A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post on my goals for this year. One of the goals that never made it onto the list was a collection of fabulous family photographs. For years I hid away from the camera, if there was a photograph I was happy to take it and not very happy to be in it. I always wondered why folks had professional photographs taken every year… and then I had a couple of kids and seriously it can take 30 000 clicks of the camera and you still don’t have everybody looking at you or everyone’s eyes open. A while back I wrote an article for a magazine and they asked for a recent family photograph… shock and horror and mass scramble, not to mention stress… and many gritted teeth later… we had nothing to show for our efforts. So when a friend called me the other day and asked if we would like a family photo shoot and to do a GiveAway for our readers at the same time I couldn’t jump fast enough at the offer… really!!!
This Saturday past, we headed up our mountain, in gale force winds… chasing the sun as we went higher and higher… and we took a ton of fabulous fun photographs… A ton. And I love them. We may well have to create a little more wall art for our home.
The Photographer, Marike Herselman, was great… not at all intimidated by a heap of kids or clambering over precarious rocks to get her shot… not to mention all the chattering of my kids with about a bazillion questions and dashing every which way except together. What can I say, a photographer with endearing and enduring patience.
Now, since we are talking about goals… let me just get it all out. I realised earlier in the year that I didn’t have nearly enough, if any, photographs of me and my mum when I was a child, precious little photographs of my parents at all… and they were both avid photographers when I was a kid. I guess it is genetic to hide behind the camera. Anyway, I have had in the back of my mind for a while now that I really wanted to gift each of my kids with a photograph of me and them… one-on-one in a photo that didn’t look staged. They may think “odd mother person right now”… but years from now they will appreciate it and be glad that they have that memory… of an afternoon up the mountain in the crazy wind laughing and taking photographs as the sun set.
Not to mention, I always thought it would be crazy to try and co-ordinate the whole gang for a photo shoot. The hardest part was getting everyone in the same place on the day. Otherwise, it was easy. I told everyone to put on jeans and wear a plain t-shirt, and we were good to go. Off we went for a walk and let the professional say… stop, turn, look at me… jump, leap, whatever. Mostly she just chatted with us and the photos happened. She had very clear ideas about what photos worked and how to find the light, and how to get them quickly before little peoples’ patience ran out. She was also quite happy to create the photos we were after… take our ideas and turn them into real photographs.
The GiveAway
We are giving away an extended family calendar shoot with our fabulous photographer friend, Marike Herselman, which is an hour shoot at one location of your choice. You receive 12 images in a personalised calendar as well as for download to print yourself. All you have to do is leave a comment… tell us when last you took an actual family photograph. Also, you have to be in Cape Town between 1 December and the 29 of December, to make use of your prize.
This GiveAway works in the usual way, leave a comment before the end of play on the 30 November 2016. We will draw and publish the winners on the 1st of December. I won’t respond to your comments as we do on our other posts because we don’t want to be included in our own giveaway. Our GiveAways are usually open to everyone, but this prize is very definitely Cape Town based. Otherwise, if you have already won a GiveAway before never fear – enter away. If you live on the far side of the world – hang on, our week of Giveaways is continuing…
We would like to thank Marike Herselman who provided us with the photoshoot and a Calendar Shoot GiveAway for our readers. This is not a sponsored post, we were not paid for the review and the opinions expressed in it are as usual, entirely our own.
So fun!
Would love one with my parents, grandma and doggy 😀
We last took a family picture about a year ago in Knysna. I would love this because it was what I was thinking of getting my husband for Christmas.
Our family photos are always by chance… Never had a formal family photo session
Our last family picture was a selfie on my birthday in July! We have NEVER had a proper family photo shoot.
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness…this is me crossing anything that can be crossed to win.
Interestingly enough our last family photo was taken on Sunday by a friend we had been exploring with – but it didn’t go well.
Also yay for taking a photo with each Hood.
Too far away to enter the giveaway – but what a really lovely set of photos. Well done for making memories in such a great way.
Photo with each kid… I’m so stealing that idea!
We’ve got loads of selfie family pics but nothing canvas-on-a-wall-worthy! Would love to do a family shoot with a real live photographer person!
Last family photograph… I think was the day my husband was ordained.
The last family photo was taken 2 years ago!!! We actually had a conversation about how terrible we are at doing them and that needs to change. Holding thumbs!!
This is lovely! We took a photo in a studio with our family in Korea when my sons were 3 and 5 and my daughter was 4 weeks old. Somehow, I was stuck walking home alone with all three in freezing rain, and my 3yo was exhausted and had the most epic meltdown, on the pavement, on the way home. So this would probably be very healing for us– any time I see that photo I just remember carrying a 3yo on my back and a 4week old on my front, in a foreign country.
Family photo’s, what’s that???
Loved your pictures!
Lots of love!
such lovely pics!
Please enter us! I had to think but as far as I can recall we took a few holiday snaps of the four of us in January this year. Been a while!!
Oh! Yes Please… this would be our first family shoot!
I can’t recall exactly when it happened, but our last family photo was when there were only three of us! Would love to have some photos including the new addition! Your photos are gorgeous by the way 😉
Wow what gorgeous photos.
Our last family photos were taken over Easter this year. It was a month before we lost Gran. Its a photo (well be it not everyones eyes are open) that I will cherish for ever.
Would love to get a photo shoot with the Cape Town family while celebrating Christmas all together
Last family photo was so long ago, can’t remember when! Never had a formal photo of our family!
I won’t be in CT in December, and we have the blessing of a friend who does annual pictures for us, but I wanted to comment to say: I love your photos! And you are so right about getting yourself in the pictures for your children’s sake.. for the future when they want to have photos not just of them in their childhood, but of you in those years too. So special! Well done!
What a lovely idea – like many others, never had a formal shoot. We had a group family picture last month when our grand baby was born.
wow, amazing, would love to win! Leaving Cape Town for trip on the 3rd though so would have to squeeze it in if we did.
wow, amazing, would love to win! Leaving Cape Town for trip on the 3rd though so would have to squeeze it in if we did. Our last family photo was at Christmas by the river in Stellenbosch, taken by Grandpa.
Our last family photo was a selfie in Feb but an actual shoot was with our first child …we now have four
What beautiful photos! And so special for you to have a photo with each child. You must have all be so thrilled with them.
Oops! Forgot to mention that we won’t be in CT in December.
What a nice photos!
We would so love a photo shoot, we live in Cape Town !
I absolute love love love your family photos! So happy for you that you have them! We last had family photos done 2 years ago, but my toddlers at the time are no longer toddlers and look so different now! I wold love to win a shoot!
What a lovely prize. Oh, our last family photo was taken in 2015:)
Seems family photos are not a regular occurrence for many, have never had one, but would love you get one of the family in Cape Town!