Getting back in front of the camera

I am by no means a model, however, I do really love to model and have always enjoyed being in front of the camera.

It had been a while since I had done a shoot and was looking to get some new images for my blog as well as for my portfolio, so I contacted Tegan Smith Photography (click here for her blog) a few weeks ago and we set up a shoot for a Friday after work.

I met Tegan a few years ago at the Face of Zuri competition where she shot the top 10 contestants at Milk & Honey Spa. We got on really well and I loved how the photos turned out. It was her pictures of me that ended up in Zuri stores all over the country after I won. An absolute dream come true for me! Given how well we got on and how comfortable I had felt shooting with her, I figured she was the perfect person to help ease me back into photoshoots.

Having been “out of the modelling game” for a while, the weeks leading up to my recent shoot with Tegan had me feeling super nervous and insecure about my abilities to model. I spent a lot of time thinking about my outfits and the 2 looks that I wanted to shoot, as well as whether I would be able to do my makeup well enough for the camera.

We met at Hard Pressed on a perfect (hot) Friday afternoon and I instantly felt at ease with Tegan. She gave me all the guidance that I needed and within minutes of shooting I had found my groove and began to feel more confident.

Needless to say, the images we got were amazing and I’m so glad that we could fit in my shoot despite both our schedules being insanely busy.

Look 1:

For my first look I decided that I wanted to go for a very sophisticated, fashion-forward outfit. Because we were shooting in the city, I wanted a look that would really stand out. It didn’t take long for this bright pink skirt of my Mum’s to come to mind. Thankfully my Mum was all too happy for me to borrow it! I paired it with a white crop top from Supre, which is one of my favourite items in my wardrobe at the moment. I don’t know what it is about the choker part of the top, but it just completes any look and is also so elegant.

Initially we had wanted to shoot my second look on the beach, however when I showed Tegan my second outfit she decided that it was better suited for the checkered bricks alongside the Sea Point Swimming Pool… And right she was!

Look 2:

For my 2nd look, I went with a more casual, beachy look. I picked this cut out skirt which I bought in New York a few years ago. The high cut out is very flattering and I always feel like it makes me legs look a little longer. I paired it with this lacy crop top which is also from Supre. Black is always slimming and the slight ‘v’ and thin spaghetti straps creates the illusion of a smaller bust (something that’s hard for me to achieve)!

Given how hot and how bright the sun still was at 6pm, I finished off the look with my blue reflective Ray Bans which really made the whole outfit come together perfectly. With the blue sky and palm trees in the background, the pictures came out looking very California-esque, which I absolutely love!