i ♥ retro (photos, cars and kate)

meet my lovely friend kate.  kate is from my homeland, england, and is over here in SA to do part of her degree.  before she arrived she asked me if we could do a photoshoot together and when she said i had free rein for the type of shoot i knew just the place to go to.  a couple of weeks ago (when the sun was still shining and it was warm!) we went off to the winelands car museum in the northern suburbs.  i have absolutely fallen in love with this place, especially the old rustic car graveyard.  

we had a lot of fun climbing into and onto old retro cars, mainly from 1960/1970's america.  the owners of the museum were so accommodating and so helpful, and what with kate being so great and easy to photograph, it made such a pleasant shoot.

so here is what came out from that lovely day.....retro photos of the stunning kate:

        

        

           

         

    

        

    

            

             

              

             

              

             

kate also has her own photography blog....go on and check hers out here.

with me all in this retro mood after doing this shoot....thought a bit of bee gees would be appropriate.  nothing like strutting to staying alive.....just like john travolta in saturday night fever :)

sushi and wine (and lots of it!)..KWV friends for dinner evening

when KWV asked Emily Pettit-Coetzee and Liza West of iheartyouroutfit, if they would be interested in hosting a friends for dinner evening, they jumped at the chance...and what a perfect combo!  with KWV providing all the wine and Emily and Liza just picking the location and type of evening, this was an event not to be missed!


last friday it was all planned - a relaxed evening with friends, lots of sushi and vino, all courtesy of KWV.  i tried my hand at making some sushi, which thank goodness came out edible, thanks to the help of Harry Sushi.  however, have decided i am definitely better at eating sushi then making! 


after a crazy, funny evening of eating too much, drinking too much, lots of laughs, pouring red wine on the pristine white table cloth and setting a napkin alight, we could all say the evening was a success and we all fully enjoyed ourselves.


Thanks KWV and Emily & Liza! 

commission from my mother dearest :)

recently my mum visited us here in SA and while she was away my dad sneakily planned to have part of the house renovated for her (very good hubby!).  she was so shocked and happy when she got back and now has been a very busy bee organising new furnishings and decor for the rooms.  

She asked me a while ago if i would like to do some photographs for one of the rooms and just gave me the directions "black and white" and "arty" as something she would like to have. when she said that i already had an idea of what i wanted to do, and here is the final product:

so this is my first piece to be hung in the shepherd family household! very proud! :)

to end off, just wanted to play you some more adele.  have had her songs on repeat on itunes for a while now for when i am editing. this has to be one of my favourite covers as the song has such beautiful words and she puts some heart in it....until next time :)

When the rain
Is blowing in your face
And the whole world
Is on your case
I could offer you
A warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows
And the stars appear
And there is no one there
To dry your tears
I could hold you
For a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you
Haven't made
Your mind up yet
But I would never
Do you wrong
I've known it
From the moment
That we met
No doubt in my mind
Where you belong

I'd go hungry
I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling
Down the avenue
No, there's nothing
That I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging
On the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
Though winds of change
Are throwing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing
Like me yet

I could make you happy
Make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends
Of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love

a community of photographers: introducing Kiki

over the past couple of years photography has become a passion for me, and i am constantly searching the web (thank goodness for the internet, don't know what i would do without it!) and books for more information and knowledge, so i am able to learn more to grow in this art form.  up until now i have mainly done this by myself, trying to find my own way, and believe me i still have a LOT more to learn!  as many photographers out there might know this industry can be a bit of a lonely one....usually we are all trying to improve, learn, grow and get out there on our own steam. recently i've had a few people ask me where is the best place to go if you want to learn more, so i thought i would blog about this to share with you all.  


if you haven't heard of it before, i would like to introduce to you: Kiki :)

the fact that this industry is lonely one, motivated wedding photographer Christine Meintjes in starting a place where photographers could connect, share tips, ask questions and get answers.  Christine and her husband Iaan started the Kiki facebook page and Kiki Photo twitter page and a few months ago launched the Kiki website.  Kiki has a lot to offer photographers, whether you are up and coming or established, and it is only just the beginning. from here on out it can only grow bigger! :)  


you should sign up to Kiki if:

• you have a thousand questions that you want to ask other photographers and never seem to be able to find the answer (you'd be surprised how many people have the same question, or have gone through a similar situation and can help)
• tips to improve your photography and find out about courses to attend or websites to go to
• want critique for your work
• technical information about equipment
• gain some business information for running your photography business (have usually found the business side is the last thing photographers think of!)
• find out about workshops in your area
• meet other photographers face to face from your area 

Kiki has a lot to offer:

• Blog – where tips, free downloads, interviews, reviews, competitions and news updates are given 
• Tools – this is where tools are given to make the life of the photographer that much easier. if you are starting out your own photography business and not sure what contracts to use, Kiki has provided contract templates to get you going on your way, also found here are some great Lightroom presets that Christine has made 
• Meet Ups: one of the ways I ended up hearing about Kiki was through facebook about a photographer meet up in my area that was coming up.  The internet is great, where you get to see other photograper’s work profiles and maybe chat to them over the web, but there really is nothing like actually meeting in person.  And who knows, maybe it will be more then just photography you talk about, but make some friends too :)
• Workshops: pretty much explains itself…but if you are looking for a workshop in your area…..or have a workshop to advertise, this is the space to do so! 
• Outreach: why not use all this useful information and tips you are gaining to give back to others.  Kiki has provided a place where an outreach is available to go back to serve the community (currently only available in cape town, south africa....but watch this space for growth)

One of my favourite things about Kiki is a recent update: Christine and Iann have now started Kiki TV which shows every Tuesday and Thursday night at 18h00 (South African time).  I would seriously recommend you pop in to have a look, there is also an opportunity to connect with others while the show is airing and ask questions through a facebook forum where answers will be given live, as they are broadcasting.


so there you have it, if you have a passion for photography and have got this far reading this post, then i think you should go and have a look at Kiki right about.......now! :)


Also if you would like to join Kiki on facebook at the moment there are different groups in different areas: in South Africa: Western Cape, Gauteng, PE (incl Durban); Europe; Namibia; Middle East; USA; Singapore and United Kingdom.  All you have to do is go here and sign up to a group in your area! :)


if you have any questions or comments, please make so below :)

Forsberg Family...

Let me introduce you to the Forsberg family!  I have known the Forsbergs for a few years now and this is one family that knows how to have fun!  a few weeks ago the whole family plus family members' partners were down in cape town, so we all went down to muizenberg beach, while the weather was still good, to capture the time they had together.  as you can see much laughter was had, and they even brought their own dress up props to make it fun.  really enjoyed the day with them and felt so privileged to shoot such a special family....

in usual rebecca groves blogging style would love to put some music with this, and a band my hubby recently introduced to me is black dub.  this is their song "love lives".....enjoy!