STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO: Illze

TIE ME UP, TIE ME DOWN # 2: Save The Tie, Save a Child designer outfits made from neck ties

Three designs by Marshal Enyioma, fashion designer and owner at 

Perfect Touch Garments, Cape Town

BY ERIKA

As sponsoring photographers, we photographed some of the designs by Saskia Wicomb and Marshal Enyioma for Save the Tie,Save a Child  fashion show, on a very cold but bright winters day at The Garage on Mhondoro farm on Blaawklippen Road outside Stellenbosch.  

These designers with Hein Smit, were asked to use neck ties to create beautiful outfits such as the ones we have pictured here.

Hair styling and make-up for the ten models models were done at Kuif 53 in Dorp Street, Stellenbosch before setting off to a freezing cold workshop where they were posed among old cars and metal shaping equipment. And not one complaint! 

The Save The Tie, Save a Child event which is being held on  27 June and 28 June at Emo Adams’ The All Star Theatre in Brackenfell is part of Mrs Cape Town Chantal Whitthun’s fund rasing project for RoleModels Foundation and the children of Imfundo Project.

To see the rest of the collections, book your tickets at Computicket and join the Save the Tie, Save a Child Facebook-page.

And watch this Die Burger video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ8LxGJZy3g

Design by fabric architect, Saskia Wicomb of Stellenbosch

Models receiving the royal My Tie treatment at Kuif 53 Dorp salon in Dorp Street, Stellebosch
before the shoot

Couture and cars in The Garage on Blaauwklippen Road, Stellenbosch

TIE ME UP, TIE ME DOWN # 1: Save The Tie, Save a Child designer outfits made from neck ties

Three designs made from neck ties by Hein Smit. 
Fascinators and mask by Symbiotique.

Martin shooting at the All Star Theatre, Cape Gate in Brackenfell

BY ERIKA 

It is not long before about 36 designer outfits will be on display at the Save the Tie,Save a Child fashion show on 27 June and 28 June at Emo Adams’  All Star Theatre in Brackenfell.  

About three weeks ago we photographed a few sample outfits for Hein Smit at the All Star Theatre. he is one of three designers who have taken up the challenge to turn neck ties into haute couture!

For those interested in seeing the rest of the outfits, tickets are available through Computicket.

The Tiny Topper fascinators and leather mask by Symbiotique in Gordons Bay 

STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO: Beautiful, elegant and timeless portraits for woman of all ages

We want to tell your Story in Style!

Interested in finding out how we can create beautiful images of you, follow this link to 
Martin Van Niekerk Photography's new blog

STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO

FLASHBACK # 9: Of marine mammals and mid-winter magic

BY ERIKA

Today being the winter solstice, we celebrated the first tiny step towards summer with a gloriously bright and sunny day in the Western Cape.

Martin and I packed a lunch and headed towards the outlook at Steenbras River where we sunned ourselves like dassies while watching enormous waves break over the rocks.

And then from Kogelberg-side they came, a shoal of dolphins at least a kilometre and a half long, swimming towards Koei en Kalf near Gordons Bay.

What a privilege to see a sight as beautiful as this so close to home!

It reminded me of this lovely image Martin took near Granger Bay on an assignment for Sanlam a few years ago.

He was out on a boat to photograph marine mammologist Meredith Thornton when they saw the dolphins right next to them.

No one can blame him when for a while there, his focus became these incredible animals rather the subject of the assignment.

Meredith Thornton, marine mammologist counting
dolphins in Granger Bay, Cape Town

STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO: Elize

BY ERIKA

Thanks to good old Facebook, I reconnected with my school friend Elize again after about 35 years. At first it we only kuier-ed in virtual reality but in 2012 Elize moved from Limpopo to Stellenbosch and we just carried on where we left off years ago.

It has been a wonderful experience getting to know Elize as an adult while at the same time enjoying the familiarity of a friendship that started in Grade 1 in 1968!!!

At the beginning of this year Elize who has been practising yoga since 1988, established the AnahatYoga & Wellness Studio in Die Boord, Stellenbosch with two partners, Candice Jones and Johan Kotze.

The name Anahat, Elize explains, refers to the Sanskrit name for the heart chakra, anahata which means “unstruck” or “unhurt. It implies that underneath our human existence lies a wholeness that is eternal and boundless.

“We chose Anahat for the name of our studio because it beautifully brings the energy of “the Heart of Yoga” to our studio and we wanted our studio to resonate with the love of the path of yoga, shared from the heart, with the people of Stellenbosch.”

It is in the lounge of this beautiful and tranquil space that Martin chose to photograph Elize for her STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO.

“The big windows on both the east and the west sides of the lounge as well as neutral wall colour makes it an ideal place to do natural light portraits,” he says.

“It also helped that on the day of the shoot, we experienced a typical Boland winters day with cloud cover and rain for most of the day creating a huge soft box on all sides.”

As we always say at MVNP, in the right light and at the right time, every woman is extraordinary.

MAKE-UP ARTIST: Candice Harker http://www.mobilemakeupartist.co.za/

Martin, Elize and Candice make-up artist cum photographer's assistant
in the lounge of the Anahat Yoga Studio in Stellenbosch 

Candice working her make-up magic with Elize 

SPOTLIGHT # 3 : Annie at The Playhouse Theatre in Somerset West

BY ERIKA

Annie, the musical based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie is currently being performed at The Playhouse Theatre in Swalle Street, Somerset West. 

Local director Darryl Spijkers who just last month had a huge success with To Kill A Mockingbird also at the Playhouse, tackled this evergreen production with two casts. A brave man indeed.

For an evening of singing, dancing and shedding a few tears, book your tickets now! They are going like hot cakes.

The show runs until 28 June and tickets range from R70 to R110 (R5 from every ticket sold will be donated to The Sunflower fund) sold via  Computicket.

BUSINESS PORTRAIT # 4: Roslyn Grosch & Xtraordinary Women, Somerset West

BY ERIKA

Roslyn Grosch of Era Grosch, an estate agency in Kuilsrivier was one of the business women who attended the June meeting of Xtraordinary Women at Erinvale in Somerset West recently.

The guest speaker was business advisor and project planning expert Nicola Fourie of Pin Point Projects who guided the local business women through a project planning exercise.

More images can be viewed on the Xtraordinary Women Facebook-page  

FLASHBACK # 8: Corvette / 2011

PHOTOGRAPHER: Martin Van Niekerk

CLIENT: Garage Magazine, September 2011
PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Barry Ashmole of  The Garage, Classic Custom Creations, Blaauwklippen Road, Stellenbosch 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER (Page Layout): Ronel Van Heerden, NineNinetyinNine, Strand

MODEL: Katerina, Ice Model Management

STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO: Tanita

MAKE-UP ARTIST: Candice Harker http://www.mobilemakeupartist.co.za/

FLASHBACK # 7: Madelein in the Blue Dress / 2010

Madelein in the blue dress photographed four years ago.

STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO: Madelein

BY ERIKA

Whenever Martin and I talk about which of his modelling portfolio photographs we like best, one of us will mention 'that one of Madelein in the blue dress'.

Four years, one engineering degree and one wedding later, we were fortunate to have this graceful and beautiful woman back in the MVNP studio. 

And the results did not disappoint! See for yourself.

Madelein Dreyer definitely puts a different face to the stereotype of an engineer. She is currently doing a Masters in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cape Town investigating new control systems for myoelectrical protheses. 

Quite a mouthful but we are sure, it is nothing she can't master! 

MAKE-UP ARTIST: Candice Harker http://www.mobilemakeupartist.co.za/