How wonderful to be back in South Africa, in the beautiful Pretoria. We have started to settle back in and are already enjoying the absolute fabulous nature around, the friendly people. Thanks to everyone for making us feel so welcome.

We’ve been away for 8 years, so we are still learning how things have changed and how things work, but we are getting there. Well we’ve got our internet now and DSTV, the kids are in school and we know where all the building supply shops are around us, so we are all set! We’ll have to find Architects etc in the next few months (studio renovations), some more builders and so on. A busy and exciting time forward.

I will be taking sessions from March 2012. If you are interested please mail me at brunilda@brunilda.me. For a while packages will be digitally based with the option to add additional products later on. I need to work out which print labs would work best for me.  I usually test everything from prints to canvas with my own family’s prints until I am 100% satisfied before I offer that product.

At the moment, the studio is not ready but I will be able to travel my studio in the interim, with careful planning I could bring the studio to you. Mostly sessions will be outside in my own garden or the bird sanctuary right next to my house.

I can’t wait to meet new clients and to make you feel like part of my family. Photos are so amazing to record our families as they grow and change. We’ll capture feelings and not just take a picture. Together we’ll create art work. Be it eventually for your walls, a lovely album or just for sharing digitally.

So without further ado, let’s get down to some prizes! I held a competition for some free sessions. At first I thought I’d do only one session and then I decided to give a little more. Everyone that entered will get R250 credit toward future sessions (this is for additional sessions to the ones given away). To claim this all you need to do is hang onto the email you sent me for the competition entry and when it gets time for you to book a session, forward or attach that email to me with your request for a session. Your competition email becomes your gift voucher for R250.

Sessions must be taken between 1 March and 31 August 2012. The R250 credit can be used once only on any regular type of session you would like, for example baby session, family session, maternity or newborn. (not on  mini sessions). Remember to book well in advance of time to make sure you don’t loose out because my session slots have all been booked out.

Then we have 3 mini sessions to give away! These sessions are from 15-30 minutes and you’ll see from 8 images onwards in an online gallery. Once you receive your rough edited gallery you choose which images I should artfully edit for you. For this competition you are entitled to  8 edited images digitally on a CD. I add a print release on the CD so you will be able to print anywhere and images are of the highest quality and resolution to print in any size you’d like. The CD will also have a free of charge conversion for each images into black and white, sepia, chocolate and vintage of each image.

The three mini session winners are:

1. Carle
2. Tarni Hardick
3. Liezel Chapman
   Remember to claim your session between 1 March and 31 August!

And finally but definitely not least is the main winner! A full session, lasting between 60-90 minutes and we can do up to 3-4 outfit changes (if baby allows). From 25 onward images will be placed in a rough edit online gallery for you to choose from. I will then artfully edit the images you chose. For this competition you are entitled to 30 edited images digitally on a CD. I add a print release on the CD so you will be able to print anywhere and images are of the highest quality and resolution to print in any size you’d like. The CD will also have a free of charge conversion for each images into black and white, sepia, chocolate and vintage of each image.

The winner is: Zodwa Mzinyane
Remember to claim your session between 1 March to 31 August

Important info regarding claiming your session:

Please contact me with your suggested timing at least 2 weeks ahead of time. For a week-end session its better to book a month or more in advance. Please do not wait till the last week in August to book your free session as I might not have any more slots available and you could loose out on your session. These prizes are not redeemable for cash and are not exchangeable or transferable.

If you have specific ideas for your session please sort this out with me at least 2weeks to 1 month in advance. To wait a day before the session to request a specific theme or idea, might mean it will not be able to arrange.

I can’t wait to give you lasting memories of your family too! Here is some of my family. Everyone on this picture is part of my family. My two daughters, their grandparents and their cousin. I wish I could already get into my archives to have shown you how my daughters grew up in front of the camera, but for now this will do to introduce ourselves to you.

@ Brünilda Mönnig Photography

www.brunilda.me

Please do not copy, print or save any images without written permission

I haven’t blogged in forever since I was just too busy, head on over to facebook always as I make a point to regularly interact there. What better reason to blog though to say happy birthday to the wonderful country that were our home for close to 8 years!

We dressed the girls in the colours of the flag for today’s national day activities at their respective schools. They look darling, if I do say so myself.

Next week we move back to South Africa, we will remember the UAE fondly. Both girls were born here. If any of my previous clients ever find themselves in South Africa (close to Pretoria area, that is more toward Johannesburg than Cape Town) please make contact, even if only for a quick coffee on the way somewhere else. You became my friends and not just my clients, I would love to have you visit our beautiful country.

A fond happy birthday from my two lovelies:

I usually photograph newborn babies in the morning, but it’s the only day this could work for this couple and to top it all we were working against time (newborn photos is best as soon as possible), so we decided to try an afternoon. Well so glad we did, as he was actually a quite good little sleeper.

Here are a very fun idea Daddy had. I really love it and can’t belief we’ve never done something like this before with any babies. I am so blessed that it came to me this last month of photographs in Abu Dhabi.

And another on white, that I posted first on facebook.

With Mommy

And Daddy

A little baby boy in a pea pod. The green suits him.

And Lastly the whole new family.

I can hardly keep up with the blogs of all the lovely babies. The little girl I met today was just so precious. Still tiny even though she is 20 days old. She was born really early so unfortunately the newborn photoshoot had to wait for a bit. She was quite awake, but I still like what we came away with.

Here she is, wide awake, well maybe those eyes might just fall closed, let’s be quiet!

Here she is with mommy

And Daddy

I love this one of her smiling

Another one of her checking me out.

And lastly the family. I adore how she just connects with Daddy.

I love how alike this whole family looks. They are quite frankly the most family like family I’ve seen in a long while. All blonde as can be and Dad even mentioned that baby brother looks exactly like big brother did when he was a baby.

Big brother is one very energetic little boy so if little brother takes after him, Mommy is soon going to be able to run marathons for fun:) For now though he is a super good lseeper.

I absolutely love babies in cocoons and this cocoon has been a favourite of mine. He looks so peaceful.

I wear a blue hat cause I’m a boy, now let me chill.

Aren’t they just such a lovely family. All in awe of their newest member.

I placed this before on facebook. He is puckering up. When I see this image I want to lean closer to feel those sweet baby kisses on my cheek:) Maybe I’m just a softy in my old age, but I really really love newborn abbies and I can cuddle them all day long.

With Mommy

And Daddy. Isn’t this cute!

And lastly just chilling in the beanbag. Babies love that thing!

@ copyright Brunilda Monnig Photography 2011

Please do NOT print these images. If you need to print please purchase high resolution images. Web images are not sufficient quality.

If a watermark appear on any images printed its a sign that the wrong file was used, either by accident or on purpose. Thank you for understanding.

How lovely to see this family again today. I took some photos for them when they were engaged, I took some maternity photos and here is the gorgeous little baby boy! What an honour to have been able to walk the whole way with them. Thanks for coming you guys, hope you get some rest this evening!

Here is the beautiful little boy.

We all adored this expression:) He was a coccon lover and everytime I would take hiom out of one he would complain – loudly.

And the family

Lastly some orange and yellow and little tiny boy!

The past 2 and a half years have been amazing. Thanks to all the wonderful clients I’ve met and worked with. It has been some of the best years of my life. A time where I felt truely fulfilled and happy. I’ve been in the United Arab Emirates since the start of 2004, and I can honestly say I haven’t had so much fun as the last two and a half years with my photography.

You’ve seen me grow from very unsure about it all to feeling really comfortable with a session. Yes I used to be a shy person, so even grow as a person too. I still learn something new with each session and I’ve discovered photography is something in me and something I’d always do, be it as full time, part time, or even as a hobby.

I have mixed feelings with having to share with you that we have decided to move back to South Africa for good in December. We miss our country, our family misses and needs us. For our family we decided the best for us is to return. Since we would like our children to be in Afrikaans schools and the new school year already start in January, our move is going to be very soon.

I will honour all sessions already booked and confirmed and will try my best to help a few others that feel they want some more sessions before I go. If you’d like a last goodbye session, please email me with more or less the date you’d like the session and I will get back to you some time this week about availability and details of sessions.

For sessions that already took place, I will guide you through order deadlines as we go along to make sure you do still get your prints before we go.

I am preparing a referral list of photographers that I feel is fabulous and covers every conceivable style pf photography you might like and I will post a blog of that referral list before I leave. I trust these ladies will be able to help you capture the rest of your lovely little darlings’ lives.

