It’s no secret that my favourite time of day to photograph couples in love, is when the sun is almost on her way out, bathing everything in her gorgeous golden afternoon rays. And it’s not just me – it seems most photographers are partial to breathtaking sunsets, resulting in images of couples with dreamy, golden halos encircling their laughing faces. Even tiny bugs (that can sometimes be a nuisance) reflect in the sunlight, making it seem like fairy lights floating around in every frame. I understood why Kate and André were drawn to my golden hour shoots, complete with golden grass, sun flares and fairy-light-bugs. When she mentioned this to me, though, I was a little worried. It’s winter in Cape Town which means the grass is all green and the weather is unpredictable. My husband and I spent the weekend scouting for locations with yellow grass (in the southern suburbs), but we were unsuccessful. Also, the weather forecasts said the day of our session would be on the cloudy side. I can still create magic with green grass and cloud-covered skies, but I also strive to deliver exactly what my clients want. Luckily another photographer friend of mine suggested a place in Somerset West, called Paardevlei. The grass (or reeds) are yellow all year round! Perfect. It also happened to be right across the road from where Kate Lived, so it ticked another box. It also turned out to be quite a special place for them – they would go on regular walks there, sitting in a quiet spot, reading their Bibles together. And so we started shooting.

The sky was still covered with clouds for the first part of their shoot. But later the clouds parted and we were graced by the presence of the late afternoon sun, creating the halos, the fairy lights, bathing everything in her golden light… It was nothing short of magical.

In addition to this couples session being magical, these two souls were just as golden as the afternoon sun! It was such a pleasure getting to know them throughout the session. They are kind, graceful, quiet humans with a deep love for nature, poetry, art and God, and I found that I could relate to them in so many ways! I really hope to do a shoot with them again one day.