The moment I stepped into the plane it dawned on me that I had left Anna-belle at home!  Never packed the darn dress and there was no turning back!  I think I can count on my one hand the times I have been more embarrassed – I had organised a shoot with Anna-belle and 4 other South African photographers living in London would have joined in.  We had to settle for a breakfast meet-up in place as Anna-belle was very certainly not with me…

But all was not lost!  We managed to find a lift for our favourite traveling dress and re-scheduled the shoot.  And a very successful effort and get together it was in the end…

You might not recognise some of the shots as being typically London, but they are…  The first few images were taken at low tide on the southern embankment of the Thames – pretty cool hey!

“Oh Paris je vous aime!”

About 3 months ago a Facebook Fan of ZaraZoo, Jan van Schaik, told me about Anna-Belle, a dress made by Cape Town designer Stefania Morland.   The decision to get involved was a no-brainer…  The concept was fantastic!   Stefania made a dress that would travel the world and be shot by photographers around the globe.

So when I set of for my short Europe trip earlier this month, Anna-Belle came with!  First stop, Paris – Our model, the gorgeous Madri, Swanepoel.  Ohlala!!!!

The moment I first laid eyes on Anna-Belle, her personality was evident…  A free spirit, girly dress with no boundaries.  

They say the shoe maker ‘s shoes always have holes!   My shoes are fine but… I have another embarrassing  confession to make.

I cannot tell you how many RAW unedited family and personal photos are sitting on hard drives – downloaded, forgotten, out of sight…  But two weeks ago I vowed to start treating images taken for the family the same as I treat those I take for my clients.  So here is it!  Mia’ s 3rd Birthday Party that happened ye sterday.

Happy Birthday Princess Mia!  You add a total different dimension to our family!

Photos – Stefan Steenkamp

This is the last set of photos in our series of Elaine’s Township Trash the Dress photo shoot.  I must say that this shoot is right up there with my all time favourites!  Further down, you will also find a few behind-the-scenes images taken by Laura.  If you want to see more of our Township shoot, then follow the links below – check out the daring “Chicken Licken” set for something totally off the cuff.

• Business is Booming
• Juxtaposition…
• Chicken Licken
• Holding up (the wall)

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp & Laura da Paixao

After Elaine’s visit to this Township hairdresser business is booming!  Apparently everyone now wants an “Up-Style”!!!

More of Elaine’s Township Trash the Dress Shoot:

• Juxtaposition…
• Chicken Licken
• Holing up (the wall)

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp

I love juxtaposition!

What have you achieved with a photo if no questions are asked about it?  By having some unexplained or mysterious element in a photo, you force the viewer to think about the image, to try and make sense of it…

Sorry for being so philosophical… The fact is that all of us hope to be remembered one day after we have left this earth, but the pretty vineyard shot of the bride and groom is too generic an image to get your name written remembered!   Please share your thoughts with us on this one.

More Township Trash the Dress posts:

Chicken Licken

Holing up (the wall)

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp

KFC, Nando’s or Chicken Licken?  Why not have a our super special, the grilled Township Chicken!!!  How spicy would you like it?  Hot, Medium or Lemon & Herb?

While shooting Elaine’s TTD in the Township we had an abundance props, including live ones – we could not resist using this chicken and street side grill.  For the animal lovers out there…  just wanna let you know that “no chickens were harmed during this shoot.”

See more of this Township Trash the Dress:

Holing up (the wall)

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp & Laura da Paixao

You might have seen the first image in the set of Elaine’s Trash the Dress – “we call it Chicken Licken ”  Check it out here.

Shooting in a township is quite a surreal experience – you get there, thinking that you would spend most of your time having to watch you back and equipment… but actually, the people are so friendly, accommodating, helpful and very intrigued / interested in what is going on.  We’ll be posting more of these township shots on Monday – enjoy your Weekend Eye Candy!

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp

We are proud to launch the ZaraZoo Academy for Photography!

Starting March, 3 students will get the unique opportunity to train within the real-life environment of the ZaraZoo Studio in Durbanville.  This 3-month Wedding Photography course offers a very practical approach to becoming a full-time photographer.  Apart from in-depth one-on-one training in Camera, Editing, Business & Marketing and Administrati on, students will also work on real photography assignments and assist on location shoots.

In completing the 3-month course you will not only have the photography skills needed to make it out there, but also the business and administration skills to run your own successful photography business.

Bonus – After month 1 of your course, you will get full assistance and advice from us to set up a fully functional website and social media engines that will start generating leads for your own business.  Coursework and assignments also include the design, branding, strategy and pricing structure etc of your new photography business.

Course Summary

• Starts 1/3/2011 and ends 28/5/2011
• 4 days a week from 9am – 4pm
• Assistant at real weddings on weekends
• 3-hour (daily) in depth training
• 3-hour (daily) real-life training in studio environment
• Weekly photography assignments and evaluation
• Certificate in Photography from the ZaraZoo Academy on completion of the course
• Apple IMAC’ s are u sed for this course.

Subjects

• Basic to Advanced Camera Techniques
• Basic to Advanced Editing and Workflow in Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop
• Business & Marketing
• Client Administration & Customer Service.

Requirements

• Matric certificate or equivalent
• Digital SLR camera and basic lens

Course Fees – R10 000

Email us to request an information pack (andre@zara-zoo.com)

Zermat in Switzerland is one of the only places in Europe that has snow all year round.  After I shot the ABSA Corporate event in Basel for The Aleit Group, I joined Aleit & Hans for a bit of fun on the Ski slopes.  For 3 guys with almost no previous skiing experience, we did pretty well – ask Hans, he was t he very last person off the mountain on the first day!

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp