Peter Russell Photography

Ellesse video shoot

2012-01-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

Here's the video i shot in December for Italian fashion label Ellesse. Well known fashion photographer Nick Clemence did the stills.

Katherine and Grant - Mount Grace

2012-01-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

Here's my first wedding of the new year and such a great way to start. A nice relaxed intimate gathering of close friends and family in a beautiful setting.

Ockie and Elomi - Williston

2011-10-19T01:39:00.000-07:00

Despite the long drive i was looking forward to being in the Northern Cape again , its a really special place i had come to love after originally working on a few film shoots up there and getting to explore the area. Ockie and Elomi had chosen to get married on a farm 20 minutes outside of Williston where they live. The day started with beautiful blue skies but during the the ceremony the wind came up and big storm clouds rolled in. With all the open space around the landscape is so dramatic but when the clouds pulled in it was incredible. At one point it got really dark and was a real challenge to shoot as the wind was cold, the sun disappeared and then briefly came out again before it finally set. Then again we never get such amazing skies like this in Cape Town , with the creative shoot over we went back to the safety of a warm tent, great food and music to keep the party going.

This is what the sky looked like on the way to doing the creative shoot with the bridal group !!

Graham , Anna and Juno

2011-09-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

So here's part two, meet beautiful little Juno the new addition to the Shillington family. In the previous blog post i referred to her as the bump well she's already a few weeks old. She was

was an absolute star as we moved around the house dressing and undressing her for the shoot. Congratulations Graham and Anna may she bring you a lifetime of joy as parents.

A day in the life - Graham , Anna and Bump

2011-09-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a selection of photos i did for Graham and Anna which was a pregnancy shoot with a twist. They decided to make it into ' a day in their lives ' so that when their children get older they can look back and see where and how mom and dad lived before they were born. I absolutely loved the idea, sometimes its so hard to imagine our parents young, how they looked and dressed etc... So from getting up in the morning, the ritual of coffee in bed to getting dressed and off to work, we recreated their ' usual week day' as best we could. It was a lot of laughs and really good fun ! the shots against the blue wall are all done in the bedroom , no studio necessary they had a perfect back drop just there. The follow on to this will be when the 'Bump' arrives....

Indidginus and the chair

2011-08-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

A few years ago i did a portrait shoot with musician Michael Martin aka Indidginus . Using a funky old orange chair of his we found a quiet road to do the shot and the response to the shoot was great. Having just released his new albumn " Sofa Surfer " i figured it was time to do a new shot involving the chair in a new environment . So this time we missioned into the forest , found a good spot this is the result. Realising the skies the limit , ok maybe the sky is the limit on this one we are thinking of taking the chair into various locations as suggested by his fans via his website , so watch this space !!! to check out his music here's a link : www.indidginus.com

Wijsenbeek family shoot

2011-08-19T04:27:00.000-07:00

Ok so long time no blog , Cape Town has had the most amazing dry winter which is not great because we need the rain but i have selfishly been loving it and clocking up much needed time surfing after a busy summer in which i don't get to surf very often. Work has been great , last week i had two video shoots that involved working with new camera's , always a nice challenge, unfortunately i dont get to keep the footage so i can't post anything on the blog. So here's shoot i did down on Kommetjie beach for the Wijsenbeek family on one of those glorious winter days we've been having. Trying to get Diesel , their dog to co-operate took some effort but i think we finally managed to get the family portrait we were after !

Work and play

2011-06-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

Trying to strike the balance between work and play is important to me, as much as i love photography i do have my own interests and enjoy capturing them. They don't always involve payment of course so thats where the balance comes in . Either way i feel blessed to be doing something i really enjoy even in those long cold quiet winter months in Cape Town !!

portraits for Multichoice of staff

Some of Cape Towns Bboys putting on a display in the heart of town.

Studio shoot for Barry Baumgart Physiotherapy.

Surf action at Longbeach.

Pregnancy shoot for expecting parents, Graham and Anna.

Snaps taken on the road

2011-05-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

In April i shot 2 weddings that involved abit of travel. One in the Karoo and one just outside of Durban. Here's some random snaps taken along the way.

Karoo landscapes

This part of was part of a bizarre park in Laingsburg, miles from the sea.

Some random graffitti

Lost in the Karoo

My little noddy hired car

Umdloti local

The waves were cooking the morning i had to leave, that's just my luck..

Sorry Mr bug

Grant and Stephanie -Arum Valley Farm, Natal Midlands

2011-05-17T03:53:00.000-07:00

There were a lot of firsts for me with regards to this wedding. It was the first wedding I've shot in Durban, the first organic wedding I've ever been to and the first time i've ever shot in a saw mill. All I can say is I loved all three experiences! The whole day was an amazing reflection of Grant and Stephanie's faith, their beliefs and convictions and the love they have for the people around them. They filled the day with pertinent meaning and what was most precious to them. There were personal touches dotted all around from refreshing carrot juice [ok maybe not everyone found it refreshing], to chia seeds direct from South America to a delicious raw food wedding cake! It was a beautiful insight into the bright future these two people have together.

Paul and Sarah - Suikerbossie

2011-05-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Having lived in Hout Bay for awhile it was nice to be in familiar surroundings again. Suikerbossie restuarant sits at the top of the hill overlooking Hout Bay and and a stones throw from Llandudno beach making it a great option for doing the creative shoot. Being a surfer i like the beach more than most people of course but shooting on the beach can be a nightmare, fortunately we were treated to the most perfect evening on the beach before heading back to the venue for some delicious food and good music.

Inspiring photography

2011-05-06T02:47:00.000-07:00

Check out this guys work , i just love the documentary approach to photography and this guy is seriously inspiring !!

http://humanplanet.com/timothyallen/portfolio/

Rhyder and Claire - Prince Albert

2011-05-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

With a welcome break from Cape Towns numerous wine farm venues,the charming Karoo town of Prince Albert is where I found myself for Rhyder and Claire's wedding. I have always said there's something really great about out of town weddings, and this was no different. The town is classically South African, full of character, aloes and desert-scapes that go on for miles. African Relish, a local culinary school is where it all went down. The perfectly relaxed setting to enjoy the fresh Karoo air whilst being treated to some really amazing food. For me, the best part of the wedding is when I got to indulge my alter ego - DJ Pete!

Simon and Carol - Roodezand

2011-04-06T00:25:00.000-07:00

Carol and Simon fell in love with Tulbagh a few years back and decided this is where they would get married. Having shot a wedding there in January i can appreciate their love for the place. Roodezand hosted their wedding, with a quirky little chapel and lots of open space surrounded by majestic mountains it was the ideal setting for a celebration filled with tradition, emotion and loads of dancing.

Hugo and Debbie - Betty's Bay

2011-03-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

They say that its rare to get a perfectly wind free day in Betty's Bay, especially in summer. Well Hugo and Debbie had just one of those rare days. And how fitting for an amazing couple who had the inspired idea to use The Harold Porter Botanical Gardens as the backdrop for their celebration. It was a stunning location that accommodated both ceremony and reception. Very little comes close to the intimacy of a botanical garden setting, shared with only you and your loved ones. Food and drink to last the night and music to tempt you to do just that. Special mention must be made of the three flower girls who showed the adults just how to party and danced till they dropped.

Arnold and Melissa's wedding - Beloftebos

2011-03-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

With a carnival theme and a beautiful setting, Arnold and Melissa's wedding was a celebration like no other. It epitomized everything i love about modern weddings, a combination of great styling , good food , good music in an environment where your friends and family can express their individuality and character. I had so much fun shooting this wedding thanks to Arnold and Melissa and Carmen Visser for asking me to second shoot. It was really hard to narrow down the photos for the blog , hope you like them as much as i do.

Surfing @ 8th of a second

2011-02-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

This is your usual 1500th of a second action shot and the effect it gives.

Surfphotography is one of those things that usually requires good light to make it happen, given that you are trying to freeze the action at shutter speeds of 1500th of a second and higher, the sun really needs to be shining. So on Friday when i got down to the 'Hoek' and found it to be partly cloudy i figured why not experiment a little . I decided to play with my shutter speed and shot between a 6th and a 15th of a second, the success ratio wasn't as high as shooting at 1500th of a second but when the elements did come together i think the results were really successful and all in all im pretty stoked with the effect.

And this the result of shooting at 8th of a second . Read more to check out the other shots....

Weekend shoots

2011-02-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

Here's a look at my past weekends various shoots i did. Looking back they couldn't have been more different from each other. While i have certain things i would prefer to shoot , i simply love photography and the different places my camera takes me.

This was the Presidential Golf Challenge i shot for Multichoice, one of the sponsors .

Don't mess with these guys.

This was a break dancing jam session on the streets of Cape Town

Bboy Spinx

Saturday night i had the privilege of photographing jazz musician Abdullah Ibrahim in concert at the CTICC.

