and we’d always talked about doing it together someday. So, since I’d already decided to go to the UK for a concert (more on that story later), we tacked on a Eurotrip where we could just wander around and do our own thing, and see the cities we wanted to see, at our own pace. And living in South Africa worked out perfectly, because it meant that I had a break from weddings in our winter, while being able to go to Europe in the lovely summer weather.

My first stop on our European holiday was Venice. Ah, Venetzia. I flew to Rome, and then got a connecting flight to Venice. I got the first two pics out of my plane window. NOTE: A camera shutter sounds really loud on a quiet aeroplane, and everyone will turn around and stare at you.

And then, Venice. It’s gorgeous, and one of the best things is No Cars! It’s so great to be able to wander through the streets with right of way. Actually, scrap that. Large parties of tourists, led by someone with a hat/flower/butterfly/umbrella on a long stick have right of way. Mostly because it’s easier just to let them go, see where they’re going, and then go be somewhere else.

Pigeons in St Mark’s Square!

Of course, SOMEONE had to go one better with the pigeons…but he’s my hubby and I love him.

One of many terrible self-portraits we took. I was too scared to hand my camera to a stranger!

The view from our hotel window. Oh yes. Swoon.

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Hello readers!

I’m going to be out of town; out of the country in fact, for the next three weeks. I’ll do my best to answer emails while I’m in Europe, but that all depends on the availability of wi-fi. Otherwise I’ll answer all enquiries and messages when I get back in the office on Monday the 11th of July.

Be prepared for a slew of holiday photos after that too

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I just want to take a moment to say thanks to two awesome blogs who featured my work last week…or was it the week before? More likely the week before that; I’ve been so crazy around here I can’t keep track!

Anyway, thanks to Gaby at Cap Classique:

And another huge thanks to the folks over at Moment Junkie. Moment Junkie is an awesome blog that showcases real moments and real emotions from weddings, and I was honoured to have one of my photos selected!

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So I’m still pretty excited about being an Aunt. I’d never really tried baby photography before (well, just once, when I was still learning how to use my camera!), but the opportunity to wrap my sweet little niece in fluffy scarves and blankets and take cute naked baby pictures of her was too much to resist. She was so incredibly good for me, and too frikkin precious for words.

Here are a few of my favourites:

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I don’t know where I find incredibly sweet and in love couples like Elizabeth and Godfrey…or rather, I don’t know where they find me! But I do know that I am fantastically lucky that they DO find me and ask me to be a part of their awesome weddings. Elizabeth and Godfrey are missionaries in Lesotho, and they got married in Butha-Buthe, where they live and work. Despite the fact that there were at least two other weddings taking place in the village on the same day, it felt like the entire village turned out to see Lesotho local Godfrey marry his American sweetheart. Elizabeth’s family and friends all flew out for the wedding, and I’ve never felt so welcomed at a wedding before! Anabela (my 2nd shooter) and I agreed that it was an amazing experience from start to finish, and I couldn’t be happier that Godfrey and Elizabeth found me and invited me to pretty much be a part of their family on this special day.

Elizabeth made all the decor herself, from the bluebirds to the bouquets!

Elizabeth showing her friends and family The Rings – they hadn’t seen them yet.

This is what the weather looked like at about 9am on the morning of the wedding. Not promising, but I was excited for misty shots!

And by the time the ceremony began, the sky was the most perfect blue! Amazing.

The arrival of the Groom:

The arrival of the Bride:

Love this one of Elizabeth’s Dad winking at her before he hands her over to Godfrey:

Godfrey & Elizabeth found this abandoned house with the most perfect blue walls! Love it.

We trekked a bit to get to this tree, which they loved:

Thank YOU, Elizabeth and Godfrey.

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I have a new niece, and she’s perfect. She was born on Wednesday the 25th of May, and I’m already completely in love with her. These are some photos I took when she was two hours old…bear in mind, I’m not a baby photographer, and these were taken under some ghastly fluorescent lights, but I love them. And I love her, so much. I’m so proud of my sister!

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Lauren and Ross. I knew they were awesome people from their engagement shoot, but I had no idea HOW awesome their wedding would be! Right in the middle of the privately-owned Eden Nature Reserve, animals everywhere, the ceremony on a huge rock overlooking a valley, the long tables stretched out in Lauren’s Mom’s backyard, each one decorated differently…I was in my element! I think Anabela and I took waaaay too many pictures. What struck me the most was the warm welcome we got from each and every person there, and the overwhelming sense of friendship, community and love that exists not only between Lauren and Ross, but between their friends, families, and everyone who lives on the reserve. It truly was a privilege to be part of this special crowd, and treated like old friends.

Best ceremony spot ever:

My second shooter was the fun-to-roadtrip-with Anabela Lourenco!

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Caryn & Kyle (remember them from their engagement shoot?) were married at the end of April at Emoyeni Estate in Parktown. Well, actually they were married at St Columbus in Parkview, and the reception was held at Emoyeni. And in between those two places we did some amazing portraits at Wits University. The theme was “wedding in the city”, and the spirit of this was carried right throughout the wedding. A huge thanks to Chantal from FBG Productions for organising such an amazing event, and for being so helpful throughout (there was a lot of running around in high heels!). And of course I have to thank Caryn and Kyle for having such a stunning day, and being so lovely to photograph

This is Caryn’s niece, Emily (Emmy for short), who is just the happiest baby ever, in the world, of all time. I think Caryn outdid her on this day, though!

The gorgeous view from Emoyeni. Yes, that’s the Westcliff down there:

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Eloise and Steve were married a few months ago when I was in Cape Town, and I was so excited when the awesomely talented and sweet Nastassja Harvey said I could come along and help her out on this wedding! The details were so amazing that I took about a million photos just of them…but then I met Eloise and Steve, and had a whole new set of fabulousness to photograph!

Thank you so much for letting me be part of your day! And again to Nastassja for being incredibly lovely and letting me come along for the ride!

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