The best time to have a photoshoot in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris is at sunrise! As most tourists are not out and about yet. I must admit I had moments of wondering how crazy we must be as I rode through the silent streets of Paris but once we were there and I started to see how the place started to get busy, I was happy with our choice. And there is something very special to see a sunrise over Paris! Definitely worth an early morning start.

Strangely enough, we rode past the exact same location at sunset that evening and when I saw the crowds I was extremely relieved we had chosen sunrise.

I had so much fun with this gorgeous couple and was so very excited for both of them when Heine popped the question a few months later in The Alps!

It was so very special to meet up with them again in Cape Town and to do an engagement shoot for them! Watch this space to see that special shoot! It was amazing!

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Elopement Cape Town

Charles and Marie

What a better place to escape to than Cape Town!  Even better to elope to!  I know I am biased but Cape Town has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I will never ever tire of taking photographs in Cape Town.

Charles wanted to bring Marie to South Africa, the place of his birth.  He had left Johannesburg when he was 2 and his family had returned to France.   They had started their trip to South Africa by visiting the wildlife at Kruger National Park.  Charles and Marie had planned that Cape Town would be the end of their trip and to have their bridal photographs shot in the surrounds of Cape Town.  Signal Hill is always great to get background photos of our famous Table Mountain.

We had a few funny moments along the way with our language barrier.  Never a dull moment.  Although to be honest, Marie was actually very good!

And what a glorious way to end our day than to watch Cape Town show off with the most sensational sunset.  Cape Town sure knows when to impress!

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London

Iwan and Leandri

London Town was calling!  I did a quick pit stop to London before my trip to France and I caught up with past brides and future brides!

I was looking forward to having this lovely couple in front of my lens in the full swing of Autumn!  What a joke!  England was having one of their best summers and who would have believed that the sun was out and the flowers were still blooming!  All my winter clothes stayed at the bottom of the suitcase!

Leandri was one of my past brides and it was awesome to meet up with her and Iwan.  Four years ago, when I captured their wedding, I thought they were pretty perfect for one another.

  Iwan and Leandri are now living and working in London.  Living abroad will test most relationships but this one had strong foundations from the very beginning and they have become a very strong and united partnership.  Their love and respect for one another is obvious to anyone who meets them.

Leandri was absolutely gorgeous on her wedding day but I have to admit, she has matured into an amazing beauty.  She is one of those ladies whose beauty shines from within!  I truly felt as if I had a supermodel in front of my lens!

As anyone who has been to London knows, there are always tourists around and St Pauls Cathedral is probably one of the busiest tourist attraction due to the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer all those years ago. Luckily though, if you walk around St Pauls you will find spots that are not as busy and its easier to do a photoshoot.

I have always had an amazing time in London.  I can’t believe it was only a year ago that I was last here with my husband and had toured the  Cotswold and Oxford.  Its amazing how much changes in a year.  Last year we were living in Dubai.  We travelled to London and ended up meeting up with Suzanne, my friend from Dubai ….and a year later, we are back in Cape Town and Suzanne is now living in London and graciously hosted my sister and myself during our stay in London.  How small the world has become, and how fortunate I am to have friends around the world!  I count myself very blessed!

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Travel – Chanelle Wyrsch’s visit to Cape Town

I photographed Chanelle Wyrsch one cold Thursday evening while she was visiting Cape Town. This young lady is a superstar in Germany.  She is known in Germany for taking part in DSDS 2017 and from what I gather is the equivalent to our Idols!  She did quite well and came 6th in the competition.  The competition led to her part as Sandy in The Grease Musical in Germany.

The part has also led to quite a bit of travel.  They recently did a show in Namibia.  Once they were finished, Chanelle and her friend decided to fly to Cape Town afterwards and discover what our beautiful city has to offer.  She has definitely decided that she is coming back in our summer season and hitting our beautiful beaches such as Camps Bay and Clifton.

