Rousseau Fine Art Photography Blog

Herman & Dinah

2011-11-25T15:07:00.001+02:00

Herman & Dinah’s wedding was probably one of the mostenjoyable weddings I have EVER photographed or attended. They laughed andenjoyed the day with family and guests from start to finish, as Tulbagh andOlive Rock welcomed this beautiful couple to married life. We wish them manyhappy years and a marriage full of love. (Please click to see the photo's in full size.)

Bride & groom got dressed @ Arum Lilly Cottage
Church service @ Tulbagh Dutch Reformed Church
Reception @ Olive Rock www.oliverock.co.za
Go and watch the video by Mark Chipps @ www.goosebump.co.za/dinah-herman-olive-rock/
Second shooter & awsome assistant: Stefni Cruywagen
Forrest photo's taken @ De Heuvel (www.deheuvelestate.co.za) Thank you for leaving the gate open for us!

A misty day

2011-11-24T19:56:00.001+02:00

Since the first time I travelled through the Hexriver valley it has been one of my favorite places on earth. So I planned to drag my wife along one Saturday morning. We got up early, got everything together, and... What? Oh noooo... The sun was nowhere to be found. There was mist all around, and as we drove away from Boston it did not get better. This is what happened that day!

Orbitals

2011-11-18T19:38:00.000+02:00

I remember being a young boy, and trying for hours to bend things with the power of my mind... Well, this is not quite like that, but this is probably the closest that I will ever come to succeeding. :)

Changing landscapes

2011-06-30T19:25:00.000+02:00

The seasons can change so slowly, and I've allways imagined seeing a fastforward of the year. Here are some seasonal photos, and a few befores and afters of some winefarms in the Stellenbosch and Bellville region.

Daniel & Katherine

2011-02-15T20:29:00.000+02:00

Dan & Kath married on a beautifully overcast day, and were a couple that stole everyone's hearts as they all came together under the massive trees of Beloftebos.

Honeymoon

2010-07-13T12:57:00.002+02:00

Lana and I tied the knot on 5 June 2010 (Please see www.lizellelotter.co.za/rousseau-en-lana-witrivier ) and went on an absolute adventure of a honeymoon. I know what you are thinking - a honeymoon is supposed to be a restful, quiet trip where you are served all day long and don't have to travel... Well... We chose to do something different.

The first part of our honeymoon was in the Kruger National Park at Jock Safari Lodge. The facilities were exquisite and we were treated with gourmet food as well as excellent game drives.

Our room as right next to a riverbed, and we could "lounge" outside on a couch/bed and watch the animals pass by.

This young giraffe was HUGE!!

The trip Northward on Mozambique's national road had our mouths hanging open at times. We have a lot to be thankful for in South Africa!

Our arrival at Linga-Linga was at night, so I jumped out of bed early the next monring to catch the first rays of sun. The next photo is the view from where we stayed.

We stayed in a house made entirely from wood, with only gause for windows.

Don't laugh - every year quite a few people die in Moz because of the deep relationship between ripe coconuts and gravity.

Lana and I agreed that we have NEVER seen as many stars at night. This photo is a long exposure of about 46 minutes.

The Moz "kreef" are MASSIVE...

And every afternoon hundreds of crabs soldier around on the beaches.

The road back was treacherous after it started raining, and at some point it probably took us about 3hours to cover 10km's. And yes - we did go in the RunX.

Some trucks needed a little push up the hill.

So now we're praying for a 4x4!

Lana took this as we drove past an alley.

Back in South Africa we travelled around Nelspruit and decided to build a few fun photo's. (Many of these photo's are 3-5 pics stitched together.)

The road back home had it's own beauty.

The last leg of the Honeymoon was Langebaan, where we kicked off with cooking classes at Delici! (http://www.delici.co.za/)

Westcoast National Park was a blast!

We even went bird watching.

Our last stop was Paternoster. Where we ate and drank and sat around and reminisced about the month gone by.

Long way up!

