And the winner is....

CAZLIA SHILOH RICHARDS!

Shannah Richards has won her daughter a full Christmas shoot in my studio to the value of R1800.00!!!

Infant to Toddler Competition

It all started off as a simple competition to get parents to enter their cuties into a competition where the winner will receive a photo shoot in my studio. The results and reaction to this has been overwhelming! I mean the cute little girl who is taking the lead has over 100 votes and I've had mothers, cousins and friends enter cute little ones from all over reaching from Kokstad to Cape Town! My cousin even entered my niece (Jordan) hehe

With just over 24 hours to go, anything is possible as Shannah (Cazlia's mom) told me, so she's still campaigning for her daughter.

The winner will be announced first thing Thursday morning on my photography fan page "Ayesha van Staaden Photography" as well as Twitter (aavanstaaden) and right here on my blog...

This is the 2nd of many more competitions to be held by Ayesha van Staaden Photography so keep your eyes right here and be the first to know :)

CJ's 2nd Birthday

I met the cutie pie a few months back and I was known as puppy until recently when he tried to pronounce my real name and now I'm Andrien lol.

When Lorenzo first told me about the plans for his birthday I was in, the thing about CJ is that he says the dornest things and has the most beautiful eyes... I could swear I'ma marry him one day... yeah yeah 20 years is huge lol.

Because of the number of events I had for the day I thought I wouldnt make it but I swore nothing would stop me.

Ivan's 40th Birthday

I received a call from Caroline (Ivan's wife) saying that she heard about me from Adiel (The best florist and deco guy in town!). She asked if I'm free on Saturday, yes the same Saturday to take pictures at her husband 40th Birthday party. After getting a call from Feroz who I havent heard from in ages... I said sure only coz he knows them.

Hamida, my sister was not impressed because she was on holiday and here I am working almost every other day and we cant go on our crazy trips cross country... or as of late racing around Africa :)

So the morning of the party (20 November) I had to take pictures at Vela School's graduation and at CJ's party (featured below). 7 o'clock came and I had to make my way to the party, I can swear I passed myself somewhere on the road lol. As my dear friend said "one day you going to see yourself running past yourself" and that day I swear I did! lol.

Anyway, Adiel done the deco and as always the hall looked stunning! As seen below

 

This was one of those moments where I meet my client at the event. The beauty of that is that my clients trust me and trust that I will do my best and produce nothing but the best quality pictures. Below is the birthday man with his wife

What strikes me about this event was the closeness of everyone, family and friends everyone had a great time and there was just this vibe where no one was being stuck up or pretentious. It will remain one of those events where I loved my career path.

May you have 40 more Ivan :)

Ursula & Tony's Wedding

Rushing back for Zim, flights all day. A transfer from Zimbabwe to Zambia, a flight to Johannesburg then a flight to Durban and a night in Durban. JET LEGGGG!!! lol

After the most amazing trip to the Vic falls I'm ending my vac in Port St Johns taking pictures at Ursula and Tony's wedding.

Its 2pm and the wedding is suppose to start. Upon arrival at the wedding, I find Ursula still running around in her "bride to be" little ears!

She even made sure Hamida and I get settled in in a room where Hamida can chill and rest from the jet leg. This awesome bride still took time to welcome soooo many people before putting on her beautiful white dress and talking down the... erm... stairs to meet her future husband.



This was no traditional wedding, it was totally different! It was fun and entertaining, from the goom wearing an African shirt, to everyone being bare foot to the fire dancers!

The deco was second to non!

 

 

Some fun with the bride and bridesmaids :)

 

The entertainment... The fire dancers from Port St. Johns



Fun pictures with the family

Since I met the family there has never been a moment without smiles and laughter. Ursula and Tony are the bubbliest couple I've met, love ya lots Ursh, may you and Tony have a awesome life together as husband and wife... Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Gaitskill :)

Victoria Falls - Zimbabwe

Originally Hamida and I had decided to take a trip to Namibia for a week, while planning the trip and trying to get our flights sorted out we found that our flights from Durban - Jhb - Windhoek will cost over R10 000 for both of us! Ridiculous! So thats when we decided that we should change the plans and rather go else where, thats when we found an advert saying "Victoria Falls from as little as R2499.99" and we were stuck! Eventually we found the perfect package to the Vic Falls for 3 nights accommodation, flights and breakfast included for a fraction of the Namibia trip!

Hamida wanted to spend her birthday in South Africa so we organised with a family friend of ours, whom we havent seen in 10 years, to spend the weekend with her and her daughters. So we spend Friday til Monday with them, what an eventful weekend. We met her kids for the first time, Layla - 10 years and Zeena - 8 years old, we also met Simon and his two sons, Dylan - 15 years and Gareth - 11. Jhb was awesome we had lovely family dinners and even went ice skating on Hamida's birthday (Sunday). Unfortunately our stay came to an end on Monday morning when we had to catch our flight out from O.R Tambo international to Zambia International airport.

Upon arrival in Zambia we had Thompson's Travel waiting for us to take us to Zimbabwe - We decided to stay in Zim because all our activities would take place there. We checked in at the hotel and rested a bit before going on our Game Drive where we saw 3 of the big five, we had dinner at the game park and returned back to the hotel to rest. Tuesday we went for a helicopter flight "flight of the angels" over the Victoria Falls as well as up the Zambizi River. Later that day we were signed up to walk with lions in the game park, they were three cubs ages 12 months, 15 months and 18 months. As young as they were, they were huge!

Wednesday we took the long walk along the Victoria Falls and learned about David Livingstone and the Falls. Unfortunately or fortunately we went when the falls werent as huge as in June/July so we got to take lots of pictures and enjoy getting drenched in the mist. Later the afternoon we went on a cruise up the Zambizi and experienced the first rain in 5 months. Thursday it was back to Jhb with a connecting flight to Dbn where we spent the night and back home on Friday afternoon.

Zim was amazing, everyone was super friendly and more importantly we felt completely safe, we didnt have to worry about anyone robbing us or messing with us. SA could learn a lot from them. We could feel the difference in service when we got to OR Tambo international, SA people in service are sooo sour! You getting paid to do a job, deliver and deliver well... with a smile ;)

It was a life changing experience for me, it wasnt just one of those holidays that when you get back and return to work it feels like you never left. NO! This was the best holiday ever! Definitely heading back to Zim next year :)

The Adventures of Puppy

I've had puppy for a good number of years and I decided since I take him everywhere, we have traveled SA and crossed a border or two. The idea came to me beginning of October when I looked at all the places I've traveled and realized that he was there with me wherever I went. So now I decided to take him out of my bad and get some shots of him in various places.

The first shot I got of him was on the bus. As seen below



To date he has crossed 4 borders (Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe and RSA). Something else is that I will take pix of him supporting people, brands & towns. Like below



Our latest trip was to the Victoria Falls



If you've got any ideas on where puppy should be next for a pic... let me know

The longest but most beautiful 8km ever!

This past weekend saw now the bus from Mthatha to Kokstad on Friday afternoon and back on the bus from Kokstad to Mthatha on Sunday morning...

Why all the travelling???

Well my sistet - Hamida and her friend decided they want to take a trip up Sani Pass on Saturday - 9 October 2010.

The trip started off Saturday morning having to wake up at 6am to drive up to Underberg where we switched cars and started our journey with our tour guide. Our trip was in the comfort of a Land Rover Discovery 4... by far the most comfortable car I've been in. We were a small group, just the 3 of us, a elderly couple and Luyanda (our tour guide).

There are honestly no words to describe how beautiful the scenery was. There were endless mountains (before the Lesotho boarder, baboons, green grass and not forgetting clouds! There was a point where we got to an out look point where the wind was so strong you could see how the clouds were being pushing against the mountains then disperse once they meet with the breeze from the top of the mountain.

Sani Pass boasts one of a kind animals which include a ice rat, mohair sheep and a tiny little bird which I've included a picture of below.

Here's a little geography and history: It is the gateway to the ‘Roof of Africa’ scenic route that links the spectacular scenery of the Drakensberg with the mountains of northern Lesotho. The Sani Pass is the only border post between Kwazulu-Natal and Lesotho. As you cross the boarder of Lesotho you standing at the height of 2,873m above sea level, for those of you who don't know Table Mountain is 1,084.6m above sea level which means Sani Pass is almost 2 times higher than Table Mountain. Problem is when you get to the top your lungs almost feel like they going to collapse because of the high altitude. So you have to take a moment to literally catch your breath!

In Lesotho we met with a family where we were introduced to the Basotho culture and got to eat home made bread prepared by a friendly lady who opens her home to tourist and welcomes you with a smile. One of the coolest things I learnt from this experience was how people live without electricity, water, cellphone coverage and how they have to travel many hours just to get to towns... We were 5 hours away from Maseru and 2 hours from Underberg... which is their closet town for food supplies.

Lunch was served at the Highest Pub in Africa followed by our descend back to South Africa. As you can imagine I took hundreds of pictures to capture every moment of our trip. Oh and the reason of the name of this blog-post is because it took us over an hour to drive 8km up the pass, the road was crazy which only a 4x4 can climb. Two words sum up the experience... breath-taking!







P.S - More pictures will be uploaded to my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ayesha-van-Staaden-Photography/138756376153287?ref=ts

Update

Hey hey!

So its been over 2 months that I last posted an entry. Over the month of Ramadaan (the month of fasting for Muslim people) I decided not to post anything.

Well here's a catch up of all thats happening and thats going to happen over the last 3 months of 2010

2 months ago (3rd Aug)I took school pictures at a pre-school called Crafty Kids. It was my first school shoot. As expected some kids has a mind of their own and just refused to sit still, then there were those few who just sat down and gave a perfect smile.

When I started photography one of my missions were and still is to have every parent have a perfect picture of their little ones.

BEN 10!!! Spur hosted a fun day for all kids and Ben 10 was the star attraction, kids were taken and just wanted to see Ben 10 do his thing! lol. However all of them got a picture next to Ben 10 or on his lap. This and Crafty kids was perfect practice for next year when I take school pictures at the various schools

Couples Photoshoot... So the winners for the FREE Couples Photoshoot were announced last week Monday (20 October 2010) CONTRATS TO Caryn Walker and Wayne Barton

Whats Next??? Well next will be Caryn and Wayne's photoshoot next weekend then its off to capture Usula and Tony's beach wedding in Port St. Johns the 23rd Oct. After that its family shoots and more weddings in December! TONS of pictures will be coming soon on my blog, my website http://ayeshavanstaaden.com/ and on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ayesha-van-Staaden-Photography/138756376153287?ref=ts

Exploring the Wild Coast

24th July 2010

My sister and I kept seeing this board that leads off to a place called Oribi Gorge and decided that we want to hit the road and head on down and see what we could get up to.

So there we were Saturday morning early off the Oribi, at first we weren't sure what to expect but upon our arrival we decided that we will be brave and put on our poker faces and take on the Big Swing. For those who don't know Oribi Gorge has the highest and biggest Big Swing in the world, you jump about 55 stories down and swing 25m from the ground. So obviously my sister - Hamida goes first and takes that huge leap off the gorge and goes flying into the open air. Watching that had me shaking in my All Stars (lol).

Then... it was my turn! All nervous and still not sure why I wanted to do this absolutely crazy activity... I jumped on the jump masters count. The experience was amazing, there is honestly nothing like taking that leap of faith and trusting a green rope thingy to hold you and not let you hit the bottom and splat like gel to the rocks at the bottom. I admit... I was scared... but with reason of course!

The adrenaline was well worth the fear I had in me but erm... thats a once in a life time thing and never to be repeated again. After that scare that we now have on video as well as we received a certificate for, we decided to go horse riding which was very relaxing. The sight seeing is awesome as well, there were some really breath taking out-look points and walking over the suspended bridge was cool as well. For all those who are adrenaline junkies and who just want to feel very close to death for a split second... go for it!

