Archive for 2015
Us and that Wild pear tree...
Tuesday, 22 December 2015
Not too long ago I blogged about this enchanting wild pear
tree that we found in an old orchard close to a picturesque old farmhouse…There must have been something in the air that day as little did we know that Dust and Dreams Photography would be moving soon...and we are so so
excited that not only will that tree now be in our very own backyard but we will also be
calling that darling house our home!
From 2016 we will be much closer to our clients and will be able to travel to surrounding areas easily.
We are so thrilled about this new adventure and to celebrate this very exciting change we are not only offering a 10% discount to any love struck couple who book one of our Wedding or Engagement packages between today and on or before the 14th of February 2016 but also a 10% discount to any Portrait session booked during the same period of time.
* This special discount only applies to new bookings made :)
** The actual photo session does not have to fall in between those dates. Bookings are however to be confirmed to qualify for this discount.
*** Terms & conditions apply
We are so thrilled about this new adventure and to celebrate this very exciting change we are not only offering a 10% discount to any love struck couple who book one of our Wedding or Engagement packages between today and on or before the 14th of February 2016 but also a 10% discount to any Portrait session booked during the same period of time.
* This special discount only applies to new bookings made :)
** The actual photo session does not have to fall in between those dates. Bookings are however to be confirmed to qualify for this discount.
*** Terms & conditions apply
Something to hold
Thursday, 19 November 2015
Printed photographs are slowly becoming a lost form of art and I get so excited that every single time a client's photobox or prints arrive, I get chills and I can't wait to open the parcel and have a look.
Seeing your photographs in prints is one of the most amazing feelings which I do not think will ever get old.
The last few weeks I have also been doing some test prints at home just for myself to see how some colours look printed and to be able to hold some photographs in my own hands... and wow, the feeling will NEVER get old!
Print your photographs or have them done for you, we all deserve that special feeling!
What’s in a name…?
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Why “Dust and Dreams Photography?”
Living abroad people were quite fascinated that I came “from
AFRICA”. For them it was not so much South Africa but AFRICA… the word seemed
to conjure up the most mythical images and they found it to be so so
exotic. I doubt that they found me all that exotic but they adored the idea
that I came from…AFRICA {can you hear the suspense music in the background…ta
da!}.
I think they made me dream of home all the more and maybe
even made it more exotic in my own mind. So living there I also had visions of
Africa; of the dust and the sunsets, of the bushveld and the clear sunny skies…
and at night I dreamt of AFRICA. Being so far away I so wanted to turn the constant
dreams of home into real dirt under my feet, mud between my grubby little paws
like when I was a child…
I have been back in South Africa { AFRICA… ta da…} for years
now and when it came to choosing a name for our business neither of us were
sure that we wanted to use just our names (…if you knew my whole surname you
would understand why it might not be such a good idea as it won’t fit on
anything…), we wanted a brand that would set us apart. This time we wanted to
turn this dust, this mud between our little toes into our biggest dreams. Dust
and Dreams Photography just felt real.
And so, it is all about dust and all about dreams and that
whisper of something you cannot see but know it is true… it is our perfect
combination of DUST AND DREAMS!
We let our lives
mix with our dreams like two coloured paints, until we didn’t know which is
what.
[Atticus poet]
This is us; a little family in a constant state of controlled chaos!
This is us; a little family in a constant state of controlled chaos!
Engagement photos...what to wear??
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Confused about what to wear to your engagement or couples
shoot? We have some tips and ideas…from quirky to casual
and a little more classic.
Some of our own tips:
* Let the season guide you.Summer might call for a soft, airy dress whereas winter might lead you to some chunky scarves, gingham blankets or your grandmother's stole.
* Wear something that you feel comfortable and fabulous in. A dramatic gown becomes less dramatic if you have to adjust it the whole afternoon.
* Try to stay within a certain colour palette or theme and avoid any busy or tiny prints.
* Try to stay within a certain colour palette or theme and avoid any busy or tiny prints.
* Choose your outfits to compliment the location you love. Let it reflect who you are.
* If the venue allows bring more than one outfit. A smarter one for more classic photos and a casual, comfortable ( jeans and a tee?) for more playful, fun photographs.How do people know you as a couple; all colourful and casual or rather dapper and dressed up? Play on that to create something unique.
* Have your hair and makeup done professionally if possible -you will feel and look a million bucks.
* If you would specifically like to use one of the photos for your "Save the date" card curate your outfit or the mood of the day to compliment the wedding style you have in mind as it will give your guests the first little sneak peak of what's to come. Chat to your photographer if you have a specific type of shot or pose in mind... If you have a dreamy farmhouse wedding in mind a Save the Date card showing you in a lavender field will keep your guests intrigued and set the mood for your big day to come.
* Be an early bird the night before your photoshoot and take some eye drops an hour before the shoot to take any red out of your eyes.
* If you would specifically like to use one of the photos for your "Save the date" card curate your outfit or the mood of the day to compliment the wedding style you have in mind as it will give your guests the first little sneak peak of what's to come. Chat to your photographer if you have a specific type of shot or pose in mind... If you have a dreamy farmhouse wedding in mind a Save the Date card showing you in a lavender field will keep your guests intrigued and set the mood for your big day to come.
* Be an early bird the night before your photoshoot and take some eye drops an hour before the shoot to take any red out of your eyes.
* DON'T forget the ring! And if you have been engaged for a while have it cleaned if possible :)
* Have fun, play and enjoy getting comfortable in front to the camera and with your partner!
* Have fun, play and enjoy getting comfortable in front to the camera and with your partner!
We found some outfit pairing ideas on greenweddingshoes.com:
The below two shots were of the same couples shoot but by slightly changing the mood, changing the outfits and the surround we created variety and captured both sides of their personalities -the ultra chic city slickers and the hopeless romantics.