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A wonderful morning spent with Inga

London without tourists, can you imagine it?  I got to experience it when I met up with Inga for a shoot around London.

I first met Inga and her husband, Juan, when they visited Dubai for a family wedding.  We had such an awesome shoot in the desert.  When I told Inga that I would be in London, she jumped at the opportunity of having photos taken around London.  She has had photos taken at all the places she has visited but has lived in London for 12 years and had yet to have any photos taken.

We had originally arranged to meet after Inga had finished work but my travelling timetable made it slightly difficult.   Inga asked me if I would be interested in meeting up at 5.30 am for a shoot.  Without any hesitation, I jumped at the chance.  According to locals, London doesn’t really wake up early on the weekend.  We found this to definitely be the case.  I felt for Inga as the had to get the underground to get to me.  But hopefully she feels it was worth it.

It was definitely worth it for me.  We were able to photograph some iconic locations with not a tourist in sight!  It was total bliss.  The only downside was that there wasn’t a coffee house to be found open either.  The only people around were one or two late night stragglers.  One guy, ran up to Inga and gave her a beautiful yellow rose.  It was perfect for the shoot!

We had an absolute hoot walking around London on our own.  The only unfortunate part was that there was no exciting sunrise.  It was pretty grey but I suppose thats the UK for you.

I had a blast being able to photograph this beautiful lady.

Inga & Juans Dubai photoshoot

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My beautiful niece, Sinead, came to visit me in Dubai recently.  She had recently spent two months touring around India as an IPL dancer for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Normally I encourage family and friends to visit Dubai when the temperatures are modest.  In my personal opinion, the best times are between November – April.  From May until October, temperatures become a bit unbearable.  Ramadan was also in May this year.  This is the time when it is respectful to not eat or drink in public while the local Muslims fast during the holy month.  Most restaurants close during the day at this time of day.

Beautiful Sinead – The sun lover!

Luckily, my niece is a sun lover and managed the heat quite well.  Plus, she had acclimatised to the heat during her stay in India.  Some of the cricket matches had been played in 48 degrees heat.  Needless to say, it was more me that was flaking in the harsh heat.
The first week we tried to do as much as possible as Ramadan was to start the following week.  We used the services of Citysightseeing buses and bought a 7 day pass which worked out quite well.  We hopped on the bus instead of using taxi’s to get around.We tried to cover all that Dubai had to offer.  Sinead loved the Dubai Fountains.  I have yet to have any of my guests not enjoy that amazing spectacle.

We also visited Burj Khalifa because how can you come to Dubai and not go up the tallest building.

 We popped into the Dubai Aquarium too and we got to watch the crocodiles being fed.  We spent many hours in Dubai Mall.  Sinead was in 7th heaven with the shopping.  What woman wouldn’t be?  Take a peak at other fun desert photoshoots!

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The Blitzbokke lived up to their nickname and did their South African supporters proud in Dubai on 3 December 2016.  The many South African expats and tourists waved, and held their South African flags up high with pride.   These dedicated players came into the final as crowd favourites, and as Hugh Bladen would say, did an “UNBELIEVABLE” job in sealing gold at the Emirates Airline Dubai 7’s.

Respect from the crowd!

Supporters from all around the world sat in the stadium and enjoyed the team who were literally on fire. The crowd chanted “BlitzBoks on fire, your defence is terrified”.  They were by far the most motivated team of the tournament and it took the giants of Fiji to try and stop them.  But as David proved in far distant history, giants can be beaten. They showed some electric running rugby.  The crowed were fired up throughout the tournament.  The Blitzbokked eventually emerged victorious over Fiji by 26-14 to seal the gold medal.

Celebrations

Once the final whistle blew and the South African Blitzbokke were crowned the champions.  This was the first leg of the HSBC 2016-2017 World 7’s Series. The celebrations started in earnest.  Fireworks were emitted into the evening skies and the BlitzBokke did a lap of honour around the stadium to thank their loyal supporters.

