MY JOURNAL

In the late fall of last year I traveled up north to the town of Andong, famous in Korea for its tradition. In a beautiful ballroom of Andong Grand Hotel, Byeong-yeop and Ae-ri would be married in front of their loved ones. Never have I felt so welcome and so appreciated than with this couple and their families! It was going to be a beautiful day!

While many Korean brides plan their wedding at least a season in advance, Mina contacted me about a month before her wedding. She was originally not going to have a wedding because she didn’t like the idea of having the ordinary proceedings of the typical Korean wedding however she said she came across my photos of Pete and Sanha’s traditional ceremony, and the photos convinced her otherwise.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to document a beautiful wedding in Seoul, Korea’s capital. The awful summer heat had just passed by a week ago and I was excited to get out and enjoy a lovely outdoor ceremony. Another reason I was excited about this particular wedding was because not only is the groom a fellow South African, but he is a great photographer here in Korea too.

On a freezing day in January Mike and Jenni came down from Busan to spend the afternoon with me and have their engagement photos taken. The week before, Gwangju had, had the most snow it had seen in quite some time and made the city look like a winter wonderland. Really pretty to look at, but being out in it takes a little bravery 😉

Lisa has a special place in my heart because she was my first ever maternity client. I remember how nervous I was. I had a little book with poses drawn out, only one lens to work with and pretended that I knew exactly what I was doing when I had very little idea at all! But Lisa remained so calm and encouraged me every minute of that shoot, she made me feel so capable. I don’t think many clients realize that without knowing it, they teach us little things and impact our careers positively in numerous ways!

The first time I met the Billet family was for their daughter Briony’s newborn session and now she is already 3 years old!! I love seeing how all the children grow up and develop their own personalities, and little B is a cutie!! But on this rainy autumn morning I was not there for her, I came to photograph her new born brother, Griffin. I often try to photograph the newborns in their home (if the lighting conditions permit) because they are still so sensitive to the outside world. In their home they feel safe, it’s more convenient for parents and tells more of a story. Some day Griffin can see where he spent his first days and parents have a keepsake of this wonderful time (that goes by too fast) to look back on for many years to come.

On a magnificent fall morning, I made the trip down to the quaint county of Gochang where I was to photograph a lovely traditional wedding. Close friends and family came from all parts of the country to celebrate the marriage of Seong-cheol and In-hye. The couple have been together for years so this was really a just formality. Even so, it was a lovely celebration enjoyed by all!

Nigel and Serena were visiting Korea from Hong Kong in the early autumn of last year. She wanted to have her pre-wedding photographs taken while they were on their trip and had her heart set on Jeju Island. However, due to the fact that it was the long Thanksgiving holiday it would have been nearly impossible to get the team over there because of a lack of tickets. So I convinced her and Nigel to come and meet me in my beautiful province of Jeollnamdo and we set to work on planning a half day shoot.

On a crisp autumn morning I embarked on my journey to Jacob and April’s beautiful wedding. The wedding was held at Island CC Resort near to Ansan. On arrival at the resort I was so excited because not only was it a beautiful day, but the resort had really pretty architecture and was surrounded by mountains. It was the perfect setting!

It’s really cool how I get to watch families around me grow. How I get to see babies grow up to become their own, unique little people. When moms contact me and share the news that their family is growing, I feel so much joy for them and I get excited to share in the the next chapter of their happiness.