The first SLR I owned was a Nikon F70 that I bought in 1994 while on holiday in the Maldives and it was for personal use only. I was more into making movies and loved the immediate results I was getting shooting with a video camera. I loved filming weddings and have been capturing special moments since 1988. For 20 years I was content with video only, till I got to see the amazing results the new 2nd generation professional Nikon cameras, i.e… Nikon D2x was producing.

I was born in Stellenbosch and lived there almost all my life. In 2004 we relocated to Johannesburg and I had to restart my wedding video business from scratch again. One of the first wedding togs I met was Jaco & Daleen Fourie. We filmed many weddings together and became close family friends. I was amazed at how fast Jaco mastered digital photography and his ability to build a name for himself, locally as well as internationally. In the wedding video industry, this type recognition just did not exist.

When the economic and financial crunch started to effect us in South Africa, my wedding video bookings almost came to a standstill – yet active wedding photographers were still getting bookings. We then realised that a wedding video had become a luxury and that videographers were dropping to the bottom of the list of required service providers. 

I absolutely love working at weddings and have devoted most of my working life to this amazing industry. Also from a financial point of view, I was so heavily invested into technology and equipment – that I simply could not throw in the towel. I had to find an alternative, more sustainable activity where I could use my skills and experience. Doing wedding photography was a logical option.

I contacted Jaco for advice and he recommended that I give it a shot. He had a used D2x for sale and I got it at a good price. He also asked me for a favour, to make a video of him shooting a “Trash-The-Dress” in Durban. In return I could use the opportunity to take some pictures for myself. The Trash-The-Dress shoot was an awesome experience and I got to meet an amazing group of wedding photographers. Togs like, Linda Twiggs, Derrick Gravett, Petrus Saayman, Pieter Willering and Neil Cuninghame left such a positive impression on me. I was stunned at the way they interacted with each other and the way they shared their knowledge. Needless to say, I have become close friends with most of them!!

When we returned from Durban, I could not contain myself when I saw the results of the photos I had taken. Jaco offered to print me a coffee table book and instantly I became published with my own first hard cover photo book.. This was the most exciting moment in my new photography career!!

Then in September 2008, after second-shooting only two weddings, I was thrown into the deep end by Doug Place. He had an enquiry for a wedding that he could not do and was asking for someone available in one of the forums I frequented. I called Doug to ask if the client wanted a video and then he gave me the client’s details. When I called – the client was not interested in a video and told me that Doug had only recommended me to do the wedding photos. I was so caught of guard, stuttered and then said ok – I said I would bring a sample photobook of my recent shoot in Durban when we meet later that afternoon. Needless to say – they loved my work and the book and booked me on the spot.