Once the Blitzbokke had left the stadium, Dubai put on a party like no other.  The celebration party went on well into the night!

Australian standing on the DHL stand coming back from the Heineken tent to resume watching the HSBC Dubai 7’s

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Day 1

This was our first Emirates Dubai  7’s Rugby and boy were we given an introduction like no other.  Firstly, a big congratulations to the great organisation of this event.  It was impressive.  The sponsors , Emirates, DHL, Heineken, HSBC were amazing too.  The party vibe was electric. It was such a fun way to spend the day surrounded by supporters from all over the world.

And I have to say, we had forgotten what it was like to support a team that was absolutely on fire.  The Blitzbokke were brilliant and caused us Saffas to puff out our chest with pride.  I think every supporter from around the world will agree with us that our team deserved to be crowned the champions of this tournament.  No other team were quite as motivated or focussed.  The boys did us proud.

It was also so amazing to have our son visiting from South Africa and for him to enjoy the hospitality of this amazing city and event.  He was super impressed and says he hopes that Cape Town tournament can try and match this amazing event.

Day 1 was definitely the party day.  The Dubai expats let their hair down and partied like rock stars.  The festivities were contagious and you could not help but get caught up in the party spirit.

The Emirates Dubai Rugby 7’s is definitely one event of the year to put on your calendar.

Day 2 coming shortly!

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The Alps – Fomo

The trip around the Alps this summer taught me a lot about myself most notably about my FOMO.  I had so many mixed emotions about this trip, most noteworthy, Fear being the main one!  Can you believe that a holiday can cause fear!  I know right, unbelievable!

Let me put you in the picture about my FOMO and then maybe you can actually sympathise with me.  I, in the first place, like everyone else, absolutely love travelling.  Especially when my husband, Mark, is with me!  We are great travel companions but alas, this trip was different!

Mark had been invited to do a motorbike tour around the Alps with some colleagues and friends. Furthermore, anyone who knows my husband will know that he was beyond excited. Therefore I had to overcome my fear.

FOMO

 Now this is where my FOMO kicks in. In the first place, there was no way I was staying in Dubai on my own.  Not only had we just moved there but I didn’t know anyone at that stage. In light of this, Mark suggested I come with but follow in a car and meet up with the group every evening. On the whole,  I was hesitant due to my horrible fear of heights. To say nothing of the severe mountain bends going up a high mountain and then  of course I was actually hyperventilating!

Not to mention that I had been delayed in Cape Town.  Consequently, I hopped on another plane as I landed and had little sleep.  To say nothing of the fact that once I got to Germany, I had to pick up a strange, hired car. Furthermore, I had to get used to left hand driving immediately. I headed towards Bavaria as I also had it in my head that I had to see the Neuschwanstein Castle. Of course, I did wonder at my intelligence when I found myself on the wrong side of the road in front of a huge truck!  Yet my FOMO kept me going.

My Fear of heights

Thank goodness the truck driver was a quick thinker because if he hadn’t been, I would not be here to tell the tale. Moreover, I didn’t have a load of time to enjoy this beautiful part of Bavaria.  In light of the fact that I had to make it before nightfall to the Edelweiss Hotel in Pfunds.  I saw some amazing views.  As a result, I have new respect for Mark as it definitely isn’t easy to just pull over to keep the photographer wife happy!

EDELWEISS HOTEL

My stress levels started to rise after leaving Bavaria.  As I entered Austria and started to feel my fear of the heights take hold.  When I did eventually arrive at Edelweiss Hotel, I needed time, in the most part to pull myself together before  showing my face to our fellow travellers.  But if I thought that was bad …the next day …was an absolute nightmare.