After all that madness we went to St. Michaels on Sea to book in, supper in Margate and a movie (Twilight - Eclipse) in Shelly Beach then off to bed. The next morning Hamida woke me up in the whee hours of the morning so we could go watch the sunrise in Margate and take a long drive along the beach. All that was topped with breakfast in St Michaels and Shopping in Shelly Beach then back to Kokstad to rest. What a jam packed weekend! Next I think we will be heading off to Namibia ;)

Brauns Family

This photoshoot was suppose to be done on Sunday - 11 July but because of the bad weather we had to postpone it. I bumped into Shane on the 14th (Wednesday) at the plaza and he suggested we do the shoot that afternoon.

I've known Shane for over 10 years and found it perfect (in my time of need) to ask him if I can take a few pictures of him, Tracey and Tatum Li for my family portfolio... and he said YES!

So we all met at the Mthatha Golf Course just past 5 (after work), we were presented with a stunning sunset! Because the sunset disappears behind the hill at the golf course, we didnt have much time to savor those few minutes. So off we went snapping away def shots, a few with the whole family, a few with Tracey and Shane and then with Tatum alone and obviously mom and baby and dad and baby.

After the shoot I found myself sitting at home going through photo's of my sister when she was little, she had a professional picture taken of her and I came to realize how special those photo's become. I mean you can have 10 thousand pictures taken of you but its those that you look really good in that you pin up and show everyone and not those bad hair day/ no teeth/ rotten teeth photo's.

This was my first family photoshoot where I can proudly say that Shane, Tracey and Tatum owned the sunset! I loved every minute of taking pictures of this amazing family!

Our dad always taught us...

My sister Hamida and I come from a family where my dad feels the need to impart some knowledge with us as often as he possibly can. Among the hundreds of things he told us was that we should strive to become the best we can be, and to exceed that. In layman terms "reach for the stars" well Hamida and I kinda took that to another level when we saw the moon looking rather large! So we thought we'd ask my dad to stop and let us get some pix of it.

So here we are reaching... or rather pointing and carrying the moon hehe

From the pictures you can tell its in the heart of winter! We took a little trip to Ugie to visit my grandmother for the day. These photo's were taken on the new road between Mthatha and Ugie. I'll upload some awesome pix taken in Ugie soon :)

Hannah's 1st Birthday...

If theres one thing I've noticed about kids its that they love the camera, they put on a show the minute they see the flash. Sure they do not understand what is happening but they know this much... I've got you attention now and I going to make sure you keep it on me!

With baby Hannah, I kept trying to catch a picture of her crying or moments before she cries but as I lift my camera to take a picture of that priceless moment... she starts smiling! Like hello! I got enough of those pix. lol.

It was a pleasure taking pictures of princess Hannah, she’s got this amazing glow of innocents and trust me that ain’t an act! I was first officially introduced to Hannah 13 days ago, I've known her mommy and family since I can remember. Hannah's 1st birthday was my first time taking pictures of a kiddies birthday because of this and because of the amazing family she come from and the fact that she has nothing but the brightest future ahead of her she deserves to be on my wall of memories to remember as a photographer.

A HUGE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT TO HANNAH!

Crazy Adventures

My sister and I are always up for some sort of adventure no matter how far it takes us across South Africa. We have done some dare devil crazy stuff along the way which has seen us hanging on a rope sliding across at a dizzy height in front of a waterfall. I have included a few pix of one of the crazy adventures we went on.

The picture on the left is of the waterfall

We are hoping to have more towards the end of the year, hopefully the last 3 months of the year, an adventure every month or twice a month depending on our budget.

Life is a journey, why not jump on very ride and see how thrilling the adventure could end up being. Take chances... measure chances and live like there's no tomorrow but believe that there is one for another thrilling moment :)

The Pullukatu Family Photoshoot

 

 

Meet the Pullukatu family.