Broken Confetti: The story behind this story
Sunday, 4 October 2015
The story started with a wild pear tree that bloomed overnight, a half-made frock and only a moment of light.
The day before we were due to leave for home we strolled to
the original old farmhouse on Steynsdraai farm to find an avalanche of wild
blossoms on an ancient tree left in the orchid.
It was utterly unique being the only tree in bloom and worth
at least one picture. As I was busy sewing a dress from a vintage corset and
happen to have it inside my suitcase a mini “styled” shoot instantly came to
mind.
So we grabbed some goodies
(which was one camera,one lens,one dress
still pinned in places and a ladder) and headed back to the orchid to
catch the last sunlight of the afternoon, pretending not to notice the clouds
rolling in…
Soon the gently breeze started whirling and turned into a
howling wind showering us in a cascade of snow white blooms and a few second
later the heavens opened up and soaked us within minutes.
We ran for shelter and waited out the storm on the old
farmhouse stoep and then walked back… gown and ladder in tow…the blooms were
gone, just broken confetti left in the dirt.
These were some of the only shots we got.
Calling this a styled shoot might be a bit of a stretch… it
was more a brief moment capturing the first traces of spring!
Ephesus
Saturday, 26 September 2015
Too long ago I promised a post about the mythical cats we
found in and around Ephesus in Turkey… this little guy graced the steps of the ancient
Celsus library. (and what a poser!)
Kotor
Tuesday, 22 September 2015
A writer’s heart,
a poet’s heart, an artist’s heart, a musician’s heart is always breaking. It is
through that broken window that we see the world.
[Alice Walker]
Sisters...Susan and Abby-gail
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
I met Susan
which feels like millennia ago …Originally from Henley-on-Klip Susan travelled
far and wide and have now settled in Norway with her husband Nils where she
recently opened a world class Facial and Beauty Salon. I would say that you
just have to book a treatment with her but the salon has been such a hit that
it is quite impossible to get a booking so plan in advance if you want to be
pampered there!
Abby-gail I met a few years later… such a gentle beauty with
the most darling little girl Ella.(See little Ella where she featured with Abby
in one of our previous posts this year)
Generations of beautiful women we would like to photograph
for all time…
Werner and Lize-mari
Saturday, 5 September 2015
We photographed Lize-mari and Werner last year and after we heard
the very exciting news that they got engaged a few weeks ago we wanted to
celebrate a bit by sharing some of their photographs taken at Castello Di Monte
in Pretoria. These two were deadly stylish at the “Breakfast at Tiffany’s meet the 60ies Italian Mafia” part of their photoshoot !!
Creative directing & Styling: Dust & Dreams
Photography
Location: Castello Di Monte, South Africa
Fine Art in the making...
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
The
concept and idea behind a Fine Art series we are currently working on is close
to my heart and it is wonderful to see it slowly come to fruition!
From the
surface it might just look like pretty pictures but it will explore the frailty
of beauty against the different depths
of immortality in nature…
Now I am
really burning to share some images of this project but will have to restrain
myself from sharing too much for now so we can only leak some behind the scenes
images J
Due to
our location we had no model so I just had to bite the bullet and stand in (a
challenge in itself I tell you!)
And then
of course we had our little creatures around who was having none of this
silliness ( and did not agree with not getting all the attention!) …first there
was one furry, then two , then mild chaos….
And yes, the ladder does have a purpose!
Banana in your hair days
Saturday, 25 July 2015
I
know that “banana in your hair” days, crayon paintings on your wall and driving
around to monkeynastics may not feel glamorous sometimes (and may not
make you feel very glamorous at all…) and the last thing on your mind is probably
being photographed but…what would you give for a portrait of your own mother or
grandmother who might not be there anymore or who might be far away? What would
you give for something tangible to hold close when the ones you love cannot be
near? How much do you think your children would not want a portrait of you for someday?
I
still have my mother (how lucky am I) and recently I photographed her and I
know those prints will be treasured possession for both my sister and I and one
day we will be so grateful that she let me photograph her…I have also photographed my sister so that one day her little boy has a portrait to treasure...
Exist
in photographs for your children as one day it will be their most valuable possession.
The warmest kind of love
Saturday, 20 June 2015
I thought I'd break the silence with these two. I know
you must be thinking,Father's day is coming up and not Mother's day but which
father (and husband for that matter) would not just love seeing his two
favourite girls together and which grandfather would not just love seeing two
generations of beauties.
The cuter than pie little Ella with her stunning mom
Abby-gail.
A little "Rock & Roll"
Thursday, 7 May 2015
Jane was one of
our “Shy Swan’s” – a woman who does not realize her own beauty and who literally
just glowed as soon as she stepped in front of the camera...
Hair and Make up by Tamaryn Pretorius
Wardrobe and jewellery by "The Closet" By Dust and Dreams
Styling by Elaine Louwrens
Hair and Make up by Tamaryn Pretorius
Wardrobe and jewellery by "The Closet" By Dust and Dreams
Styling by Elaine Louwrens
Beauty like Helen's
Friday, 1 May 2015
Beauty like Helen’s… Yes, the one from Troy… The legendary
lady that launched a thousand ships…
Soft and Surreal...
Monday, 27 April 2015
I fell in love with this beautiful 1980's vintage lace
romper from the USA and was just dying to use it, so paired it with the lovely
Rebecca, one of our softest tulle skirts, a beautiful long necklace Rebecca had
and the diamante “choker” like necklace. (which is actually a 1920's antique
belt which I saved for and bought at an antique market when I was 13.)
It was soft and dreamy, surreal and spectacular all at the same
time…