The dreaded driver

Driving up mountains with hair rising bends is not for the faint hearted.  Not only was my heart was often in my mouth but  I also  became that driver that everyone hates.  I crawled up the mountain with a stream of impatient drivers behind me.  For the most part, I did try and pull off as often as I could to allow them to overtake.  When I came upon that derelict village on the face of the mountain, in a word, I was relieved.  I was able to pull over and allow the stream of cars behind me to pass me by but at the same time get an opportunity to take some photographs.  Generally speaking, I found these derelict cottages somehow reflected my mood…..dark, gloomy, scared!

Lake Reschen

Moreover, one of the things that kept me going at this stage was Lake Reschen.  I had been told that it was a wonderful photographic opportunity and to be honest, it definitely was and I spent a lovely few hours here.  It was such a magnificent sight!

But alas, I still had to get back on the road and head towards our next destination of Hotel Theresa in St Leonhard.  I cannot tell you how relieved I was to get to this hotel.  I got into my room and collapsed onto my bed. Most of all I just allowed the tension to drain out of my body.  All things considered, the only thing that made me real sad about this journey was that I was unable to discover the most beautiful town of Meran.  As I drove through it, I was blown away at how absolutely exquisite a place it was.  If I ever have another opportunity to go back where I am not the driver, then that is one place on my bucket list.

IN CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I survived the worst of it or so I thought!  Watch out for my next post and see how I really believe in putting myself out of my comfort zone and all because of my FOMO!

But all things considered, I survived my first two days around the beautiful Alps!

Picturesque St Colomon Catholic Church in Hohenschwangau

Not only has the  palace appeared in several movies such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Great Escape but it  serves as the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle

Picturesque St Colomon Catholic Church in Hohenschwangau

As can be seen, I was a Peeping Tom …taking a moment to peek in the windows into this gorgeous Church.

As shown above, Neuschwanstein Castle is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany.

Picturesque St Colomon Catholic Church in Hohenschwangau

Picturesque St Colomon Catholic Church in Hohenschwangau

leaving Edelweiss hotel in Pfunds and heading towards St Leonhard.

leaving Edelweiss hotel in Pfunds and heading towards St Leonhard.

Reschensee or Lake Reschen is an artificial lake in the western portion of South Tyrol, Italy, approximately 2 km south of the Reschen Pass, which forms the border with Austria, and 3 km east of the mountain ridge forming the border with Switzerland.

As can be seen, the locals were making the most of the heatwave that had hit the Alps and were doing all their laundry!

St Theresia Hotel in St Leonhard

The village of St Leonhard in Austria

Loved this unmaintained house in the middle of all the very well looked after chalets in this Austrian Village

Not to mention how awesome this hanging garden is!

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Cute couple

Michael & Nina

Regensburg, Germany

I had the honour of photographing this cute couple  while I was in Germany this summer.  It was definitely “cuteness” overload.  It is always such an honour to photograph cute couples in destinations around the world.  Just another reason why I absolutely love what I do!

Being a destination photographer definitely has a few perks.  Discovering a beautiful, charming historical town  and with a cute couple was my absolute dream.

In addition to being able to do a destination photography session with young cute couples is that in their own  way they are better tour guides.  Their knowledge about their own city is so much better.

Michael and Nina were on their summer break from university and therefore just wanted some cute couple photographs done around Regensburg.

I last visited this city during winter when it was covered in snow.  It was so much fun to come back and capture this cute couple during the summer heatwave.   Regensburg was brimming with tourists from across the globe and the weather was fabulous.

Regensburg is a Bavarian city in the South East of Germany. It is situated on the Danube River.  It is famous for its well-preserved medieval Old Town which was fortunate enough to escape the bombing of World War 2.

We discovered the charming St Emmeram Palace which is  the Royal Residence of the  Thurn and Taxis family.  The palace is surrounded by exquisite gardens.

Furthermore, I am currently located in Dubai and more than willing to travel to Europe to cover weddings and shoots.  In addition, I will be in Prague in December. Please drop me an email at jo-ann@joannstokes.com should you wish to have your own couple shoot.

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