How I got this shoot was that a friend of mine, Fozia, took me to Mr. Pullukatu's school here in Mthatha to approach him about taking school pictures of the students.

He asked if I take pictures of weddings as well and when I said yes he told me that his eldest daughter is getting married in December. I left my contact details with him and Saturday morning he gave me a call to ask if I can meet with the family and take pictures of them so they can decide from there.

So off Fozia and I went on Sunday morning to take pictures of the family. What a lovely humble family! I have included two pictures of the family. The girl with her hair tied back is the one getting married in December. Hopefully all will go well and I'll be cover her weddings (One Hindu wedding and one White Wedding) in December... Hold thumbs :)

Nikisha's Photoshoot

Sunday afternoon was no ordinary day for a family who waited to have pictures taken of their little princess.

Charlene and Timothy share a beautiful baby girl named Nikisha aged 1 and a few months.

With this being my first real photo-shoot of an individual I was nervous and wasn't sure what to expect or how I would pull off really amazing pictures. BUT Kisha made it so easy, there is just this cuteness about a baby that no matter which angle you take pictures of them from, they come out in this pure amazing light.

A sight I will never forget is Tim and Charlene's face when I gave them the cd with all the pictures on, how their faces lit up. Above are two pictures of her.

An ordinary day... or was it?

Woke up this morning with a baby screaming in my ear "HELLO!!!"

He took off his shoes and jumped in my bed and laid there, feeling right at home!

After that it was off to town to do some work, I sat by a clients business talking about life and work. So it was juggling work, family, studies and my personal life, until...

My dad got back from the post office and gave me my...

CERTIFICATE to say that I'm a QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER!!!

I'm totally thrilled!

A super thank you to the following people:
- My mommy and daddy - for not discouraging me from doing the course and supporting me 100% of the way and for being so encouraging plus for being the greatest parents ever!

- My sister - Hamida van Staaden - ever willing for me to take pix of her lol

- Lorenzo Graham - You didn't approve at the beginning but you could see its something I am passionate about and encouraged, supported and pushed me to do my best.

- Lee Folkard - for the best advice and for the support and encouragement - Thanks fellow photographer :)

- My granny - for asking me what I'm doing with my life and when I said I'm studying photography she would say - who learns how to take pictures lol but saying that she trusts my decision and knows its something I really want to master.

- Yunus Alexandra - All your advice has paid off, thanx boeta

- Feroz Khan - for being there from the beginning and encouraging me to study photography even when my dad thought it was a bad idea, thanks for long talks about living my dreams.

- Terence Joshua - for your wise words years ago that keep ringing in my head and that are at the base of many things I do.

Lastly to everyone who thinks I've been sitting around at home since the end of 2007 and doing nothing. This is just one of the FOUR professions that I've worked my butt off for and lastly can you honestly say you love what you do coz I do! Your negativity made me the strong woman I am today. THANKS!

Braceface!

After many years of hiding my smile because of my skew teeth, I decided to have them fixed and have a smile I'm proud of.

Last month I went to see the dentist and I decided to take a huge bold step and get BRACES!

16 April - I went to have my x-rays done and mounds made.
30 April - Dr. Sifuba (My dentist) pulled out 4 teeth to make space in my mouth.
6 May - I finally got my braces!

So today I got my braces, I'm totally excited, cant wait for these 18 months to go by so I can see my new smile :) And so the count down begins :D yay!

I passed I passed

A few months back I started my journey of becoming a photographer and pursuing a career in photography.

I enrolled at a photography institute and was thrilled when I received my textbook with all my notes and hundreds of pages that I have to study in order to become a professional photographer. I had 9 assignments that I had to hand in which included photographs of various objects and people. One of my many lessons learnt was that no matter how good you camera is or what great picture quality it has, it means nothing if you can't make it work for you and produce top pictures.

I studied and studied! til eventually it was time to had in all my assignments and to write the exam. I had an hour which in I had to complete the exam. I wont lie, it was not easy!

But then... 

I wrote my photography exam and passed!

I am officially a qualified photographer!