chelsea

I love when I am able to collaborate with other amazing artists because there's always an influx of ideas waiting to be tried out. When I had the opportunity to work with Chelsea, a dancer, who contacted me way back in Winter with an idea to do a dance photo shoot, I agreed without hesitation. I've always been eager to work with dancers after being inspired by such fantastic images produced by "The Ballerina Project," Bertil Nilsson and Wyn Wiley. So with the opportunity in front of me and a head full of ideas, we went ahead with the shoot in Spring and such images resulted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/killthemessenger/9254438521/

Hopefully I'll get the chance to collaborate with many more dancers as it's definitely something I'd love to continue to pursue. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated!

day one in south africa

The view of Paris from above

I have finally arrived in Johannesburg after a day and a half of traveling! It started off with a delayed flight in Toronto and an uneventful layover in Heathrow Airport. The most excitement Heathrow had to offer was me lurking around the surrounding chairs by the charging stations waiting to snag an outlet. Oh and there was a cashier who wouldn't let me pay for my Harper's Bazaar because my £20 note was "too old." Whatever that means.

Before I touched down in Joburg at 7:30am, I had the loveliest view of the rising sun. Wish I could see it everyday.

Some free promotion right there for South Africa Airways

 And last but not least, enjoy these pictures of my Uncle's lovely fish :D

nequita & matt get married

Sometimes you drift away from friends for multiple reasons but I'm so happy when we get back in touch. It's almost like we never had that period of disconnect. This happened with Nequita and myself - we met in high school but drifted apart during our university years. One day, I received a message from her asking if I could photograph her wedding. Without any hesitation, I said "YES!"

On the day of the wedding, it snowed quite heavily but it created such a wonderful atmosphere - it's what people dream of when they think of a winter wedding. Photographing a winter event was definitely a challenge and I'm so grateful I wore my snow boots to kick away the snow so I could create paths for the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Not only that, it was quite chilly outside so the photos had to be done quite quickly. Looking back, I can now recognize that this was a great learning experience that challenged both my creative and technical skills.

Thanks to Nequita and Matt for not only letting me capture their important moments but also for letting me meet their wonderful family and friends. I hope the best for your future and can't wait till I see you both again.

On a side note, I never realized how long it takes to create a wedding blog post. I can now see why it takes many photographers forever to upload them. You have to decide on your favorite pictures, make sure the colour scheme matches and make sure the sizing is appropriate. It was definitely an experience.