Ben and Shifrah

2011-02-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

A fellow photographer friend of mine, Claire McNulty, asked me if i would like to second shoot on a wedding she was doing at Backsberg. I was familiar with the venue having shot there a few years ago but nothing could have prepared me for the amazing celebration that Ben and Shifrah's wedding would be. Representing their spiritual and religious beliefs it was an emotionally charged affair that often flew by amidst a blur of dancing and singing leaving me at times feeling more like a sports photographer trying to capture all the action. It was really hard to choose from all the photos, but I hope these convey the energy and romance of the occasion.

J&B Mett Afterparty

2011-02-02T01:35:00.000-08:00

The J&B Mett is a major highlight on the events calender in Cape Town, i was asked by Kilowatt Av to photograph the afterparty. Starting with the incredibly talented Lira the party then moved to the main stage with DJ Fresh on the decks followed by Dino Moran and finally international DJ Fedde Legrande rocked the party till the end. And no i didn't dress up ! ha ha

Charles and Sheilla - Montpellier

2011-01-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

Charles and Sheilla got married of a scorching hot day in the beautiful Tulbagh venue of Montpellier. The wedding was a vibrant coming together of two families from different continents with very different ways of life. Sheilla is Angolan and Charles is English - they have chosen to live in Cape Town so their families came here to celebrate. It made for an interesting photo shoot because many of the Angolans could not speak English. Now your average flower girl will giggle but when the perfect moment presented itself, I wanted the photograph and they ran away giggling, not understanding a word I said! I realized then that the MC would have a harder time than most but thankfully he had a wicked sense of humor and a way with words (that I obviously didn't). With a stunning chapel on the hillside and a garden marquee under which to enjoy the evening, it was a picturesque setting I hope to have done justice to. Thanks again for choosing me and thanks to the DJ for his old school vinyl.

David and Jenna , Vrede en Lust

2011-01-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

David and Jenna chose to get married at the lovely Vrede en Lust wine estate near Franschoek. There was a blustering southeaster as you'll see in some of the pics. Not that it could dampen the spirit of this occasion where many guests had come from overseas to celebrate with them. In fact, it being such a small world - David (the groom) had met both my sisters when living in London. They have some classic stories of my brother-in-law in his pajamas at 2 o'clock in the morning telling them to turn the music down. Thus in typical style, this was another party to be remembered.

Redbull nightsurfing

2011-01-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

To say i was sceptical is an understatement, it was 1ft and hardly breaking how on earth were they going to pull this off. Well it turned out to be a really awesome evening with some of the best aerial specialists being whipped into waves just metres from the shore against the backdrop of a packed Camps Bay beach ! And then of course there was JORDY SMITH ........

The crowd on Camps Bay beach

Craig Anderson was first up and set the strandard.

Damien Fahrenfort

From here on in it became the Jordy show

The guy that everyone came to see.

This was at about 9.45 pm , so real night surfing .

That last wave , and the ' Superman ' that he landed !!

Photobooth madness

2010-12-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

Here's the results of my first ever official ' photobooth ' at a recent wedding. Judging by the pictures i think it was a real hit, people can't resist dressing up and looking silly especially after a few drinks .

The Birch's family shoot

2010-12-09T12:21:00.000-08:00

After weeks of emails back and forth, I finally got to meet Rebecca and her family. Originally from England, she now lives in Colorado and given that they are scattered over three continents, bringing these three generations together would present an opportune occasion to capture the living family tree. As a photographer herself, Rebecca wanted to ensure beautiful portraits could be distributed and lovingly cherished for years to come. This was how we came to be on Kommetjie beach and Noordhoek common in a howling south easter. Such extreme weather is always a challenge, yet despite the wind and the cold everyone was really responsive to my ideas and keen to play along. Hope you enjoy the results!

Synergy 2010

2010-12-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

This last weekend i was shooting video for the main stage at the Synergy Live festival at Boschendal wine estate. I took along my stills camera naturally and managed to grab a few snaps here and there between the bands playing.

Aahh the groupies

You Know you at a rock concert when people are wearing shoes like these !

More groupies

The mosh pit courtesy of the band ' the hogs'

Nothing like a bit of air guitar or is that rake guitar

Aking

Tamara from ' Flash Republic'

Van Coke Cartel

Prime Circle

My absolute favourites , 'Goldfish'

The amount of rubbish we generate at festivals is shocking !

