I met up with Caroline and Guy almost a year ago here in Cape Town.  At that stage they were planning to get married here in South Africa, but there was a change of plans.  Instead they opted for a fairytale traditional white wedding in what-must-be a 16th century church in a small village in the heart of the English countryside.  Luckily, we are shooting weddings in Europe during their summer, so we could still perform the photography duties!

See Caroline & Guy’s E-session done in Southwark & on the South Bank of the Thames.

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp & Mauritz Snyman

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 the very last person off the mountain on the first day!

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp

]]> http://www.zara-zoo.com/blog/skiing-zermat-aleit/feed/ 2 http://www.zara-zoo.com/blog/skiing-zermat-aleit/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ZaraZooExclusivePhotography/~3/n3z0_UBXWbU/ http://www.zara-zoo.com/blog/family-photo-shoot/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:57:15 +0000 Stefan http://www.zara-zoo.com/blog/?p=7843

A mom more proud of her sons will be hard to find!

Andre recently did a family shoot with the De Jager Family at their house on the De Zalze Private Golf Estate near Stellenbosch.  We decided to have a bit of fun and fool around with the guys rather than doing the traditional posed stuff.  Needless to say, when four young males are together, the testosterone will always cause in a bit of healthy competition…  resulting in some interesting snaps!

ZaraZoo is running an awesome half-price deal on family shoots for the month of August.  R4000 for a 2-hour shoot and 100 photos on disk!  Book your Family Photo Shoot now!

Photos by Andre van Niekerk

We’re shooting Calvin & Heidi’s wedding at Schotia Safaris Game Reserve near Port Elizabeth in September.  For their E-session we met up at the very vibrant and buzzing Borough Fresh Produce Market in London.  From there we had a stroll along the South Bank, all the way to Tower Bridge.

Our E-sessions are designed for the couple to get to know us better and to make people feel more comfortable in front of the camera.   Apart from getting some great pics, we have found that it makes both bride and groom more relaxed on their big day when it comes to the photography.

Andre will be in London from the 11th of August to the 30th to shoot weddings.  If you want to do your E-session in London, email us so that we can fit your shoot into his schedule.

See Gillian & Chris’s E-session done at Borough Market last year.

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp

Earlier this year, we did brochure and website photos for Molenvliet Lodge.  The Lodge, situated on the Welgevonden Private Game Reserve, 3 hours drive from Johannesburg and is part of the Molenvliet Lifestyle and Leisure portfolio which includes the well known Molenvliet Wine farm in the Banhoek valley near Stellenbosch.

Molenvliet Lodge is the ideal honeymoon getaway or even the setting for an intimate wedding.  It has 5 luxury chalets and a very spacious lodge that can sleep 10 people, boasts with a magnificent lodge comprising of very spacious entertainment areas, a huge deck and a brim flow pool.

Guests are also spoiled to the abundance of wildlife, with the big 5 on your doorstep.   We went on a short game drive of 2 hours and encountered, Rhino’s Vlakvark, Giraffe, Kudu, Wildebeest, Elephant and a score of bird species.

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp

The lodge has been designed for the purposes of catering for corporate retreats, timeshare, corporate workshops, merger & acquisition meetings, and other senior management meetings of a private and confidential nature.

As one of the best Lodges in Welgevonden, companies have the privacy they deserve, a total experience, away from prying eyes.

In addition to the boardroom, the lodge boasts a well-stocked library with Internet facilities for those wanting to catch up on emails. There are numerous “break-out” areas for brainstorming, work shops and idea generation.

For more information, visit the Molenvliet Lodge Website.

I love the South Bank!  Every time I go there, I find something new – endless opportunities for a photographer.  And after living in London for more than 10 years, I got the opportunity to get my feet wet in the Thames for the very first time!  See the gory details further down…

Guy & Caroline will tie the knot tomorrow in a small little village near Shakespeare’s birth town, Stratford upon Avon.    Its been a while since I’ve shot in the English countryside, so looking forward to this one a lot.  Enjoy the last night of freedom guys!

If you don’t already know, ZaraZoo works the UK wedding season during the miserable Cape winter – Andre and myself shoot weddings on this side of the pond for two months every year in July and August.  So if you like our style and are getting married in Europe, let us know…  Also, if you are getting married in SA and live in London, why not meet up and have a chat about your wedding photography!

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp

I recently did a family shoot with some good old friends in London.  Cobus is a former Springbok rugby player and is now involved with Saracens Rugby Club here in the UK.  How ironic that his son is standing with a “English football” in this photo!

Cobus & Nicolene, you are an amazing family with the most beautiful kids!

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp

The idea of doing a photographers road trip was spawned by the Mammoth Men road trips done by some of the best US wedding photographers.   The scale that these guys do it on, with a huge tour bus and 12 photographers….  Wow – in America everything is big!

The first Drive-By Shooters trip was a massive success!  With minimal planning  (just our accommodation spots booked) we headed into the Karoo – stopping by Matjiesfontein, Sutherland, Fraserburg, Leeu Gamka and Prince Albert.  In the Behind-the-scenes photos that will be posted later this week, we will talk more about the 7 photographers that made this awesome excursion a reality.

Ask us anything about this trip on the Drive-By Shooters Facebook page.  Some of the images are very thought provoking!

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp, Andre van Niekerk & Laura da Paixao

]]> http://www.zara-zoo.com/blog/driveby-shooters-karoo/feed/ 0 http://www.zara-zoo.com/blog/driveby-shooters-karoo/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ZaraZooExclusivePhotography/~3/FfzbLLs8mBs/ http://www.zara-zoo.com/blog/running-bride-cape-town-zarazoo/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:31:13 +0000 Stefan http://www.zara-zoo.com/blog/?p=7595

Today still, I don’t really know exactly what this day was about…  But what I do know, is that is was loads of fun and a raving success!

A few months ago, Eddie, Daniel & Kestitus, the 3 mad hatter Lithuanians of Fresco Pictures contacted ZaraZoo to be involved in the “Running Bride – Cape Town”.   The idea was to get all the top wedding service providers on Cape Town together on one day to produce a weird, yet wonderful film / photos that would be indifferent to any other wedding material shot in SA so far!  “The key”, Eddie said, “was not to plan too much and to trust the creativity of the individuals involved to produce the magic”.   We decided to go for it.

The photos that follow are the result of almost no planning and on-the-cuff improvisation on a day that started at 8am and ended at 8pm!  – “Never plan too much… It might just kill off your creativity”

Look out for the “Behind the Scenes” photos as well as a few videos of the day – to be posted in the next week.

Visit the Running Bride Facebook Page.  This video of the event helps to explain what it was all about.

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp &  Andre van Niekerk

Other Wedding Service providers involved in the day:  Aleit Wedding Coordination, Fralene Make-up, Okasie, Echo Media, Vision on Fire, Bride & Co, The Grand Daddy Hotel and plenty more.  See the Running Bride Facebook Page for a full list

Being a photographer is not always plain sailing…  But one clear benefit is the fantastic opportunities that it brings to see the world.   One of these came my way when asked to cover an ABSA Capital event in Basel, Switzerland.   I have to thank the Aleit Corporate Events team and commend them on a job well done so far away from home!

The exclusive dinner was held in the ballroom of one of the most revered establishments in Europe, the 5-star Les Trois Rois that dates back to the 1600’s;  a place where the Queen, the Clinton’s and a host of other world leaders have also stayed at!

Photos by Stefan Steenkamp