2010-03-26T11:53:00.004+02:00

Lana and I recentry travelled up to Witrivier, and I took some photo's whenever I got the chance, experimenting with longer exposures and a few new editing tricks I conjoured up!

ps - I think the cloud lovers will thank me for this post

We had to stop at several roadblocks and accidents, giving me the opportunity to capture the greenest Karoo "end-of-Summer" landscape I've ever seen.

The following picture was taken while travelling at approx 120km/h, f-stop at f22, allowing the exposure time to be 1/20s @ ISO100. I focused on the left-hand side of the tree which gave this swirling effect. :)

One of MANY stops...

Flowers anyone?

The signs of a season's end, summer's twilight has commenced!

How beautiful is this girl?

The hand that rocked Lana's cradle. We stopped in Pretoria on our way back for lunch with Lana's dad.

The following two shots are some of my favorites. It's typical of the South African countryside.

Out of the right window...

Out of the left window...

Somewhere inbetween the two windows...

Yet another truck stop!!

And how beautiful is THIS girl?

Another one of my favorites - I think it is the dimensionality brought by the reflection of the road and the steering wheel that caught my eye, conceptually anchored by the mirror bottom right.

Believe it or not - the following photo is a 5 photo-photostitch, showing a massive cloud forming and raining on the the horison. Hard as I tried I don't think the picture tells the full story.

Babysteps

2010-03-03T15:13:00.002+02:00

My neigbour's baby is only a few months old, and had her first shot at climbing the steps in our complex. I decided to take a few photo's. Njoy!

Rousseau & Lana Engagement!!

2010-02-15T14:57:00.003+02:00

I'm very excited about this post... I have found the love I thought was only true in stories, both mystical and magical, tangible and lovely. Her name is Lana, and she has graced my life with her beautiful presence. Please enjoy and celebrate our engagement with us through these pictures!

Ruben - 10 days old

2010-02-14T15:03:00.001+02:00

A baby in the house usually reminds me of the frailty of life and the unfathomable journey we all had to undertake to get here, beginning all of our journeys in a very similar fashion. I couldn't stop looking at Ruben, and just had to take these snaps of him when visited Sammy in Pretoria! Enjoy!!

Utrecht Part 4 (Holland)

2010-01-27T21:24:00.005+02:00

My classes have finally finished and my students are writing exams tomorrow! The end of the road is in sight, and I couldn't resist taking a drive and taking some pics on my third last day in Utrecht.

I still need to go in and see if the name is true...

I love the city traffic...

Many of these buildings have VERY impressive architecture. I wonder how long it took to make this?

On my way to the pannekoekenhuis!!

Guys... What a pancake... Oh yes... Yumm!

This old guy and his wife had so much fun in the shop, I was amazed by the freshness of their relationship. May we all have that when we're old!

Duck for dinner?

Koningin Wilhelmina with her ice-hat.

Holland - Windmills an Castles

2010-01-16T23:07:00.001+02:00

Finally I have some time to travel around and experience the real Holland. The one we see in the pictures, with all the tulips and cheese and warm days and green fields. :) Some of the snow has melted, and I thought it was over for a few days after today's rain, but a snowstorm covered the world in white about 15 minutes ago. (Pictures at the end.)

A bridge bearing the same name as my dad.

Boats line the canals in some parts

Even the original Micra needs petrol now and again.

How more Dutch can you get?

Was as if he was guarding the one eating.

Entrance to a real castle!

CASTLE de HAAR!

Some kids gathered for a party

The snowstorm starts!

Long exposure during the storm

Utrecht Part 3 (Holland)

2010-01-11T16:11:00.008+02:00

The past few days' snow has turned Holland into a white Winter Wonderland. I took the picture above with my camera's built in flash reflecting off the finest snow fall I have ever seen. It was as if someone was pouring floating icing sugar out over the city.

My means of transport. (Not missing my car at all... Noooo...) I cycled to Weg-tot-de-Wetenschap, where I met Codrin for a walk in the coutryside.

It has snowed enough for the ski's to have come out.

Codrin leading the way along the canal.

A bridge we passed under. Codrin said most people don't know how beautiful the city's surrounding areas are and they travel far away to enjoy nature. What a pity.