Wedding Photography

2010-11-22T02:24:00.000-08:00

Nicoles Birthday Party

2010-11-21T23:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a few snaps taken yesterday at Nicole's birthday braai. I was keen to test out some of the props to see how people would react to the concept. I will be setting this up for one of the weddings Im shooting in December and thought to get a feel with a smaller group of people. The kids were into it straight away and provided some comic relief and impetus for some of the couples to get involved too.

Pool Party

2010-11-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

Whilst location scouting recently, I came across this beautiful garden with pool going to ruin and fell in love with everything about it. You wont be shooting the usual pool party scene here, but picture an intense thriller or Tim Burton classic and you could have the perfect set courtesy of mother nature.

Fujifilm Photograhic Awards 2010

2010-11-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

Just received the news today that i was awarded silver in the 'portrait' category of the 2010 Fujifilm Photographic Awards for Southern Africa. The picture that won was taken in Hamburg in the Eastern Cape when we had been invited by the womens granddaughter to come and experience a traditional Xhosa lunch. The grandaughter had given birth a few days before my wife so they had plenty to share over lunch while i took the opportunity to ask the umakhulu to pose for me.
Here's a link to the various categories and winners : http://www.fujifilm.co.za/teltron/view/teltron/en/page13349

My new 50mm f1.4 lens

2010-11-14T11:15:00.000-08:00

Got myself a new 50mm lens on Friday and decided to test it out on the kids, of course they weren't always happy about being photographed again !!

Elgin / Grabouw - round two

2010-11-03T01:28:00.000-07:00

Last week i was back in the Elgin Valley to continue shooting location photos for a cape based locations company. The spring blossoms were out and all the farms are looking beautiful and green, as for the town of Grabouw well thats a different story. A funky mix of cheap stores run by chinese , somali and other foreigners along with second hand furniture stores, butchers and bottle stores, you get the picture. Not a very pretty town to say the least but makes for interesting photos.

Picture of the week

2010-10-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

Another busy week filming the Lausanne Conference at the CTICC, this i a shot i took playing around with slow shutter speeds.

Picture of the week

2010-10-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is my daughter Ajualuna and her friend, Amira having a fine time pretending to be elderly gentlemen. What I love about photography is being able to capture hilarious moments like these.

Fields of Dreams

2010-10-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

No. 1

'Fields of Dreams' is a series of photo's I took leading up to the 2010 Fifa soccer world cup. These images capture the enthusiasm and spirit of soccer as it is lived and played here in South Africa. What I like about this series is their graphic nature - it shows how soccer is played anywhere, anytime. It is a much loved sport, played by all manner of people and the faceless silhouettes show that beautifully.
Up until now these limited edition prints have only been available through various galleries locally, but I have been specifically asked to make these available to the international market. Should you wish to order them direct you can contact me at peterrussell500@gmail.com for postage and delivery options.

No. 2

No.3

No.4

No. 5

No.6

No.7

No.8

No.9

No. 10

No. 11

Picture of the week

2010-10-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

Ok so here it is, I was driving home when i saw this car at the traffic lights and quickly grabbed my phone to take the picture. So now i've seen it all, a vuvuzela on a minature roofrack made specifically for it !! I figured it was the best thing i saw all week, enjoy.

The De Goode family shoot

2010-10-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Ok it took a little while before we could all find time in our busy schedules to do a family shoot but it finally happened. So here's the results of the shoot i did with Ernie and Brian and their three gorgeous kids. Mum and Dad are two very talented musicians [ bands like Mood Phase Five and various other projects] and the kids aren't too far behind them, we're hoping to do a styled shoot soon again with the whole family so watch this space.

Picture of the week

2010-10-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

After another bust week filming the Ombudsman Conference for Imfunzelelo event specialists, i must confess i didn't get round to shooting a stills picture. What i did do is process a roll of film , yes film from a retro camera called a Holga that i bought a few months back. Its a plastic body and lens that produces unpredictable results complete with light leak and vignietting. Unfortunately 120 roll film along with the processing and scanning makes this and expensive little toy !! So you've been warned before you fall into that ' retro funky camera trap ' like i did , ha ha.

Picture of the week

2010-09-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

So another busy week of filming , but i managed to fit in a family shoot with the De Goode family. Ernie and Brian have got three beautiful kids, this is young Toby who at some point grabbed my sunglasses and put them on which is when i snapped this pic. The shoot went great and i will post the rest of the pics sometime this week.

