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!

In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.

[Rumi]

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.

* 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.

* 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!

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.

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!

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]

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…

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

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….