BLOG

Conferences and events, styled shoots Wynand van der Merwe Conferences and events, styled shoots Wynand van der Merwe

Admired in Africa #BeInspired2017 | Hertford Country Hotel

Here are a few images from the Admired in Africa #beispired2017 conference which was held at the beautiful Hertford Country Hotel! 

It was the first time for me to attend an Admired in Africa Conference, and it was such an amazing experience listening to so many amazing photographers in the Wedding Industry! It was a privilege to attend and I learnt as much from the attendees as much as I did from the speakers. 

Here is a list of the amazing speakers at the conference, and you should go and check out their work...amazing! 

Niki M Photography (Loved Niki's personality...she looks fun at weddings)

Estefania Romero⎪Wedding & Portrait Photographer

Nelis Engelbrecht Photography (Off-camera flash theory and practical...loved it)

Rensche Mari Photography (Theory and styled shoot practical)

Linda Vos Photography (Night shot theory...I learned amazing things)

Jacki Bruniquel Art and Photography (I am a very big fan, and I loved her insights into getting great emotional shots. She also did a practical and she blew me away with new ideas on how to shoot with any light)

Du Wayne Photography (Du Wayne shared his story, and had a very inspirational talk)

Tim Moolman, Eslie Basson & FujiFilm SA (Tim was sharing how he shoots with the FujiFilm mirrorless cameras and how he thinks the wedding industry is going to change...he shoots black and white and most of his Jpegs out-of-camera is perfect and ready to be sent to the client...no post-processing)

The conference was held at the beautiful Hertford Country Hotel

Missy Make Up Artist modelled for Niki M Photography and did the make up and hair of the other models. She is just incredible!

The amazing dresses was sponsored by Dimity Bridal Studio and the beautiful rings by Taneka Storm Jewellery.

During day 3 of the conference Carolien and Ben from Carolien and Ben Photography joined us as models during Du Wayne Denton's Black & White Photography practical. 

Chris Van Dalen & Studio77Productions did the #behindthescenes video and I cant wait to see what it looks like!

Other photographers I have met during the course of the conference, was the following:

Natalie Loots Photography

Hanri Human

Alexander Smith Photography (Petrus is a good friend of mine and a lot of what I know today is thanks to him)

Leandrie Du Plessis Photography (she is in the 3rd last picture shown below)

Designer Photo (wow, I love these guys. They've shown me how to shoot through a leaf (first picture shown below, no yellow added in photoshop) and many other tricks. Including the portraits shown below with the circular bokeh (used my iPhone's camera to create the bokeh))

And many more!

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

 

 

Read More
wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe

Duane & Tanya | Wedding | The Moon and Sixpense

Wow, finally it is here! Duane and Tanya's beautiful wedding at the Moon & Sixpense is on my blog!

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

My wife and I got married in Bredasdorp 8 years ago, but always tell that if we tied the knot in Gauteng, we would have done it at The Moon & Sixpense! This is such an amazing venue...the tuscan vibe and the fact that it feels like you wander in a little forest is mesmerizing! 

Duane and Tanya had a super amazing wedding, with friends and family, and one of the most memorable moments for me was when Tanya's dad saw for the first time in her beautiful wedding dress. It's a moment I am looking for when me little girl is grown up and ready to marry the man of her dreams. I mean this is the day all girls dream about since they were small...a princess leaving the house of her king, going on a journey to marry her prince! Magical stuff! 

Tanya looked absolutely gorgeous in her wedding dress, and Duane....you looked dapper, especially with your red bow tie!

Duane inspires me as a man. The way he looks at Tanya, with so much love and admiration...and the way he handles her...its so special! May your love for each other grow and grow each year, and may your love inspire others like you have inspired me to love! 

Here is the list of the other suppliers who made this amazing day possible!

Venue: The Moon & Sixpense

Make up and hair: Made Up by Kylie 

Tanya's dress: Silk Stitches (such a pretty dress)

Duane's suit: Eurosuit

DJ and MC: Michael Catterson from Mix 93.8 FM (wow, he is entertaining)

Flowers and decor: Exquisite Flowers & Decor Hire

Enjoy the photos and please leave a comment at the end!

Read More
engagement photography Wynand van der Merwe engagement photography Wynand van der Merwe

A dash of gold at Toadbury {Stefan & Ele's e-session}

Stefan & Ele's beautiful gold toned engagement shoot pictures, done at Toadbury Hall Country Hotel, are on my blog!

"A bell’s no bell ’til you ring it, a song’s not a song ’til you sing it, Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay, Love isn’t love ’til you give it away." - Oscar Hammerstein II

How did I get so lucky....! I promise, this is not a styled shoot and they are not models. Elé is such a beauty!

We met up at Woolworths Cafe at Nicolway, and I immediately just fell in love with who they are as a couple. They are such down to earth people, fun to be around with, and yet super stylish. When I asked that they bring a bottle of champagne for the shoot, they brought a Moët. Impressive taste. Elé's ForeverNew dress was out of this world and her make-up, done by MAC, Sandton, was just perfect!

Wow, I loved doing this shoot and I can't wait for the wedding in January 2017! 

The venue, Toadbury Hall, is one of those pinch-yourself-is-this-real venues, and I am so glad we did the shoot there. I chose to set up in the Rose Chapel with items from my house (yes, my wife decorates our house with Rose Gold (beautiful hey?), and she chose the theme for me for this shoot to fit Elé's dress). I bought a Petit Rouge chandelier stencil (IzzitArt) and the beautiful flowers from the Fourways Flower Market, and I used the chandelier to spraypaint chandeliers in Rose Gold on a pallet (or actually my wife did) and I just loved how this all complimented Elé's beautiful dress!

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

 

 

Read More
Event Photography Wynand van der Merwe Event Photography Wynand van der Merwe

Tracey Swanepoel's New Book Launch Party

Tracey Swanepoel's book launch photos are on my blog!

Tracey Swanepoel is one of those people who get a lot of things done, and on top of all that writes a book...and a brilliant book if I must say myself!

 
 

The Leadership Riptide and How to Escape

She writes out of personal experiences while working in the mining industry, and she gives an honest view of what she learnt, and what it means to be true leader. Amazing. She is truly an inspiration. 

When someone like Brand Pretorius, retired CEO of McCarthy Limited, endorses your book and writes a foreword in your book, then you know it has to be a good book to read. 

The book is for sale in Exclusive Books stores across South Africa.  

The book launch was held at the The Eatalian Restaurant in Parkmore, Johannesburg. If you haven't eaten there, then you are surely missing out! 

The wine from The Taillard Family Wines was also out of this world. 

Read More