So Yadi and her mom, Iwona, skidded into my home to check me out and me them, 5 days before her wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel, Westcliff.
They put their wedding celebration together in 3 weeks.
I loved it.
Plunged into the family stuff, as one is when capturing a wedding, I knew that the preparation part was going according to Angolan family tradition. Everyone had a role to play. Aunts, uncles, fathers and mothers.
Loved Emmanuel putting Yadi’s shoes on.
It took some persuading to get her agree to 5 minutes alone with me before she left for the service. I just emphasised how important these memories would be for her in time.
I loved her silhouette moments. Ever calm and graceful, with her bump kicking to the rhythm of the day that lay ahead of her.
Seeing Emmanuel letting Yadi go or Yadi holding on to him for one final moment, with Qhawe eager to seize the moment he had been waiting for eagerly, was awesome to witness and capture.
Many priests or pastors or whatever else they are called, don’t really inspire me. They generally come across as scripted. But their’s was different. His message was beautiful and moved the entire gathering. Soon there were outbursts of emotion from both sides of the family to each other. It was quite something to witness. Here were two families, one side Angolan the other Xhosa, making their intention of their commitment to their children known.
I’ll never forget the floury of iPhones and iPads being pulled out as they walked down the aisle. What else could I do to compete but to shoot that Mac moment.
Some photographers get uptight when they’ve put a group together and others photo bomb it by taking their own shot. I love it.
This is what the democratisation of photography is all about and it is growing every year.
What will set good photographers apart is not their equipment – even though the iPhone 6s has great photo quality – but their creative eye, which lies deep inside their being. It is what makes them tick.
The reception was an extension of the service.
I’m going to get this wrong but there were many moments when everyone stood up and toasted “familia, sante”. I hope someone corrects me so that i can edit this post.
It was so beautiful.
Family is everything!
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