To any followers out there that are in South Africa, check back as I will definitely do some sessions even if its on week ends if I do decide to have another job as well. I will have a studio in my home and I am opposite a large green area, which make outside photos within walking distance.

So with that I say a very fond farewell to Abu Dhabi. Thanks for everything, all the laughs, seeing your children grow up in front of me has made my life so unbelievably happy.

A picture of my lovelies taken in South Africa, they say goodbye too…

A gorgeous 11 day old chubby cheek girl came to visit the studio today. She is just cuteness overload! Thanks you for coming. Dankie julle.

I am so behind on my bloggin, just not finding the time, so I apologise this blog post is short in words, luckily it makes up for in pictures.

Here is several sneak peek photos. the one’s available for sharing on facebook can be found here

Brunilda Monnig Photography
www.brunilda.me
copyright 2011
Please note: download, copy, crop, alter or print of any images are NOT allowed

I know its terribly quiet on the blog and I apologise, I’ve been so busy with training and edits. Quite behind in blogging.

If it looks quiet here please head over to the facebook page:

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I leave you with a gorgeous maternity image from a few weeks ago

Another installment of what to wear:

We had a lovely family session on Saturday. Here is a one image sneak peek. I love what we came away with, working on the edits now and can’t get enough of how gorgeous the two children looks, stunning.

I just realised it’s been ages since I posted anything on the blog. I communicate so much on facebook that it feels like I came on here yesterday:)  I am still not used to a year starting in September yet to me it feels like a new year since schools and everything start over again. Perfect time then also to reflect on how things are done, how to connect to my clients and fellow photogs.

This year I will be doing private lessons, one on one basis as there have just been too much requests for it. Since time is an issue it will take shape like a booking of a regular session time frame. To those waiting on your information packs they are almost done and will reach you next week. The Eid holiday’s threw out my schedule a tiny bit. To anyone else interested let me know, brunilda@brunilda.me.

So with that I’d like to share a family session I did in South Africa. This was taken at the botanical gardens. The garden is lush even though it was the middle of winter (yep it was hot enough this year for short sleeves). The grass is a tiny bit brown but I love it. I can’t wait to try the parks here when it gets a little bit cooler.

I love this family they were so much fun. A while back my mom told me there was a lady that recognised me as someone she worked with. Turns out it was this lovely lady and I recognised her face too, although I must confess I didnt get to the name right away (I think in pictures, was always handy in my job as auditor, but that is a whole other story). Anyway a million years later, after Price Waterhouse Coopers we met up again and this time I got to take pictures of her fabulous family.

It was fun walking around with them and explaining to the kids why I want to take pictures in a certain location, about light etc. I had a young photography enthusiast so it made it extra fun.

This year web blog posts will be done after the session, all edits and the order has been finalised so I get to share a lot and dont have to place a big logo on there. Here is a collage of our day:

Two babies in the studio, what could be more fun. These two were adorable and it was super cute to see G always reaching for his brother’s hand. Your web gallery with edited and rough edits will be forwarded to you today. Once I get back I will get the edits of the rest you’ve chosen done for you.

Aren’t they they adorable

Brunilda Monnig Photography
www.brunilda.me
copyright 2011
Please note: download, copy, crop, alter or print of any images are NOT allowed

And here is a little video of the sneaks

This tiny baby was due yesterday! When I saw her parents for their maternity mini session ( a gift form their friends) they mentioned that she is due the day before I leave and we all started hoping she would arrive in time to be able to have her session. Luckily she came on the 29th so I was able to have her session. I’ve edited several images as sneak peek, the rest of the images will be rough edits in your web gallery and once I get back I’ll finalise all the edits on the images you chose.

This pose was requested by her parents, adorable.

Brunilda Monnig Photography
www.brunilda.me
copyright 2011
Please note: download, copy, crop, alter or print of any images are NOT allowed

And here is a short video of the sneak peek images (there is one image that appears corrupted in the video, I really dont know what happened there, the image is perfect on my computer and in the web gallery though)

I apologise for some short blog posts. You might recognise these boys as they were part of another family session a while ago. For this session they were the focus and they were super cute! I finalised your proofbook and shipped it out to your uk address, hopefully you will have it soon.

Here is a cute one of the baby of the house

Brunilda Monnig Photography
www.brunilda.me
copyright 2011
Please note: download, copy, crop, alter or print of any images are NOT allowed

And here is the video.