How to make your own ring flash for R 20

2010-09-20T02:18:00.000-07:00

So here it is , i followed this easy link and made my own ring flash for just R 20 !! I suggest going to any cheap chinese shop and buying the tupperware there, other than that its all very simple, have fun.
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-diy-ring-flash-tutorial

Picture of the week

2010-09-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

After spending all week filming for Av Alliance i wasn't sure if i was going to get the picture. Fortunately i finished work early and went to Kommetjie to watch the sunset from a friends house , a beautiful strart to the weekend. On Saturday i took a good friends teenage son and buddy to the Hip Hop Indaba, where i snapped these guys ' crumping '. Its this highly expressive, energetic aggressive form of street dance, really cool to watch. Then on the way home from doing video again today i stopped and took some shots of the guys surfing pretty solid Kalk bay reef. This one of Josh Salie who works at the Brass Bell and was taking a break between shifts !

Picture of the week

2010-09-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

So here's my picture of the week , with the sun out and the south easter blowing it really was starting to feel like summer is almost here. It does also mean the water gets freezing cold, not appealing in the least. On this day i was happy to be on dry land and not out there !

Zara

2010-08-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

AAHH yes this is the reason for the black rings under my eyes these days, my beautiful new daughter named Zara.

Surfing

2010-08-22T01:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a few of my of my favourite surf pics some of which never made it into the mags , hope you like them to.

Elgin Valley

2010-08-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks i've been going out to the Elgin Valley to scout the various farms in the area for a locations company.Renowned for producing excellent quality fruit and wine its been a real privilege to get access to so many amazing farms in the valley. Unfortunately i can't share any of the scenic shots i've taken so here's a few of the nature instead.

Bboy Bear's Jam Session

2010-08-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday i went to 'Bboy Bear's ' jam session to mark his 30th birthday. Apart from Bear otherwise known as Barry, being connected through family , i've always had a secret desire to learn how to breakdance, hey who wouldn't want to learn how to defy gravity ? So for now the closest i could get to it was taking my camera and documenting some of the action that went down.

Yuri's last day

2010-08-05T01:19:00.000-07:00

This was my brother in law Yuri's last day in Cape Town before flying 26 hours back to the USA. The guys a bit of a globetrotter having been born in New Zealand to South African parents, then moved to the UK and now lives in California! So its always great when we get to see him and share his infectious enthusiasm for life. His contagious enjoyment of guitar hero has left its mark, as is evident in these pictures.

Hayley and Jack's wedding

2010-08-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

"All you need is love" was the theme song sung at Jack and Hayley's wedding, and isn't it the perfect reason to get married?! Jack is English and Hayley is a South African who fell in love as students in England. As most couples of mixed nationality know, its tricky to have all the important members of both families present in one country. And because their love has made its home in England, they chose to holiday in sunny Cape Town and wed under African skies. I'm certain the second celebration back home was filled with as much fun and laughter as this one. (I'd have been happy to do both and catch up with my sister and her kids over there, so don't be shy to suggest it next time if you're in a similar position).

Oneil Cold Water Classic 2010

2010-08-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

This year the final day of the O'neil Cold Water Classic was held at Longbeach in Kommetjie. It also happens to be my local break so I went down to shoot some of the action. And what a pleasure it is to watch good surfing - especially when a South African wins. Greg Emslie beat Aussie Dion Atkinson in a closely fought heat, beating him in the dying minutes. Well done Greg, you ripped!

Hassina and Ricardo's Wedding

2010-07-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hassina and Ricardo's are two of the nicest people you could ever meet. Their wedding was a union of different faiths and cultures shared by a small group of close friends and relatives in Tokai forest. I can only think its the warmth they show to everyone that drove the rain away. It kept threatening to disrupt the proceedings, and yet if it had i'm sure they would have embraced it with as much love and laughter as they do life.

Stine and Jeremy's wedding

2010-07-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

I just love living in the ' deep south ' , although its not often that i get to shoot weddings in my neck of the woods. So driving just 15 minutes to Stine and Jeremy's wedding in Scarborough was a real treat !

There are so many things that made this wedding memorable, Stine looking georgous, our great hosts at Zenza Lodge , all the interesting guests [ they were either professional climbers, skydivers, surfers, kite surfers, base jumpers, the list goes on and on ] the layedback vibe , the firedancer and finally the neighbour who tried to highjack the speaker system. It was fantastic to be part of your day , thanks Stine and Jeremy.