Dana & Jared's Wedding at Tanglewood Arboretum, Advance, NC

I will always be eternally grateful to my good friend Ally for giving me the opportunity to be her second shooter (as we call it in the trade) at Dana & Jared's wedding on April 21, 2012. It was a fabulous weekend filled to the brim with photography, shop talk, sharing, joy and laughter - Ally, you're the best! You made me feel as relaxed as I could be on such an auspicious occasion, I could not have wished for a better "boss"!

My journey started on the Friday morning before the wedding as I made my way to Ally's home in South Carolina. From there we packed all our paraphernalia (there was a lot of stuff!) into the rental car and headed to Advance, NC.

Finally the wedding day arrived! After breakfast we went to Dana's Suite, where she was getting ready with her friends and family by her side. We were there to take some memorable shots of the preparations as Melissa from Hair Raizers Salon was doing hair and make-up for Dana and her 3 bride's maids - the results were beautiful.

Dana & Jared chose to have us take pictures of their first look in the gorgeous "Secret Garden" at the wedding venue. They shared a few quiet moments together before the hustle and bustle of the ceremony and celebrations began. 


Today I'm going to share with you the images I took before the start of the ceremony. I'm probably going to share too many pictures, but it is my "first time", so bear with me and I hope you enjoy!

   Watch this space for more......soon!

Expanding Horizons

Yesterday I I had such fun updating the "About" page of my website and it now reads as follows:

Thanks for visiting!
It must have been the Kodak Disc 4000 camera with the  super-cool disk film negative I was given in the 80s that got me hooked and helped fuel my passion for photography. I have been taking pictures ever since.

After a wonderful 11 year career in the tourism industry in South Africa and working for several large Tour Operators, I turned my attention to fulfilling the most important and meaningful role of my life: giving birth and raising my precious boy. In 2007 we moved to Dubai for a year before relocating to the United States. I am now happily settled in Suwanee, a small city outside of Atlanta, Georgia with my husband and son - and life is good.

As a mother of a young boy, I'm constantly inspired by his curiosity, inquisitive nature, and absolute boundless energy as he explores the world around him. Many of these moments, I capture through my photography for my family and friends to enjoy as he grows and matures.

During my photo shoots I like to just take time to let things happen, naturally. The images that are unplanned, unscripted and completely spontaneous and free are the ones that my clients cherish the most. They truly document their family and capture a moment in time that will be cherished for a lifetime.

I would love to spend some time with you and your family to play and explore and let things unfold to capture a few special moments in your lives.

 Some random facts:
I have 2 passports (legally!). A German one and a South African one.
I met my husband on the internet – we like to call the internet our mutual friend.
I was born in Iran.
I love chocolate (almost as much as I love photography!).

In my bag:
Canon EOS 5D mark ii
Canon EOS 60D (back-up camera)
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens
Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 Flash

You might read that and think, oh that's cute...

I read it and I see 5 "words" nearly right at the end: "Canon EOS 5D mark ii"! And my heart literally jumps a beat. Yesterday at about 6pm it FINALLY arrived (after a failed delivery attempt the day before), my very own, long coveted 5D....paired with my second piece of L glass (Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens). I am in photography heaven. Isn't she beautiful??!









Since my new baby only arrived late yesterday I have not had a lot of time to play around with it but I'm sure I'll get to that this weekend!

Biplane Bonanza

I know most of you are anxiously waiting for some wedding images, but I have to disappoint you about that today. We're not quite there yet! I'm in the throws of editing over 1600 images that I took at my first ever wedding shoot as the 2nd shooter and since this is my first wedding, I'm taking my time to make sure I get the best possible result.  Patience is a virtue!

But hopefully these next few images will keep you going until I get there.

In March my husband Ben and my son Alex had the fantastic opportunity to fly in a Biplane! Now this is actually somewhat of a "thing" in our family - it appears Alex, our 4 year old son, has unwittingly become somewhat of a "moving-objects specialist". To date is had flown ‎exactly 112,464 miles in various commercial aircraft, one of them being the A380. He's been on a helicopter, a cruise ship, multiple boats & ferries, various trains, trams and underground trains, buses that turn into boats, cable cars, his Opa's Mercedes going at 190km/h (120mph) on the Autobahn (grin) and the list goes on...

So, when this Biplane ride came up it only seemed right to send him into the wide-open sky with his aircraft enthusiast Daddy!

I think they both had a lot of fun! 

And I naturally had fun capturing the special moments.