The river was twisting and turning as we walked, and I made this panorama of one of the first bends as we entered the woods.

Some remains of WW2 can still be seen, with bunkers lining the roads. Who knows how many young lives were lost in the areas we walked.

Another riverbend..

There were joggers all over the place. I presume some of them ran only because of the snow. By the way, is doesn't usualy look like this in Winter, Holland might get a week of snowfall max.

Finally! Some colour.

Many birds live on these canals, and I cought some as they took off. With help from Codrin, of course. :)

This doggy got in the way of my landscapeshot! Actually he was out of focus.

The best pancakehouse in the world!!!

Snowman!

I just had to lie down... Unfortunately my jacket lifted a bit, and I almost go some freezer burn...

How beautiful is this?

Back at home -

Sturbucks Espresso cup's bought in Berlin.

And fine Italian wine I treated myself to. :)

Utrecht (Holland Part2)

2010-01-08T22:43:00.006+02:00

Week 1 in Holland has been a great experience, please enjoy these memories with me. (By the way - last night was -15degrees, and we're expecting lots of snow over the weekend.)

The flat I'm staying in is the one on the bottom left. Doesn't look like much, but it compares to a Sandton loft inside.

Now this is the breakfast of champions!

Scenes like this all over the place

The main Utrecht Museum. Must say we have museums all over the place here.

This boat is dated AD 997, adn was brought into the museum basement in 1930.

This is definitely the best sculpture I have ever seen.

The Dom tower is almost 90m tall. Watch out for it on the panorama below.

Inside the Dom Church.

A Park close to my house.

Spot the Rousseau...See you soon!

Holland

2010-01-05T21:11:00.005+02:00

Utrecht University invited me to come and lecture for the month of January, and it has been quite the experience!

I arrived in Istanbul's Attaturk airport VERY early on the 1'st of Jan, and the place left me feeling like a real foreigner...

Rene is an Indian working in Amsterdam. We had an awesome chat on the flight, and he helped me find my way once we landed. What a guy!

Alycia was kind enough to let me stay with her the first night. She is a missionary from the USA, and has travelled the world.

This guy is the area where Alycia lives' crazy guy. He sat there chatting away at himself..

And naturally, one of the channels of Amsterdam.

Note that the buildings are leaning forward. Many of them have hooks at the top that act as pullies. Furniture is hoisted up, and then taken in through the windows.

The trams rule the roads here. Public transport is BRILLIANT!

It feels like every street has some old church or historic site. By the way - Most of Amsterdam was destroyed in WW2, but they have done a great job in fixing it up again.

I have not had one of these, but these Oliebollen are a regular NewYears treat.

Flowershops everywhere...

And more flowers! Every household has some flowers somewhere.

I had a profound chat with Alycia before I headed off to Utrecht. This lady knows something about God, spend some time with her if you ever get the opportunity.

Spot the dove

Sorry about this, but it is not Amsterdam if not for funny shaped chocolates. At the fleemarket. And no one even blinked an eye.

Another super bread-shop!

Well, this is a 9 photo-stitch from my front window over De Nieuwegracht

And this is the same street, but after some snowfall the next day

Utrecht has many historic buildings, this is a church courtyard.

Me vs a Tree. The tree won the stand-off.

Spooky building...

The Dom-Church and Tower is the most significant landmark in Utrecht, and is very, very high. It boasts these cuddly little creatures all around the roof.

The Dom Church from the back. I'll post some photo's of it's front in my next post.

Langebaan - Robyn and Amy Capendale

2009-12-15T15:41:00.003+02:00

Ladies and gentlepeople - I present, with pleasure, Robyn and Amy Capendale. These two ladies, ney, let me call them shapeshifters, transformed a windy and ice-cold day in Langebaan into a fun-filled experience. Enjoy!

And I decided to pop into a photo or two with them! Thank you Manfrotto!

Burgert & Lucille - Engagement!!

