Beautiful Autumn Street

Photograph: Danielle Retief

Some Brightness in Nature

These almost look like detailed Monet paintings rather than photographs (probably because of the slight blur)

Happy Anniversary...

30 Years...

...is how long my parents have been married today, 17 December 2010.

My mom had just turned 20 and my dad was a mere 21 when they exchanged vows in 1980 and 30 years, countless ups and downs and four children later, they still have the world to talk about, cannot imagine life without one another and still look into each other's eyes with utter devotion.

To those of you who do not believe in fairy tale love, these two people are proof of its existence...

Some pictures of their three decades together...

God With Us



With the parents on their wedding day...

 

Christmas before children

The crazy 80's

On a gondola in Venice (a typical romantic scene)

And my absolute favourite, their Sound of Music moment in Austria....

Happy Anniversary!

On Stage Today

I had an acting audition today for the first time in a while and as the waiting room grew ghostly quiet around me, you could feel the tension growing in the room. Strangely enough, it wasn't inside me. Yes, I had the butterflies, I had the fear of forgetting everything I had learnt, but I was calm... I didn't feel a single glimmer of dread! Which is, if you know me, the most peculiar thing ever. The audition was fun! It was fun to once again be able to transform into someone else, to pretend that my world was dimensions away and to live the life of a stranger. I'll confess... I like auditions! Most actors would stare at me with an intense look of disbelief, maybe even horror, but I believe auditions are chances. Chances to not only show your skill, but chances to enjoy your craft! After all, "all the world is a stage."

I inherited the acting bug from my parents and grandfather. Here are some photos from one of my mom's 1982 plays, The Golden Ring.

"Life is like a play; it is not the length that matters, but the excellence of the acting."

- Seneca (Roman Philosopher)

Eternity Through the Moment

He made me suddenly realize that photographs could reach eternity through the moment.

Grandmother

I love history. I love what it teaches us. I love how beautiful it looks in today's commercial world and finding photos like these makes me wish I could also experience it first hand. This is a photograph of my grandmother at age 20, so that makes the year 1945 (when World War II ended). Note the exquisite clock-radio (reminds me of the movie Titanic).

Designer Ivy

I came across these crazy ivy plants that decorated an entire street as if they were fashion designer and the trees and walls their models. When they pull away from the walls, they create art works.

The trees are God's great alphabet:
With them He writes in shining green
Across the world His thoughts serene.
~Leonora Speyer

Sandton Square

One of my favourite places in Johannesburg, Sandton Square - it's like walking into a European town in the middle of Africa.

Bonjour! Buongiorno! Guten Tag! Hola!

or just Hello....

I have always seen the world a little differently than most people and I have always attempted to see the intrigue and the beauty in it. I do believe, however, that there is no light without dark, no happiness without despair and no beauty without destruction. That is why I document anything that can ultimately teach me a valuable lesson about these elements. I cannot live without creation - whether it be creating something new myself or admiring other creations. Humans are extraordinary when it comes to creating: we were built for it and that is why there is so much magic around us everywhere we go.

I grew up in a creative environment and was taught to appreciate everything imaginative. I know the value of stories - they not only serve to transport us into different realities, but they give us the opportunity to share pieces of ourselves and to make sure we leave at least a few memories of who we were behind. I want to tell some of these stories and I believe the best ways to do it is through photography, through art, through writing and through acting. These methods allow me to reach more than just minds.

I also find the world funny, goofy and sometimes just insane, so I try to capture as much of it as I can in different types of frames to ultimately tell the fables...