In the space of a year our dog dropped dead unexpectedly from a freak disease and then one of my very close friends from university passed away after a 11 month battle with cancer. Both of these losses affected me deeply but also reminded me that death is a part of life and that we will all die one day. If you have lost someone dear I am sure you were exactly like me and found yourself picking up the phone or going through old albums to find pictures of your loved one.

This really made me realize the value of taking someone’s portrait. When Panther Bear, our dog died, I found out too late that we have pretty much no photos of him and I together, and that made me really sad. On the flip side I was lucky enough to have time with Kirst before she passed and was able to make some beautiful images of her. These are treasures now. We actually printed them to give to her friends after she passed.

This made me want to go out and photograph everyone, and I have found myself photographing waaaaay more portraits than I ever have before. I believe that in order to live a happy life we need to understand our why. I know that my portraits are treasures, art pieces, moments in time encapsulating a feeling that can be revisited after the fact, they are transcendent and that gives me a sense of purpose.

If you are from Jozi and would like to be photographed by me I am coming up to your land in the first week of November and have two slots free for a family portrait session, a couple session or a pack portrait session.

Here are some examples of new family portraits I have made recently.

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