2009-12-10T13:27:00.009+02:00

When Lucy & Burgert asked me to "just come take some photo's" a few months ago I had no warning about the engagement, or what was going to happen to the bus... I left Stellenbosch early the Saturday morning, still yawning halfway there, but excited. What a day! Greyton rocks! Please enjoy the expererience through the photo's, and join me in wishing Lucy and B all the best for the time ahead!

David & Gitte

2009-11-25T16:53:00.005+02:00

I almost cried when David & Gitte asked me to photograph their wedding... Not because they're close friends, but because I'm in Europe for the whole of January! Nooit! :) But I decided to give them a photoshoot as a wedding present, and this is what happened as the sun was going under over Stellenbosch. (Hint - If the pictures don't display properly/are to big for your browser when viewing them full size, hold the Ctrl key and scroll up once on you mouse, scroll down to zoom back out. )

ASARA Winefarm @ Fullmoon

2009-11-11T14:28:00.002+02:00

Asara is definitely one of my favorite places in Stellenbosch. Beautiful at day but even more stunning at night! We were sitting outside drinking Asara Shiraz as the moon rose over the furthest hill, and I convinced Lana to take part in my visual experiment that evening... :) Enjoy the results with me, and let me know what you think.

Delici - WestCoast Tappas

2009-10-10T14:57:00.003+02:00

Mike and Stef received a voucher to attend a free cooking class @ Delici (Langebaan) as a wedding gift, and invited me to come along. So I took a few snapshots of the food as superchef Christine Capendale taught us the intricacies of traditional West-Coast "smulhappies!" Be sure to attend one of her classes at least once in your life! (http://www.delici.co.za/) Oh, and know there were many other dishes, these are just some of my favorite pics. :)

Panoramas!!

2009-10-10T13:01:00.000+02:00

So I asked myself - Why only one photo at a time? :) Here are some of my favorite panorama's, and I'll include the stories accompanying them!

Durban Harbour @ night

Durban Harbour @ day

These two images of the harbour were captured when I visited Jacques in Durban the weekend the Cheethas won the Sharks. Both are 4 or 5 portraits combined. The street at the bottom is actually straight as an arrow!

Strand/Gordonsbaai @ sunset

This was a difficult panorama to capture as the waves naturally move toward you, and are difficult to align when editing it. Must say I'm pleased with the result!

Jonkershoek

Hendri's one of my closest mates from Jhb and recently flew down for a quick break-away. We talked about everything from God to politics to religion to movies to relationships as we strolled the 10km circle route. Lekker Boerie!!

West-Coast National Park

The day after the Delici evening (See the post in October) we drove around, and visited the West-Coast National park. At both these scenes we sat for quite a while as we drank in the serenity of nature.

Steyn de Vos - 9 months old

2009-09-18T12:40:00.014+02:00

Ladies and gentleman, I present, with pleasure… Steyn! I trust you will enjoy these photo’s as much as I did taking them! :) Jacques and Thia are blessed to have this little bundle of joy. Please let me know what you think of the shoot, and remember that you can click the images to enlarge them.

USB-ED Brochure

2009-09-03T16:10:00.009+02:00

USB-ED Brochure 2010

Earlier this year Sunflood Studios asked me if I would be the photographer for the USB Executive Development 2010 brochure. The project took several months to complete, and was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Marieke (Marketing Consultant from USB) headed up the project and asked us for a product with a professional yet personal and "hand-made" feel. We spent many sessions running around their campuses (Bellville and Jhb), the Stellenbosch woods and also the Stellenbosch Campus, looking for the perfect shots to portray their innovative and personal approach to equipping the business minds of our country and internationally.

Thank all of you for this exceptional opportunity! The respective websites can be viewed at:

http://www.sunfloodstudios.co.za/

http://www.usb-ed.com/

Lammie & Jobeana (Aurora)

2009-07-31T12:53:00.011+02:00

Lammie & Jobeana

"Aurora? Where's that?" A quant little town at the side of a hill was the setting for Lammie & Jobeana's wedding. As Lizelle and I drove around town (only 2 paved roads) we knew it was going to be hard to choose between all the beautiful spots. The day turned out to be full of great moments, and Lizelle did an excellent job as main photographer. (Please see her website at the end of the post.) Again, I managed to sneek in sum photo's as 2'nd photographer and assistant.

