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

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STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO

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/

FLASHBACK # 4: Pauline / 2011

STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO: Lanel

BY ERIKA

Dancer by night (or day) and business woman by day (or night).

Always enthusiastic, innovative beyond belief but at the same time well-prepared and professional, Lanel Van der Kolff very successfully juggles being the ringmaster as well as performer with The Psychedelic Theatre, a performance arts group from Stellenbosch.

And I think, it is exactly this combination of passion and poise that Martin’s studio portraits of Lanel captured.

We have been fortunate to work with Lanel and her team of dancers, fire dancers, stilt walkers, mimes, puppet masters, magicians, jugglers and physical theatre performers on a few occasions. And we will again at fashion show gala event for the Save the Tie, Save a Child project at the end of June.

Lanel who trained with contact improvisation dancer Sam Pienaar at the University of Stellenbosch founded The Psychedelic Theatre around 2009 with actor Marvin-Lee Beukes.

Since then they have danced their way to trance parties, raves, street festivals, corporate gigs, weddings and birthday parties as well as a full-length theatre show! At the end of 2012 The Psychedelic Theatre even presented Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Taal Monument in Paarl, complete with fire dancing, narration and spectacular costumes. 

To book The Psychedelic Theatre for an event, festival or party, call Lanel Van Der Kolff at 079 148 1933 or email her at psychedelictheatre@yahoo.com or visit their Facebook page.

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

STYLE & STORIES PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO: Chante

By MARTIN

It is not first time that I have photographed beautiful Chante. The first time she was still at school and the next time for a hair shoot while she was a student. 

This time we proposed a glamour shoot with flowing, feminine outfits. 

One of the dresses Chante brought, the styled silver one, belonged to her grandmother. A sense of style definitely runs in the family.

As a qualified MUA working for a cosmetic house in Durbanville, she was also able to do her own make-up. And what a great job Chante did! Just look at these images.

GOING FOR A PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT SHOOT? 15 guidelines for great images

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PROFESSIONAL PORTRAITS: 15 Guidelines for Great Images

INTERWEAVE - Salon Elan, Somerset West

Lattices and loops created by Rene Erwee of Salon Elan in Somerset West

Photography & Retouching: Martin Van Niekerk
Model: Chante
Hair Styling: Rene Erwee, Salon Elan, Somerset West
MUA: Candice Harker
MVNP Studio, Strand, Somerset West

STUDIO WORK IN STRAND / SOMERSET WEST: Chante

Photographer & Retoucher: Martin Van Niekerk
Model: Chante
Hair stylist: Rene Erwee, Salon Elan in Somerset West
MUA: Candice Harker
Photographer's assistant: Dominique van Wyk

Sometimes it takes the merging of more than one image to create the look you are after. That is what happened with this photograph which was taken in my studio recently. 

In the image that I liked best, the one in which her hair did what I had envisaged, Chante's eyes were closed. So I selected elements from another photograph to merge with the preferred image.

I then added a textured background made up of a repeated pattern of spring blossoms as well as layers of graduated filters, and the image on my screen became the one I had in mind  for the shoot.

The final product

The top two images were combined to create the third.

Left, Rene Erwee of Salon Elan creating the hair style I had envisaged for the shoot.

MEER OF MIN 'n MEERMIN (More or less a mermaid) MVNP Studio Shoot, Strand / Somerset West

Meer of Min 'n Meermin / More or less a Mermaid 

Photographer: Martin Van Niekerk

Model: Ester

Hair stylist / Stylist: Rene Erwee

MUA: Candice Harker

Earlier this year I did a shoot for Ester who wanted to enter the Sarie Voorbladgesig van die Jaar competition. It was her first time in front of the camera but she showed such poise. So when hair stylist, Rene Erwee of Salon Elan mentioned doing a shoot depicting a mermaid, I immediately thought of Ester. Of course it helped that she has beautiful long hair. 

But how to go about transforming her into a mermaid?

For a long time now I have been thinking of incorporating different art media such as drawings and paper cut-outs into my photographs. Previously Rene and I had played around with using paper garments and we were very happy with the outcome. So we decided to take the idea further. Not only were we going to use paper to sculpt the fish tail, we wanted to create an entire paper ‘world’ for the mermaid.

Although the size of my studio is adequate for standard shoots, creating a life size seascape scene in there is impossible.

Downscaling, that was the solution. I decided to build a small scale stage.

As a student at art school I had often used the Noddy and Big Ears toy theatre I had been given as a child, as inspiration for works of art. I could resurrect that idea in the studio this time.

I decided to start with Ester in the studio and then creating the backdrop and photographing that. The two images then had to be merged using computer editing programmes.

It was no easy feat but in the end I am very happy with the outcome.

This post tells the story of the Meer of Min ‘n Meermin shoot.

Rene and I cutting a piece of backdrop paper to use as the mermaid's fish tail

Multi talented: Rene helps sculpt the mermaid fish tail in between styling Ester's hair for the shoot 

Mermaid with hair curlers: Ester's transformation and marathon sitting session has begun

And still she sits patiently ...

Rene was also responsible for creating the mermaid's seaweed and shell 'jewellery'.  

Ready to roll 

Designer Ronel Van Heerden of NineNinetyNine dropped in for coffee and ended up doing some art directing.

With the shoot over, it s time to construct the backdrop. 

All set up.

The theatre has been constructed, lights have been set up and Ester's 'stand-in' sitting on the rock has been positioned.