You can see Lizelle's awesum photo's @ http://www.lizellelotter.co.za/lammie-en-jobeana-aurora/. Go Lizelle!!

Herman & Nikki

2009-04-20T16:08:00.015+02:00

HERMAN & NIKKI STEYN (18 April 2009)

I had the priviledge of assisting Gideon Murray at this beautiful wedding. My mission for the day was to capture the event from a different perspective and grab some behind-the-scenes photo's, though I snuck in a couple of Herman & Nikki posing for me too. :) They were sooo relaxed and playful, and made our job very easy! (As you'll see in the photos..) The photo's are mostly in chronological order to present you with a glimpse of their special day.

Herman and Nikki, may God bless you as you continue to seek His will in following the divine path He has placed before you. Your lives will be a blessing to many, many people.

Rico & Marelise

2009-04-15T18:40:00.015+02:00

RICO & MARELISE WESSELS

Rico and Marelise wanted some photo's for their wedding invites, so we jumped in my car one day after work and headed out to spots I'd been eyeing for a few months. Here's what happened!

Shaun Edward Lötter

2009-03-16T13:45:00.014+02:00

Shaun Edward Lötter (Born 21 Jan '09)

Earlier this year my sister was blessed with a healthy baby boy. Although my Godson is only a month-and-a-half, this small human being is already showing loads of personality and tenacity, bringing joy to all our lives.

is that you?

guardian

hello
almost there
armwrestler
MOM!
hide&seek
another photo?
sleepy time
the strong man
who's there?

cleanliness is happiness

mommy

yawn

wakey-wakey

what u doing?

sideswipe

looker

handheld

Observatory - CT

2009-03-16T11:38:00.011+02:00

OBSERVATORY - CAPE TOWN

I spent a Saturday morning lazing around Observatory waiting for friends to finish the wind-tortured Argus Cycle Challenge. It is a visually stunning neighborhood, with some strange and not-so-strange characters bound to meander past you.

The Locals

Where to? Look-out
Dorothy's road
Knock-Knock
Get me to the church on time
Face-off
Scribbler

Meander

The house Jack built

Red

Sent with Love

Stop?

South-Easterly

Landscapes

2009-03-11T13:09:00.001+02:00

LANDSCAPES OF THE WESTERN CAPE

Babilon's Toring

Moving down to Stellenbosch in February 2008 after a 4 year stint in Jhb has been a blessing in more ways than I could have ever imagined. The picturesque Western Cape is a barrage of beautiful sunsets and marvelous landscapes in its very core, bringing new colours to every day and often enveloping the visually inclined in moments of splendor.

Stellenbosch Fires

Strand
Stellenbosch - Dorp Str
Greyton
Swartland
Moorreesburg
Welgevonden
Swartland
Greyton

Black & White

2009-03-11T11:38:00.000+02:00

Hout Bay Harbour

V&A Waterfront

Vintage Car Park off N2
V&A Waterfront
Slanghoek Valley
Close to Moorreesburg
Stellenbosch
Het Vlock Castle

At first glance

2009-02-19T14:19:00.003+02:00

Our world is a fascinating place. The older I get the more I realise that there are infintecimal experiences available to each of us, compounded by the reality that a thousand eyes see each single event uniquely.

This blog is here to share one earthling's experience as he is hurtling through space on our beloved speck of dust.

Vir Ma Magda

2008-01-23T14:45:00.000+02:00

Hi ma. Ma kan op die foto's click om hulle groter te maak, maar scroll eers af om te sien waar alles inpas.

Voor aansig, klein woonstel ingang lings onder, hoofhuis ingang by wit trappe op, 3de woonstel ingang regs op en lings in ander straat

1 slp Woonstel onder huis, gaan links onder by garages in, aparte adres

Hoof huis, 3 slaapkamers, gaan op met wye wit trappe voor huis

2e woonstel, 2 slp, ingange heeltemal apart van huis en ander woonstel

Nou weer terug in die hoofhuis